Unstoppable Strides: Navigating Runner's Dystonia
Julie Bergfeld
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About This Podcast
Join Julie and JoJo for information, exploration, stories of hope and real talk related to running with dystonia.
Runner’s dystonia is a type of repetitive exercise dystonia that is brought on by running. Some are affected by walking and cycling as well.
Dystonias are a class of movement disorders marked by involuntary muscle contractions in one or more parts of the body, depending on the type of dystonia.
Runner’s dystonia is considered task-specific, which means that it only occurs when doing a repetitive motion—in this case, the repetitive nature of the running gait cycle.
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Recent Episodes
S3E5 Researcher Ariel Beccia Shares her Dystonia Story
Julie talks with Ariel Beccia, a researcher with the Harvard School of Public Health, on her dystonia story and how she got from not running 10 years ago to where she is now with running and racing…
S3E4 Exploring Oral Therapy with Dr. Bernard Ravina of Vima Therapeutics
Julie sits down with Dr. Bernard Ravina, CEO and founder of Vima Therapeutics. His company is developing a drug that looks promising in helping those with dystonia. Vima Therapeutic websiteVima…
S3E3 Where we are with Dystonia Research with Neurologist Erik van Wensen
Neurologist Erik van Wensen shares his personal story and where we are with current understanding and research in the area of dystonia and specifically task-specific sports dystonia. Mentioned in the…
S3E2 Cervical Dystonia in a Runner with David Abelson
Julie has a conversation with Boulder, CO runner David Abelson. David has cervical dystonia and has been active in running for more than 30 years. In 2022, he developed dystonia and shares his 4 keys…
S3E1 EMDR Explained with Whitney Dittmar
Julie has a conversation with EMDR specialist, Whitney Dittmar, MA, LPC, EMDR Therapist for Athletes, Performance & Trauma SpecialistListed in the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee…
S2E12 Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)
Julie talks with Stacey Ginesin and Dr. Iahn Cajigas about DBS. We cover a lot of territory here, including how to get the procedure approved by Insurance, when DBS becomes a viable option, success…
S2E11 Maintaining Hope Despite the Circumstance with Mark Spewak
Julie spends some time with athlete, coach and founder of Spewak Training and Racing, Mark Spewak. Mark is a fellow St. Louisan who recently had heart surgery to repair a PFO (patent foramen ovale),…
S2E10 Dystonia and Neuroplastic Recovery with Dr. Dave Clarke
Join us in a conversation with Dr. David Clarke, a retired Doctor of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, who found patients with normal labs and diagnostics never were able to resolve their…
S2E9 Thad Frye on Brainspotting
Julie and JoJo spend some time with Thad Frye, a licensed clinical social worker and brain spotting consultant who specializes in using brain spotting in his practice. In this episode, Thad describes…
S2E8 Dr. William Deihl from Doc Hypnosis
Julie sits down with Dr. William Deihl from Doc Hypnosis to discuss and dispel myths about hypnosis. Hypnosis can be used as a neuroplastic tool to help heal a variety of conditions from anxiety,…
S2E7 Chris Phelan shares his long history with dystonia, botox and dbs
Distinguished athlete Chris Phelan talks openly about his dystonia story and diagnosis. Chris has been affected for more than 10 years and has had multiple rounds of botox and dbs (deep brain…
S2E6 Lilibet Kyte shares her MS story
This episode takes a different twist as I talk with Lilibet Kyte who, at age 36, was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). We talk about treatments, her diagnosis, her team and a host of other…
S2E5 Casandra Oldham on moving forward
Casandra Oldham has had success in her running career that was never intended to be a running career! She shares her knowledge of neurodiverse brains and how thinking outside of the dystonia "box"…
S2E4 Kara Goucher shares her Dystonia Story
Julie, JoJo and special guest host Karrie Hamstra-Wright chat with wife, mother, NBC Track and Field Broadcaster, author, World T&F Silver medalist and 2-Time Olympian Kara Goucher. Kara shares…
S2E3 Megan Cohea Physical Therapist Tells Her Dystonia Story
Julie sits down with Megan Cohea, a physical therapist living on the East Coast. Megan has Runner's Dystonia and shares her journey, symptoms and recommendations in this conversation. Apologies for…
S2E2 Lessons in Hope, Healing and Health with Karrie Hamstra-Wright
JoJo and Julie sit down with Karrie Hamstra-Wright, Clinical Professor and Co-Director of the Applied Sports Psychology and Injury Research and Education (ASPIRE) Lab in the Department of Kinesiology…
S2E1 Randy Morton - A Vision of Hope
In this episode, JoJo and Julie talk with Runner, turned cyclist, Randy Morton about his dystonia journey through medical in-attention, gaslighting and athletic career. Randy is resilience…
S1E12 The Default Mode Network - Psychadelics and Breathwork
Default Mode Network (dmn) discussion on how to down regulate, how it might be a factor with Dystonia. What things we have tried help to down regulate the DMN. Includes references to breathwork,…
S1E11 Episode 11 with Kirsten Jackson - on DBS
We talk with Australian runner Kirsten Jackson on her progress with dystonia and DBS (Deep Brain Stimulation). Kirsten had the implant in February of 2025 and considers herself cured from dystonia…
Episode 10 with Roberta Reardon
On this episode, Julie talks with long-time dystonic runner, Roberta Reardon. We discuss modalities that are non-drug as well as how the issues first began. Roberta shares some key insights into how…
Frequently Asked Questions
Unstoppable Strides: Navigating Runner's Dystonia has published 29 episodes since July 2024, covering topics in Health & Fitness, Medicine.
Unstoppable Strides: Navigating Runner's Dystonia is currently highly active with new episodes every 2 weeks. Average episode length is 40m.
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