The Sports MAP Network

In this episode of the How I Rehab Podcast, we sit down with sports podiatrist Blake Withers to work through a real clinical case: a 19-year-old marathon runner with anterior shin pain and eight weeks to go before race day. Blake Withers is a musculoskeletal podiatrist, University of Newcastle biomechanics lecturer, and PhD candidate researching running injury prevention. He also hosts The Sports Medicine Project podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/sports-medicine-project/id1608497693) and is a marathon runner himself. Together we work through the full clinical picture, history, red flags, imaging decisions and a week-by-week return-to-run plan covering: Training load and distribution as the biggest driver of bone stress injury How bone stress injury symptoms differ from tendinopathy Differential diagnoses for shin pain — and the one you can't afford to miss Why the anterior tibia is a high-risk site, and how to palpate it properly Imaging pathways: when to choose X-ray, MRI or CT MTSS ("shin splints") vs. bone stress injury — same spectrum, or separate conditions? The three phases of rehab: pain, capacity, and minimum effective dose Progressive reloading and unloading strategies by injury grade Running biomechanics, footwear and gait changes that offload the tibia Want to go deeper on bone stress injury assessment and reloading? Rich Willy, one of the world's leading voices on running injuries, breaks it down step by step in the Bone Stress Injury Reloaded Masterclass, now live on SportsMAP: https://sportsmap.com.au/course/bone-stress-injury-reloaded-the-lower-limb/ Get a free 7-day trial and unlock the entire SportsMAP masterclass library while you're there. Connect with Blake: Instagram: @blakesportspodiatrist Podcast: The Sports Medicine Project Join us at Fast Track the Injured Runner — our annual running injury conference in Melbourne this February. Full details at https://sportsmap.com.au/product/fast-track-the-injured-runner-2027/   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4NL4Jjqf6M

Lindsay has a wealth of experience, having spent over a decade in the AFL, initially starting as a Rehab Physio and then progressing on to be the Head Physio for the Gold Coast Suns. Lindsay recently returned home from his role at Aspetar Hospital and is now consulting from Gold Coast with elite and sub-elite athletes. In addition, he’s worked with Championship side Bristol City FC and Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club in the UK as well as working as a physiotherapist at the 2012 London Olympic games. We chat with Lindsay to: How the article ‘The Handover Hangover’ came about and why. The Integrated Rehab Continuum and the three key principles of collegiality, alignment & concurrent engagement The Integrated Rehab Continuum in practice; what is looks like in real time. How to ensure all practitioners are on the same page. How to avoid falling into ‘silos’ as a high-performance team. Tissue loading decisions that were changed from insights from the strength team. How to build a strong communication network in the team. How do we best integrate new staff whilst still allowing them to bring their natural skills and expertise? Tips for those not working in elite sport to maintain strong rehab frameworks. The role of medical oversight in rehabilitation. The full article, ‘The Handover Hangover ’, can be found HERE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQRRviV1D0s Do you want to go deeper with your rehabilitation skills? ⁠ Explore the full library of practical sports physio and rehabilitation-based Masterclassesfor all your CPD/CEU needs with a free 7-day limited-access trial. ⁠⁠ Explore the Masterclasses Here

