Form Physical Therapy

They're the best!!!!

IF you want to keep running, Kelly and Kelly can-and will-help.

Longish-Short Story:

I am not injured now, but have had a variety of running-related injuries over the past 10 years. My passionate (and sometimes impatient) pursuit of goals within the running and triathlon hobbies have, in part, caused some of those.

Being healthy and uninjured lately, my first question (which The Kellys easily answered) was “why?”

My second question (which The Kellys also answered) was “how can I stay that way?”

I am writing this testimony for the sole reason (see what I did there?) that I believe it will help others to run happier, longer, faster, and with fewer injuries along the way. I waited ~5 months to write this as a sort of proof to myself that what they’ve told me to do is actually working.

So IF you’re running healthy, and you’re injury-free, be GRATEFUL your body is performing as you ask it to! Oh, AND set an appointment to meet with them as a giant step in staying that way.

Even if you’re not 100% right now, of course they can still help. The Form PT team will seek and correct gait issues, no matter how subtle. They will take your good (or not-so-good) form to REALLY good form by prescribing PT that you do at home, over time. My experience was a precise diagnosis, then a number of weeks of small gait adjustments and PT sets, with a follow-up visit to make sure I was going in the right direction. With their expertise and advice I know I have made a sound investment into my future and hope to continue my safe, healthy running journey for many miles and many years to come. Thanks again to The Kellys for making a difference in this runners’ life. I hope my words will inspire others to do the same, as is exactly what happened when I read testimony from Justin from Run Detroit quite some time ago.

The Rest of the Story:

Question 1: WHY was I uninjured for almost 2 years? Answer: I ran S-L-O-W. Deliberately and carefully. I shelved lofty, speedy goals and stopped all trackwork for that period of time.

After ~8 years of SOMEthing going wrong each & every season (pain in certain joints, often several at a time, a nasty bout with Plantar Fasciitis, a different “wonky” feeling in the calves and/or quads, etc) I stopped trying to “get faster” altogether. I switched to “sightseeing” mode and enjoyed the ride. After 1 season of healthy running and “good luck,” I tried for two. Again, 2 years of "slow-mode," and everything felt GOOD!

Next I wanted to get faster, but didn’t want to break my streak of running injury-free.

The Kellys informed me that yes, my running slow (way slower than I was capable of, for 2+ years) prevented me from the injuries I was plagued with earlier, during my “eager” years. Mystery solved.

Now that I am looking to apply some speed to my running, FORM has put me in a position to do so. While there are no guarantees in life OR in running, I have been running faster and issue-free for ~5 months now, about 400 (running) miles including 2 triathlons, 1 140.6. I am sure that following their at-home PT prescription has been an integral part of my sustained success, marking the 5-6 days per week I’ve been able to do the full set on my calendar.

So I’ll update again sometime later with how the months of increased mileage and speed have come along. I believe that these elements will lead to success with my future running and triathlon goals:

1. Add speed and mileage incrementally, over an extended time
2. Stick with the home PT that FORM prescribed 5-6x per week
3. Log my progress with benchmark workouts and continue cross-training with some biking and swimming.

My great deal of detail is because I believe and hope it will help others to run happier, longer, faster, and with fewer injuries along the way.

Sincerely,
Christos, 51