Sports Therapy · Brighton & Hove
Expert assessment and hands-on treatment for runners, getting you back to training as quickly and safely as possible, and keeping you there.
A Clinic for Runners
Brighton and Hove has one of the most active running communities in the UK, with parkruns, the Brighton Marathon, regular club events and thousands of recreational runners on the seafront and Downs every week.
Running injuries are a significant part of my clinical work. The vast majority are overuse injuries driven by training load, biomechanical factors, footwear or weakness, not bad luck. That means most are preventable, and all of them are treatable with the right approach.
The goal is never just to get you out of pain and send you home. It's to understand why the injury happened, address that, and make sure it doesn't come back six weeks into your next training block.
Conditions Treated
These are the most common presentations I see from runners in Brighton and Hove. Each has a different cause, a different treatment approach, and a different return-to-running timeline.
Iliotibial band syndrome is the most common running injury I treat. Sharp or burning lateral knee pain that typically appears at a consistent point in a run. Often mismanaged with repeated stretching alone, the ITB itself is rarely the primary problem.
Pain around or behind the kneecap, often described as an aching or grinding sensation during and after running. Typically driven by hip weakness and altered loading mechanics rather than a local knee problem.
Stiffness and pain in the Achilles tendon, characteristically worse in the first few steps in the morning and at the start of a run. One of the most common injuries in runners over 35. Requires a structured loading programme, rest alone doesn't resolve tendinopathy.
Sharp heel pain, classically worst with the first steps in the morning or after periods of rest. The plantar fascia becomes overloaded, often linked to tight calves, poor hip mechanics or sudden increases in training volume.
Medial tibial stress syndrome produces diffuse pain along the inner border of the shin during and after running. Common in newer runners and those who increase training volume quickly. Important to differentiate from stress fracture.
Deep buttock or lateral hip pain that worsens with running, particularly on hills or cambers. Often misdiagnosed as sciatica or referred from the lumbar spine. Requires specific loading and education about positions that aggravate the tendon.
Lower back pain that appears during or after running, often from lumbar extension loading, poor hip mobility or core weakness that forces the lower back to compensate. Frequently under-assessed in runners who attribute it to posture or age.
Calf muscle strains range from minor to significant, the soleus (deeper calf muscle) is particularly common in runners and often underestimated. Grading the injury accurately determines whether return to running is safe and at what point.
How I Work
Running injuries are almost always part of a bigger picture. My approach looks at the full chain, not just where it hurts.
Where is the pain, what caused it, and what in your training load, biomechanics or strength is driving it.
Soft tissue therapy, dry needling, mobilisation and taping to reduce pain and restore normal tissue function.
A structured programme addressing the weakness or movement fault that led to the injury, not just the symptom.
A clear, graduated return-to-running plan so you know exactly when and how to get back to training safely.
For Runners
After ten years treating runners, these are the patterns I see repeatedly, each one extending recovery unnecessarily.
Complete rest rarely resolves a running injury. For most overuse injuries, the right amount of modified loading is more therapeutic than stopping entirely. The goal is to find what you can do, not what you can't.
Pain is a lagging indicator, tissue health often lags behind pain reduction by weeks. Returning to full training as soon as pain goes is the most common reason running injuries recur.
Ice, compression and rest manage symptoms. They don't address why the injury occurred. Without understanding the cause, load, weakness, mechanics, most running injuries come back.
Footwear can contribute but rarely causes running injuries independently. Changing shoes without addressing the underlying biomechanical or strength factors is usually a temporary fix at best.
Knee pain in a runner is often a hip or foot problem. Calf tightness is often a load management issue. The site of pain is frequently not the source, which is why a full-chain assessment matters.
Most runners wait until an injury is severe before seeking treatment. A single early assessment, before an injury becomes chronic, changes outcomes significantly and saves months of interrupted training.
"Went to see Tim after having some issues with my knee and hip from running. He was able to explain in detail what my issue was and how to treat it. My pain decreased significantly after only a day and I left knowing exactly how to help myself heal."
Don't wait for it to become chronic. An early assessment identifies what's driving the injury and gets you back to running faster, and with less chance of it recurring.