Merrell said it has formed a partnership with Jay Dicharry, physical therapist at Rebound Physical Therapy in Bend, OR and a leading expert in biomechanical analysis.
Dicharry’s international reputation is built on one-to-one work with athletes to correct imbalances before they affect performance. His ongoing research focuses on footwear and the causative factors driving overuse injury in athletes and enables him to develop innovative ways to proactively treat athletes. Over the past year, Dicharry has worked closely with Merrell to explore running and on-trail movement to isolate ways to reduce stress on the body while increasing power and effectiveness.
“Shoes don’t run, runner’s run,” said Dicharry in a statement. “Like a spring, a shoe should allow your foot to load and unload energy. Over the past year, I have been working closely with Merrell in my lab and with a team of athletes in the collection of trail running and hiking shoes, AllOut. Through the unique design we are able to get the foot to relax and become mobile allowing the athlete to move more efficiently. Our main goal is to make hiking and running as easy as it can be on the body.”
Originally from New Orleans LA, Dicharry completed the Masters of Physical Therapy degree at Louisiana State University Medical Center and is a Board- Certified Sports Clinical Specialist. Today he leads the REP Biomechanics Lab @ Rebound Physical Therapy in Bend, OR. His unique approach goes outside the traditional model of therapy and aims to correct imbalances before they affect your performance. Last year Dicharry wrote the “Anatomy for Runners,” the book running gait assessments. Additionally he writes columns for numerous magazines, and has published over twenty professional journal articles and three book chapters.
Dicharry has had an active research career, teaches nationally, and consults for numerous footwear companies, the US Air Force and USA Track and Field. His ongoing research focus on footwear and the causative factors driving overuse injury continues to provide him cutting edge knowledge to educate and provide patients with an unmatched level of innovation and success. Having taught in the Sports Medicine program at UVA, he brings a strong bias towards patient education, and continues to teach nationally to elevate the standard of care for Therapists, Physicians, and Coaches working with endurance athletes. anathletesbody.com.
