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Runner's Training Tips: Pain in the hip

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    • CommentAuthorFree Membermaddogs
    • CommentTimeFeb 21st 2009
     
    maddogs

    Not been running long - still building up over last 4 months for first 10K race, ever, in 5 wks time - have already run a couple of 6 milers but on last one (took just over 1hr) I developed a pain in my right hip after about 45 mins - didn't know whether I should run through but I did anyway thinking it would go away like stitch - rest of next day could feel pain in my hip but did not stop me walking dogs and getting about ok.

    I'm running 3-4 times a week some short and at least one long stretch per week some treadmill and x-training when weather's too bad.

    My questions are to folk are:- Is this a common thing to happen? Will it just disappear? Should I just carry on regardless? Should I rest completely? / slow down? / do less miles? / seek medical advice?   ....What is best?

    I want to continue training tomorrow but concerned I might agrivate situation  and possibly damage myself.

    Look forward to any useful responses out there ;-)

    • CommentAuthorFree Memberkrizzo
    • CommentTimeFeb 21st 2009
     
    krizzo
    i have run through pain in the past only to be knocked out of commission for weeks. my advice to you is to listen to your body. if it's actually painful to run don't chance it, if it's a minor ache then i would say give it a go but cautiously. runners, myself included, often suffer from tight hips so make sure you are stretching and really working on your flexibility. and remember rest never killed anyone. good luck with the 10k, it would not happen to be the Cooper River Bridge Run would it?
    • CommentAuthorFree Membermattrecore
    • CommentTimeFeb 21st 2009
     
    mattrecore
    I recently suffered from a similar injury. I decided to take two weeks off of running but allowed myself to do other forms of training to maintain my current level of health. Also, I did some searching on the internet, and I found what worked best was stretches devoted to the IT band. Just google search for IT band stretches, and a bunch of youtube videos come up. They are simple stretches, and really work. I allowed myself to run again starting about 2 weeks ago and have had no more issues. I still stretch my IT band a few times a week. Good luck
  4.  
    Trainbellsway
    mattrecore is right.  It sounds like you have an IT band problem.  Simply put, you may have tendonitis in the band of tissue that goes from your hip to you knee.  It is very common in runners and walkers.  Sometimes you feel it in your hip others may feel it on the side of the knee.  The more you aggravate it the worse it gets but stretching really helps.  You may need to rest it for a week or so to let it begin to repair itself.  Another helpful thing you can do is called self myofascial release, self massage.  If you belong to a gym they probably have foam rollers there.  Have a trainer show you how to roll your IT band.  There is a great article on www.performbetter.com.  It is an equipment catalogue but if you click on "training" and then on "all training articles" you'll see a great explanation of Self myofascial release with pictures.  Good luck!
    • CommentAuthorFree Memberrmpires
    • CommentTimeFeb 22nd 2009
     
    rmpires
    One thing I have found that helps stop the onset of of hip pain during a run is to make sure that I switch the side of the street I am running on every few miles. If you are running on a road with a significant bank, the outside leg is extending much further than the inside leg with each stride. By switching sides of the road, you are not doing this to the same leg all the time.
  6.  
    yfillon7171
    I saw your post and I was going to mention it might be an IT band issue, but I see that a couple other runners have already beat me to the punch! The other comments already posted are valid, but you also may have hip bursitis, which is when the sac of fluid that lubricates your joints gets irritated and inflamed. This is something that I have battled with from time to time and it shows up when I try to do too much too soon (like trying to run farther than my body is really ready for). It is usually a dull pain that I feel on the outside of my hip joint, or just a bit back, toward my buttocks. The first time I had the pain I didn't know what to think, so I went to see my doctor. He diagnosed it as bursitis, told me to take an anti-inflammatory, like ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), ice the area (soaking in a cold bath after a run, while not fun, can help too), and go easy (no extra athletic activity) for a week. I'm obviously no doctor, but it can't hurt to ice the area, taking some Advil, and take a 2-3 day break from all exercise/training. If it is bursitis, it should heal on its own with time. I agree that it is important to listen to your body. If you try to run through it (and it is easy to ignore and push through it because it is a dull pain) then you risk doing more damage, or worse case scenario, developing chronic bursitis. Good luck! I hope you don't have to miss your race, but it is worth it to heal first!
    • CommentAuthorFree Memberjodaddy
    • CommentTimeFeb 22nd 2009
     
