As a full-time physical therapist at The Running PTs, Dr. Shupe hopes that she can use her shared injury experiences, passion for running, and acquired physical therapy knowledge to help keep her patients healthy and injury-free.

Alyssa has had a passion for running for as long as she can remember. As a high schooler, she ran track and cross country, where she won multiple Virginia State Championships and competed at multiple national competitions. She went on to compete collegiately for Virginia Tech, where she specialized in middle distance events while pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise Science. Although she no longer runs at an elite level, Alyssa continues to run for pleasure and hopes to race some 5ks & 10ks in the future!

Alyssa’s dedication to physical therapy began roughly the same time as her running career, as she personally dealt with numerous injuries and spent many afternoons in a physical therapy clinic trying to keep herself healthy enough to compete. Her experiences drove her to attend physical therapy school at Elon University, where she earned her Clinical Doctorate of Physical Therapy. While a student at Elon, she conducted research investigating the running habits and athletic identity of female runners throughout the lifespan. She then had the opportunity to complete her final 6-month clinical rotation here at the Running PTs, where she was able to fine-tune her skills in 2D gait assessment and learn how run form can contribute to various running-related injuries.

Alyssa uses a detailed orthopedic assessment, often including a 2D run gait assessment, in order to find and address the source of injury. She performs a variety of manual therapy techniques in conjunction with individualized exercises in order to help her patients quickly get back to the activities that they love. While she specializes in treating lower extremity and running-related injuries, she is also well versed in treating other regions of the body.

“I’m an experienced distance runner but while preparing for the Boston Marathon I started dealing with left knee pain. I followed a recommendation to visit the Running PTs and it was the right move. In my particular case, they were able to immediately reduce pain so that I could continue training, come up with a treatment/strengthening program to address the problem, and suggest proactive changes to my routine to reduce it from happening again. I would highly recommend this group!”

ERIK S.