<article>
<h1>The Injury That Took My Running — And the Discovery That Gave It Back</h1>
<p><em>I still remember the exact stretch of road.</em></p>
<p>Five minutes into what should have been an easy run, my calf seized.</p>
<p><strong>Not a cramp. Not tightness. A hard stop.</strong></p>
<p>
I was 37 years old, running 70–90 miles a week and owning a busy physical therapy clinic
in San Diego with five therapists working for me. Running wasn’t just exercise —
it was how I felt strong, clear, and alive.
</p>
<p><strong>And suddenly, I couldn’t run.</strong></p>
<p>
I did everything I would normally recommend to a patient:
three pairs of orthotics, multiple physical therapists, massage therapy,
strengthening, stretching.
</p>
<p>Eight months passed.</p>
<p>
Every time I tried to come back, five minutes in, my calf shut me down.
</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>What if this is just how it is now?</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<h2>The Turning Point at 37</h2>
<p>
Eventually, someone suggested I see an Integrative Manual Therapy practitioner.
</p>
<p>
Instead of focusing on my calf, she performed a full-body evaluation called
<strong>Myofascial Mapping</strong>. She wasn’t looking for the painful area —
she was looking for the <strong>primary root cause</strong>
(the 1° issue driving everything else).
</p>
<p><strong>She found it in my aorta and heart.</strong></p>
<p>
I remember thinking,
<em>What does my heart have to do with my calf?</em>
</p>
<p>
She worked with incredible precision for two hours.
</p>
<p>
Two days later, I tested it.
</p>
<p><strong>Thirty minutes. Pain-free.</strong></p>
<p>
The spasm never returned.
</p>
<p>
That run changed the direction of my life. It led me to study Integrative Manual Therapy
deeply. Since February 2000, I’ve completed 114 advanced IMT classes.
</p>
<h2>The Challenge at 52</h2>
<p>
Years later, at age 52, I faced something even more unsettling:
deep bone pain and muscle weakness that lingered and threatened my ability to stay active.
</p>
<p>
This time, I understood something I hadn’t fully grasped at 37.
</p>
<p>
<strong>The body protects deeper dysfunctions in ways that don’t always make logical sense.</strong>
</p>
<p>
Once again, the pain wasn’t the real issue.
</p>
<p>
Once again, the solution required finding and clearing the primary root cause.
</p>
<p>
And once again, my body responded.
</p>
<p>
That second experience didn’t just heal me — it clarified my mission.
</p>
<h2>Why Some Injuries Never Fully Heal</h2>
<p>
Here in Fairhaven, and with clients I work with online around the world,
I meet runners and active people carrying a similar quiet fear.
</p>
<p>
They’ve tried physical therapy. Massage. Rest. Strength work. Orthotics.
Sometimes multiple rounds of all of it.
</p>
<p>
The pain might ease — but it comes back.
</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Am I going to have to give this up?</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>
For many of us, running or hiking isn’t just exercise.
It’s sunrise on the Interurban.
It’s Chuckanut trails.
It’s stopping into Fairhaven Runners & Walkers and talking about shoes,
races, and where you ran this morning.
</p>
<p><strong>It’s identity. It’s community.</strong></p>
<h2>Looking for the Real Cause</h2>
<p>
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in over 40 years as a physical therapist —
from running Mission Hills Physical Therapy in San Diego to now practicing
at Beyond Limits Physical Therapy in Fairhaven — is this:
</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>The painful area is often not the true cause.</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>
The body is protective. If something deeper isn’t functioning well,
it will tighten, guard, or overload another area to compensate.
</p>
<p>
If we only treat the symptom, the protection returns.
</p>
<p>
In my practice, I use Myofascial Mapping to identify the primary root cause —
exactly where it is and what it is.
</p>
<p>
Once located, I apply very specific manual techniques to clear it
so the body no longer needs to protect itself.
</p>
<p>
<strong>When the protection drops, function returns.</strong>
</p>
<h2>More Than Pain Relief</h2>
<p>
The most meaningful part of this work isn’t just that someone can run again.
</p>
<ul>
<li>The moment they realize their body isn’t broken</li>
<li>The first run without fear</li>
<li>Hearing, “I feel like myself again”</li>
</ul>
<h2>An Invitation</h2>
<p>
If you’re dealing with a chronic or recurring injury that hasn’t responded
to traditional or holistic care, you can schedule a
<strong>free consult and breakthrough session</strong>.
</p>
<p>
I’ll assess what’s really going on, share the likely root causes,
and outline a clear path forward.
</p>
<p>
👉 <a href=”https://ralphhavens.com/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>
Learn more here
</a>
</p>
<h2>About Me</h2>
<p>
I’m <strong>Ralph Havens, PT</strong>, a physical therapist with over 40 years
of experience in physical therapy, Integrative Manual Therapy,
Matrix Energetics, Qigong, and other healing modalities.
</p>
<p>
I practice in Bellingham, Washington, and work with clients globally via Zoom.
</p>
<p>
📧 <a href=”mailto:Ralph@RalphHavens.com”>Ralph@RalphHavens.com</a><br>
📞 360-599-2217
</p>
<address>
Beyond Limits Physical Therapy<br>
1134 10th Street<br>
Bellingham, WA 98225
</address>
</article>
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