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Contacts:
Jeff Browning
541.419.8433

Mark DeJohn, Active Therapeutics
541.948.0993
mark@activebend.com
www.activebend.com

Biomechanical Analysis Alleviates Chronic Pain for Ultra-Runner

BEND, Ore. – May 24, 2007 – Jeff Browning doesn’t mind suffering. As an ultra-runner, he competes in 100-mile trail races that can take 24 hours to complete. He ran his first 50-miler in February of 2001 and four years later went on to become two-time winner and course record holder of the Bighorn 100 Mile Endurance Run held in Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains. But chronic problems with knee inflammation and hip tightness were cutting into his training regimen.

“I was getting therapeutic massage two or three times a month, and I was doing strength training with a physical therapist,” says Browning, a 35-year old graphic artist. “That was barely keeping the pain at bay. I got orthotics, which helped, but they didn’t solve the problem.”

During 2005, Browning says his IT Band would get so tight he could hardly bend his knee. Another local runner, Kami Semick, suggested he go see her Active Release Techniques therapist. “Kami would bug me via email, but I just never made an appointment. Finally, after four weeks of my knee soreness earlier this season, she said, ‘I called Mark. He’s expecting your call.”

Browning made an appointment with Mark DeJohn at Active Therapeutics, who suggested videotaping Browning while he ran to determine what biomechanical issues he was dealing with. “No one had over offered to film me running. It was a no-brainer for Mark. He said, ‘We’re going to film you and see what’s going on.’”

The results were enlightening, says Browning. “I always knew my right leg was my power leg, but I never realized just how lazy my left leg was. My right foot was doing all the work, and my left foot was slacking on the heel kick. ” He was also over-striding with his right leg, causing his right foot to heel strike and cross the mid-line on each stride.

Once DeJohn identified which muscles were suffering most from the repetitive stress, it was a simple matter of “releasing” them with Active Release Techniques. Browning came in for treatment twice a week for three weeks, then tapered off to once per week. The results were immediate, he says, and the treatments became less painful each week. DeJohn also prescribed a strict stretching regimen, which Browning follows religiously. “I stretch my adductors and hip flexors one to five times a day, depending on how much I’m running.” As for his stride, Browning says, “I started concentrating on lifting my left heel, which straightened out the stride on the right, straightened out my hips, and gave me more of an even stride.”

DeJohn filmed Browning five weeks after the first session. “There is no more cross-over, but I still need to increase my left heel kick another inch or two. I still have some issues, but I have never experienced these kinds of results before. Mark is the first person in six years of running ultra marathons to analyze my biomechanics, evaluate the issue, and actually correct the issue. Now, when I cross over on my stride, I feel it right away and can correct it. I’m feeling good about the season.”

About Active Therapeutics
Active Therapeutics is the only place in Central Oregon that offers Active Release Techniques (ART). Mark DeJohn has years of experience providing ART and massage therapy. He counts numerous local athletes among their clientele including weekend warriors and elite competitors who want to regain quality of life that has been compromised by overuse injuries. Like many other ART practitioners around the world, Mark DeJohn provides support to athletes at Iron Man triathlons.