Healthy Runner Store/Dr. Duane Scotti - Physical Therapist

Learn More About Coach Duane

Duane Scotti

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.  

Duane initially started running as an adult, wanting to add some cardio to his gym sessions. After having a
hip surgery, his doctor advised him to get off the treadmill and run outside. Without having fully recovered,
Duane suffered a running-related hamstring tendon injury and many others as a novice runner.

As a coach, he has guided thousands of athletes back to running, finishing their first marathon, crushing a
personal best, and even the elusive Boston Marathon qualifying time.

He is truly living his passion educating the running community that they don’t need to stop running to get over
a running injury. Through his signature 1:1 coaching program, weekly videos, and podcast episodes, he
empowers runners to get stronger, run faster, and enjoy lifelong injury free running. Dr. Duane truly believes
that anyone can run and that all runners should be treated differently when recovering from an injury. He is
on a mission to change the traditional thinking that running causes “overuse injuries” or “your body is just not
meant to run” and you must “take a break” to get better. Through strength and run specific training you can
grow a strong mind, strong body, and just keep running!

Duane received his Bachelor of Health Science degree and Master of Physical Therapy degree from Quinnipiac
University in 2001 and 2003. He then went on to receive a clinical Doctor of Physical Therapy and a Ph.D. in
Physical Therapy from Nova Southeastern University in 2017. Duane is a board-certified Orthopaedic Clinical
Specialist, RRCA Certified Running Coach, Certified Mulligan Practitioner, certified in dry needling and has
advanced training in spinal manipulation and rehabilitation for runners.

As an athlete, Duane is an adult-onset runner, avid half marathoner, 2x marathoner, and enjoys challenging himself to learn and grow in his personal running journey!

A native New Yorker from Long Island, Duane currently lives in Cheshire, Connecticut with his wife Deb and his
two teenage daughters who are competitive volleyball players. They all love to explore new beaches along the
east coast.

Learn More About Our Signature Program

Watch the video explaining how the Healthy Runner Coaching program works.

Want To See If You Are A Good Fit To Work with Coach Duane??

What Duane's Clients Say About Working with Him...

Hamstring Injury to NYC Marathon Finisher!

If you have had upper hamstring pain that has limited the one form of exercise that provides you stress relief from your busy family and work life, then you need to hear Mary’s story.

Mary details her journey in how she went from being depressed after she made the difficult decision to cancel running the Detroit Free Press marathon a day before the race because her pain was so bad that she could barely walk to finding the exact steps to safely get back to running and crushing her marathon debut in New York!

From IT Band Syndrome to Conquering 48.6 Miles in Disney!

Stephanie followed the downloaded plan off the internet for marathon training but started having IT band pain during her long runs. She thought she might have to cancel the race. Learn how she got clarity and focus on what she needed to do to not only get rid of her IT band pain but conquer the Dopey Challenge feeling strong!

Plantar Fasciitis Run Around to Getting her Running Life Back Even STRONGER!

Learn how Anna went from getting the run around on what was best for her foot pain whether it was recommendations for orthotics, injections, medications, and rehab for plantar fasciitis to getting clarity on what she really needed to get her body stronger for running without foot pain.

Fix Achilles Pain and Get Stronger for Running

Struggling with 4 months of achilles pain to running stronger than he ever has!  Learn how Jason did it!

Frustrated Runner Back to Marathon Training!

Learn how Courtney went from being a frustrated marathon runner due to struggling with proximal hamstring tendinopathy (PHT) for 2 years to feeling stronger and back to training for a marathon again!

How Gigi Ran the NYC Marathon Despite Knee Pain

Listen in to hear about the personalized approach Gigi received to make her NYC dreams a reality (without hitting the wall)!

Conquer Foot Pain for Good!

Nicole had 4 episodes of plantar fasciitis and had to stop running for 9 months. Now she is running 6 mile long runs on the weekends

Overcome High Hamstring Tendinopathy

6 years of frustration trying everything from physical therapy, manual therapy, prolotherapy, and all the self remedies Steph could research to now being able to run 10 mile long runs without hamstring pain!

Deep Dive Trainings by Dr. Duane Scotti

Watch or Listen to these Deep Dive Trainings on the Healthy Runner Podcast

How Duane Became a Healthy Runner

Do you want to learn how to get in those stress relieving miles so you can continue to challenge yourself without having to stop running with an injury?

In this video, I get personal and show you how I went from being a new "adult onset" runner who was constantly getting injured (despite being a sports physical therapist with background in strength & conditioning) to finally overcoming the injury cycle and running multiple races a year in my 40's!

How to Grow as a Runner (6 Simple Actions)

When you master the six key parts of your running journey, you’ll not only feel more confident in getting stronger and faster – you’ll stay healthy and enjoy the process of running again!

