By JON GARTEN

Salina Journal

Rhonda Burt loves running.

However, as much as she enjoys it, it's not always kind to her.

Burt, Bennington, suffers from inflammation in her plantar fasciitis, which is the tissue along the bottom of the foot. Running also gives Burt lower back pains.

In March, she began working with physical therapist Dave Sanderson at Southwind Physical Therapy, 122 S. Santa Fe.

Sanderson has been working with runners since 1994 but just recently began advertising a runner-specific program. In the program, Sanderson and fellow Southwind physical therapist Tish Jacobson work with runners who are recovering from injuries and runners who want to enhance their performances.

In Burt's case, Sanderson recommended that Burt scale back the number of days she was running. Instead of running seven days a week, Burt now runs six days.

Also, Burt runs on softer surfaces. She tries to avoid concrete and runs on natural surfaces when possible.

Her results?

"I've experienced a lot less pain from running," she said. "It's much easier to get up in the morning."

Southwind also offers video analysis of running form. Sanderson sets up a tripod video camera and records his patients running on a treadmill from multiple angles.

By studying the video, Sanderson can determine what is wrong with his patients form.

"It's great for their self awareness," Sanderson said. "They can see their own technique.

"The most common thing is foot and ankle position during the running stride. They can actually see how their foot lands."

Burt said Sanderson discovered that she was pointing her left foot inward. Because of that, she now wears an insert in her left shoe to correct her problem.

Sanderson also works with runners to develop flexibility and core strength and tries to create a tailor-made program for each runner. He also suggests cross training to combat stress from running.

For Burt, there's no better exercise.

"It just gives you a natural high," she said. "It's worth having to limp around a little."