S&C Coach or Physio: Who Should Lead Running in Rehab?
Let’s be honest — this comes up all the time.
Who’s actually coaching running during rehab?
Is it the physio? The S&C coach? The hybrid rehab specialist? Everyone seems to have a foot in the door. But here’s the kicker: Most degrees don’t actually teach you how to coach running well.
Running mechanics coaching isn’t some plug-and-play template. It’s a skill — passed down, refined over time, and rarely taught in uni classrooms.
So, Who Should Lead It?
Forget job titles. It’s about who has the real coaching eye.
There are physios who absolutely nail running drills. And there are S&C coaches who still rely on cues they picked up off Instagram. I've learned from both camps. And the reality is:
The most qualified person should lead. The badge doesn’t matter — the skillset does.
Environment and Structure Matters
If no one owns running in your rehab team, it becomes a handball exercise. That’s where leadership comes in.
Department heads need to:
Define clear phases and roles
Create space for overlap and collaboration
Make sure running isn't treated like an afterthought
If you're leading rehab, it's not about locking people out — it's about building a shared framework.
Map the Rehab Phases
Clear stages = clear roles. Here’s a quick breakdown:
Return to Function (RTF): Get pain-free, restore basic movement.
Return to Run (RTR): Rebuild coordination and running fluency.
Return to Play (RTP): Blend speed, mechanics, and game-specific demands.
Each one requires a different set of hands on deck — but with aligned messaging.
The Real Limiter Isn’t Strength
Rehab isn’t just about strength. We’re actually pretty good at that now.
The hard bit? Motor control.
Producing force in milliseconds
Timing limb movements mid-air
Stabilising the pelvis at speed
Those aren’t solved with heavy squats alone. They need deliberate coaching, especially in RTR.
Gait Retraining Needs to Happen Early
You can’t wait until the athlete is running to fix their gait.
Most lower limb injuries show breakdowns in frontal plane control before the first stride. We see this clearly through SpeedSig data.
That means:
Single-leg work
Pelvic stability
Controlled exposure to movement demands
...should start early. It’s not about going slow — it’s about getting it right.
Keep Coaching Consistent
You know what kills progress?
Mixed messages from multiple coaches.
If the physio teaches one version of a drill, and the S&C coach does something completely different the next day — the athlete ends up second-guessing everything.
Running is a skill. It needs consistency.
(We dive into this concept more in Assess, Don’t Guess)
Don’t Dump Rehab on the Intern
Running rehab isn’t the place to let juniors learn by fire.
If you wouldn’t put them in charge of preparing your athletes for a finals match, they shouldn’t be leading your return-to-run program either.
Supervision matters. Experience matters. Context matters.
Final Thoughts: Let's Move Forward, Smarter
There’s no perfect blueprint. But here’s the bottom line:
Someone on your team needs to own running rehab.
That person should have a real understanding of mechanics, motor control, and progression.
And your whole staff needs to speak the same language when it comes to coaching movement.
Because strength in the gym is just one part of the story.
Bridging that to actual running takes a different lens.
At SpeedSig, we’re here to help performance teams do just that.
— Jason Weber