Return to Run without setbacks from ANY INJURY

In this return to run program, I will guide you back on your journey to reclaiming the roads again and returning to running stronger than ever before without having to worry about falling into the injury cycle again.

How to Build a Strong Foundation for Running

Base training is the most critical time period during your training to build a solid foundation for your running so you can run a fast and healthy half marathon or marathon!

It may not be the most exciting part of your training and it is commonly not a focus for most runners but nailing this key ingredient in your training will not only result in you getting faster as a runner during your race season but will be the primary reason why you stay healthy and out of the injury cycle this time!

The Ultimate Recovery Guide for Running

Did you know that proper recovery is a key foundational concept for running success? Many runners underestimate the importance of recovery, but it can make all the difference in your performance and injury prevention.

In this video, you will learn the strategies that will allow your body to recover from all those miles you are running with a simple 7-step plan!

Conquer Shin Splints!

The best shin splint home exercises to relieve anterior shin splints or medial tibial stress syndrome in runners.  

Follow-along strengthening exercises to alleviate your pain now so you can run long and not have to worry about your shins hurting when running.

Best Exercises for Runners

 learn why runners training for a 5k, half marathon, or marathon should add in strength training.
  • Why should we be strength training as runners?
  • How do we progress our strength training?
  • When should we back off our strength training?

Fix Plantar Fasciitis for Good and Run! (5 Simple Actions)

You try resting, icing, and are told to stop running but every time you try to increase your mileage again your pain just comes back.  You don’t need to be a frustrated runner anymore and you can fix plantar fasciitis for good and run again with 5 simple actions!


Posterior Tibial Tendonitis Treatment for Runners | Can I Still Run with Inside of Ankle Pain

Duane shares with you all he has learned about posterior tibial tendonitis and how many runners finally overcame this condition and are able to run!

Proximal Hamstring Tendinopathy... DO THIS NOW!

How to get rid of that stubborn pain in the butt from proximal hamstring tendinopathy.

5 Simple Mini Band [Must Do] Exercises for Running

ollow along for these 5 simple exercises you can do in the comfort of your home to get stronger, faster, and stay healthy as a runner.  These target your run specific muscles and will help prevent runner's knee, IT band syndrome, shin splints, and ankle tendinitis.  

Short Foot Exercise for Runners

Short foot exercises every runner should be doing.

Runner's Knee

Don't Make these 5 Mistakes!

5 mistakes runners make to get rid of their knee pain?  
Yep, you are probably doing one of these…
Learn what causes knee pain in runners and how to avoid these 5 common mistakes.  
These are the strategies that have helped thousands of runners I have had the pleasure of working with during my career as a running physical therapist and coach.  I hope they help you!

IT Band Syndrome | Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment | Get Back To Running

Duane shares with you the causes, symptoms, treatment, and prevention to help with iliotibial band syndrome in runners.  Following these running tips and exercises will help build up your body to be more resilient with your running and prevent future injuries.

Achilles Tendonitis | Why Does My Achilles Tendon Hurt When I Run

Duane covers all of the myths and provide you with the latest research on what Achilles Tendonitis is and how you don’t need to stop running to overcome this very common running injury! 

Learn how Lindsay got over patellofemoral pain syndrome for good but also crushing her second ever half marathon with online run coaching!

Gretchen overcame hip pain and is running better than ever, and pain free!

What Coach Duane's Clients have to say about working with him...

Anna Person

When I first got plantar fasciitis, I received so much conflicting advice. I knew it was "just" running, but for me my injury meant the loss of an important wellness outlet and I was discouraged and frustrated. I found Duane Scotti and Spark Healthy Runner through a podcast, and have been working with Duane for the last 4 months. It has been a fabulous experience!

So much so that I know think of the injury as a gift. Without it, I would not have found Duane and Spark Healthy Running, and would not have gone through the program to become an overall stronger and healthier runner.

Duane was incredibly helpful and responsive, and would immediately contact me if I had any concerns or needed adjustments to our plan. It was such a relief to be able to turn to someone for answers on how to proceed. And such a joy to be able to keep running despite the injury.

This past weekend I did a 10 miler, and smiled the entire time! :-) I am so thankful for finding Dr. Scotti, and for all he has done to help me through this injury.

Dipti Pandya

I don’t have enough words to express my gratitude towards Duane Scotti and the Spark Healthy Runner program. When I started working with Duane, I had been dealing with chronic shin splints/posterior tibialis tendinitis for almost a year.

I had worked with multiple other coaches and physical therapists with little success and was at the point of almost giving up on my love for running. Duane is so kind, thoughtful and knowledgeable as both a physical therapist and running coach. Our first virtual meeting lasted two hours because he was so meticulous in his assessment. His strength and running program is progressive and created so that you can continue to build strength and mileage as you heal. His strength program is unique, effective, and fun.

