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hip joint hurts when running (Read 2334 times)

Wingz


Professional Noob

    Anyone have a similar problem or have any ideas about this one? Sometime around the middle of last week my R hip started hurting while I was running. I didn't pay too much attention to it so I can't say exactly when it started, but I know I ran at least two days after it started hurting. It hurts when my right foot hits the ground - sharp, knife-like pains that don't seem to radiate anywhere. It also hurts when I walk vigorously - again, just on impact. If I walk gently avoiding impact, it doesn't hurt. It doesn't hurt to move it through its complete range of motion. It doesn't hurt just sitting around doing nothing, or even standing. It doesn't hurt when I poke and prod on it. But I can't jog to my car across the parking lot without it killing me! Relavent factors: 1) I may have had the wrong kind of shoes. Oops. I overpronate. 2) Shoes were getting old and I think I felt the R one go "flat" not too long ago... 3) L knee surgery apx 2 years ago left me with a slight limp, more pronounced when I'm tired. 4) Very tight hip flexors. 5) Old back injury started hurting shortly before my hip did. Probably part of a cascade reaction. 6) It was 2 1/2 weeks after I transitioned from 4 days/wk running to 5 days/wk. 7) I've been increasing my milage steadily for the past two months - not drastically, around 10%/wk. 8) I've been running since last Sept, have been running between 16-20 MPW for the past few months, and am overweight. The last few months have been almost exclusively aerobic, heart-rate-monitored running at around an 18 minute mile pace - a VERY easy jog. 9) Most of the time I run on concrete because that's the safe surface that's most convenient. When I'm not on concrete, I'm on trails. Okay... I've been good and not gone running for five days now, have been taking 400 mg ibuprofin 2x/day, and I'm still not better! Cry It disturbs me that I can tell no change in the way it hurts or how much after resting for five days. I am not sure how to proceed from here. I am starting to consider seeing if I can get in to see the orthopaedist who worked on my knee back-when. For now I'm going to have to see about cross-training on something WITHOUT IMPACT - perhaps I'll give our apartment complex's elliptical trainer a try.

    Roads were made for journeys...

    vicentefrijole


      The good news is you're one hell of a smart/observant runner... you've got a long list of all the possible culprits and it sounds like you know a lot already about what went wrong! Also, you're resting, which is a smart move. What to do now? Here's my $0.02 (worth about that much): 1) I think your relavent factors #1 and #2 need to be dealt with ASAP (before you go running again). We've all been guilty of trying to get those last few miles out of our favorite shoes, but it's terrible on our bodies... so I'll tell you now (and you can tell me later): get a new pair! Big grin (and if you know you overpronate, make them some stability shoes, while you're at it.) 2) I'm not sure if this was your problem, but remember that you shouldn't ever increase your duration (miles/wk or days/wk) at the same time as you increase your intensity (pace, perceived effort, hills & speed, etc). Perhaps you were working a little harder since you started training with the heart-rate-monitor? In any case, I'm not saying you won't be able to run 5/wk, but you're going to have to take a step back right now (whether you like it or not), rest, and build your way back up again (slowly and carefully) once you are healthy. 3) Cross-training sounds good.. do you have access to a swimming pool? I've heard great things about "water-running" (or just plain swimming). 4) I definitely recommend you go see that orthopaedist.. especially since it hasn't improved (even a little) over 5-days rest. It may be something simple, but the hip-joint is pretty complicated and you really should get a professional "hands-on" opinion (unfortunately, this costs slightly more than my $0.02). That's all from me.. I'm sure there are some others out there with some more hip-specific experience, but I couldn't help but open my big mouth! Shocked Best of luck.. keep us informed.
      zoom-zoom


      rectumdamnnearkilledem

        Yup, what that smart Cheesehead said... Man, Janell, that stinks. I'd also be frustrated and concered if that many days of resting showed no marked improvement. Sad k

        Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

        remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

             ~ Sarah Kay

        Wingz


        Professional Noob

          Yeah, thanks, guys. I talked with my sister, who's a GP, and she also was in favor of me having it checked out. Bless her heart the top of HER list was "stress fracture of femoral head/neck"! I love her very much, but she does have the tendency to think of the "worst possible" scenarios! Guess that's a good trait in a doctor, but it's a little disconcerting at times! I have an appointment with a hip/back specialist/orthopaedist next Wednesday now (a co-worker of my knee surgeon who did a VERY nice ACL job on me!), so I'll just cross-train until then. Hmm... with highs in the 90's this week, that apartment pool DOES sound very attractive... Wink vincentfrijole, yes, you're right that it would be a BAD idea to increase both - and I didn't - I kept the milage the same when adding a day. Perhaps I started back in going up in milage too soon, but it didn't FEEL stressful at the time. It felt like a vacation to have such short runs! And yes, new shoes have already been bought! Thanks for te reminders, though! Even though I'm not running, I'm wearing those new shoes daily instead of my older shoes. My job often requires me to be standing/walking on tile floors for long periods, so good shoes is important there too! I think I'll try to print out my log and take it in with me when I go to see the doc. Can't hurt! Hmm... that would be another nice feature for Eric to work on when he has (::snor!t:: ) some free time... (Maybe next year...)

          Roads were made for journeys...

