Upswing Health is giving FREE access to certified athletic trainers right now – here’s how to assess your injury from home

This post was sponsored by Upswing Health as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

 

Running is hard on you. All runners know this. It’s not a surprise, but we run because, well, we love it. Runner’s high is real. The combination of fresh air, mind-clearing and also getting exercise has become one of the most important parts of my day. It’s not about losing weight or being in shape, it’s about being out there with yourself. It’s my one hour a day that is dedicated to just me.

But as I said, running can take a toll. I was never an “athlete” and partake in running mostly because I love the way it makes me feel, but with it comes ailments as well. I get it, I’m not in my twenties anymore. But after running a number of half marathons, I was surprised to end a simple 4-mile short due to striking knee pain.

Like most runners, my first thought was stopping wasn’t an option, but I knew if I didn’t have it looked at, I might make it worse. And being laid up could be the end result. I went to see a PT (pricey!), I talked to trainers, I read books, and they all told me the same thing. IT Band Tendonitis.

What that basically means is that the tendon running up your outer upper leg that connects to your knee is overworked and tight (under-stretched). After spending hundreds of dollars to fix the solution, I finally realized, many musculoskeletal (MSK) issues can be treated at home with a series of guided exercises, without having ever seen a doctor.

This doesn’t mean you should NOT consult a doctor, but for many of these non-life-threatening ailments, there are options outside the doctor’s office. Which is good because we can’t actually GET to a doctor right now. But I also didn’t want to stop running.

Thankfully, technology comes to the rescue.

Upswing Health is the only national telemedicine service that allows you to talk to a sports medicine doctor for free. Literally, I went on the website, looked up my IT Band/knee ailments, and was connected immediately with a professional. Kelsey, a certified athletic trainer, texted me back within minutes!

 

Upswing Health has an incredible library of more than 7,000 exercise videos curated by licensed physical therapists, and after an in-depth chat with Kelsey about my running style, shoes, mileage etc, she sent me a custom program of exercises that would focus on stretching and strengthening to keep my knee in optimal condition.