Who is best suited to undertake this course? Are there any prerequisites or is there pre-existing knowledge that participants should have? 

Any clinician interested in helping runners in their community will find ‘Running rehab: running retraining, exercise and performance’ valuable. 

From new graduates to highly experienced clinicians, if attendees want to develop or refine their running assessment skills, gait retraining, objective assessments or exercise prescription for injured runners, this course will give them plenty of tools to take away and implement immediately. 

I often get clinicians attending who want to develop a plan for their own injuries as well. There are no specific prerequisites for this course but a range of pre- and post-course reading and learning resources will be shared with attendees. 

What is the focus of the course? 

Every runner is unique and running injuries are multifactorial. ‘Running rehab’ does not provide recipes and is very principle-focused. 

The course is strongly informed by evidence related to biomechanics and common running injuries but does not neglect other factors related to lifestyle that can influence injury development and management.

The principles covered in the course will allow attendees to walk away confident about managing the injuries they see in their clinic—whether that be tendinopathies, shin splints, patellofemoral pain or any other running injuries— through a mix of education, gait retraining and exercise prescription. 

All people should be able to run and I want course attendees to feel that they can support their community members to do so, whether they have acute injuries of short duration or a chronic condition like knee osteoarthritis. 

How recent is the research underpinning the course content? 

I have been teaching ‘Running rehab’ since 2014 and have continually updated its content based on my own research and that of others. How much hands-on practice is included versus theoretical content? 

My content is informed by evidence but does not contain long lectures. Lectures in the course are short and focused on how to apply the evidence. 

There are many opportunities for questions and discussion to ensure engagement and learning. 

A significant amount of time is spent on supported and practical learning, which is always highly valued by those attending. 

On average, about 50 per cent or more of attendees have their own running injuries and this allows for practical case studies through which to explore and learn. 

What key skills will participants walk away with? 

Participants will develop and refine skills in: 

• providing education about load management and return-to-run plans
• conducting video gait assessment and objective assessment to support their understanding of key contributors to injuries and running gait
• implementing safe gait retraining techniques that consider approaches beyond step rate and strike pattern
• prescribing exercises to support injury management and gait retraining and to ensure that injuries are adequately rehabilitated in the long term
• understanding how footwear influences gait and different injuries
• applying the RISK framework to guide running injury management
• recognising how running technique and exercise prescription may positively influence running performance. 

‘Running rehab: running retraining, exercise and performance’ will run on 22–23 November in Claremont, Western Australia and on 29–30 November in Heidelberg West, Victoria. 

Click here to register for the Western Australian session.

Click here to register for the Victorian session. 

>>Dr Christian Barton APAM is a professor in physiotherapy at La Trobe University and teaches courses in Australia, the United Kingdom and Scandinavia. Christian works clinically at Complete Physio Exercise Performance in Melbourne, specialising in the management of persistent and challenging knee, tendon and running-related injuries.