Provider Name & Treatment Location: Douglas Adams, PT, DPT, SCS, OCS; ACE Running LLC / RunDNA System
Key Words: TECAR therapy; Achilles tendinopathy; RunDNA; gait retraining; 3D motion analysis; Runner Readiness Assessment; soft tissue mobilization; collapser gait; return to sport
Summary (Abstract)
This case report describes the use of Winback TECAR therapy combined with the RunDNA movement-based treatment system in a competitive high school runner presenting with left Achilles pain and swelling of one month’s duration, onset coinciding with a change in running spikes. Using the RunDNA systematic approach (Runner Readiness Assessment, 3D gait analysis, and targeted soft tissue and joint mobilization with Winback TECAR applied during treatment) the treating clinician achieved complete elimination of pain and swelling within a single session. Following a second session of active gait retraining and ankle mobility work, the patient returned to full competition within one week and broke the 15-minute barrier for the indoor 5k at Nationals.
What is unique about this case is the integration of 3D motion analysis to identify the collapser gait pattern driving Achilles overload, and the use of Winback TECAR to enable rapid pain resolution that allowed immediate progression to gait retraining. The primary take-away is that TECAR is most valuable as an adjunct that accelerates tissue readiness, enabling the clinician to address the root biomechanical cause within the same episode of care.
Key take-away lessons:
- Winback TECAR applied during soft tissue mobilization to the gastroc-soleus and plantar fascia eliminated Achilles pain and swelling within a single visit, creating the pain-free window needed to immediately progress to gait retraining.
- The RunDNA Runner Readiness Assessment and 3D motion analysis identified a collapser gait pattern as the root driver of Achilles overload (a finding that would have been missed with a tissue-only treatment approach).
- Treating the movement fault alongside the tissue fault produced a return-to-sport outcome that exceeded the athlete’s pre-injury baseline: a personal-best 5k at Nationals within one week of beginning treatment.
- TECAR is best deployed as a tool that opens the therapeutic window for pain relief and tissue readiness, enabling earlier, more aggressive loading and movement correction.
Introduction
Achilles tendinopathy is among the most common overuse injuries in competitive runners, accounting for approximately 8–10% of running-related injuries. Acute presentations in adolescent athletes often coincide with rapid load increases or equipment changes (in this case, a transition to new running spikes) that alter the mechanical environment at the tendon–muscle unit. Conventional management typically involves load reduction, eccentric loading protocols, and manual therapy, but return-to-sport timelines can be prolonged when pain persists through early rehabilitation.
TECAR (Capacitive and Resistive Electric Transfer) therapy produces analgesic and tissue-level effects via cellular metabolism augmentation, synaptic interference at the nociceptor level, and endogenous diathermy – mechanisms that are well-suited to accelerating the early-stage pain and swelling resolution that allows active rehabilitation to begin. The RunDNA system adds a critical layer: systematic 3D motion analysis and gait categorization that identifies the biomechanical loading pattern placing the Achilles at risk, enabling the clinician to address cause rather than symptom.
This case report presents the combined application of Winback TECAR therapy and the RunDNA movement-based treatment system in a competitive high school runner, demonstrating rapid pain resolution, gait correction, and same-season return to peak performance.
Winback TECAR Technology
The Winback device delivers high-frequency radiofrequency energy via two primary electrode configurations:
- CET (Capacitive Electric Transfer): Superficial action targeting high-water-density soft tissues such as muscle, fascia, and the lymphatic and vascular system. CET generates endogenous diathermic heat that stimulates cellular metabolism, improves local perfusion, and modulates the inflammatory cascade. In this case, CET mode was applied during manual soft tissue mobilization to the gastroc-soleus and plantar fascia.
- RET (Resistive Electric Transfer): Deep action targeting low-water-density structures including tendons, ligaments, and periosteal surfaces. RET directs energy on a plate-to-plate path and is particularly effective when applied with concurrent movement or mobilization — making it well-suited to tendon pathology such as Achilles tendinopathy.
When applied during soft tissue mobilization, TECAR concentrates energy in the target tissue in real time, combining the mechanical effects of manual therapy with the biological effects of radiofrequency energy for a synergistic approach that is central to the Winback combination therapy model. This integration is what enabled immediate, within-session elimination of pain and swelling in this case.
Patient Information / Diagnosis
Demographics: Competitive high school runner
Chief Complaint: Left Achilles pain and swelling; onset approximately 1 month prior to presentation, coinciding with a transition to new running spikes. Unable to compete for approximately 1 month.
Diagnosis: Acute left Achilles tendinopathy with collapser gait pattern driving excessive tendon load; no structural rupture identified on clinical examination.
Clinical Findings
Subjective
- Left Achilles pain and swelling present for approximately 1 month; onset with spike change.
- Unable to run competitively; activity restricted for the duration.
- Patient goal: return to competition (specifically, the indoor Nationals 5k).
Objective
Runner Readiness Assessment completed (approximately 8 minutes) to screen movement deficits across six domains: Toe Touch, Balance, Squat, Hallux ABD, UHBE, and Calf Raise. Findings guided selection of corrective interventions and loading level.
3D gait video analysis: Gait category confirmed as Collapser – excessive midfoot and rearfoot collapse during stance phase, increasing tensile and compressive load at the Achilles tendon.
