Let’s talk about a pattern I see far too often: someone’s in pain, doing everything “right,” and still not getting answers.
A ChiRunning client of mine had been working with a DPT but still couldn’t run pain-free. They had done a gait assessment—but it was walking, on a treadmill. She was still struggling.
When I watched her run outside, after warming up, I immediately saw the issue: pelvic tilt. Just a few small cues to adjust her form, and she was back to running comfortably.
She’s now adding strength work to support her form and functional strength overall. We checked in recently when she was in town—she’s doing so much better.
And it’s not just my clients.
I’ve had a sports chiropractor watch me run outside and still miss form issues I later corrected myself. Because I knew what to look for—and how it should feel.
So when I saw a post from someone who said:
“I’ve had hip pain for years. My doctor told me to stop running. But a running-specific PT noticed I was overstriding and crossing over. Now I’m running pain-free.”
…it lit a fire in me.
It’s not that the doctor was wrong about the pain. It’s that they were wrong to assume the only solution was to stop running.
Pain is information. Not a life sentence.
You deserve a care team who:
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Understands the demands of your sport
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Knows how to assess movement in motion
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Doesn’t default to “just stop doing the thing you love”
Treadmills Aren’t Trails
Here’s the kicker. A pelvic floor doctor once spoke to my menopause group and mentioned—half-jokingly—that they wanted to bring a treadmill out to the trail so they could assess runners in a real-world setting.
I told her honestly:
“It wouldn’t change anything. You still wouldn’t be seeing the real run.”
Because a treadmill—even on a trail—is still a treadmill. It won’t show how someone moves on hills, uneven terrain, or under fatigue.
Runners don’t break on treadmills.
They break on descents, side hills, sharp turns, and sloppy effort.
So that’s where we need to look.
Whether I’m coaching Masters runners, menopausal athletes, or someone coming back from injury, I always start with this:
How do you actually move when it matters?
Most assessments are done in rooms with fluorescent lights, no context, and not enough curiosity. But lasting relief? That comes when someone’s finally willing to meet you where you move.
And that’s what I do.
If you're not being assessed that way, you're not getting the whole picture. And you deserve the whole damn picture.