Ambassador’s Corner: RunLab Austin
What is up, Austin Fit Fam! Nikki Zahka (@Fitwithnikk_) back again for this month’s Ambassador Corner to highlight some must-visit health and wellness spots around Austin, and I am incredibly excited to tell you all about RunLab Austin this month. I had the opportunity and pleasure of working with the Clinic Director, Dr. Rhoden, on movement analysis and gait evaluation at the Austin headquarters in North Austin by the Q2 Stadium, and the amount I learned from just two sessions is genuinely incredible. Despite the clinic’s name, these services are NOT just for runners. Anyone who moves could benefit from an evaluation at RunLab.
Before we get into the full RunLab experience, I am happy to dedicate this Ambassadors corner to I Live Here I Give Here. Supporting 750+ local nonprofit organizations, I Live Here I Give Here has produced year-round programs and activities that actively engage and empower individuals, companies, nonprofits, and foundations to be more generous and contribute to a more equitable community for all.
Nikki’s chosen nonprofit: I Live Here I Give Here
Every contribution can make a big difference for our community! Donate Here.
RunLab was founded in 2013 by Dr. Kim Davis after being told she was not allowed to run from an orthopedic surgeon. She decided to take matters into her own hands and explore a multitude of options in an attempt to get back to running. After completing chiropractic schooling, she went deep into studying biomechanics and ended up correcting herself to the point of competing in multiple Ironman races and marathons and ultimately getting the life she wanted back, pain-free. Her findings from her own journey led to what is now the RunLab methodology.
RunLab is not just for runners, though. They ultimately treat any person who wants to come in and move better. Dr. Rhoden works with stroke patients, people with Parkinson’s disease, people with orthopedic sports injuries, elderly patients with pain or injuries, and a wide range of athletes, including baseball players and Paralympic competitors. The primary goal of RunLab is to help people move pain-free, which is exactly why I was so excited to test out their process myself.
I consider myself a leisure runner. I do not rack up 10s or 100s of miles like dedicated, avid runners. However, I have been making an effort to run a few miles a few times per week and get into it more. My hip and knee pain began when I started running more than once a week. I had thought it was just from a former injury getting agitated again or that I was not warming up properly, but no matter how long I warmed up for, I would hit about 4 miles and start to feel my hip pulling, eventually leading to knee pain. Chiropractic adjustments do help to get aligned, but after a week or two, it would just happen again. Pain most definitely hinders motivation to keep consistent.
RunLab’s process begins with an injury evaluation. You review past injuries, any aches, pains, or areas of concern as their doctors evaluate various factors that play into your overall movement, such as mobility and essentially the structure of your body and movement. From there, the movement analysis and Gait evaluation begins. Step one is a Filming & Data Capturing Session, which is used to perform a full-body assessment to evaluate your unique structure. During the filming session, they slow-motion video-capture your running or walking stride from multiple angles and complete a video assessment of other movement activities such as body weight squats, balance exercises and jumps.
Step two: RunLab will analyze the information gathered in your initial appointment and provide a video-based consultation of your running (or walking) videos with data identifying injury-prone areas and performance limiters. There is a detailed 14-page report breaking down important information from your full-body assessment including a recommended Footwear Prescription™ to help you choose the right sneakers for your specific body needs. Step three, you will go back into RunLab for a follow-up, where you will receive a recommended treatment plan based on your individual findings. The end goal of RunLab is to help you gain more awareness of your body’s movement patterns, how to make these movements more efficient, and help improve the underlying physiological attributes to levels they need to be at for you to execute your movement goals. Your treatment plan may include Gait Training or Specialized Care sessions. Gait Training sessions include a mix of mobility, stability, strength, movement training, and running with direct feedback depending on your unique needs.
The results are incredibly eye-opening. It was honestly such a weight off my shoulders to finally find out the core cause of my hip and knee pain and to know there is a path to being able to run pain-free. I will not bore you with the intricate details of my gait analysis. Still, I will tell you that after two sessions and following my treatment plan on my own I have run 5+ miles multiple times without any hip or knee pain by following the exercises and cues Dr. Rhoden gave me.
Want to take it a step further and understand your cardiac abilities? RunLab partners with Optimize Performance to complete in-person or virtual metabolic testing, which reveals your V02max, VLamax, anaerobic threshold, training zones, and magnifies your body’s struggle areas so you can laser focus on exactly what you need to eat, how you should train, and how you can use your body to its full capabilities. For this in-person test, you will meet at RunLab with running attire for the running test or with bike and cycling attire for the cycling test. The test will take 60-90 minutes in total including rest and exercise phases. Following your test, a virtual Results Consultation will be scheduled, where you will receive your Expert Analysis & Data Evaluation. Optimize Performance is located in the Dallas/Austin area, but they treat patients globally because all you really need is a GPS-enabled watch with heart rate readings to be able to do the test virtually.
The combined services at RunLab will have you running, moving, and playing not only pain-free but at your individual optimal level. There are two locations currently, South Mopac and the HQ up by the Domain, with more on the horizon for Austin and beyond. Sound like something you could benefit from? Use Code FitwithNikk at checkout for 10% off any non-insurance purchase. The offer is good anytime before the Cap10K on April 6, 2025! https://runlabaustin.com/shop/