Achilles Tendinopathy in the NBA: A Bottom-Up Approach with NBA Physical Therapist Jarred Boyd Achilles tendinopathy is one of the most performance-limiting conditions in basketball — and one of the hardest to manage well across an 82-game NBA season. In this episode of the How I Rehab Podcast, host Nick Kane sits down with NBA Physical Therapist Jarred Boyd (Memphis Grizzlies) to unpack how elite NBA medical staff actually assess, load and progress Achilles and patellar tendon pain, from the first signs of irritability through to full return to play. Jarred holds a Doctor of Physical Therapy and has spent seven seasons working in the NBA, most recently as Director of Rehabilitation for the Memphis Grizzlies. His approach blends first-principles thinking, systems-based reasoning and tissue-specific loading science — aligning every intervention with an athlete's tissue ecology, impulse capacity and neuromechanical readiness. In this episode, Jarred and Nick discuss: How prevalent tendon pain really is in NBA basketball, and why the demands of the modern game are driving it To what extent tendon pain limits participation and performance, even before it stops an athlete playing The "bottom-up" approach to tissue health — building tendon stiffness through morphology and material adaptation, not chasing it directly Three key management principles built around strain: strain magnitude, strain tolerance and strain rate Practical prescription of loading — sets, reps, %1RM and %MVIC for isometric and isotonic tendon work Ideal positioning for tendon loading and adaptation, and why range matters as much as load What the seated calf raise and inner-range calf exercise actually do — and don't do — for Achilles tendinopathy What mechanical fatigue is, and how it shapes in-season load management decisions Addressing the real risk of Achilles tendon rupture, and the role of vertical integration in reducing it Addressing the fear of Achilles rupture in athletes who are managing tendon pain   Want to take this from theory into your own clinical practice? Jarred's bottom-up framework blends with Colin Griffin’s Sports Map Masterclass, Athlete Profiling & Rehab for the Calf & Achilles Complex. Colin is a Lower-Limb Rehabilitation Specialist at UPMC Sports Surgery Clinic in Dublin, holds a PhD in Achilles tendon injury rehabilitation and lower limb biomechanics, and spent over 15 years in high performance sport. Colin walks you through objective calf assessment, isokinetic and horizontal jump testing, rehabilitation progressions for the calf and Achilles complex, and the coaching cues you…

In this episode of the How I Rehab Podcast, we sit down with Rebecca Rushton, podiatrist and director of Esperance Podiatry, to dig into a real clinical case on blister prevention and management. Rebecca shares the practical strategies and clinical reasoning she uses to help patients avoid blisters and manage them effectively when they do occur. We chat to: What causes blisters and what is repetitive shear deformation? What are the 5 stages of blisters? Taping is a commonly used method to prevent blisters. Does it help reduce blisters? Should we shave/trimming a callous? Should I pierce or pop a fluid-filled blister? Can you measure shear to help prevent blisters? Prevention of blisters: What works? What does not? What does not work? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoESNZurq90 Do you want to go deeper with your rehabilitation skills? Explore the full library of practical sports physios and rehabilitation-based masterclasses for all your CPD/ CEU needs with a free 7 day limited access trial. https://sportsmap.com.au/masterclasses/

In this episode, we sit down with Andy, a clinician working across both Physiotherapy and Strength & Conditioning, to unpack how he plans and progresses rehabilitation once the clinical picture is clear.   Andy has over 15 years' experience working within the performance and sports medicine space. His career has spanned teams, individuals, and private-sector clients — ranging from developing youth and collegiate athletes through to Olympic/Paralympic and Professional levels. Andy has a passion for high-performance and sports medicine, with extended interests into leadership, marketing, and wider health and wellness. He thrives working in dynamic, forward-thinking MDT environments and enjoys contributing to the ambitions of athletes and organisations alike.   We chat with Andy about: - How Andy plans out his rehabilitation once he has the required clinical information- What Andy means by "co-actives"- How to determine rehab objectives and the "ladder of loading"- How to avoid getting lost in Excel spreadsheets — collating information into an organised format- How to balance field and gym demands, and whose role that is- Working collaboratively across the medical and performance departments- Understanding pathology, and how to plan and adjust accordingly- Planning while staying flexible based on athlete response- Managing risk in rehabilitation — the return to high-speed or high-force demands- How much information to share with the athlete — thinking not "when" the athlete will be ready, but "how" the athlete will be ready- What Game Plan is, and how it can help clinicians   Do you want to go deeper with your rehabilitation skills? Explore the full library of practical sports physios and rehabilitation-based masterclasses for all your CPD/ CEU needs with a free 7 day limited access trial. https://sportsmap.com.au/masterclass-library/ Watch the full podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jEhmDDPReM