Are You Experiencing Pain?
Running shouldn’t hurt. Pick what’s bothering you for a free, professionally-made exercise program to help.
Quick check: can you hop in place on each leg without pain? If not, your body isn’t ready for a running clinic yet — heal first. These free running injury exercises will help you get there.
A single-leg hop is one of the simplest ways to test whether a running injury has actually healed. If it hurts, feels unstable, or you have to change how you land to avoid pain, your tissue isn’t ready for the repeated impact of running — let alone a running clinic built around video analysis, drills, and real running time. Most soft-tissue running injuries need somewhere between two and six weeks of focused rehab, depending on how long you ran through the pain and how consistent you are with the exercises. Work through the running injury exercises below, retest the hop every few days, and only book your clinic once you can land clean on each leg.
Not sure if what you’re feeling is a running injury or normal training soreness? Muscle soreness usually shows up a day after a hard effort, fades within 24 to 48 hours, and doesn’t get worse the longer you run. Pain that sharpens mid-run, lingers past two or three days, changes your stride, or shows up in a joint rather than a muscle belly is a different story — that’s your body telling you to stop and address it. The running injury exercises above are built for exactly that second category.
Free Running Injury Exercises by Body Part
Knee Pain
Runner’s knee / patellofemoral pain rehab protocol
Watch the programShin Pain
Shin splints / medial tibial stress syndrome exercises
Watch the programAnkle Pain
Sprained ankle rehab guide for runners
Watch the programHip Pain
Glute strengthening to reduce hip pain
Watch the programBack Pain
Six exercises to relieve low back pain
Watch the programShoulder Pain
Physical therapist’s own shoulder pain fix
Watch the programCommon Questions About Running Injury Exercises
How long until I’m ready to run again?
Most runners need two to six weeks of consistent rehab before they can pass the hop test pain-free on both legs. Recovery time depends on which injury you’re dealing with, how long you kept running on it before stopping, and how consistently you do the exercises above.
Can I keep running while I do these running injury exercises?
That depends on your pain. If you can run without pain, limping, or favoring one side, easy running alongside these exercises is usually fine. If running changes your gait, causes you to favor a leg, or brings the pain back afterward, stop running and focus on healing first.
Do I need to do all six running injury exercises, or just one?
Just the one that matches where you’re hurting. Each program above targets a specific area — knee, shin, ankle, hip, back, or shoulder — so pick the one that fits your pain and work through it consistently rather than trying to do all six.
What if the pain doesn’t go away?
These running injury exercises are a starting point, not a diagnosis. If your pain is severe, sudden, or isn’t improving after a few weeks of consistent work, see a physical therapist or sports medicine doctor before you return to running or take a clinic.