Like most exercise rituals, running has had its fads. It’s no longer simply the case of strapping on a pair of trainers and hitting the road, experts will have you believe you need the RIGHT trainers, the RIGHT diet and run the RIGHT way in order to get results. Achieving this on your own can be daunting, especially if you are new to running or conscious of relapse if you’re getting over an injury. These are just some of the reasons we have launched the JSSC Running Clinic, to provide support and advice to runners of all abilities in helping you get the very best from your bodies.

Physiotherapy advice for runners has changed a lot over the last few years. There was a time when it was thought that orthotics was the best way to treat under/over pronation or pain experienced whilst running. Then there was the debate about how best to run, forefooted or rearfooted striking? There was even the rumour that excessive running was bad for you and could ruin your knees through the constant impact. Now we understand that foot arches, large or small, are a natural part of everyone’s bodies and they don’t require counteraction. Running is never bad for our bodies, quite the opposite, exercise continues to reveal benefits both physically and mentally. Physiotherapy is now about how to work with your body, not fight against it.

One way in which we do this is to analyse your running and identify potential areas of weakness and then set about prescribing a series of strength and conditioning exercises to ensure these weak areas are strengthened to allow you to achieve your running goals.

Perhaps as someone new to running you would just like some advice on where and how to get started, along with accountability over the course of your training. As part of our Running Clinic we offer Running Coaching, developing personalised training programmes to help you get to 5K, 10k or even race in the upcoming marathon! The best place to start is at the beginning and rest assured we will be there to support you every step of the way.

So if you need help to get started on your Couch to 5K, or want historic niggles to be cured before you start, then get in touch. Alternatively if you simply want to run longer, the elusive marathon or ultramarathon, please let us work together to help you achieve your goals. We can help with running gait coaching, formulation of training plans or specific exercises through our Strength and Conditioning Classes for Runners. We have done the technical training and we have completed the strength training ourselves. We know the difference it can make.