Physical Therapy Running Course: Online

This 8-week interactive online course is designed for healthcare professionals who want to elevate their clinic skill set in the management of runners. Running is an efficient and effective mode of exercise, and thus one of the most popular forms of aerobic exercise. Unfortunately running-related injuries have a very high incidence. Too often injured runners are simply told to “stop running”, and thus they avoid the healthcare system.

Take a deep dive into exploring misconceptions and laying out a clear, current best evidence pathway to enable runners to not only recover from their injuries but continue to run while they are rehabilitating them. Through online learning, case studies, community discussion, and weekly meetings the instructors will interact with the cohort. A special emphasis is placed on gait (re)training to decrease load to the injured tissues and allow decreased pain with running.

Format

• 8 weeks long - 2 hours/week commitment
• Lifetime access to course & online community
• Weekly assignments & weekly discussion meetings
  • Discussion meetings take place every Tuesday at 8:30pm EST & are optional but encouraged. They are recorded & can be viewed later if unable to attend.
  • Our online courses require active participation to be awarded credit which may include reading, homework assignments, and quizzes. We do not allow students to “drop back” to preceding cohorts due to inability to complete work assigned except under extraordinary circumstances. ICE faculty have the final decision in allowing a “drop back” but students are only allowed one “drop back” per course. Failure to complete the course on your 2nd attempt will not yield CEU credit. All courses allow for a 7 day grace period after course conclusion to receive CEU credit.

Schedule

* = Online Discussion That Week

Week 0

• Course Orientation

Week 1

• Epidemiology & Etiology of Running-Related Injuries
• Load Management

Week 2

• Gait Analysis
• Self-Running Gait Analysis

Week 3

• Patellofemoral Pain
• Gait (Re)training: Controlling Femoral IR

Week 4 *

• Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome
• Midterm Exam

Week 5

• Iliotibial Band Syndrome
• Gait (Re)training: Cadence Manipulation

Week 6 *

• Plantar Heel Pain
• Gait (Re)training: Quiet Running

Week 7

• Achilles’ Tendon Pain
• Gait (Re)training: Forward Lean

Week 8 *

• Bone Stress Injuries
• Final Exam

Running & Physical Therapy Course Objectives

• Understand the epidemiology of the overuse injuries in running
• Utilize strategies for safely progressing training load for runners
• Describe the role of faulty running mechanics in the development of injury
• Evaluate and address common faulty running mechanics
• Manage common running-related injuries

TARGET AUDIENCE 

• Physical therapists
• Physical therapy assistants 
• Occupational therapists
• Occupational therapy assistants
• Chiropractors
• Physicians
• Athletic trainers

PREREQUISITES

• NONE
  

EDUCATION LEVEL

• Entry-level