O’FALLON — HSHS Medical Group and HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Outpatient Therapy has extended the Injury Free Running Clinic into 2022 to continue to support current runners and those wishing to start on how to run safely and improve performance.
One-day sessions will be held on the last Wednesday each month at HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Outpatient Therapy clinic, located at 209 Rec Plex Drive in O’Fallon. The clinic is FREE and open to the public. Registration is open for the upcoming January 26 session as well as the other months. Visit https://www.hshs.org/StElizabeths/Events/Community/Injury-Free-Running-Clinic-2022 or call 618-624-3668.
Led by HSHS Medical Group family physician Dr. David Bereda and HSHS St. Elizabeth’s physical therapist Kristen Busch, PT, DPT, the program’s goal is to support and educate runners on injury prevention and performance enhancements through a personalized plan. Additional community partners of the program include Toolen’s Running Start and the McKendree Metro Rec Plex.
“Running injuries can often be caused by poor body mechanics, muscle overuse and even wearing the wrong type or mis-sized shoes,” Dr. Bereda said. “With our trained specialists, we can adjust and improve performance for all levels of runners – from beginners to experts – safely with a comprehensive examination and one-on-one support.”
The program is designed to improve flexibility, strength, and general fitness level with an overall treatment and exercise plan to grow running mileage and speed safely to avoid future injuries. It features:
- A demonstration of proper running form
- Instruction on dynamic stretching and cadence count
- A video gait analysis
- Shoe fitting by Toolen’s Running Start
- Discussion on common running injuries
- Question and answer session with physician and physical therapist
