From Recovery to Strength: How Physio Helps Runners Thrive in the Off-Season
For many runners, the final months of the year are considered the “off-season.” You’ve completed your goal race, which you spent the last several months preparing for, and now you’re enjoying a well-deserved break.
The off-season often brings a period of reflection on the season just finished, as well as planning and preparation for the next race season.
Did you know that the off-season is a great opportunity to work with a physiotherapist?
There are three ways that physiotherapy can help runners during the off-season:
1. Address the Root Cause of Injury and Provide a Progressive Rehab Plan
Think of an injury like a leaking pipe. You may patch it up temporarily with some tape to get through race season, but if you don’t address the source of the leak, it will keep dripping, and eventually, it will burst.
The off-season gives you the time to fix that leak properly. If you’ve been nursing an injury during your race build, now’s the time to dive deep into understanding why it happened. A physiotherapist can help you identify the root cause of the problem, so you don’t just put a temporary fix in place—you’ll stop the leak for good.
During race season, many runners take a “bandaid” approach, treating symptoms just enough to make it through the race. But when you have the luxury of the off-season, you can take the time to rehab properly. This is your chance to heal from the inside out—strengthen muscles, restore mobility, and build the resilience your body needs to handle future training loads.
By working with a physiotherapist, you can follow a progressive rehab plan designed to rebuild your strength, restore tissue capacity, and address weaknesses. A proper physiotherapy program will help you build confidence in your body so that you’re ready to hit the ground running next season.
2. Optimize Your Running Gait
While there’s no "perfect" running gait, there are strategies you can implement to improve your stride. The off-season is a fantastic time to work on this, as you can introduce changes gradually.
During the off-season, you and your physiotherapist can take the time to focus on the finer details of your form and rhythm without the pressure of race day. Think of it as learning to fine-tune your stride, one small adjustment at a time.
If you have an injury history or seem to consistently experience the same niggles when you increase your mileage, a gait assessment can provide valuable insights into how your stride might be affecting specific tissues.
Your physiotherapist can review video footage of your running form and offer cues and strategies to help you optimize your technique. A detailed gait analysis can help you run more efficiently while reducing the strain on certain areas of your body.
3. Develop a Strength Program to Address Muscle Imbalances
Imagine you’re building a house. If the foundation is weak, the structure above it will eventually crumble. Running puts a lot of stress on your muscles, joints, and tissues, and if you haven’t built a solid foundation of strength, you’re setting yourself up for injury down the road.
The off-season is the best time to lay the foundation. By starting a consistent strength training program, you’re building the solid underpinnings that will support your running when you increase mileage again.
Your physiotherapist can assess your movement patterns and identify any muscle imbalances. With this assessment, they can create a targeted strength training routine to address weaknesses and ensure your body can handle the demands of running.
And it’s not just about injury prevention—strength training can also boost your running performance. Studies show that heavy resistance training can increase running efficiency by 3-5%.
The key to this improvement is consistency—your body needs 4-6 months of dedicated strength training to see real gains. The off-season gives you the perfect window to lay down this foundation before you begin building your mileage again.
While it’s important to enjoy rest and recovery after a long racing season, don’t overlook the opportunity to get your body ready for the next season. Working with a physiotherapist during the off-season is a great way to prepare and make the most of this time.
Looking to get started with a physiotherapist? Book a free discovery call with me today to learn more about how I can help you reach your running goals!
More About Emma Vaillancourt, Running Physio & Coach
Emma Vaillancourt is a Registered Physiotherapist in the Province of Ontario, Canada. As a runner herself, she has a special interest in the assessment and treatment of running injuries. She started Rehab to Racing as a way to provide virtual care for runners, focusing on finding the true cause of injury and working with runners to come back from their injury even stronger.
Emma is also a trained Athletics Ontario Endurance Coach. She approaches her coaching with a focus on long term development and finding joy in the process of training. After all, a happy runner is a successful runner! Emma works with runners of all age levels and abilities as well as all distances. She also works with runners who are returning to training after injury. Her goal is for you to remain healthy and happy throughout her training programs, while still finding success at whatever race distance or goal you have.
Interested in working with Emma? Book a complimentary discovery call today!
These articles are not designed to replace medical advice. If you have an injury I recommend seeing a qualified health professional.
