Hi, I’m Lindsey!

I’m a physical therapist, performance coach, author, teacher, international speaker, triathlete and 10-time marathoner. I prize athletic pursuit. My goal is to make people of all abilities realize their full potential. As an extension of that, I want to send the message to those around me that athletic pursuit is helpful. 

As a former collegiate soccer player and current marathoner and triathlete, I understand the dedication, work ethic, and emotional stability required to achieve an optimal level of performance.  My lived experience as a patient with femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) and a labral tear impacted my athletic pursuits and changed the trajectory of my career as a physical therapist. My approach is one that emphasizes increasing your awareness of the mind body connection to maximize your physical prowess. 

My personal struggles have made me a better clinician. I have experienced firsthand what it is like to travel through the medical system and end up feeling worse. I have also experienced how powerful it is to have even just one healthcare provider believe in your ability to get better. After college, I started running marathons.  In the first 5 years of marathoning, I experienced the highest highs.  Each race I was getting faster. Chasing new PRs. Qualifying for the Boston Marathon in 2011, only to find out, that same year they decided to lower the standards another 5 minutes.  The quest to qualify for Boston continued-until 2013 when I started having hip pain.  In an attempt to get faster, I cut corners. I ran too much and I didn’t do enough strength training.  Looking back, it’s easy for me to see why my hip started hurting. My body was letting me know that my training was not sustainable.  

You cannot unsee your MRI results. No matter how hard you try, it’s difficult to unsee your MRI results. When my MRI report showed I had CAM/Pincer FAI and a labral tear, I thought my life as a runner was over.  It didn’t help when a healthcare provider I saw told me to stop running and that without surgery I’d continue to damage my hip and ultimately get hip osteoarthritis that needed a hip replacement.  At the time, I didn’t know how common it is to have FAI and a labral tear.  

You are more than the sport you play. I was quickly faced with an identity crisis. Who was I if I couldn’t run? What about my goal to qualify for the Boston Marathon?

I’m thankful that one of my mentors stepped in to help me with my hip.  Shout out to PT Mark Shepherd for intervening and empowering me to believe that: 

• I could get back to running without having hip surgery

• My hip is still a great hip even if it has FAI/labral tear

• It’s really unknown if hips like mine will end up getting hip OA

• I was not my MRI results-I’m a person, not an image

• If I changed my perspective about my hip, I could also change my pain

I’ve since completed four more marathons, five half marathons, a 100-mile century ride, and two 70.3 Ironmans. My perspective has changed, my training is smarter and sustainable, and my goals are getting bigger.

My hip doesn’t define who I am or what I can do and in the words of Eliud Kipchoge, “I don’t know where the limits are, but I would like to go there.”

My lived experience as a patient with hip pain has given me the unique and powerful ability to relate to my patients on a deeper level. When you tell me you are losing hope, I can relate. When you tell me you are afraid of damaging your body, I can relate. When you tell me you just want to get back to your sport because you love it and can’t imagine life without it, I can relate.

I can relate to you.

My goal is to help you capture this opportunity. To help you refocus your focus. To help you realize that your athletic dimension is one part of you, but sustainable training means unlocking all the other great things you’re able to do. My goal is to help you come back stronger and smarter.  Together we’ll come up with a plan that minimizes your chances of injury and maximizes your ability to perform faster.

“Lindsey, some of the bests PTs I know have used a personal struggle to make them a better clinician.”

-Jane Sullivan PT, DHS, Professor of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences at Northwestern University

“As human beings we are vessels with infinite dimensions, but as athletes we really only realize one dimension–the athletic one. That’s not sustainable for a lifetime. After this is all in the past, you’ll realize you aren’t Lindsey the marathon runner, you’re Lindsey the (fill this blank in with all the awesome things you uncover about yourself while you’re injured) who also enjoys running.”

- Heidi Armstrong, Injury Recovery Coach and Founder, Injured Athlete’s Toolbox