Expert advice from Memphis physical therapists who specialize in helping runners stay healthy for life
Running is one of the oldest sports in the world, and it's more popular than ever. Whether you’re training for the St. Jude Marathon, logging miles on the Memphis Greenline, or traveling with your shoes in your carry-on, running is one of the most convenient and empowering ways to stay fit.
It’s simple: just lace up and go. Tight on time? Running is efficient. Out of town? It’s the perfect way to explore a new area and pack light.
And the benefits are impressive — studies show that regular runners live, on average, 3 years longer, and reduce their risk of premature death by up to 40%.
That’s worth pushing for, right?
But if running is so good for you, why do so many runners get injured?
Research shows that up to 90% of runners experience an injury or illness during training for a half or full marathon.
That doesn’t mean running is bad for you. But it does mean that running, like all repetitive, high-load sports, carries risk.
The most common issues we see at 901PT in Memphis are overuse and stress injuries caused by increasing training volume or intensity without enough time for the body to adapt.
These injuries can be influenced by:
In other words, running is simple, but the human body is complex.
Maybe not. But we can reduce the risk significantly.
That’s where physical therapy for runners makes a huge difference.
Reducing injury risk means:
At 901PT, we help runners in Memphis do exactly that through detailed assessment, smart training guidance, and personalized treatment plans.
The human body is made to run. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t need support. Let’s look at three key systems that support your performance and resilience:
Bones form the framework of your body and help absorb impact while providing attachment points for muscles and tendons.
Bone tissue is constantly remodeling, breaking down and rebuilding, and this process is influenced by your age, hormones, diet, sleep, training, and whether you played sports as a kid.
For runners, bone stress injuries like stress reactions or stress fractures are a common issue when load exceeds bone recovery capacity.
Tendons connect muscle to bone and store elastic energy during impact, like springs that help you bounce off the ground.
Tendinopathy is a common running injury, but contrary to popular belief, stretching isn’t the answer. In fact, stretching can sometimes make tendon issues worse.
What tendons need is strategic loading and strengthening, not just rest.
Your muscles generate the power to propel you forward and control your landings. Each muscle group behaves differently depending on the pace and phase of your running stride.
Weakness in key areas like the calves, glutes, or hamstrings can reduce efficiency and increase injury risk.
Building tissue capacity and improving neuromuscular control are essential for both performance and injury prevention.
In endurance sports like running, the brain and cardiovascular system play just as important a role as the muscles.
Fatigue isn’t just physical, t’s neurological, emotional, and perceptual.
Historically, scientists debated whether fatigue comes from the heart (not pumping enough) or the brain (protecting the body from overexertion). The most modern theories now say: it’s both.
Stress, sleep, motivation, competition, and mood all influence how your body performs and how likely you are to get injured.
That’s why we don’t just treat the site of pain at 901PT. We look at the whole system to identify what’s contributing to fatigue, breakdown, or poor recovery.
Here’s the hard truth: most running injuries happen when people do too much, too soon or return to training too quickly after a break.
To improve as an athlete, you need to gradually exceed your current capacity. That’s how the body gets stronger.
But if you go too far too fast, tissues can’t keep up and something breaks down.
The old “increase mileage by 10% per week” rule is a helpful guideline, but not a universal law. Some runners can handle more, others need a slower ramp-up. Your history, age, recovery habits, and current fitness all play a role in how quickly you can progress.
What matters most is avoiding:
Yes. Absolutely. Running is one of the most powerful things you can do for your body and brain.
And even if you do get injured, most running injuries heal well, especially with expert guidance and a long-term plan.
At 901PT, we specialize in working with runners at every level, from 5K beginners to Boston qualifiers.
We help you:
If you’ve been sidelined by pain…
If you’re tired of nagging injuries that never fully heal…
If you wish you had a plan tailored to your body and goals…
We can help. And we’ve helped hundreds of Memphis runners just like you.
Our bodies are built to run.
Let’s keep you running for a lifetime.
1. Running as a Key Lifestyle Medicine for Longevityhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S00330620173004882. Running themselves into the ground https://www.jospt.org/doi/abs/10.2519/jospt.2019.84733. Previous Sport Activity During Childhood and Adolescence Is Associated With Increased Cortical Bone Size in Young Adult Men https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/187679314. Muscular strategy shift in human running: dependence of running speed on hip and ankle muscle performance https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/225737745. Fatigue is a brain-derived emotion that regulates the exercise behavior to ensure the protection of whole-body homeostasis https://www.google.com/search?q=Fatigue+is+a+brain+derived+emotion+that+regulates+the+exercise+behavior+to+ensure+the+protection+of+whole+body+homeostasis&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF 8&hl=en-us&client=safari6. Debunking the myths about training load, injury and performance: Empirical evidence, hot topics and recommendations for practitioners https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/54/1/58