Assessment
A detailed history, then a thorough examination of movement, strength and the affected area. You leave with a working diagnosis you understand and a plan agreed with you, not handed to you.
What We Treat
Running & Marathon Injury Treatment in London
Most running injuries are overuse, not bad luck: the mileage has outrun what your tissue can currently take, so they respond far better to a smart loading plan than to rest alone. We find what is actually driving the pain, from runner's knee to Achilles, shin or bone stress, then rebuild your running with graded loading and a clear, criteria-based return.
Book Online
- Self-referral; no GP letter needed.
Overview
Understanding running & marathon injuries
Most running injuries build up over time rather than in a single stride. The load goes on faster than the tissue can adapt, and pain follows: your training demand has overtaken your tissue's capacity. The upside is that the same equation makes them very treatable with the right plan.
Running pain tends to cluster around a few familiar sites:
- Knee: patellofemoral pain ("runner's knee") and iliotibial band syndrome.
- Lower leg: Achilles tendinopathy and calf muscle problems.
- Shin: medial tibial stress syndrome ("shin splints").
- Heel: plantar fasciopathy.
- Bone stress: the one we take most seriously. It sits on a spectrum from stress reaction to stress fracture and needs careful, conservative loading.
At Kaizen we start with an accurate diagnosis and an honest picture of what your tissue can handle right now, then a progressive loading plan rebuilds that capacity step by step. We treat the runner, not just the symptom: a training-load review, strength work for the calf, hip and glutes, and gait analysis where it genuinely adds value.
We judge your return to full mileage on objective markers, like symptom-free progressive loading and restored strength and running tolerance, rather than how the leg feels on a good day. And we plan around your marathon block, explaining each stage so you always know why you are doing it.
Excellent
From 6 five-star Google reviews
Source: Google
David helped me when I started to have a strong tibia pain only 5 weeks before the marathon. I genuinely thought at some point that I wasn’t going to be able to do it and I did my PB!
After suffering with terrible back pain, Gus has helped me make huge improvements. Very professional and happy to explain the processes and treatments. Many thanks
Couldn’t recommend this physio team enough! They helped me recover from a knee injury 3 weeks before the London Marathon which I thought was going to prevent me from running it! Everyone was really friendly, supportive and genuinely cared about helping me reach my goal. Special thanks to Charlie, Gus, Brad and Stef!
I came to Dave with an ongoing injury that I’ve been struggling with for months! He helped sort it out straight away, also giving me some exercises to help target the area to get back to full strength. I’m now back to running pain-free already and training properly — I’ll definitely be recommending Kaizen Physiotherapy to my clients!
Gus worked miracles to get me running a marathon after being injured 6 weeks out. He worked out the issue really quickly and provided a clear and actionable plan to deal with it. The sports massages were the best I’ve ever had too — thanks Peggy! Can’t recommend Gus and Peggy enough.
I had such a positive experience working with Brad at Kaizen. He supported me through a meniscus tear and got me all the way back to running a half marathon and HYROX training. Everything was structured, progressive, and easy to follow, and I always felt like I was in safe hands.
Physiotherapy for running injuries can help to:
Find what is driving the pain
Runner's knee, ITB syndrome, Achilles problems, shin pain, plantar heel pain and bone stress each have a different fix. We diagnose the specific problem and the training-load story behind it before changing anything about your running.
Keep you running where possible
Blanket rest is rarely the answer. Where the diagnosis allows, we modify volume, intensity and surface rather than stopping you outright, protecting your fitness and your race build-up while the overloaded tissue recovers at a load it can handle.
Take bone stress seriously
Bone stress is the diagnosis we treat most conservatively. It sits on a spectrum from stress reaction to stress fracture, and returning too fast costs months. We stage loading carefully around healing timeframes and are honest about what your race calendar can absorb.
Strengthen the chain that runs
Calf, hip and gluteal strength carry your stride. Targeted strength work rebuilds the capacity behind each footfall and addresses the deficits that let one tissue take load it was never conditioned for, mile after mile through a marathon block.
Tune your gait where it adds value
Video and treadmill gait analysis shows how you actually run. Where it genuinely helps, we adjust cadence, footwear or technique with clear, doable changes, used selectively alongside diagnosis and strength work, never as a default extra.
Return to mileage on objective criteria
Your return to full training is judged on restored strength, symmetry and symptom-free progression, with the build-up planned week by week. We treat the runner as well as the injury, so the comeback survives contact with a marathon plan.
Why it happens
What causes running & marathon injuries?
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Sharp jumps in weekly mileage, intensity or long-run distance, rising faster than the tissue can adapt. This is the single biggest driver of running overuse injury
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Rapid changes in training surface, gradient or footwear without an adaptation period
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Strength or capacity deficits in the calf, hip and gluteal muscles that leave the lower limb under-supported under repetitive load
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Insufficient recovery, low energy availability or poor sleep, which lower tissue tolerance and raise bone-stress risk
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Returning to full mileage too quickly after illness, injury or a training break, leaving residual weakness
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A sudden block of speed work, hill repeats or a new shoe type during a marathon build-up
At your first appointment we work out what is really holding you back, then agree the plan with you before you leave.
