Top rehab tools: blood flow, loading, time

Tom Walters is a board-certified orthopedic physical therapist, former college professor, and author of Rehab Science (a bestseller on Amazon).

Besides running his clinical practice, Tom served as a full-time undergraduate kinesiology professor for eight years, teaching human biomechanics, therapeutic exercise, and pain science.

Today, we discuss the science of pain and the injury treatment process:

• Is all pain bad?
• Why does some pain feel good?
• The value of cross-training during injury
• Why blood flow is so important for healing
• The timeline it takes to heal from common injuries

If you're injury prone, sign up for our complimentary prevention series here.

You can also follow Tom on IG or subscribe to his YouTube channel.

We're supported by our newest partner - Wahoo Fitness and the best treadmill in the game, the Wahoo KICKR Run. I have been fortunate to run on a KICKR Run treadmill and they're unique - you will immediately know that you're experiencing one of the smoothest, sturdiest treadmills you can buy.

Go to Wahoo Fitness and use code STRENGTHRUNNING to get a free KICKR Headwind Bluetooth Fan ($319.99 value) with your purchase of a Wahoo KICKR Run treadmill.

They like to say that it's the treadmill that follows you, not the other way around. And that's because it's dynamic - there's a lateral tilt feature that mimics real-world terrain. So as you're running, it varies the side-to-side angle by half a degree every few seconds to keep your muscles ready for outdoor running.

And the KICKR Run's dynamic pacing is straight out of a sci-fi movie: the treadmill will match your pace automatically: no controls needed. You'll get a more natural running experience with no breaking to reach controls or setting the pace manually.

See what all the pros are raving about with the Wahoo KICKR Run Treadmill. They changed the game for bike trainers in the cycling industry - and now they're doing the same for runners. Don't forget to use code STRENGTHRUNNING to get a free KICKR Headwind Bluetooth Fan!

Lever is back as a sponsor and I couldn't be more excited. They make a treadmill attachment that reduces your body weight, letting you run more mileage than you typically could with less injury risk.

They're also trusted by physical therapists, where they're commonly used during injury recovery so you can keep running with less load and impact. They're a "secret weapon" during rehab of many pro runners.

Lever attaches to any treadmill and you hook into it like a harness. It effectively makes you lighter, allowing you to do more running with less risk. So maybe you want to build more mileage, or run hard workouts but you're hesitant because of injury concerns. The pro's have been using Lever for years, letting them get the advantage of more training with fewer injuries.

I had the chance to go for a run using Lever and it was deceptively easy to set up and use. All of a sudden, I was running 7min mile pace with the heart rate of 8:30 pace. You can see it in action on our YouTube channel.

Go to levermovement.com and use code Strength20 (with a capital S) for 20% off any system!