Detailed Treatment, Timeline, and Outcome
1. Timeline
| Phase | Visit | Focus |
| Evaluation | Wk 0 | Runner Readiness Assessment; 3D gait video baseline confirming collapser pattern; symptom history. |
| Acute — Pain & Swelling Resolution | Visit 1 | Winback TECAR (CET) applied during STM to gastroc-soleus and plantar fascia; FDN to gastroc and glutes; talocrural joint mobilizations. Pain and swelling fully eliminated. HEP: foot intrinsics and ankle mobility. |
| Gait Retraining | Visit 2 | Active gait retraining targeting collapser pattern with Winback applied during movement; ankle mobility continued; 3D post-retraining video confirming correction. HEP advanced to gait retraining and balance. |
| Return to Sport | Wk 2 | Patient returned to full competition. Broke 15 min for indoor 5k at Nationals — a personal best. |
2. Diagnostic Assessment
Diagnostic methods included subjective intake and symptom history; the RunDNA Runner Readiness Assessment to identify movement deficits driving injury risk; portable 3D motion analysis for gait categorization; and clinical palpation of the Achilles tendon and gastroc-soleus complex.
Primary diagnosis: acute left Achilles tendinopathy with collapser gait pattern. Differentials considered: Achilles tendon rupture (ruled out clinically), posterior ankle impingement, retrocalcaneal bursitis, FHL tendinopathy. Prognostic characteristics were favorable: acute onset with clear precipitating cause, no structural rupture, motivated competitive athlete, and rapid within-session response to first treatment.
3. Therapeutic Intervention
Combined Winback TECAR therapy (CET mode) applied during manual soft tissue mobilization, alongside fascial dry needling, joint mobilization, and progressive gait retraining within the RunDNA systematic framework.
Protocol steps:
- Runner Readiness Assessment completed to identify movement deficits and establish loading level.
- 3D gait video recorded to confirm gait category: Collapser.
- Winback TECAR (CET) applied during STM to gastroc-soleus and plantar fascia, targeting superficial soft tissue restriction contributing to Achilles load.
- Fascial dry needling (FDN) to gastroc and glutes to address posterior chain myofascial restriction.
- Talocrural joint mobilizations to restore ankle dorsiflexion range of motion.
- HEP prescribed: foot intrinsics and ankle mobility program.
- Visit 2: Active gait retraining targeting collapser pattern, with Winback applied during movement to concentrate energy in target tissue; ankle mobility continued; 3D post-retraining video confirmed gait correction. HEP advanced to gait retraining and balance.
Results after Treatment Completed
Outcomes following the two-session course of care:
| Outcome | Pre-Treatment | Post-Treatment |
| Left Achilles pain | Present; limiting running | Fully eliminated (Visit 1) |
| Local swelling | Present | Fully eliminated (Visit 1) |
| 3D gait — collapser pattern | Confirmed on baseline video | Corrected — confirmed on post-retraining 3D video (Visit 2) |
| Return to competitive running | Unable; 1 month restriction | Full return within 1 week of treatment |
| Performance at Nationals (indoor 5k) | N/A — not competing | Broke 15 min — personal best |
All presenting symptoms resolved within the first treatment session. Following gait retraining in the second session, the patient returned to full competition within one week and achieved a personal-best performance, breaking 15 minutes in the indoor 5k at Nationals. No adverse or unanticipated events were reported.
Discussion
The most clinically noteworthy finding in this case is the speed of pain and swelling resolution. The pain and swelling was fully eliminated within a single treatment session using Winback TECAR applied during soft tissue mobilization. This is consistent with TECAR’s proposed mechanism of synaptic interference at the nociceptor level for immediate analgesia, combined with improved local perfusion and cellular metabolism support that accelerates tissue-level resolution. The practical implication was immediate: with pain eliminated, the clinician could progress to the root cause of the injury (the collapser gait pattern) within the same episode of care.
The RunDNA systematic approach added a layer that is absent from conventional Achilles tendinopathy protocols: objective identification of the gait fault driving tendon overload. A collapser pattern increases tensile and compressive load on the Achilles by altering the medial-to-lateral force distribution during stance and reducing the mechanical advantage of the calf. Correcting the fault via gait retraining addresses the risk–reward relationship with running rather than simply managing the painful tissue.
The outcome, a personal-best 5k at Nationals within one week, suggests that the combination of rapid tissue-level treatment (TECAR combined with STM and joint mobilization) and movement-level treatment (gait retraining) can produce exceptional return-to-sport timelines in acute tendinopathy when the underlying biomechanical driver is addressed. The sequential logic matters: TECAR opens the therapeutic window; RunDNA ensures the right door is walked through.
Limitations include the single-patient retrospective design and the absence of quantitative outcome measures (dynamometry, VAS scores, ROM values) at the time of original documentation. Future case documentation using this presentation type should capture Runner Readiness Assessment scores, 3D gait metrics pre and post retraining, and VAS at each session to strengthen the evidence base.
Take-away: In acute Achilles tendinopathy in competitive runners, Winback TECAR provides the pain and swelling resolution needed to unlock immediate progression to the root biomechanical cause. The RunDNA system ensures that the underlying gait fault is identified and corrected. The combination produces faster return-to-sport and, as in this case, performance outcomes that exceed the athlete’s pre-injury baseline.
Informed Consent
Patient provided informed consent for treatment and for the de-identified use of clinical data and outcome measures in this case report. Documentation available on request.