At Evolve, my team and I utilize running therapy and gait retraining to help you recover from injuries and to improve athletic performance. Our programs are geared towards helping you improve in the following areas: Standing, walking, and running.

Over the years i’ve seen running and gait technologies and techniques greatly advance. This allows for our skilled physical therapists to better target your injury, and help you during each step of your recovery process. Whether you’re an experienced athlete looking to improve your running form, or you have an injury, we’ve got you covered.

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You may be wondering, is boxing training right for me? And the answer is that almost anyone can join in on a Rock Steady Boxing class because there are multiple levels to help you during any stage of Parkinson’s. Not only can it increase your balance and mobility, but it can help you regain your strength. Each of our classes will focus on a variety of workouts that may include, ring work, focus mitts, heavy bags, speed bags, double-ended bags, jump rope, core work, calisthenics and circuit weight training.

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Schedule a Parkinson's Disease Physical Therapy Consultation with Evolve today by calling- 1-718-258-3300

The Running & Gait Evaluation Process

The first part of running therapy and gait training is for us to perform an evaluation of your gait. Once we have accessed how you are walking then we can move up to a run. This allows my team to create a customized treatment plan to help you achieve all your goals in relation to walking and running.

What may be included in your running and gait analysis physical therapy evaluation?

Running History Review: It is important to discuss your running history, training plans, and any previous injuries with our physical therapists. This will allow us to tailor a treatment plan just for you.

Orthopedic Exam: The exam will focus on the movement of your muscles, joints, and tendons in relation to your running and gait.

Observational Analysis: During the observational analysis portion we may have you walk or run on a treadmill while being recorded. This allows us to analyze what needs to improve in your walking or running form.

What can be observed during gait analysis?

Foot Dynamics: This is one of the most important aspects of gait analysis. We will monitor how your foot hits the ground and where you are landing. Then we will analyze if you have good mobility and focus on the intrinsic and extrinsic muscles of your feet.

Hip Strength and Mobility: To be a great runner, all aspects of your gait need to be working together well. This is why it is also important that we check your hip strength and mobility to access what may need to be improved.

Balance: As a runner having good balance is also a key factor to running your best and keeping proper form to prevent injury.

At Evolve I have seen a lot of running injuries and if you are a runner you may have already experienced some of the ones listed below. By taking part in running and gait training you can heal, and learn how to reduce the occurrence of injuries by learning more about proper running form and pain relieving exercises.

Common Running Injuries

Runners Knee: While runners knee is a common occurrence for runners, it can affect others as well. It can be brought about by overuse, problems with your feet, unbalanced muscles, and even taking a direct hit to your knee. This pain in your knee can be helped with manual therapy and other exercises.

ITB Syndrome: Iliotibial band friction syndrome is a recurring strain injury that usually affects runners and hikers. The most common symptom of ITB is pain outside of the knee.

Hip Flexor Tendonitis: Your hip flexors can become strained due to overuse. Common signs that you may have strained your hip flexor would include, sudden pain, pain with stretching, muscle spasms, and swelling or bruising along the hip or thigh.

Achilles Tendonitis and Calf Strains: Achilles Tendonitis is often caused by the overuse of your Achilles tendon. It can occur after intense runs, or as a result of playing sports. A calf strain can happen to any of the 9 muscles in your calf. If you have a calf injury you may notice any of the following, sharp throbbing pain, tightness, and muscle spasms.

Hamstring Injuries: Some of our most seen hamstring injuries are pulls and muscle tears. They can vary in severity and are most common in athletes.

Plantar Fasciitis: This is one of the most common causes of heel pain and you will usually notice a stabbing like pain that can vary in terms of severity throughout the day.

Stress Fractures: Jumping and long distance running can eventually lead to stress fractures. These are most likely to occur in your lower leg and foot.

What running and gait therapies and techniques do we use at Evolve?

Soft Tissue and Manual Therapies: My team uses this hands-on physical therapy as a run recovery technique. It can also be helpful to do in preparation for a run. Manual therapy can relieve built up stress and tension in your body along with increasing your range of motion and increasing athletic performance.

Instrument Assisted Mobilization: Our physical therapists may use instruments during sessions to break down scar tissue and increase mobility and reduce restrictions you may have in your muscles, ligaments, tendons, fascia, and nerves.

Shoe Assessments and Orthotics: My team and I also provide shoe assessments and orthotics. It is imperative to the health of your joints that you wear proper footwear. If you are experiencing pain in your foot or even your back it could be related to the type of shoes you are wearing.

Foam Rolling: Our foam rollers can be used to increase blood flow, improve mobility, and decrease restrictions or adhesions. A foam roller can be used after a difficult workout or during a recovery program.

Are you a good candidate for running therapy and gait training?

At Evolve, our physical therapy team can help you improve your standing, walking, and running abilities. Running therapy and gait training can help you to improve your balance, mobility, and running form. If you are recovering from an injury, or are looking to enhance your athletic performance, working with our team of experts can help you to get into your best shape yet.