Your initial visit runs 45–60 minutes: a detailed history, then a thorough examination of movement, strength and the affected area. We explain what we find in plain English and agree a working diagnosis together.
Treatment starts the same day, and you leave with the first exercises of a plan built around your goal.
Better than yesterday. Kaizen means continuous improvement: small, repeatable gains, built session by session, until you are back to what you love and no longer need us.
- One team across five London clinics: Soho, Liverpool Street, Marylebone, Canary Wharf and Wimbledon Village, plus online appointments.
- Rated 5.0 on Google across 218 reviews.
- Founded in 2022 by David Thomas and Gus Hadonou. You see the same physiotherapist at every visit, so each session builds on the last.
Fees and insurance
Book online through Jane and self-refer, with no GP letter needed. If you are using private health insurance, check your policy first: some insurers ask for a GP referral before your first session.
- Initial assessment and treatment: £155 for a full 45–60 minutes
- Follow-up treatment: £93, with your plan progressed at each visit
- Sports massage: £115 for 60 minutes, £155 for 90 minutes
- Performance MOT & Screening: £300 for a 90-minute screen with force-plate testing and a written report
- Recognised by Bupa, AXA Health, Aviva, Cigna, WPA and Allianz
Your journey
with Kaizen
Everything starts with a proper assessment. We find what is driving the problem, treat it, and build the strength that keeps it fixed, so you finish performing, not just pain-free.
Treatment
Hands-on care to settle symptoms and restore movement: manual therapy, with acupuncture, shockwave or soft-tissue work where they genuinely help. The first home exercises go with you the same day.
Rebuild
Progressive exercise that returns strength, control and load tolerance, from Reformer Pilates to strength and conditioning. Each follow-up reassesses against your baseline, so progress is measured rather than guessed.
Perform
Criteria-based milestones return you to work, sport and training. Discharge happens by mutual agreement once you can manage independently, with a Performance MOT available to catch the next weak link early.
We specialise in:
- Musculoskeletal and sports physiotherapy
- Western medical acupuncture (AACP)
- Physiotherapy-led Reformer Pilates
- Specialist hand therapy and splinting
- Shockwave therapy for stubborn tendons
- Strength and conditioning for rehabilitation
- Running and gait analysis
- Performance MOT and movement screening
Treatment approach
How do we treat running & marathon injuries?
Running & Gait Analysis
Running gait analysis pinpoints the load patterns and movement factors feeding a specific injury, then guides changes to cadence, footwear and training volume where the evidence supports them. We use it selectively alongside diagnosis, never as a stand-alone fix.
See treatment detail →Sports Physiotherapy
Sports physiotherapy is the core treatment: an accurate diagnosis of the running injury, a graded loading plan that rebuilds tissue capacity, and a criteria-based return to running rather than discharging you on how the leg feels.
See treatment detail →Strength & Conditioning
Targeted strength work for the calf, hip and gluteal muscles raises the capacity of the tissues that running overloads. It addresses a common underlying deficit and reduces the recurrence that drives most long-running problems.
See treatment detail →FAQ
Frequently asked
questions
Should I stop running completely while I recover?
Usually not. Most running injuries respond better to modified loading than to full rest, which only deconditions the tissue further. We typically reduce volume and intensity to a level the injury tolerates, then build it back up gradually. Bone stress injuries are the exception and may need a period of offloading. Your physiotherapist will tell you exactly what to modify, reduce or pause.
How do you know if my shin pain is shin splints or a stress fracture?
Both cause shin pain, but the pattern differs. Medial tibial stress syndrome tends to spread along the shin and ease as you warm up; a bone stress injury is usually a sharper, more focal pain that worsens with continued loading and can hurt at rest. Focal pain, night pain or pain on hopping prompts caution and, sometimes, imaging.
Can I still run a marathon I've trained for?
Sometimes, depending on the diagnosis and how far the injury has progressed. Tendon and muscle problems can often be managed through a race with sensible load adjustments; bone stress injuries generally should not be run on. We give you an honest read on the risk at your first session and keep updating it as the tissue responds.
When should I seek urgent help for a running injury?
Seek urgent help if you cannot bear weight, the joint looks deformed, or you have numbness, tingling or a cold, discoloured limb. Call 999 for these. Contact NHS 111 if pain or swelling is severe, you suspect a bone stress injury with focal pain at rest, or there's no improvement after a few days of sensible self-care.
Related What We Treat
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Kaizen Physiotherapy & Performance • 111 Charing Cross Road, Soho, London WC2H 0DT
BookAppointments typically available within 1–2 weeks