I know some of you in person but this is my first post here
I’m a hypermobile runner who has been sidelined since November due to a reoccurring foot sprain coupled with patellofemoral pain. I’ve been seeing Dr. Rex Gido at Guthrie in Ithaca for the patellofemoral pain. I completed his first round of recommended exercises without much success. Anyone out there know of a sports doctor, chiropractor or PT who has success specifically with hypermobile patients? I’m nervous about going to the wrong person because the hypermobility makes me more prone to overstretching and spraining things during PT, which would create even more problems.
Any other advice from hypermobile runners would also be greatly appreciated.
Sorry to hear about the pain, Kelly! Like many runners, I’m on the other end of the spectrum in terms of flexibility, so I know nothing about hypermobility from my own collection of injuries. My inclination would be to attempt to strengthen the muscles in the area to provide more support to the tendons and ligaments, but that should be done with expert help and intent to avoid further injury.
My experience is that if you self-refer to a PT, insurance will cover only a certain number of visits. So it might be beneficial to see a sports med doctor (or at least your GP) first for a referral. I don’t know the Guthrie sports med people, but at Cayuga Medical, I’ve worked with Monika Radloff and Andy Getzin, and they’re both knowledgeable.
To figure out what PTs might specialize in hypermobility, unless folks like @Brian, @JTuori, or @gumbywhale have suggestions, perhaps call the various PT offices and see if the desk folks can make a recommendation.
Thanks for looping me in, Adam. Sorry to hear this Kelly! Feel free to reach out directly if you’d like. In full disclosure I am the Director of PT (and OT + Speech) at Cayuga Medical Center. We have outpatient offices in downtown Ithaca (607-252-3500), uptown off of Warren Rd (607-274-4159), and in Cortland (607-428-8020). Our partner Schuyler Hospital has PT as well (607-535-8616). Our sports med MDs include Drs. Radloff, Seemant, Getzin; they can be reached at 607-252-3580.
Adam is correct in that there are limitations to self-referring, per NYS. Happy to discuss more details if you’d like; I’m at the x3500 number above.
Also a hypermobile runner and I’ve had great success with Brianna Peters at McCune Murphy Potter physical therapy for various foot and leg issues (including her diagnosing a rotated bone in my foot!!)
Thanks so much, everyone. I will start making phone calls @Iris - I realize this is highly subjective, and depends on foot shape and specific issues, etc., but I’m curious to know generally what criteria you use when shopping for running shoes, or what brands you prefer. I usually go for low or zero drop and wide toe box (eg. Atras, Topos), but I flip flop on the amount of cushion/level of flexibility/support that’s best for hypermobile feet.
My personal preference for road shoes is cushion with some support (I have been running in Saucony triumphs for a couple of years). For trail shoes, I like a lower drop and use the (now-discontinued) Saucony Mad Rivers— wide, good grip, but can feel the ground well. I also had to tape my wonky foot bone for a few months to support it while I strengthened the muscles around it. (Per my PT’s instructions). But I haven’t ever shopped with hypermobility in mind — just what feels good underfoot.
