A Super Tip for Runners


Jane Morley // Photo by Zoey Sless-Kitain

Last night I attended a free injury screening at the Excel Physical Therapy inside my gym, Cherry Hill Health & Racquet Club, and I was completely wowed by the experience. Dr. Kathryn Gollotto of Reconstructive Orthopedics—which has offices in Marlton and Lumberton—ran the consultation, and I’m still trying to figure out how she covered so much in the mere 15 minutes I spoke with her. After listening to me describe the symptoms I’ve had for the past two weeks, she did a little poking and gentle twisting around the injury site, then confirmed my suspicion that what ails me is patellofemoral pain, a.k.a. “runner’s knee.” Gollotto then outlined several strengthening exercises to diminish the pain and help me avoid runner’s knee in the future, plus therapeutic options like ice and athletic tape. (I’ve been using KT Tape, which Gollotto, who’s a runner herself, uses on her sometimes-hurting Achilles tendon.) Rather than dismissing my inquiry about how soon I may return to running, she outlined a plan for a smart, safe, gradual return to my typical four to five runs per week.

We even managed to work in a good amount of runnerly small talk. Yet the session felt neither rushed nor hectic; somehow, Gollotto packed scads of information and you’ll-get-through-this encouragement into my appointment, and I left feeling knowledgeable and motivated. Best of all, the whole thing was free.