    jodaddy
    Hopefully it is just tight IT band. This is probably the easiest problem in the hip to deal with. If you do some gentle stretching everyday, you might be able to keep running without resting much. Go to http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=6099 for some good stretches. My favorite stretch for this is to stand with legs crossed, shift your hips to the side that is crossed behind the other. So if your right leg is behind the left, shift your hips to the right. If stretching and rest are not enough, you probably should get checked. It probably won't resolve on it's own. The pain is a response to something that you are doing, so continuing without addressing it will only lead to worse pain/injury.
    • CommentAuthorFree Membermaddogs
    • CommentTimeFeb 22nd 2009
     
    maddogs

    Thanks guys - spot on

    You've been really helpful - as consequence I've taken day off running and tried some IT Band stretching (thought it was something to do with my internet connection at first ;-o but followed advice of looking up u-tube and other useful articles about treatment) which definately reduced my hip pain by loads after the initial untightening of joint and leg movement - have been stretching on and off over most of day and really don't notice pain now.

    Will take it easy over coming week - don't think its bursitis, although desciption of pain site was pretty close to what I experienced - there didn't seem to be any heat or inflamation associated - but thanks for pointing out your experience Yfillon hope it doesn't put you back in your training.

    NB... I have often had trouble lowering right knee in past (compared to left one) and suspect that my legs don't run evenly as consequence, so that on long runs uneven loading of joints occur - I guess stretching knee and hip should go someway to reversing that! Am going to try to srenghten those areas up as well if I can.   thanks again

    • CommentAuthorFree Memberakaracquel
    • CommentTimeMar 7th 2009 edited
     
    akaracquel

    Thanks for this thread, it's been fantastic! :)

    rmpires - thanks for the advice on switching sides of the street in particular, it had a HUGE impact. Virtually no footpaths where i live, prefer running on the road because the grassy sides are very eneven/wild, too many large rocks to navigate. It was always a kind of unwritten law ("common sense") to be on the side of the road where you would be facing oncoming traffic ever since i was a kid.   

    After switching sides, it provided such a strong new awareness of how much the banking really can cause a lot of uneven imbalance in the grouping of muscles used. Amazing to really feel how the outer leg/knee/ankle has to work a lot harder and the opposite hip joint faces more up/outward strain. A much better understanding of muscles involved now, which really helps in knowing when it's time to shift to the other side of the road to even things out more in such a way that it places less stress on the hip and more stress on muscles which haven't been awake/present/need more work to do. I'm really stoked by the impact and my right hip is a lot more happier now.

    Although it feels weird to be on the wrong side of the road, it's also provided an interesting new flair when my body has to let go of 'control' because i can't see the cars. More onus on the drivers to make way, rather than me needing to brace for negotiating that space all the time. Really interesting to see how many cars swerve to the other side of the road to make space, while very few will perceive me as an annoying cyclist. It's added a new element of fun to guage how big the personal-space bubbles are of the drivers ..and see what types of cars they drive :D Makes me wonder if i'll ever see the phenomena of something like a "Volvo Driver" with time.

    Thanks ;)

    • CommentAuthorFree Memberjdkiger
    • CommentTimeMar 8th 2009
     
    jdkiger

    I've been training for a half marathon and experienced the same issue.  But be careful on any self diagnosis.  I have issues with my hip flexor (pain in the front of the hip), and kept running because it wasn't that bad.  Not a good move.  I ended up seeing a ortho and now I'm out for three weeks and going to physical therapy. 

    So it's always best to get to a doctor to know for sure.  However, generally if you have pain on the outside of your hip down to the outside of your knee, it's probably the IT band.  If not it could be a number of different issues. 

     Good Luck.

    • CommentAuthorFree Memberdooin
    • CommentTimeMar 9th 2009
     
    dooin
    I had a similar problem that I worked through for a while.  In training for a marathon, I was running long runs and the problem increased.  A trip to the chiropractor to have my hips adjusted was the first step. Better core work, stretching, and icing it after runs, has made a huge difference.  When running on the road, the slope can throw your hips out of alignment.

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