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Sore right hip/groin (Read 269 times)


ultramarathon/triathlete

    Any armchair doctors wanna weigh in on this one?

     

    My right hip/groin area is tight/sore.  When I wake up at night or in the morning I can feel it.  Not painful, per say, but it almost feels like it needs to pop.  Has been this way about a week and a half.

     

    It seems to be the muscle area where I push off when running with the right leg.  Meaning, I feel it when I accelerate, or when walking quickly or running fast, but if I'm running slowly or walking, I don't feel it.  I've tried all kinds of weird stretches, heat pad, etc.  Can't seem to work it out.

     

    I can still run on it without "pain" but it feels a bit uncomfortable and very tight and sore.  I decided to take a few days off, which blows because I'm on my way to my biggest mileage month of the year... which I am certain is no coincidence, I'm sure this is from over training and too much time on a treadmill now that it's cold.

     

    So, thoughts what it might be?

    HTFU?  Why not!

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    ultramarathon/triathlete

      strained hip flexor/hip adductor.  annoying but not life threatening

      HTFU?  Why not!

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      ultramarathon/triathlete

        Update (incase anyone else ever finds this thread and has a similar issue).

         

        Hip area finally getting better.  I'd become really sore, went to PT for almost 2 months with almost no relief and finally went to my Chiro (who does deep tissue and ART) and after one visit I was noticeably better.  Two visits down and this weekend I felt great.  I had no results like this from PT and basically the PT was hitting just the adductor/flexor but the chiro is deep-working my whole hip area, front and back (quads, hammies, etc.).

         

        As for an MRI, I had gotten one at a stand-up MRI place to rule out hip labrum tear.  Results came back saying I didn't have one but man I was in a lot of pain.  Chiro said I should have had an MRI with the dye (MRA?) and the kind of MRI I got wouldn't show anything either way.  He said if I don't get fully or nearly fully better in another visit or two he'll send me to get a proper MRI with what I think he said was T3 imagining.

         

        Anyway, I was feeling like this was it, I'm done competing.  Now I' feeling a lot more optimistic.   That ART therapy hurts but is awesome (same chiro fixed my ITB issue a few years ago which was causing some serious knee pain).

        HTFU?  Why not!

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        MadisonMandy


        Refurbished Hip

          Your chiro is right.  A regular MRI won't diagnose a labral tear.  You need an MRA where they stick a needle in your groin and inject you with contrast dye under a live X-Ray beforehand.  (It sounds worse than it is!)

           

          My chiro was super helpful for me for a brief time.  I had ART and Graston done and thought it was magic.  My gains, however, were short lived and the pain came back after a few months.  I hope yours continues to work for you, but if it doesn't, definitely go get the MRA done.

          Running is dumb.

          Tim_Easterday


            I went through a very similar experience last year also on my right side. Never had an MRI - just too damn expensive! My ART therapist thought the hip labrum was a bit irritated but probably not torn. The therapy was great and after two months the pain was gone. Started having pain on the other side but she said it was probably due to my body finally getting more balanced (the left side was never doing its fair share, causing the right side to get overworked in the first place). After a couple more months of doing her recommended strengthening and stretching I got to an overall pain-free point. Now I am getting occasional dull groin pain again as I try to increase my mileage but nothing like before. Next week I'm going to get evaluated at the local hospital's running clinic (just discovered they had one). Hopefully that will give me some clues on what's happening with my form and where I am weak.

            BeeRunB


              It seems the answer is in your post. If you're doing speed work on top of the high volume. Try eliminating the speed work. Keep your high volume effort aerobic and a good distance away from your anaerobic threshold, until you feel better. Also, make sure your treadmill is level and that you're not running on a camber; if you're running on the road or a bike trail (both usually have a camber to it), make sure to run equally on both sides to balance the effects of camber on your body. Good luck. Hope you heal up.


              ultramarathon/triathlete

                Thanks guys!

                 

                I've dialed back my runs quite a bit and definitely no speedwork for the foreseeable future (though hopefully that changes, since I'm the speed coach for one of the teams I coach!).

                 

                MadisonMandy, you said your gains were short lived and came back.  Did you end up doing anything else to attack the problem?

                 

                Anyone have any simple-to-do exercises I could add into my routine to strengthen the area?  I have a very simple gym with a few machines and a lot of free weights.  Ideally something using that stuff.

                HTFU?  Why not!

