Steady State Health · Portland, Maine
Rehab That Actually Works for Runners
Most runners don’t need to fully rest to get better. But too often, traditional physical therapy clinics default to telling you to take time off - without understanding what actually caused the injury or how to help you recover without losing fitness.
At Steady State Health, we take a different approach. Our team of running specialists helps runners across Maine recover stronger - not just symptom-free, but with the tools and training knowledge to run pain-free for the long haul.
There’s a big difference between working with a PT who occasionally sees runners… and one who is a runner. All of our Doctors of Physical Therapy are:
Most running injuries are overuse injuries - caused by more load than your body can currently handle. Our job isn’t just to make the pain go away - it’s to build your body’s capacity so you can tolerate more running without breaking down.
We help runners with everything from mild pain to long-standing, stubborn issues. Some of the most common injuries we treat include:
Whether you’re a marathoner, trail runner, or just trying to stay active, we tailor everything to your goals.
We don’t believe in cookie-cutter PT programs or endless rest. Here’s what sets us apart:
We use a progressive, strength-based approach to rehab. This means:
You’ll build the strength and movement control needed for long-term durability:
We’ll assess how you move, identifying any stride inefficiencies or asymmetries. Then we work with you on practical, individualized adjustments (only if needed).
70-80% of running injuries come from training errors. We’ll teach you:
Our goal is not just to fix your injury - it’s to raise your body’s capacity so you’re not skating on the edge of injury anymore. We help you:
Our method
Most care ends the moment your pain does. Your body needs more work beyond the point of becoming pain-free, because relative weaknesses aren’t necessarily painful.
01
Get in control of your symptoms
We start with weekly sessions to find the root cause of your pain and what led to it.
We take time to fully assess your body and build an in-depth plan, and we keep reassessing as you respond, so the plan evolves with you. Our priority is getting you in control of your symptoms while you keep moving as much as possible.
Why care usually ends here
Care here is less individualised, and it doesn't progress into coaching - which is what actually builds your injury buffer. Insurance is much of the reason: it covers you up to the point where you can get through daily, non-active tasks without pain, and stops there. Our clients are trying to be genuinely active. Insurance doesn't account for that, and it doesn't cover proactive care.
02
Build back to full training
This is often the longest stretch. Rebuilding from low mileage back to your full training takes time.
The goal is a sustainable return, at a pace your body can absorb. We rebuild your strength, mobility, and tissue capacity so your body can handle your goals, and you learn to read your symptoms and adjust your plan with confidence.
03
Build your injury buffer
We work on the long-standing weaknesses and habits that led you here.
We build capacity above your old baseline, so the normal ups and downs of training, life stress, and imperfect recovery don't cause another injury. You take on more than you did before, on purpose.
04
Train with purpose, stay consistent
The main goal now is preventing injuries, because injuries are the biggest thing that breaks consistency.
Consistent, purposeful training is what builds durability, and it improves your performance when that's your goal. In a down or off period, we find the minimal dose that keeps you ready to return without re-injury.
We help runners who have:
We’ll help you not only get back to running, but also understand how to stay healthy for good.
"Steady State has given me so much confidence and helped me turn a corner in how I see myself as an athlete. When I first talked to them I was struggling with back spasms and pre race nerves. They want to help first and foremost. They understand running and they are the first physios I talked to that did not roll their eyes when I explained the intensity of my run training. Instead, I was given programs that are true to my ideas of myself as an athlete.
They stay true to their philosophy around provider dependency and because of this I learned how to take care of myself while lifting heavy and running high mileage. Even with all this great help, the best part of working with Steady State is having someone with so many of the same experiences and passions. Any athlete will surely notice this when working with them."
"I was ready to have surgery on my foot this fall. I have been running in pain for over seven years. Steady State has given me the exercises and tools I needed to be pain free and keep me from having bunion and haglunds surgery. I'm so thrilled to be able to continue playing in the mountains without pain or having time away to recover from surgery."
"I have had such a positive experience working with the team at Steady State. I am an experienced long-distance runner and I have been so impressed with Steady State's custom plans, their knowledge about endurance athletes and long-distance runners, specifically. Working with them 1:1 has been incredibly helpful for me as I rehabbed my hamstrings, and other little injuries that have cropped up over the years. I'm a much stronger athlete now, and I am able to run 100% pain free. I have HIGHLY recommended Steady State to my running friends who are struggling with injury, and they've had similarly positive experiences.
If you are a runner or a serious endurance athlete, "typical" PT services don't work--they'll give you some silly exercises and tell you to stop doing what you're doing. Steady State will LISTEN to your experience of pain, work to understand your goals, and collaborate on a plan to rehab while maintaining fitness. Plus, they are just about the nicest health care professionals I have ever worked with. I could not recommend them more highly!"
Don’t wait for your injury to get worse. Most running injuries improve significantly within 1 - 2 visits when you get the right help. We’ll get to the root cause, create a plan that fits your training, and help you run better than before.
Serving Runners Across Southern Maine. Whether you’re putting in miles around Back Cove, building for Beach to Beacon, or training for the Maine Marathon, we help runners throughout Portland, South Portland, Scarborough, and Falmouth recover fully and keep running strong.
Next step
From the blog
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The framework we use with runners to figure out what is actually causing their pain, and what to immediately do about it. 100% free - we just want to help.
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