In this episode of the Legacy Running Podcast, Dr. Sarah sits down with Dr. Duane Scotti, founder of Spark Healthy Runner, to explore his remarkable journey from hip surgery and chronic injuries to completing six marathons and coaching runners around the world. Duane shares how a labral tear, chondral defect, and proximal hamstring tendinopathy became the turning points that shaped his career—and his mission to help runners stay healthy for life. Together, he and Dr. Sarah break down his “Restore, Rebuild, Retrain” framework for returning to running after hip pain, the truth about pain tolerance and flare-ups, and why running can actually protect your joints.
Bio:
Dr. Duane Scotti, DPT, PhD, OCS is a running physical therapist, run coach, host of the Healthy Runner podcast, and founder of Spark Healthy Runner and has been a leader in the rehab and running community for 20+ years. He is truly living his passion educating the running community that they don’t need to stop running to get over a running injury. After 19 years teaching in higher education, Duane decided to step away as a Clinical Associate Professor of Physical Therapy to pursue his passion educating the running community. Through his signature 1:1 coaching program, Healthy Runner Academy membership, weekly videos, and podcast episodes, he empowers runners to get stronger, run faster, and enjoy lifelong injury free running. Through strength and run specific training you can build your body to have a strong mind, strong body, and just keep running! Learn more about how Duane became a healthy runner here!
If you are recovering from an injury and want to get back into running without setbacks:
[Download] Return to Run Program
Connect with Dr. Duane:
Instagram - @sparkhealthyrunner
Listen & Subscribe to the Healthy Runner Podcast:
Get More From Dr. Sarah aka "The Hip Doc"
Free Hip Mobility Guide
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