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                  Great timing. On the day before Labor Day I finished a run where I had what felt like a knife sticking in me 2" inside of hip (right on the Psoas) and it was painful to walk. Went to PT immediately (has strained left Psoas 18 mo ago and that 4 months to heal) and started w/ART for 4 wks and things improved but marginally (my core in very lower abdomen felt "unstable" as if I had recent surgery, felt like a hernia but it wasn't.). Had to be careful doing any core and could not do any hip flexor exercises (acute pain). When I ran this area hurt but pain would go away in a decreasing time over the next month or two (but still there). Tried to progress but started to run into add'l issues -- pain/strain in right Adductor in Dec, then pain/strain in left Adductor. Went back to PT in early Jan and after two sessions felt "great" and on my runs my easy pace dropped by 20-25 sec per mile. But I then had that "popping" feeling one morning in right Psoas in hip area and Adductor and regressed. I skipped ART and found I feel better but its only marginal, and had PT go very easy (and she can still feel an area of hardness in there). For me this is going on month 6!

                  jimmyb is right on about the camber -- when I'm on the road I really start to feel this in my Psoas on the inside of my right hip whenever I'm on the side of the road where it slants to the left!

                  MendelDave -- did your PT do deep tissue and ART (mine can really dig in and whereas before I was getting results now any deep digging seems counter-productive)? What type of deep tissue did they do?  If you go to runnersworld now there under "Video" and there is a video on some specific exercises for your hip flexors under "Flex Benefits" (do 1/3 of what they recommend and see how you feel the next day). Also check out the Dr. Jordan Metzl video on "hip pain" as in it they show some really good stretches and how roll the supporting muscles.

                  Rob


                  ultramarathon/triathlete

                    Another positive update:

                     

                    I've seen my chiro four times now in about the last 2 weeks.  I haven't felt any pain at all in the area for a couple of days, it reduced to the original "tightness" I felt coming on months ago (and in fact, I don't feel any tightness today).  Now when I get up from my desk, after sitting a long time, I'm not limping as I was before.

                     

                    Ran a little harder two days ago on the treadmill (35 minutes, 4.2 miles).  Slower than I usually run but much faster than I've been able to. It did not hurt at all and I only felt a minor hitch to my gait (like the right leg was a bit weak, which it probably is since I've dialed back so much).  Planning to run again at lunch today.  I'll push it just a little more (on orders of my chiro who wants me to test it a bit).  I'm really feeling better (and I'm knocking on wood as I type this).

                     

                    I have no idea what kind of ART (or voodoo!) he's doing, but I think the trick is that he's hitting up my whole leg, up and down and even a bit on the lower back.  My PT was only getting my inner groin/adductor/flexor area.  At yesterday's session my chiro included work with the grafton(sp?) wand thing on my right calf which is always on the tighter side.  Each time I go he's expanded the area he works out outward from the original sore area.  Each time I've left feeling significantly better with no regression.   Fingers optimistically crossed!

                    HTFU?  Why not!

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                    ultramarathon/triathlete

                      Ran 5 miles in 34 on the treadmill yesterday with basically no pain and only a bit of an awkward feeling.  This is slower than what I was doing a "solid short run" in but way faster than I could do it a month ago.

                       

                      I'm a bit sore today, maybe I pushed it too hard, but still nowhere near as bad as I felt weeks ago.   I'm going to dial back the speed for the next month and focus on gradually increasing mileage again.  We'll see.

                       

                      I can definitely feel the loss in fitness after basically 2.5 months off or greatly reduced mileage.  That's a bummer.  BUT, I'm happy to be running again and my renewed sponsorship through PowerBar just came through, so there's something to keep me motivated.

                      HTFU?  Why not!

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                      Hip Redux

                        If you continue to have issues, I would take your chiro up on the MRA.   After 7 months of off and on pain, I finally got my labral tear diagnosis, and I wish I had pushed for the MRA sooner.

                         

                        camille2


                          I wish I'd seen this earlier.  I've been dealing with hip/groin pain since November.  I'd been a long term runner but had some non running issues last summer which caused me to cut back (not stop). I started feeling better in Nov and got back into it too quickly, I guess. Mine started with  catching pain when I'd try to get out of bed and it would take me a few min to stand up straight. Initially it was front like hip flexor and also outer hip was sore like a bursitis,  but after about a week, I started having  groin pain, generally after sitting or getting out of bed (when I'd have prolonged internal flexion/rotation).  It didn't actually hurt during walk/run...always later.  I'd rest a few days, then try to run again and  have more pain afterwards. I finally went to PMD mid Dec and have been going to PT for 2 months. I haven't had an MRI/MRA because I think we'd try conservative therapy even if  it is a tear.

