Run through the pain?

kmcomer60

posted: 12/31/2006 at 10:25 AM

I'm sort of new to running and definitely new to injury, so I'm looking for some advice. I'm training for my first half-marathon on Feb 4 (So. Cal). I've developed a very very sore quad. I do yoga and stretch well, but my quad (from my knee all the way up to my inner thigh) really hurts when I run. However, the pain goes away by about mile 2-- I'm not sure if that's just endorphins kickin' in or what. So, do I keep running and run through the pain? Or do I stop? And if so, for how long? Any advice would be much appreciated... Also, do regular doctors know about this kind of stuff, or would I have to go to a special doctor? Seriously, I know nothing about this stuff!!

LydiaT

posted: 12/31/2006 at 12:25 PM

I would call your doctor and get a referral to a sports orthopedist who specializes in treating runners. It sounds like a mechanical issue. A good physcial therapist who again specializers in treating athletes will give you exercises to correct the problem. Running through this kind of pain is something I would do but I think it's a bad idea.

vicentefrijole

posted: 12/31/2006 at 5:32 PM

I'M NOT A DOCTOR, but in my novice opinion it's probably a good sign that the pain goes away after a couple miles... if it was the other way around, it would sound more like an overuse injury from starting too fast. I'm assuming that it only hurts when you run (not when you're walking around all day)? If that's the case, it may be just some minor damage/irritation to the muscle from your recent activity (which goes away once you're warmed up). I probably wouldn't be too worried, but 1) ice it for 15 min after you run (ice massage is best) and 2) don't increase anything (intensity, mileage, hills, workouts per week, etc)... and see what happens? Be ready to stop a run early at any point (bring money for a cab or a payphone)? It's hard for us strangers to know how you're feeling but from what you describe I would be cautiously optimistic. That said, it's always good to get a docs advice, even when you're perfectly healthy.... particularly somone who specializes in runners (as stated above).. they can give you lots of helpful tips that you might not think of. Big grin

LydiaT

posted: 12/31/2006 at 10:04 PM

That's something I forgot to mention. If you ice regularly - 20 minutes on 20 minutes off - as much as possible, you will feel a lot better really soon. If you are sitting down, ice.

ttmalek

posted: 1/2/2007 at 9:04 PM
modified: 1/2/2007 at 9:04 PM

You should make your log public so we can get a better idea of what your doing to your body. I have had a similar problem the past two weeks. I would get medial side knee pain for the first 1 to 2 miles of a run, then it would resolve. Today was the first run where is did not have knee pain. I, however, significantly increased my weekly mileage in December and attribute my symptoms overtraining. What kind of mileage are you logging?

kmcomer60

posted: 1/2/2007 at 11:37 PM

O.K., update here. I tried my usual long Sunday run (9 - 11 miles). By mile three I was in so much pain I came home. The pain never went away, like it was doing last week. So now I've decided to ice, take the week off (big bummer), and take Advil. Advil makes all the pain go away, and I could probably run on it if I took two Advil before, but I don't want to make things worse and have to quit this half-marathon training. Also, I coulda sworn I made my profile public... but obviously I didn't. I'll try again. In summary... "run through the pain" isn't even an option after Sunday. . . so at least that question was answered for me! Thanks for the advice.

Wingz

posted: 1/2/2007 at 11:40 PM

It's not public. Try Options --> My Log Preferences --> Allow everyone to see my running log. Smile

Heal up quick!

Roads were made for journeys...

Berner

posted: 1/3/2007 at 12:49 AM

Quote from kmcomer60 on 1/2/2007 at 11:37 PM:

In summary... "run through the pain" isn't even an option after Sunday. . . so at least that question was answered for me! Thanks for the advice.

I've had two injuries in the last year that played out similar to yours: initial pain that I could run through, but eventually leading to one bad run that drove me to the sidelines. Fortunately, I bounced back from both relatively quickly. Consider giving the quads two serious rest days -- no exercise and frequent icing. After that, if you can walk without pain, you might try replacing your runs with walks. The technical term is "active recovery" (Google it) but in a nutshell the theory is that low intensity (e.g., walking) stimulation of the injured muscle speeds recovery faster than total rest. It has worked well for me.

How To Run a Marathon: Step 1 - start running. There is no Step 2.

reneemc

posted: 1/3/2007 at 8:42 AM

I think we often see the "run through pain" thing as black and white, when it's not. I assume you take one full rest day per week, which can easily be made into 2 or 3 in a row to see if the pain goes away. Honestly, some of the worst pain I've had while running wasn't caused by running -- it was caused by wearing bad shoes the rest of the time or something I did while goofing off. Give yourself a little rest, and see if that helps. If it doesn't, then begin exploring the next steps.

2008 Goals

Run 1250 miles

Get down to 135!

Break 5 hours in the NJ Marathon

AuntJenny74

posted: 1/3/2007 at 12:15 PM

Too late for this since your sometimes-pain became all-the-time pain, but the rule of thumb that I have heard is that it is ok to run through aches, but you would call it pain instead of an ache, a trip to the doctor should be in order. It's all about the intensity. Hope you feel better soon! Jenny

Jenny

Run through the pain? (Read 648 times)