The AI Prompt That Diagnoses Your Running Injury

The exact ChatGPT-style prompt for diagnosing your own running injuries and getting a 4-week recovery plan in 5 minutes. Plus the 5 red flags that mean you should skip Claude and go straight to a physio.

What You'll Learn

• The exact prompt structure: what symptoms, training data, and gear info to feed Claude for the most accurate diagnosis
• The 4-week recovery plan template: stretches, strength work, training adjustments, shoe recommendations
• 5 red flags that mean STOP and see a real physio (sharp pain, night pain, swelling, numbness, spine/neck issues)
• The decision tree: when to use Claude vs when to book the appointment
• The cost-saving math: how to cut $800-$1,200 physio bills to $200-$400

Before You Read Any Further

This is not medical advice. Claude is a language model, not a doctor or a physiotherapist. The prompt below works extremely well for minor sports injuries (tight hips, sore feet, lower back tweaks, runner's knee, plantar fasciitis, IT band issues, achilles tightness, hamstring tightness). It is NOT a replacement for hands-on examination if you have any of the 5 red flags below. Read those first.

When this prompt is the right call: you have a familiar nagging injury you've probably had before. You suspect what it is. You're 90 percent sure your physio is going to confirm it and hand you a printed PDF of stretches. You just want the diagnosis and a recovery plan without paying $200 to be told what you already know. That's the sweet spot for this prompt.

The Prompt

Paste this into Claude (or ChatGPT). Answer every question it asks back. The more specific you are, the better the diagnosis.

I want you to act as my sports physiotherapist. I have a running injury and I want a diagnosis plus a 4-week recovery plan.

Ask me follow-up questions one at a time until you have enough information to be confident in a diagnosis. Cover at minimum:
- The exact spot it hurts (be precise, anatomically)
- When it hurts (resting, walking, running, specific motion, after a workout)
- Pain rating 1-10 at worst and at rest
- How long it has been going on
- My training volume the last 3 months (weekly mileage, intensity changes)
- My current shoes (brand, model, age in miles)
- My running form notes (heel striker, midfoot, cadence, anything I know)
- Recent changes to my routine (new shoes, new terrain, new distance, new pace)
- Injury history

Once you have enough to be confident, give me:
1. A specific diagnosis with the anatomical structure most likely involved
2. A 4-week recovery plan broken into weeks
3. Specific stretches with sets and reps
4. Specific strength exercises with sets and reps
5. Training adjustments (volume, pace, terrain, frequency)
6. Shoe or gear recommendation if relevant
7. Red flags I should watch for that would mean I need to see a physio in person

Do not be vague. Be specific. Treat me like an experienced runner who can handle real information.

Why the follow-up questions matter: most people screw this up by dumping all their symptoms in one paragraph. The reason this prompt works is because it forces Claude to ask follow-ups one at a time, which is exactly what a good physio does in person. You answer one question, that answer triggers the next question, and by the end Claude has a structured picture of your injury. Do not skip the follow-ups.

The 5 Red Flags

If any of these are true, close the chat with Claude and book a physio or doctor immediately. AI is not the right tool for these.

Stop and see a physio if:

1. Sharp or stabbing pain that hits suddenly (not a building soreness). Could be a tear or stress fracture
2. Persistent pain at night that wakes you up or won't go away in bed. Almost always a more serious structural issue
3. Visible swelling that does not go down after 48 hours of ice and rest. Needs imaging
4. Numbness, tingling, or pins-and-needles anywhere. Nerve involvement needs hands-on assessment
5. Any neck or spine pain at all, especially with radiation down the arms or legs. Never self-diagnose spine issues

Why this list exists: Claude is great at the boring middle of injury diagnosis (the 90 percent of complaints that are tight muscles, mild tendinopathy, common overuse patterns). It is genuinely dangerous for the edge cases above because those need imaging or hands-on assessment that AI cannot do. The whole point of this guide is to save money on diagnosis, not to risk a worse injury by skipping necessary care.

The Decision Tree

Use this to decide which path to take with any new injury.

Use Claude for:

• Familiar nagging issues you've probably had before
• Mild to moderate soreness that's been building
• Tight muscles and tendinopathy in common spots
• Building a structured recovery plan after you already know what's wrong
• Second-opinion sanity check on a plan your physio gave you

Go straight to a physio for:

• Anything matching the red flags above
• Acute injuries (you felt it happen, not gradual)
• Anything that needs hands-on treatment: manual therapy, dry needling, ART, joint mobilization
• Post-surgery rehab
• Anything you've already tried to self-treat for 2+ weeks with no improvement

The Cost Math

Here is what this actually saves you per injury cycle:

• Typical physio package: 4-6 sessions at $150-$250 each = $600 to $1,500 per injury
• If 2 of those sessions are diagnosis and education, that's $300-$500 you spent on information
• With Claude handling diagnosis and the at-home plan, you skip those 2 sessions entirely
• If you still need hands-on treatment for the remaining 2-4 sessions, book those targeted sessions
• Net saving: roughly $300-$1,000 per injury cycle depending on severity

One last thing: if a physio you trust ever pushes back on this approach, listen to them. They've seen 1,000 injuries up close and Claude has seen zero. The framing of this guide is not "replace physios." It's "don't pay them just to be told what's wrong when you already suspect what's wrong." Save the appointment for the work only a human can do.

Go Deeper

Prefer a printable version? Download the PDF: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14kNdiekt9qyJav0gqkS8eBPPu55nrFvw/view?usp=drivesdk

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