Additionally, his warm-up routine is awesome and includes drills that over time have made me a more efficient runner. His training platform is easy to use, and he is always readily available to chat when problems or questions arise.

Over four months of working with Duane, I have built back to five days a week of running and am almost back up to my pre-injury weekly mileage and long run distance. Whenever I have flare ups or setbacks, Duane reassures me and makes necessary adjustments so that I can continue to progress in my running journey. I have had so much success with him so far that I have signed on for four more months so that he can help me to continue getting stronger as I train for the Dopey challenge in Disney World.

If you are struggling with a running injury and are feeling hopeless, you have to reach out to Duane Scotti. Of course, you will have to put in a lot of hard work, but with Duane by your side, you will be able to achieve your goals and more. Thank you Spark Healthy Runner for bringing the spark back to my running!

Kristen Scopelleti

I can't say enough good things about Duane and the Healthy Running Coaching Team! Suffering from IT Band Syndrome heading into a shortened marathon training block found me desperate for help.

Listening to the Spark Healthy Runner Podcast led me to reach out for 1:1 assistance. Not only did the program get me to the start line prepared for the New York City Marathon (my first!), it got me through the race and over the finish line PAIN FREE!

I'm 100% certain this would not have happened had I not worked with Duane and had the support of the team. The videos and podcast material is extremely helpful and I look forward to continuing to enjoy my love for running with the wealth of knowledge I continue to gain from the episodes and guidance provided to me.

Laura Pierce

I reached out to Duane early in the summer after dealing with nagging hamstring pain for a couple months. He was able to diagnose the issue right away and was very confident that we could deal with it without me having to take extended time off from running (which turned out to be true!).

He gave me detailed, challenging strength programs that targeted my hamstring as well as some other problem areas.

He was very responsive to texts/emails if I had questions and continued to be very encouraging during the months that we worked together.

Just over four months later I am running pain-free and getting close to the fitness I was in back in the spring. I definitely feel like I would not have made this much progress without his guidance. Highly recommend!

Victoria Hurst

When extended rest didn’t improve the hamstring pain I felt when running, I wasn’t sure what else to do. Fortunately, I heard Dr. Duane Scotti discussing his practice treating injured runners, some of whom had hamstring pain like mine.

I wasn’t sure how well virtual PT would work, but I was immediately reassured by Dr. Scotti’s professionalism and obvious expertise. I received a clear, well structured rehabilitation program, complete with multiple avenues of support and feedback.

My hamstring improved steadily, and I have just completed a half-marathon with no running pain at all!

During my journey of rehabilitation, I learned quite a lot about the sort of strength training necessary for runners, and my overall strength and fitness has improved.

I feel very fortunate to have discovered this program, and strength training will continue to be an essential part of my training.

Dawn Turner

I came across the SPARK Healthy Runner Podcast with Duane saying he could get runners back to running after suffering an injury.

I had plans to run the London Marathon in October 2022, and I wasn't sure if that was going to be possible but, coach Duane created a program tailored just for me, which included strength and conditioning as well as walk/running to start with to build up my running time/distance.

I live in the Uk, so the online platform that Duane and the Healthy Runner team uses meant I could upload my training in real time and Duane was always able to track my progress.

After the 16 weeks I was pain free and able to run 5 miles. And I was able to complete the London Marathon!

 I can’t recommend the SPARK Healthy Runner coaching team enough! I would highly recommend Duane and his team to anyone who has suffered an injury and wants to get back to running! 

Mark Vece

I started running 4 years ago at the age of 40 and I fell in love with it.

But I found myself always getting injured and any progress I made immediately stopped. I contacted Coach Duane and he immediately found the problem and prescribed a very detailed strength program and running program to help me reach my goal of running a half marathon.

I am very happy to say that this past weekend I ran a sub 2 hour half marathon!

This program is wonderful especially the 1 on 1 access to the coaches. Anytime I needed Duane he was there for me and gave me the confidence to achieve my goals and gave me the tools to go forward and to run injury free!
 
I can't recommend this program enough!

Katja Livingston

My Healthy Runner journey started after I had battled bilateral achilles pain for a few months and was frustrated how it affected my running.

As soon as I talked to Duane I knew I had made the right decision. His positivity, enthusiasm and genuine care are infectious. The training plan that was tailored to me included specific exercises to rehab my injury and I was so excited that I didn’t have to stop running.

I just ran my second half marathon, both with Duane’s coaching, and PR’d by over 9 minutes!

I’m so thankful for the Healthy Runner program, community and the entire coaching team for all the support!

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Grateful For Our Community!