Why Your Running Injuries Keep Coming Back (And What to Do Instead)

You stretch. You foam roll. You wear the “right” shoes.
But the pain keeps coming back.

If you’ve struggled with shin splints, plantar fasciitis, calf strains, knee pain—or just tightness that never really goes away—this post is for you.

Because it’s time we stop looking at running injuries as bad luck or overtraining. And start seeing them for what they really are: a sign your body is out of sync.

Most Running Injuries Aren’t “Bad Luck”—They’re Bad Movement

Running is simple. But it’s not easy.

It’s repetitive, high-impact, and deeply affected by your posture, mechanics, and strength. When your body doesn’t move well, every step becomes a micro trauma.

The most common injuries we see at Natural Born Running and Melbourne Soft Tissue Therapy aren’t caused by doing too much. They’re caused by doing the same poor movement patterns over and over again.

It All Starts with the Feet (Yes, Really)

Most runners ignore their feet—until something goes wrong.

Modern shoes are designed to protect, cushion, and support. But in doing so, they also:

• Weaken your foot muscles

• Decrease sensory feedback

• Limit your natural spring system

Over time, you lose your ability to:

• Load through the big toe

• Stabilize your ankle

• Absorb shock through the arch

This sets off a chain reaction of compensation up the leg and into the hips, spine, and posture.

Your Body Isn’t Failing—It’s Adapting

Your body adapts to what you do most often.

• Sit all day? You’ll get tight hips and weak glutes.

• Run with overstriding and heel striking? You’ll overload your knees and calves.

• Ignore pain and keep pushing? Your nervous system will tighten things up to protect you.

The key isn’t to fight your body. It’s to teach it how to move better.

How We Break the Injury Cycle (and You Can Too)

At Natural Born Running, we follow a simple principle:

Don’t treat symptoms. Rebuild the system.

1. Restore Function at the Foundation (Feet + Ankles)

Our Stride Strong program focuses the first week entirely on foot strength, ankle mobility, and restoring sensory awareness through the lower limb. Most runners have never trained this before—and it changes everything.

2. Repattern Your Movement

Running is a skill. And like any skill, it can be re-learned. We work on posture, cadence, footstrike, and elasticity—so your body works with you, not against you.

3. Build Strength in the Right Places

No more endless glute bridges. We focus on the posterior chain, single-leg control, and tendon health—because strong tissue = resilient movement.

4. Use Myotherapy to Unwind the Compensation

Tight hips? Jammed up ankles? Stiff lower back? That’s your body guarding. Through targeted soft tissue therapy, we release the tension and give your system permission to move again.

Why Shoes Can’t Fix a Movement Problem

We get asked all the time: “What shoes should I run in?”

And while gear matters, shoes aren’t a solution. They’re just a tool.

If you’ve been relying on arch support, thick midsoles, or aggressive pronation control—there’s a good chance you’ve lost the natural strength and coordination your feet need to do their job.

We believe in strengthening the foot, not strapping it into a brace.

What to Do If You’re Stuck

If your body keeps giving you pain signals, here’s your next move:

✅ Step 1: Rebuild Your Foundation

Join the Stride Strong program and rebuild your foot, ankle, and leg strength in just 28 days.

✅ Step 2: Get Your Running Technique Assessed

If you’ve never learned to run efficiently, this is your game-changer. We’ll help you fix your posture, cadence, and timing.

✅ Step 3: Book a Myotherapy Session

Our clinic in Ivanhoe specialises in helping runners and active humans get out of the pain cycle—for good.

You Were Born to Run—Let’s Prove It

Running shouldn’t hurt. Your feet weren’t designed to fail. Your body isn’t broken—it’s just been moving in a way that doesn’t serve it.

It’s time to change that.

• 👉 Join Stride Strong

• 👉 Fix your running technique

• 👉 Book in at Melbourne Soft Tissue Therapy

Let’s build a body that’s ready to move, run, and perform for life.