Running Injuries
Why you need to see Joel who will keep you running and only make you rest when truly necessary (eg stress fracture)
Why Joel is the best person to see for your running injury
Most physiotherapists and sports doctors are not serious runners and so approach injury with excessive caution.
Most are WAY too conservative and don't understand that missing 4 weeks from running is a huge difference compared to missing 3 months for a stress fracture.
Joel is an ultra runner who has only missed 5 weeks due to injury in 6 years of running between 80-160km/week during this time. He has navigated almost every niggle without missing time, although adapting some training.
Joel only missed 5 weeks with a sacral stress fracture (compared to most who miss 3 months or more) and followed recent evidence-based research to guide this rapid return to running. He completed a 100km (3rd place) race in NZ, after just 12 weeks of running building back from the injury.
Many practitioners rely on imaging to guide decision making that is not helpful (eg there is no need to get a review MRI to see if a sacral stress fracture has healed after 4-5 weeks if clinically the person is good to run as the scan findings can lag many, many months behind the clinical picture and so rescanning is not helpful or indicated).
Click on the study to read about sacral stress fracture in ultra runners
Running conditions Joel treats
Stress fractures and stress reactions — including sacral, tibial, metatarsal, calcaneal, femoral shaft and femoral neck
ITB syndrome (iliotibial band friction syndrome)
Achilles tendinopathy — mid-portion and insertional
Plantar fasciitis and heel pain
Shin splints (medial tibial stress syndrome)
Patellofemoral pain (runner's knee)
Hip flexor and gluteal tendinopathy
Hamstring injuries and proximal hamstring tendinopathy
Calf strains
Load management and overtraining problems
Return to running after injury or surgery
Joel's approach to running injuries
Most physiotherapists are overly conservative with runners because they are not runners themselves. Joel understands that 4 weeks off is vastly different to 4 months off — and that keeping you moving, even if modified, is almost always better than complete rest.
He uses the latest evidence to guide return-to-running timelines, avoids unnecessary imaging, and tailors load management strategies to your specific training goals — whether you're a recreational jogger or preparing for an ultra-marathon.
Telehealth consultations are available for runners across Australia who cannot get to the Glen Iris clinic. Joel has also done many Telehealth consults for people in other countries, most often people he has seen here who then run into a problem whilst travelling overseas.