Veracity Performance & Recovery

Veracity Performance & Recovery Running rehab and performance in Suffield, CT and virtual.

Interested in starting to run this Summer? Do you want to progress your training if you've already been running? Wanting...
06/24/2025

Interested in starting to run this Summer? Do you want to progress your training if you've already been running? Wanting to learn more about how to reduce injury risk or learn other strategies to run faster?

will be hosting a 6-week program starting Wed, July 2nd at 7pm.

I'll be one of the instructors as we progress through the training and train for the September 5K/10K.

Want to learn more? Click below or message directly.

https://suffieldct.myrec.com/info/activities/program_details.aspx?ProgramID=30616

06/21/2025

Are you doing any running at elevated intensity? How are you checking your continuously changing fitness to dose workouts?

Threshold running is a common method for quality training without excess stress. Your lactate threshold pace is significant since it's the fastest pace an athlete can maintain without producing more lactic acid than their body can utilize, therefore leading to a slowing down or stopping of the run.

Knowing your threshold pace is necessary for dosing workouts and racing. Consider the following protocol with only a chest heart rate strap and estimate your lactate threshold pace.

A clip from a recent video on shoulder pain.Not all joint pain is strictly healthy vs injured. There is not always a cle...
06/17/2025

A clip from a recent video on shoulder pain.

Not all joint pain is strictly healthy vs injured. There is not always a clear medical diagnosis (tendinopathy, labral tear, bone stress injury, etc).

We rather fall on a continuum between perfect health and injury, going up and down the continuum constantly, never static.

This depicts a common movement impairment of the shoulder and a general approach to treatment.

Another way to look at this is imbalances that cause added stress that, if it continues or worsens, may lead to pain and eventually a typical medical diagnosis (tendinopathy, labral tear, bone stress injury, etc).

Humeral Anterior Glide Medial Rotation AKA the shoulder is taking on too much stress at the front.

Common Symptoms:

Pain at shoulder level or below (putting on a jacket, reaching outward, bench press, etc)

Pain with sleeping on the affected side

Feelings of instability

Pain with shoulder external rotation or extension

Activate possible elongated muscles to pull the joint back and improve the center of rotation of the joint:

šŸ”„Subscapularis
šŸ”„Supraspinatus
šŸ”„Infraspinatus

Release possible shortened muscles pulling the joint excessively forward:

šŸ”„Latissimus Dorsi
šŸ”„Pectoralis Major
šŸ”„Teres Major

Improve posterior glenohumeral joint mobility

Experiencing shoulder pain? Once the movement impairment or injury is identified, this may help guide exercise prescription to continue training while resolving the injury rather than worsening it.

Does running form cause or effect bone stress injuries? This is a comment I have heard frequently recently with runners ...
05/20/2025

Does running form cause or effect bone stress injuries? This is a comment I have heard frequently recently with runners dealing with or having dealt with bony injury.

Bone Healing:

A bone stress injury is a gradual structural failure of the bone. This is often caused by an imbalance between bone loading and the ability of the bone to withstand the applied load. The skeleton is exposed to mechanical loading during running, such as impact, causing deformation or essentially bending.

The irony is that this ā€œtraumaā€ serves as a stimulus for strength. If microdamage occurs that does not exceed the threshold of the bone, this may serve to strengthen your skeletal system.

Typically, about 5% of cortical bones are remodeled at any given time. This remodeling introduces pores, or areas of vulnerability. When loads are not managed appropriately, damage accumulates and remodeling is unable to keep up, weakening the bone.

Running Form:

Form can place greater or lesser stress on a given bone depending on how you run. A heel striker might be more predisposed to a heel bone injury, yet forefoot strikers may be more predisposed to metatarsal or toe bone injury.

There is no universal optimal running form; rather, the most efficient form for each individual.

Training:

If we increase training loads appropriately, we allow our bodies to adapt. Where runners get into trouble is changing running form without respecting the change in loading patterns.

For example, if youā€™re running 50 miles per week as a heel striker, but change to a forefoot striker, and continue to run at the same level or greater, the forefoot may not be ready for increased stress.

If we change how we run, we load the bones differently, requiring time to adapt, separate from our typical running form.

Form may play a greater role in BSI development when suddenly changing how you run while continuing to run significant mileage and not respecting the changing demands.

BSIs are more likely due to a combination of factors, such as Low energy availability, Training error, Low BMI, Past BSI, & Systemic contribution.

Next Monday, we will be providing free injury screens and consultations, along with free 3D Running Analysis at If you h...
05/15/2025

Next Monday, we will be providing free injury screens and consultations, along with free 3D Running Analysis at

If you have any aches or pains, questions about running performance, running form, and recovery, be sure to drop in!

05/01/2025

very movement has some level of skill and coordination.

Some are more strength-based: Squat, Deadlift, Pull-Ups, etc

Some sacrifice strength for skill: Step-Ups, Airplanes, Single Leg RDLs, etc.

Some focus on rhythm and symmetry to better translate strength, power, and mobility into sport. This might include A or B Skips. I've recently added the flow rope to my routine, one of the many strategies learned by .

You can have all the strength and coordination in the world, but it doesn't mean as much if you can't carry it over and convert it into your sport.

This is especially important for distance running, where running efficiency can and will impact performance, particularly with longer distances.

All drills and exercises are good, given they are dosed appropriately and inserted at the right time during the season.

Navicular bone injuries are high-risk. These injuries are at higher risk of experiencing nonunion and failed healing com...
02/26/2025

Navicular bone injuries are high-risk. These injuries are at higher risk of experiencing nonunion and failed healing compared with other bony sites and may lead to the best outcomes with surgery.

