By: James Kelly, Medical Researcher, Distance Runner & SPEAR Patient at our W. 75th St. Location

“I have been dealing with chronic injuries to my right Achilles tendon and left IT band as a consequence of years of training for distance races (10 km-marathon).

I was referred to SPEAR following a particularly acute flare up of the ITB injury in December 2017, and immediately began to notice improvement as, under the supervision of Mike and team, I strengthened my hip and glutes through a routine of focused drills. As the ITB pain decreased and the strength improved, we began to target the Achilles tendon.

For the first time in nearly two years, I was able to improve the range of motion of my tendon and begin to increase my training load.

These efforts recently culminated in a 10 km race in April 2018, my first race of the year, in which I posted my quickest time since March 2016 – the last time that I was running injury-free. I am excited about the rest of the year ahead and grateful to the guidance and support provided by the SPEAR team!”