Massage Won’t Fix Your Running Injury! Here’s What Will!
Let’s be real.
If massage, needling, or ultrasound could “fix” your injury, you’d be better by now.
Instead, you’re stuck in a cycle of short-term relief followed by the same pain returning the moment you try to run again.
Sound familiar?
You’re not the problem.
Your rehab approach is.
💆♂️ Why Passive Treatments Aren’t Getting You Back to Running
Massage, electrotherapy, dry needling — these are passive modalities. You lie there, something is done to you, and you walk out feeling a bit better.
But relief isn’t the same as recovery.
Running is a high-load, high-impact sport. You don’t prepare for that by lying still on a table.
Here’s the harsh truth:
Massage doesn’t rebuild tendon capacity
Ultrasound doesn’t restore strength or control
Needling doesn’t retrain your body to absorb impact
They're just a short-term band-aid to make it feel like something’s happening. But in terms of long-term change?
They do fuck all!
🔁 You Feel Better, So You Run Again. Then Flare Up
This is the classic trap.
You feel better after a few sessions. The pain has eased. You’re told it’s “okay to return to running.”
So you jump back into your normal training. And boom — pain returns.
That’s because feeling good isn’t the same as being ready.
Returning to running without restoring load tolerance is a one-way ticket to Injury Town!
🧠 What Needs to Happen Instead? Actual Rehab.
Rehab isn’t about fluff. It’s about rebuilding your tissues so they can handle the real-world demands of running.
Here’s what that actually involves:
1. Assess your current capacity
Can you hop? Single-leg squat? Handle ground reaction forces? Has your strength been objectively measured?
If you don’t know, you’re guessing. And guessing leads to injury.
2. Build progressive strength
Start where you are, not where you want to be. Then load up on strength, power, and impact drills.
3. Train running-specific movement
You’re not training for a glute activation comp. You’re training to move, jump, land, and run.
4. Follow a structured return-to-run plan
Not just “go for a jog when you feel good.”
Real plans include impact prep, volume progression, and pain monitoring.
🏃♂️ Stop Wasting Time with Fluff
You don’t need more clamshells and “activation” drills.
You don’t need another round of dry needling.
You need rehab that respects what you do as a runner.
Your body isn’t fragile. It just needs a plan.
I help frustrated runners and gym-goers recover from injury and get strong again — without clamshells or outdated physio advice.
