Physical Therapy for Runners in Atlanta: Why Tempo PT is Your Answer
The running scene in Atlanta has exploded in the last few years! Don’t believe me? Go on the Atlanta Beltline on a Saturday morning and you’ll see exactly what I mean. You can’t scroll through your feed without seeing that there’s a new run club that’s just popped up in the area. Plus, the city has something for every type of runner: the soft trails at Cochran Shoals, the community energy of Piedmont Park and the peaceful miles at Riverside Park boardwalk in Roswell.
With the influx of new runners in Atlanta, we’ve also seen more running injuries. Shin splints, knee pain, plantar fasciitis, IT band syndrome. They can sneak up at the worst time, right when your training is going well.
And here’s where it gets tricky:
Do you keep running and hope it goes away?
Do you stop running completely and lose fitness?
Do you go see a doctor and risk being told, “Just stop running for six weeks”?
Runners face these questions all the time. That’s exactly why we built Tempo PT & Performance.
Why Tempo PT Exists
At Tempo PT, we believe runners deserve better than cookie-cutter injury advice. We built our clinic around one simple idea: runners should have access to physical therapy that keeps them running, helps them train smarter and prevents future injuries.
And here’s something you should know: our physical therapists are runners, too.
We train on the same hills you do. We know what it feels like to toe the line at the Peachtree Road Race or grind through a marathon training cycle in the Atlanta summer heat. So when you tell us you have a race in six weeks and you can’t afford to miss it, we get it. We’ve been there ourselves.
How a Typical Clinic Handles Running Injuries
The reality is most traditional orthopedic clinics aren’t built for runners. A lot of our current patients have tried traditional PT in the past and didn’t get the results they were looking for.
What usually happens at a traditional clinic:
You sit in a waiting room for 20 minutes
You get a 5–10 minute visit with your PT before getting passed off to an aide/tech
You’re told to “just rest” or “stop running”
You’re given a generic handout with 3 basic stretches
You’re sent on your way with little clarity about when you can run again
This approach often leads to weeks (or months) of lost fitness, unnecessary frustration and no real plan for preventing the same injury from coming back.
How Tempo PT Handles Running Injuries
We take a completely different approach, one that is built specifically for runners:
Comprehensive Initial Evaluation
We start by listening to you. We’ll talk about your injury of course, but we’ll also ask questions about your training, shoes, nutrition, sleep, you name it. From there, we take a look at the entire body because we know that everything works as a system. Just focusing on your pain point would be a huge disservice because it’s never just what you’re feeling.
Clear, Personalized Plan
We don’t guess. We map out a step-by-step plan that blends hands-on treatment, strength training, mobility work and (when possible) modified running so you can stay active while you heal. We provide the clarity runners are looking for when they’re wondering what’s okay to train through versus when modifications are needed. And we communicate with our runners on a regular basis between sessions to ensure the rehab is working as designed.
3D Running Gait Analysis
If your PT isn’t watching you run, you’re in the wrong spot. We don’t focus on trying to change how someone runs but an in-depth analysis at your running gives extremely valuable information into the rehab process. Using 3D running analysis technology, we can see exactly how your body moves AND how your body responds to the forces of running, which helps us find the root cause of your pain.
Strength Program Designed for Runners
Running injuries often happen because your tissues simply weren’t strong enough for the load you were asking of them. As we transition through out Restore > Reload > Reform phases of rehab with our runners, the sessions will begin to focus on building strength and improving performance. Our therapists build you a custom runner-specific strength program designed to:
Make your muscles and tendons more resilient
Improve your running economy (so you run faster with less effort)
Reduce risk of injury coming back
5. Keeping You Running (Whenever Possible)
We know how important running is for your mental health, routine and race goals. That’s why we keep you running as much as safely possible. That could mean reducing mileage, shifting to soft-surface routes or adding cross-training to protect your fitness. Shutting everything down is rarely the answer (except for certain running injuries) so our goal is to keep you working towards your goals while simultaneously getting you out of pain.
Why Atlanta Runners Choose Tempo PT
When you work with us, you’re not just getting physical therapy. You’re getting a running partner in your recovery. We truly value walking alongside you in this rehab process because injuries can feel lonely for runners. Our goal is instill a level of hope and joy in what can be an extremely frustrating time for runners. At Tempo PT, you get:
✅ Therapists Who Are Runners Themselves – We speak your language.
✅ 1-on-1 Appointments – No being passed between three different people in one session.
✅ Running-Specific Approach – We know the biomechanics, training errors and loading demands that matter for runners.
✅ Community Connection – We know Atlanta’s running routes, races and groups because we run them too.
Serving Atlanta’s Running Hotspots
Whether you log your miles on:
The Atlanta BeltLine
Piedmont Park trails
Cochran Shoals & Columns Drive
Riverside Park in Roswell
The Silver Comet Trail
…we’re here to help you run strong, stay injury-free and keep showing up to your favorite local races.
Don’t Wait Until It Gets Worse
If you’re feeling a nagging ache or pain, don’t ignore it. Most running injuries are much easier to fix if you catch them early before they turn into something that sidelines you for weeks.
The runners who work with us don’t just recover. They often end up running better, stronger and faster than before they got injured.
Ready to Run Pain-Free?
Whether you’re training for the Peachtree Road Race, the Atlanta Marathon, or just your Saturday long run, we are here for all runners in Atlanta!
Book your FREE discovery call with us to see how we can help.
Written by: Dr. Morgan Kamau
