Physiotherapy in Parktown North
Running injuries, from parkrun to marathon
Most running injuries are not bad luck. They are load arriving faster than the body can adapt to it, and the fix is usually in the training as much as in the tissue.
Does this sound familiar
What runners come in with
- Shin pain that builds with mileage (often called shin splints)
- Achilles pain and stiffness first thing in the morning
- Outside-of-knee pain at the same point in every run
- Front-of-knee pain on hills and stairs
- Hamstring pain or a strain that keeps recurring
- Heel pain that is worst for the first steps out of bed
What happens
How this is treated
Every patient is different, but the shape of the work is consistent — and you will always be told what is happening and why.
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Step 1
Training history first
What changed in the last six to eight weeks — mileage, hills, shoes, a race, a new surface. That usually explains the why.
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Step 2
Examine the whole chain
Foot, ankle, knee, hip and strength, and if useful a look at how you run.
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Step 3
Keep you running if possible
A modified plan — what to keep, what to cut, what to swap — rather than a blanket instruction to stop.
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Step 4
Rebuild and return
Strength and tissue capacity built up, then a graded return to your normal volume and your goal race.
Worth knowing
Running in this part of Johannesburg
The Braamfontein Spruit trail, Delta parkrun, the Emmarentia dam loop and the Westcliff stairs are all within a few kilometres of the practice. They are excellent places to run and they are not gentle: grass, gravel, roots and steep descents ask far more of the foot, calf and knee than a flat road does.
Altitude matters too. At around 1,750 metres, efforts feel harder, and runners arriving from the coast frequently push to hit sea-level paces — and then add more training when that does not work.
Worth knowing
The common ones, briefly
Shin pain along the inside of the shinbone is usually medial tibial stress syndrome, a load problem. Pain that is very localised to one spot on the bone, or present at rest or at night, needs ruling out for a stress fracture.
Achilles tendinopathy improves with graded tendon loading, and rest alone tends to fail. Most cases improve over roughly three to six months.
Runner’s knee and ITB pain are covered on the knee pain page. Heel pain on the first steps of the morning is commonly plantar heel pain, which also responds to loading and load management.
Worth knowing
Getting you to the start line
If you have a race booked, bring the date. The plan is built backwards from it where that is realistic — and if it is not, you will be told early enough to change it rather than the week before.
Before you book
Questions patients ask about this
Sometimes, but less often than people expect. A sudden change of shoe can contribute to an injury, and comfort is a reasonable guide when choosing. Shoes are rarely the whole answer on their own.
Yes, where it is relevant. Small, specific changes — often cadence — can reduce load on a painful area. Wholesale technique overhauls are rarely needed.
Build volume gradually, keep some strength work in the week, and respect warning signs early. A previous injury is a strong predictor of the next one, so finishing the rehabilitation properly is the best prevention there is.
No, though they can feel similar early on. A stress fracture is usually very localised, painful with hopping and may hurt at rest. If that is suspected, you will be referred for imaging.
Also treated here
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Neck & back pain
The ache that has been there for months, and the one that arrived overnight.
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Book an appointment
Book online at any hour, or send a WhatsApp if you would rather describe the problem first and be told honestly whether physiotherapy is the right call.