                           

                          PT has helped  and the outer bursitis type soreness is gone and the slicing groin pain is  much less.  I  have just started running again in the past 2 weeks, increasing a half mi at a time. I'm at 1.5 mi running and walk to max of 3 mi.  Now I'm not only having  but dull achiness after I run or sit.  I limit sitting to 30 min and don't sit on soft chairs.  Occasionally,  I also have popping in the joint which is accompanied by soreness in a lower/mid area of my buttock. Does any of this sound familiar?

                           

                          I've never been to a chiro.  How do you find one who does ART?  That sounds promising.  I'm getting pretty tired of this even though it's so much better.

                           

                          I'll work on listing the exercises someone asked about.

                           

                          Modified to add: my pain has never  been severe. It was moderate at first and isn't bad at all now, just persistent.  It's hard to replicate it even an hour later. PT thinks it's a small tear or arthritis, though plain hip x-ray was read as normal.


                          Hip Redux

                            That sounds like a tear, or at least similar to what people experience... especially the catching.

                             

                            MTA - my pain wasn't/isn't severe either after the initial injury (the first two weeks, my hip had a catch and was very painful).   I ran through most of it after that.  PT helped, to a point.    And x-rays won't show a tear in the labrum, you'll need the MRA for that.   Good luck Smile

                             

                            camille2


                              Mendeldave exercise info

                              I do a lot of exercises at home. My PT is 40 mi away so generally I only go weekly and think next week will be my last.  I pretty much have the drill down.  He does have me do  leg presses, but prefers standing exercises which require balancing on the hip. Note-this isn't complete list and he varies them and built up before I did the cones.

                               

                              He has me do the following. Warm up on bike or by stair climbing for 5". I started with 20 reps of every thing and after about 3 weeks, increased to 30. Takes 30-45 min for all. I'd start with 30 since he used to do more massage during sessions than now.

                              Bridge, donkey kicks, fire hydrants, partial wall squats with a ball-not deep.

                              Lots of balance exercises on affected leg. Initially, just stand on it for a min, repeat. After couple weeks, do it on bosu ball or pillow.

                              Stand sideways next to a step and step up with affected leg. Repeat 20 for a few weeks, then 30.

                              Stand on good foot with band on ankle of affected side. Move leg in all directions: back 20, forward 20, out 20 in 20....

                              Stand on affected foot, throw ball at mini trampoline and catch.

                              Leg press-start with both feet medium weight. After 20, push out with both leg, then let weight down with affected leg. Not too fast.  Every 2 weeks, increase weights.

                               

                              Hardest for me though they don't look/sound hard.  He just added last one in past two weeks.

                              Stand sideways on stair on affected foot and drop unaffected hip slightly. Don't touch. Repeat. It really isolates that muscle and burns.

                              Place 2 12" objects (cones) about 18" in front of you. Stand on affected leg and touch one, rotate touch  other, stand ,repeat without putting foot down.  You can start with higher objects-easier.

                               

                              Good luck to you.


                              ultramarathon/triathlete

                                If you continue to have issues, I would take your chiro up on the MRA.   After 7 months of off and on pain, I finally got my labral tear diagnosis, and I wish I had pushed for the MRA sooner.

                                 

                                After the MRA showed a tear, what did you do?  I agree, I'll probably get the MRA if for no other reason than to KNOW what's going on and not just have my chiro say "it's very likely a small tear."Mine is now basically better but mentally it's super annoying in the sense that it's "there" and while the pain is almost nonexistent, the tightness is persistent and annoying and I do feel a bit of pain if I change direction quickly (or, slip on ice and catch myself before falling).

                                 

                                It's annoying in the sense that it just isn't magically going away like I'm used to injuries doing!  So, while I can live with this, and seem to be able to run fairly well, in the back of my mind I dread this always being there, and I also dread it keeping me from running to my full potential. I was winning a lot of race, I'd like to keep doing that until I'm just tooo old and I don't personally believe 37 is old.

                                 

                                Calille2:  I've read a lot about tears and most people say they feel a catch or clicking or something to that extent.  I haven't felt that, personally, but it seems pretty common in this sort of injury.

                                 

                                As far as finding my chiro, I had an issue with an ITB a while back and searched for a sports chiropractor that specializes in runners and triathletes.  I didn't want someone who would just say I needed to be realigned but someone who would dig into any scar tissue areas and work out messed up muscles.  He does that.  It's painful, but it works.  I asked him why he doesn't tell me I need to come in monthly to be adjusted or checked on, and he said he supposed that would be very good for his business, but it's just now what he practices.  He's a "let's get you fixed in as few visits as possible, and back on the road" kind of doctor.  That seems rare and I'm lucky I've found him!

                                HTFU?  Why not!

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