[Karen]

Yesterday I ran my furthest yet: 7 miles. Average pace: 11:35 min/mile. Avg HR: 173.

For some time over the last two months I've been developing a niggle in my hip. It never hurt whilst running, but for some hours afterwards, I'd get a really tight feeling in my right hip, and sometimes a little bit on the outside of my knee. Usually the hurt would only appear when I'd get up off a chair or when getting out of bed the next morning, but within about 5-10 paces the pain would have eased and I'd wouldn't even know I had a problem. By the second day after the run, the pain would be completely gone, and I'd feel ready to run again.

But yesterday was my furthest distance I've done so far. By about the 6th mile I was starting to feel a serious pain in my hip. I sort of stumbled home the last mile. Last night I couldn't even climb the stairs at home for the level of pain. Today it is still very difficult and I have to pull myself up on the banisters. Painkillers are in, knee is iced, but I'm feeling very low because of it. The pain now travels up from my knee, on the outside of my leg towards my hip.

I've had a gait analysis done at my local shoe shop when I first started running last July. The result was that I have a normal gait with maybe a very slight pronation in my right foot (actually I pointed this out to the sales guy rather than him seeing it for himself on the slow-motion video). As a result I have the Asics Gel Nimbus VIII shoes, which have felt very good for me. I wanted high cushioning shoes since I've had problems with medial cartilages in both knees, and have had both knees operated on.

Steady Edwina - I've followed your posts with interest over the last few months. Do I have the same as you? What sort of specialist should I go see? Podiatrist? Sports physiotherapist? Biomechanist? The names are all so confusing.

Some encouraging words are desperately needed.

 

[Granty]

Sorry to hear that Karen, especially as you have managed to get to 7 miles. Talking of which, what mileage did you increase from before this run, the reason I ask is that I wonder if recently you are running considerably further or more regularly hence putting more pressure on the joints.

I guess the best advice for the moment is rest, rest and rest, what happens if you run on a different surface, is it better or worse.

Besides, after running 7 miles, surely you are entitled to a rest, put your feet up, have a beer and you'll be right as rain soon :d

 

[Karen]

Thanks Granty, for the encouragement. I hope you're right, but I have a feeling I'm going to have to look for professional help on this one (becuase I've felt it coming the more I've increased my distances).

I haven't broken any of the rules - no more than 10% per week increase (I've been running about 6 miles on my 'long' runs since mid-December, and usually do 4 miles on each of my two mid-week runs. So nothing excessive there.

The surface I run on varies according to the weather. Yesterday was on tarmac pavements - and I could see and feel a fair amount of camber on the pavements, so that may have helped to throw my legs out of sync. But surely I shouldn't be this sensitive to the camber?

 

[Trinity]

(((Karen)))

Sorry to hear about the injury... it goes without saying but I know exactly how you feel.

Granty is right... rest is good. Also if you can get to see a physio or qualified sports masseur, that will help too.

 

[Granty]

The surface I run on varies according to the weather. Yesterday was on tarmac pavements - and I could see and feel a fair amount of camber on the pavements, so that may have helped to throw my legs out of sync. But surely I shouldn't be this sensitive to the camber?

Might be interesting to have the Gait analysis done again to see if anything has changed in your running posture since last time.

 

[Karen]

Good idea, Granty. I'll see about having that re-done. I also need to figure out how to find a sports physio (or similar) in Oxford. Funny how these threads come around and go around.

If anybody can make any recommendations for a professional in Oxford, I'd appreciate it very much.

 

[Parksy]

You have torn (not in a major way) a muscle or ligament fiber, the same with ur knee.

The Overload principle is used in Body building, but it will apply here.

When you run, first your body notices the resitance(ie muscle contractions) for the first few days of running you will hav DOMS which are like aches all over the body, this is your body repairing the tears in the muscle.your muscles have been stressed to the point of tearing. By that i dont mean a massive tear, im talking about microscopic tears in the fibres. This is fine and is the way to build lean strong muscular fibers. But you've gone beyond this point, and thats called over training. you have stressed the muscle/ligament to the overload point then gone a bit further.

Rest it, see what happens. if it continues see a consultant

Shaun

 

[Hollywood]

Sorry to hear about your hip Karen.

Rest it and then keep watching it sounds like good advice to me.

Also I'll shuffle up alongside you (and lots of other people too) on the injury bench - my left ankle (achilles) won't let me walk stairs since Sunday either :-/

Hollywood

 

[Steady Edwina]

Karen,
It does sound like ITBS but you need a proper diagnosis and if it is you will probably be advised to rest for 3 - 4 weeks.

In the first instance I would try and find a decent sports physio - ask your running shop for a recommendation. The physio will assess you by pulling and prodding you and asking if this hurts. They will identify any weaknesses or imbalances in your muscles and if you are really lucky they will strip your ITB - its quite an uncomfortable massage.

The physio may recommend that you see a podiatrist for a gait analysis/biomechanical assessment - its a bit more involved than the one you get in a shop and usually lasts up to an hour.

I believe it is not unusual as we run longer for our gait to change particularly as we become tired and it maybe that all you need is a little more support.

