Physical Performance Show – Episode 382 Show Notes

In this episode of The Physical Performance Show, host Brad Beer sits down with Pogo Physio's Tim Studley for Part 2 of their two-part mini-series on shin pain and tibial bone stress injuries. Having covered diagnosis and differentiation between MTSS and tibial bone stress injuries in Part 1, this episode shifts focus to management — mechanics, return-to-run programming, strength and conditioning, footwear, and terrain considerations for runners recovering from (or trying to prevent) tibial bone stress injury.

Show Sponsor:

Pillar Performance continues to lead the way in sports nutrition through micro-nutrition innovation, now expanding into the Performance Health range. One of their newest releases, Collagen Repair, was developed with Gelita Laboratories (Germany) using a clinically trialled collagen peptide (Tendofort) to support tendon and ligament health in conditions like hamstring tendinopathy, Achilles tendonitis, shin splints, and patellofemoral pain.

Head to pillarperformance.shop (or thefeed.com for North American listeners) and use code PHYSICALPERFORMANCE for 15% off your first purchase.

Pogo Physio also offers online Telehealth Consultations for endurance athletes managing bone, tendon, or joint issues — book online at pogophysio.com.au.

Listen in as we delve into the following:

Biomechanical vs. biological risk factors, and why running intensity matters more than mileage for bone
Cadence, overstriding, and how a heel-strike pattern increases tibial loading
Foot pressure distribution, lateralised loading, and how footwear/orthotics can help
A case study: how cadence cueing, orthotics, heel raises, and calf strengthening resolved recurrent tibial bone stress injury
Managing anterior tibial cortex injuries: why they're high-risk, slow to heal, and often need surgery
Moving from time-based to symptom-led (optimal load) management for posterior-medial tibial bone stress injuries
The five evidence-based criteria for returning to running after a tibial bone stress injury
Why a 10% increase in pace can cut a bone's fatigue threshold by 50%
Structuring intensity and volume in a return-to-run program to avoid a "double whammy" of risk
Strength and conditioning phases: contralateral leg work, weight-bearing progressions, and pre-running plyometrics
Clinical strength benchmarks for calf raises, leg press, hamstring curls, and hip abduction
Footwear considerations: heel wedges, rocker-bottom shoes, and the debate around carbon plates
Surface and terrain: why stiffer surfaces and flat terrain are preferred during return-to-run
Treadmill running and its effect on distal loading
What's next: an upcoming Q&A episode, and future instalments covering the femur, sacrum, tarsal bones, and calcaneus

Quotes

"Muscle loads bone." — Brad Beer

"That runner doesn't need to be strong. They need to be uber strong." — Brad Beer, quoting tendon researcher Ebonie Rio

"A 10% increase in pace reduces the fatigue threshold of a bone by 50%." — Brad Beer

Timeline

00:00 – Introduction & sponsor: Pillar Performance 02:26 – Running mechanics and tibial bone stress injury risk 03:18 – Cadence, overstriding, and heel-strike patterns 05:43 – Foot pressure distribution and medial tibial bending 07:39 – Case study: footwear, orthotics, and cadence cueing 08:37 – Overview of bone stress injury management complexity 09:35 – Anterior tibial cortex injuries: high risk, slow healing, surgery 11:30 – Shift from time-based to symptom-led management 14:49 – Balancing speed of return with recurrence risk 15:48 – Five evidence-based return-to-run criteria (Sheeran & Reid, 2024) 18:11 – Why intensity is a greater risk factor than volume 20:35 – Strength and conditioning: matching capacity to running demands 22:29 – Three-phase strength progression: pre-, during-, and post-weight bearing 24:52 – Clinical strength benchmarks for return to running 26:16 – Return-to-run walking milestones and symptom monitoring 27:16 – Pain tolerance guidelines: the "any pain, stop" rule for bone 27:45 – Footwear considerations: heel wedges, rocker-bottom shoes, carbon plates 28:42 – Surface and terrain considerations 29:40 – Treadmill running and distal loading effects 30:39 – What's next: Q&A episode and future bone stress injury series 33:01 – Episode close & sponsor mentions

THE TEAM:

Join The Physical Performance Show LEARNINGS membership through weekly podcasts here: https://www.patreon.com/TPPShow

Our goal is to get you back to your Physical Best. Find out more about Telehealth Consultations and book online at pogophysio.com.au.

Your Hosts: 🏃 Brad Beer - Instagram & X @Bradbeer and YouTube @PogophysioAu 🏃‍♂️‍➡️ Timothy Studley - Instagram @timothy_physio

The Physical Performance Show can be found at: Facebook: facebook.com/thephysicalperformanceshowpodcast X: @tppshow1 Instagram: @physicalperformanceshow