hip pain and running

[Anonymous]

I have been training for a 1/2 marathon. I am not a great runner but was building up slowly using a program on the race website (Jeff Galloway). I was thrilled to run 8 miles (probably a personal record) about 3 weeks ago. I felt a little sore especially in my groin/hip/top of quad but no big deal. The following week I ran 30 minutes twice on the treadmill. It hurt a little and I ran slower than normal (5 mph rather than 5.5 - I am slow to begin with). After the second run that week, the same area was hurting a little worse. I tried to run that Sunday but couldn't run at all. Since then (that was now two weeks ago) i've had major discomfort. Haven't tried running again, done a fair amount of walking over the holiday week which I thought would help stretch it out but I think did not help and maybe made it worse. This week I've cut back on the walking and some days it feels better and some days it still hurts. Oddly when I sneeze or jolt, it is major pain.

I'm about ready to pull the chute on the 1/2 (it's in late February so at this point I don't think I could get up to 13 even if I felt perfectly tomorrow and started training again). But I'm also a little worried that I really did something to it. Is it time to go to a dr? What kind of injury could this be? hip flexor? labrum? It seems like an overuse issue and not anything traumatic that I can recall. I've never been sure about my shoes so I wonder if that's a factor.

Any insight from experienced runners out there? thanks in advance

[Anonymous]

See if you can get an evaluation at a physical therapy office geared towards athletes, or call the local running stores to see if they know of any running clinics around that do evaluations. It does sound like an overuse injury, but my guess is that there's something wrong with your stride or how you're hitting the ground, or perhaps you're uneven in how strong your muscles are in each leg.

[Anonymous]

Physiatrist. Go see one. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

I have the same problem in the similar area on one side but not a runner but a weightlifter. Physical therapist said it was a tight psoas muscle and weak gluteus medius muscle after running tests. Or it could be my femor is slightly rotated which causes the leg imbalance which can't be determined except from x-rays.

The PT offered some exercises for the psoas and the gluteus medius and it has definitely helped. When the psoas muscle gets tight or shortened it affects the strides and will shut down while other surrounding muscles will take over.

[Anonymous]

present_tense wrote:
Curious: what was the impetus for signing up for the half? Are you interested in being a runner, or was it more of a fitness goal to help motivate you? Also, do you sit a lot in your day job?

Thanks, I will see if i can find a good pt. to answer your questions, it was more of a motivation/fitness goal thing. My sisters and I all signed up together. Being that I am over 40, maybe it wasn't the best thought-out plan (they are both younger and one has run a couple of 1/2s...). That said I had grand plans of us all running together over the holidays (it was 70 and sunny where we were) but one thinks she has IT band issues and the other has foot problems. Not sure any of us will be running the race . And yes, I do sit most of the day. Work does have a gym - I used the treadmill there a couple times a week before this started, and I think I'm going to do a yoga class there once a week. The issue is trying to get in a full workday with a daycare drop off, a commute, and still find time to see DS in the evening. The classic challenge.

[Anonymous]

Probably not your labrum. Sounds muscular to me, especially the sneezing thing.

I had a major labral tear, but it could present differently in you, I guess. I would start with the PT but if it doesn't get better then it is time for some pictures.

[Anonymous]

I have had 3 labral tears resulting In 3 surgeries. I absolutely disagree with the poster that said they don't feel muscular . 99% of people I know with tears present with muscular symptoms , me included. I would not rule out a tear. However , the fact that you say you have pain when sneezing makes me think of hip flexor tendinitis. Don't go to a pt go to a hip specialist and get to the bottom of it right away. Best in the area are Wolff (sibley but is out of network with all insurance) and Parker (commonwealth ortho). Not a doc but have dealt with lots of serious hip injuries in the last three years. Best of luck.

[Anonymous]

Also, do you have bad running form? I definitely did. I am a heel striker. This is a very inefficient way to run; although since I do not compete, aspect was not particularly important to me. But being a heel striker is very hard on the body, in particularly the joints. As I aged, it was taking more of a toll. I started doing the Chi running and it helped immensely.

It is hard to change your running form. And at least in the beginning, you have to be thinking about it all the time. But it saves wear and tear and injury in the long run.

There are other programs out there other than Chi running. Google it and they will pop up. But for me, Chi was the best.

[Anonymous]

In addition to PT, have you used the foam rollers (or the handheld stick version)? it seems stupid, but doing the rolling is life changing. Recovery is amazing.


Also, it you have tight tendons (particularly your IT bands), they could be pulling you out of alignment and causing other damage. You need to loosen those up. Again, life changing. Any PT will evaluate the tightness of your ITs and other tendons and ligaments and will probably also tell you that you should be using the foam rollers (i like the handheld also b/c easier to control and do not need to balance).

[Anonymous]

I'll add one more causeto the pot... A tight hamstring. Hamstrings can wreak havoc in a hip.

[Anonymous]

OP, you need a prescription to head to most PTs. Personally, I would see my orthopaedic surgeon doc for an evaluation and he would give me a script for PT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have had 3 labral tears resulting In 3 surgeries. I absolutely disagree with the poster that said they don't feel muscular . 99% of people I know with tears present with muscular symptoms , me included. I would not rule out a tear. However , the fact that you say you have pain when sneezing makes me think of hip flexor tendinitis. Don't go to a pt go to a hip specialist and get to the bottom of it right away. Best in the area are Wolff (sibley but is out of network with all insurance) and Parker (commonwealth ortho). Not a doc but have dealt with lots of serious hip injuries in the last three years. Best of luck.

Thanks PP. PP who didn't feel hers as muscular here. Also had the surgery. Good to know I was atypical so I will not use myself as a basis for advice! Wolff was my surgeon. He is now at WOSM if OP wants to Google him. They have multiple offices so one may be very convenient to you.

[Anonymous]

Hi I'm the 3-surgery poster. Had Wolff as well for all surgeries- love him! Hope you recovered well from your surgery. And glad to hear of another of his patients