Sports & performance
Running & Endurance Chiropractor
The coastal path from Burns Beach north is some of the better running in Perth, and a good chunk of what comes in from it follows the same story: the distance went up, or the surface changed, or a race got close, and something started complaining about three weeks later.
When can I return to running after an injury?
When the tissue tolerates the load you want to put through it, which is judged on criteria rather than a date — pain behaviour during and the morning after a run, and how it responds to a graded increase. Assessment at Northern Beaches Chiropractic in Currambine builds a return-to-running progression from where you actually are.
Why running injuries happen
Running is a repetitive impact activity, which makes it almost entirely a load-management sport. Somewhere between 150 and 180 ground contacts a minute means small errors in progression accumulate quickly.
Most running injuries are not caused by a single run. They are caused by a fortnight of runs that outpaced what the tissue could adapt to — a jump in weekly distance, a new session type, hills or sand introduced abruptly, or an ambitious return after time off.
Surface matters more than people expect. Soft sand and beach running are excellent and load the calf and Achilles very differently from a footpath. Both are worth doing; both need introducing gradually.
Footwear changes, particularly big drops in heel height or a shift to a very different shoe, change where the load goes. That is not an argument against changing shoes, only against changing them the week before a build.
Where people commonly feel it
These are the areas that come up most with running and endurance. Each links through to a fuller explanation of that presentation.
Calf and Achilles
The most common running complaint, and the most load-sensitive. Responds well to graded loading.
Shin
Classic early-build complaint. Usually a progression problem rather than a structural one, but persistent shin pain warrants assessment.
Knees
Front-of-knee pain during or after runs, particularly on hills and descents.
Hips
Lateral hip pain that hurts to lie on, and deep hip complaints with higher mileage.
Lower back
Less common but real, particularly with long runs or a return to volume after time off.
How we approach it
The training log is part of the assessment. Weekly distance for the last two months, what changed and when, and what the symptom does during a run versus the morning after — that pattern is often more diagnostic than any single test.
Then physical assessment: how the area behaves under repeated load rather than at rest. A calf that manages ten single-leg heel raises and fails at twenty-five is giving you a number to work with.
Management combines settling the irritable tissue with a loading programme, and — importantly — a running plan. Most runners want to know what they can run this week, and that should be answered specifically.
Who you will see
Someone who has done the training, not just read about it
Dr Corey Williams spent more than ten years in CrossFit, strength and conditioning — coaching, programming and competing — before and alongside chiropractic. He holds a double bachelor qualification in chiropractic from Murdoch University and is advanced dry needling certified.
He has also spent time around AFL and elite sporting environments, where return to play is decided on criteria rather than optimism. That shapes how these plans are built.
It also means a conversation about running and endurance starts at what the activity actually demands, rather than at a diagram.
- Double bachelor, Murdoch University
- Advanced dry needling certified
- 10+ years strength & conditioning
- Experience in elite sporting environments
Getting the kilometres back
Total rest is almost never the plan. Reduced volume, flatter routes, a firmer surface or a walk-run structure will usually keep you running through the irritable period.
Progression runs on how the tissue behaves rather than on a schedule. A useful rule is what the area feels like the morning after — settled by then means the load was reasonable; worse means it was not.
If there is a race in the diary, the plan is built backwards from it, and we will be honest with you if the date no longer looks realistic.
What care may involve
Getting to the clinic
The clinic is at 1244 Marmion Avenue in Currambine, opposite Milky Lane, a short drive from Burns Beach, Iluka, Ocean Reef and the surrounding northern suburbs.
Frequently asked questions
Should I stop running completely?
Rarely. Most running injuries respond better to reduced and modified load than to complete rest, which tends to leave you deconditioned and facing the same problem on return. There are exceptions — bone stress injuries among them — which is part of why assessment matters.
How much can I increase my running each week?
There is no single safe number, and the popular ten percent rule is a rough guide rather than a rule. What matters more is consistency, how you respond to the previous increase, and building in easier weeks. A progression is built around your history, not a formula.
Do I need new shoes?
Usually not as the first move. Shoes matter less than load progression for most running injuries, and changing them mid-build introduces another variable. If footwear does look relevant, it will come up in the assessment.
Is running bad for your knees?
The evidence does not support that. Recreational running is not associated with increased knee osteoarthritis, and regular runners often have better knee health than sedentary people. Individual injuries still happen, and they are usually about load rather than running itself.
Related pages
Last reviewed by Dr Corey Williams, Chiropractor. General information, not individual health advice.
Training through something?
Book an assessment at the Currambine clinic and get a plan that keeps you moving.