Remember to keep stretching out your ITB, quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves - hold each stretch for 30 seconds. During the acute phase I was stretching 4 or 5 times a day now I generally stretch a couple times a day. You will also need to strengthen your glutes as well side leg raises, clamshells, bridging with your leg in the air etc but you should wait for the pain to subside a little first.

Have a look at this:
http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/archive/runners-knee.html

I also have some other useful information as pdfs so drop me an email and I will forward them onto you - you do eventually recover.

 

[Nellie]

So sorry to hear about your injury Karen...try to keep your spirits up..I know its hard to keep smiling when you are training to achieve a bit further every time and then something like this happens and you come to a complete standstill!!! rest for a while and see how you feel, just remember how far you have come with your training, these set backs happen. I do sincerely hope you are feeling better soon.

Best wishes

Nellie

 

[Karen]

Thanks Parksy, Hollywood and Nellie for your support. Sorry about your injury too, Hollywood. I wonder if it has something to do with the time of year that so many of us are carrying injuries at the moment?

Steady Edwina - thanks for the advice. I have found out that my university has a Sports Performance Clinic with various of these sorts of professionals. I've booked an appointment (student rates help), and suspect they'll put me through all the things you've suggested. I'm not sure that I'm their ideal profile patient since they must deal with much younger and fitter people, but I guess I'll just have to find that out when I go there.

I'll pm you my home email address as I'd appreciate those pdf's you mentioned.

I'm just so keen to keep running, and was hoping for a 10K soon and a half-marathon later this year, so I simply don't want to let this problem stop me. I'm glad that both you and Trinity serve as candles to the rest of us in overcoming injury, or at least, in refusing to let it overcome us.

 

[Steady Edwina]

Karen,
If you are advised to rest I'd take their advice otherwise it just prolongues the agony. You can maintain your fitness by cross training.

Hardly a biomechanically efficient runner but I muddle through - remember runners come in all shapes, sizes, ages and fitness levels.

 

[Steve]

Sounds pretty much like the hip injury I've had since mid-November. I've found that running without lifting my knees...ie not really pushing myself by going fast ...has allowed me to keep going. I do stretches too but I'm not a slave to stretching...a couple a day is all I do....I'm the least flexible person I know!!

 

[Karen]

Thanks again Steady Edwina - I've now received those PDF's, and will read them through this evening.

Sounds pretty much like the hip injury I've had since mid-November. I've found that running without lifting my knees...ie not really pushing myself by going fast ...has allowed me to keep going. I do stretches too but I'm not a slave to stretching...a couple a day is all I do....I'm the least flexible person I know!!

I'm seeing the physio tomorrow. The reason I'm taking it so far as to actually go and see someone is because I've felt for some time that this thing is getting worse as I've increased my distances. Not that I run far at all compared to many of you, or broken any rules such as overuse or suddenly increasing my distances. But the pain over the weekend, Monday and yesterday left me in frustrated tears. I'm hoping that a new gait analysis, some relevant stretch exercises, and probably orthotics will see me through. I just know that if I don't see someone then I'll never be able to run more than 5/6 miles at a time. And I don't want that kind of a limit.

 

[Steady Edwina]

I know exactly how you feel Karen - pretty much summed up how I felt over the summer.

I've entered a 10 mile run next month - not run that far yet but I did 9 miles of the route on Sunday. I ran very very slowly at my recovery heart rate and it took me about 2.5 hrs but I did it my legs ached the next day.

Just come back from a sports massage and it wasn't too painful - getting a bit worried about my hip again as it was really stiff but the tension has eased off the last couple of days. Hopefully I''l be able to stick my legs in the air at pilates tonight.

 

[Steve]

Well Hopefully Fizz Will Get Things Moving For You Again And Will Let You Pound The Streets Pain Free In No Time At All.
No Doubt You'll Let Us Know How It Goes.
Good Luck!

 

[Steady Edwina]

Karen,
How did it go? What's the verdict?

 

[Karen]

Well, been to see the sports physio today (wow, what a sexy butt!). Prognosis is good - it's not ITBS, I have unusually high arched feet, and definitely a normal gait. So my shoes are fine. He first thought I might have bursitis, but then concluded that my gluteus medius muscle, especially on my right, is weak. This apparently causes me to overcompensate with my tensor fascia latae, a muscle that comes in on the front side of my hip - and this creates friction in the ITB where it crosses the hip bone - which then causes the pain.

So he's given me some strengthening exercises that target that Gmed muscle specifically, and if things don't improve he may revisit the bursitis theory. Strengthening that muscle should hopefully also remove the very slight pronation that I have on the right foot. It's quite an education.

Now I also know why I have this problem - I spend quite a few hours in front of my computer each day - with the monitor positioned to the left of me. Hence I lean over to the left, shortening the TFL muscle, and lengthening the Gmed muscle, thus weakening it.

I know - it's time to throw out the computer.

Thanks for all your support guys. I'm sure things will improve for me soon. My hopes are up.

 

[Karen]

Hey SE - you snuck up on me there too.

 

[Steady Edwina]

I assume the physio had the sexy butt ;-)). Good news Karen - does it hurt when you lie on your affected side?