Restoring Load Capacity in the Runner

This course is a two-day (14 hour) course that emphasizes putting the latest evidence into practice to provide innovative solutions for the athletes with relative overuse injuries. Diagnoses to be included will include patellofemoral pain, iliotibial band pain, and the most common bone stress injuries of the lower limb, including tibia, metatarsal, navicular bone stress injuries. Specific training load prescription and strength and conditioning practices to both prevent and treat various injuries is a foundation of this course. Lastly, this course will cover strength and conditioning for the runner to improve performance. Overall, there will be an emphasis on hands-on, laboratory experiences of the didactic components of this course so that attendees can immediately put into practice newly learned skills. Case studies will be used throughout the course to provide relevant examples.

Richard Willy PT, PhD

Biography: Dr. Rich Willy is an Associate Professor in the School of Physical Therapy, University of Montana (Missoula, MT, USA) and the Director of the Montana Running Lab. He received his PhD in Biomechanics and Movement Science from the University of Delaware and his Masters of Physical Therapy from Ohio University. Dr. Willy has been a clinician for over 20 years specializing in the treatment of the injured runner. He has presented on lower extremity injuries to multiple Olympic sports medicine staffs from around the world as well as to the National Basketball Association. He has published over 60 peer-reviewed papers primarily on two populations: endurance runners and tactical athletes. His research aims to develop clinically effective treatments for individuals with patellofemoral pain, Achilles tendon injuries, and bone stress injuries. His research has been funded by the United States Department of Defense and the Foundation for Physical Therapy. He and his work are regularly featured in Runner’s World and Outside Magazine. Dr. Willy treats runners and athletes of all levels, from the new runner to the elite competitor.

At the completion of the course, the participant should be able to;

1. Participants will be able to identify key diagnostic criteria for patellofemoral pain.
2. Participants will be able to create an evidence-based treatment program for individuals with patellofemoral pain.
3. Participants will be able to specify the running mechanics that increasing biomechanical loading of the iliotibial band.
4. Participants will be able to identify individuals most at-risk for a lower limb bone stress injury.
5. Participants will know the diagnostic criteria for tibial bone stress injuries.
6. Participants will be knowledgeable on the types of biomechanical loads that increase and decrease metatarsal bone stress.
7. Participants will be able to develop a treatment program for individuals with a tibial bone stress injury.
8. Participants will be knowledgeable on the biomechanical loads that increase navicular bone stress and how to treat navicular bone stress injuries based on their grade.
9. Participants will be able to design a strength and conditioning program for a runner.

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2. Warden, S. J., Edwards, W. B., & Willy, R. W. (2021). Preventing Bone Stress Injuries in Runners with Optimal Workload. Current osteoporosis reports, 19(3), 298-307.
3. Warden, S. J., Edwards, W. B., & Willy, R. W. (2021). Optimal Load for Managing Low-Risk Tibial and Metatarsal Bone Stress Injuries in Runners: The Science Behind the Clinical Reasoning. journal of orthopaedic & sports physical therapy, 51(7), 322-330.
4. Willy, R. W., Hoglund, L. T., Barton, C. J., Bolgla, L. A., Scalzitti, D. A., Logerstedt, D. S., … & Torburn, L. (2019). Patellofemoral pain: clinical practice guidelines linked to the international classification of functioning, disability and health from the academy of orthopaedic physical therapy of the American physical therapy association. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 49(9), CPG1-CPG95.
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