To make things complex, x-rays cannot be relied upon and often advanced imaging (MRI, CT scan) is necessary to confirm the diagnosis.

Treatment is debated.

Some authors suggest nonweight bearing for at least 6 weeks to promote healing.

Some authors may recommend surgery of even initially nondisplaced or incomplete fractures based on an expedited return to sport (16.4 weeks) vs nonoperative management (21.7 weeks).

Some authors also suggest surgery may act to reinforce post-healing to minimize the chance of recurrent injury for athletes returning to sport.

Of course, an individualized approach must be taken. Significant factors include the amount of damage and goals of a given runner.

BSIs are complicated. Big shoutout to as the primary source of bone stress injury research. If I have helped you or provided beneficial information, no doubt heā€™s been a big reason.

I have some work to do when it comes to impact loading and symmetry.Data off a quick 31 minute easy run.Impact loading i...
02/21/2025

I have some work to do when it comes to impact loading and symmetry.

Data off a quick 31 minute easy run.

Impact loading is comprised of impact magnitude and impact duration.

Impact magnitude is how much impact travels through the lower body, while impact duration is how quickly impact forces travel through the lower limbs. A longer impact duration is indicative of greater running efficiency.

I am showing a protective pattern, with more stress on the right leg each stride.
ai quantifies running form through validated metrics associated with injury risk and performance.

Interested in learning more about your running form? Get your metrics with actionable strategies to improve your running efficiency for less than your next pair of shoes. Shoot me a DM and learn more.

Session #4 was a success for 's 10k, half marathon, and marathon training programs.Daily coaching, community, accounta...
02/16/2025

Session #4 was a success for 's 10k, half marathon, and marathon training programs.

Daily coaching, community, accountability, and shoe fitting all in one to cover your training needs.

Fortunate to present run-specific physical therapy to the program while athletes build toward their target race.

What more do you need? See you for session #5!

02/10/2025

Reframing Rehab

I often hear whether a specific exercise or technique will help resolve an injury. While manual therapy, dry needling, and exercise may all have a place in a given rehab they're all pieces to the puzzle.

Rehab is about placing one's system in the optimal environment to heal from injury. However, we can only manage this so much.

No matter what we do, many injuries will take time.... because your body requires time to heal.

The good news? We often have timeframes of roughly when a specific tissue can heal and when you may return to full sports participation.

Looking at rehab as preparing for a return to sport for long-term health may be a better view than speeding up the healing process for a given injury.

Radiographs are typically the first line of defense when it comes to imaging.Oftentimes, radiographs show no bony involv...
02/03/2025

Radiographs are typically the first line of defense when it comes to imaging.

Oftentimes, radiographs show no bony involvement, leading patients to believe nothing is wrong. This isnā€™t necessarily the case with bone stress injuries, as we know, early bony issues are missed and may not show up until later weeks.

A 2023 study reports up to 85% of radiographs at symptom onset are negative. Yet repeat radiographs a few weeks later may show new bone formation, indicating healing and confirming the diagnosis.

Further, athletes may decrease activity if they feel pain, leading to some healing before imaging and, therefore, not being visualized on imaging.

Evidence of bony injury may be seen within 2-8 weeks of symptoms. Early radiographs may have as low as 10% accuracy in correctly identifying a BSI. This increases to 30% to 70% in later weeks.

A negative radiograph, therefore, cannot necessarily rule out Bony injury.

Sources

Tenforde, A. S. (2022a). Bone stress injuries: Diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Demos Medical.

Kaiser, P. B., Guss, D., & DiGiovanni, C. W. (2023a). Republication of ā€œstress fractures of the foot and ankle in athletes.ā€ Foot & Ankle Orthopaedics, 8(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/24730114231195045

DeFranco, M. J., Recht, M., Schils, J., & Parker, R. D. (2006). Stress fractures of the femur in athletes. Clinics in Sports Medicine, 25(1), 89ā€“103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csm.2005.08.003

MRIs are the gold standard for diagnosing bone stress injuries. Per Gaeta et al, MRIs are correct 88% of the time in ide...
02/03/2025

MRIs are the gold standard for diagnosing bone stress injuries. Per Gaeta et al, MRIs are correct 88% of the time in identifying BSIs and 100% accurate in identifying individuals who do not have a BSI.

Positive imaging findings include periosteal edema followed by bone marrow edema, then progression to a fracture line.

To complicate, some individuals may have periosteal edema on imaging, but this does not necessarily equate to a bony injury. This edema may be present in individuals with no symptoms. Yet, the periosteal edema or bone marrow edema must be present for BSI diagnosis.

MRI is often not the first choice but may be considered at evaluation if there is clinical suspicion for a stress fracture that necessitates restrictive treatment protocol, such as a period of nonweight bearing or cast immobilization

MRI and the Frederickson Scale can estimate the return to sport.
- Grade 1: 2-3 weeks.
- Grade 2-4a, 6-9 weeks
- Grade 4b: 9-12 weeks

Sources
Tenforde, A. S. (2022a). Bone stress injuries: Diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Demos Medical.

Kaiser, P. B., Guss, D., & DiGiovanni, C. W. (2023a). Republication of ā€œstress fractures of the foot and ankle in athletes.ā€ Foot & Ankle Orthopaedics, 8(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/24730114231195045

Address

West Newton, MA

Opening Hours

Monday 7am - 7pm
Tuesday 7am - 7pm
Wednesday 7am - 7pm
Thursday 7am - 7pm
Friday 7am - 7pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Veracity Performance & Recovery posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Veracity Performance & Recovery:

Shortcuts

Share

Category