          Trent


          Good Bad & The Monkey

            Yes, check your shoes. Go see somebody who is a true running shoe specialist. Yes, go see a doc. No, it probably ain't a broken femoral head. Your #4 is key, this is likely a tendonitis or an injury to a muscle, like the psoas. It may also be trochanteric bursitis. If it were a broken femur, you would likely feel that instead in your tush or behind your knee. Anyhow, the orthopedist will be able to figure this out. If you have a true sports med orthopedist around, that is even better.
            Wingz


            Professional Noob

              Unfortunately I've been prone to inflammation-type injuries since I was a teen, so that type of thing was my first guess. Haven't had trouble with the bones or muscles themselves, just everything around them! Trent, do you think that if I exercise in ways that doesn't make it hurt I'll be okay in terms of not aggravating anything any further? I'm getting really bored... Oh... Oops again! I just noticed sonething I DID do wrong... Back in the middle of May I jumped my milage from around 10 to almost 20 one week, then dropped down to 16 the next week and started creeping up from there... That's the same time I was changing my workouts to a much easier pace so I guess I didn't think much about it. Doh! ::smacks forehead:: Blush Hey, Eric - thanks (I think!) for providing the means to keep us honest with ourselves... I was "good" in June, but May's a different story... Doh!

              Roads were made for journeys...

              Trent


              Good Bad & The Monkey

                Trent, do you think that if I exercise in ways that doesn't make it hurt I'll be okay in terms of not aggravating anything any further? I'm getting really bored...
                This may be a reasonable indicator that you are not making things worse. It is still reasonable to get it checked out so that you can start doing things that may directly address the problem, including specific stretches, physical tx/massage, medications, steroids, etc.
                vicentefrijole


                  vincentfrijole, yes, you're right that it would be a BAD idea to increase both - and I didn't - I kept the milage the same when adding a day. Perhaps I started back in going up in milage too soon, but it didn't FEEL stressful at the time. It felt like a vacation to have such short runs! And yes, new shoes have already been bought! Thanks for te reminders, though! Even though I'm not running, I'm wearing those new shoes daily instead of my older shoes. My job often requires me to be standing/walking on tile floors for long periods, so good shoes is important there too! ---------------------------- Oops again! I just noticed sonething I DID do wrong... Back in the middle of May I jumped my milage from around 10 to almost 20 one week, then dropped down to 16 the next week and started creeping up from there... That's the same time I was changing my workouts to a much easier pace so I guess I didn't think much about it.
                  The cheesehead is impressed! Big grin You keep better track of your progress and monitor your workouts better than I do by far! A very good habit indeed... I need to start being as careful. And I'm glad to hear you bought new shoes too. Do you have more than one pair? I think having two is nice, because then you can alternate them when it rains, etc. BTW, I also have to stand on cement floors topped with linoleum tile for my work... ouch! Why do they make floors like that? It's terrible...
                  Wingz


                  Professional Noob

                    Vincent -No, I don't have two pairs, but that would be a good idea. Hmm... Maybe I'll go shoe shopping (again!) soon. I'd sure hate to have them BOTH wear out at the same time, though... But the GOOD news is that a few more days of resting (traveling, waiting for that durn doctor's appt, etc) seems to have cleared up the acute problem! Since I was no longer hurting when walking, I tried a very short, gentle jog on some grass - no pain there either! Yay! Now for the source of the problem... a bit trickier! I'm going on the assumption that the hip/back specialist I have an appointment with knows very little about running, training, and such, and instead spends most of his time treating falls and sprains and slipped disks and the like... I feel I'll need to figure out where to start back and how much I really CAN do without his help. Sad Psychologically I want to run about 5x/wk. I'm wondering if (temporarily!) I drop it down to 1 mile runs ... which would be 5 miles/wk... would that work? I don't know - new ways to experiment. It's less than a third of the milage I was doing, but the same frequency. Argh! I just hate not knowing concretely what I can do! Mentally I'm sure I'd do better with 5 days of 1 mile than 3 days of 2 miles... But physically? I don't know which is more stressful. Probably (unfortunately!) the 5 just because of the built in rest-days a 3x/wk schedule would have. Thoughts on that, anyone? Right now I'm trying to convince myself that cross-training would be okay to substitute in for a few running days. There is rebellion in the ranks, though! I can hear the muttering... Intellectually I know it's a good idea. But for some reason I'm having trouble convincing myself to make a switch... We runners sure are strange creatures!

                    Roads were made for journeys...

                    zoom-zoom


                    rectumdamnnearkilledem

                      We runners sure are strange creatures!
                      And some of us were pretty strange long before starting running... Tongue k

                      Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                      remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                           ~ Sarah Kay

                      Wingz


                      Professional Noob

                        I plead the fifth! Big grin

                        Roads were made for journeys...

                        zoom-zoom


                        rectumdamnnearkilledem

                          Ummm...yeah, me too! Wink k

                          Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                          remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                               ~ Sarah Kay

                          Wingz


                          Professional Noob

                            Oh. My. Gosh!!! I can't believe I forgot this!!! I was in our little cardio room at my apartment complex, doing a bike ride, when I had a little flash-back to the last time I used the treadmill. The last time I used the tread-mill I had a little accident... For some reason I was feeling so good I was just kinda closing my eyes, peeping them open every once in a while to stay on course. Bad idea, I know, but it was just that kind of day. Suddenly, my left foot hit the side of the track and slid forward and then my left one did some quick move to keep me upright and moving. I almost fell, and sorta-did the splits, but didn't quite. BECAUSE I WAS RUNNING WITH MY EYES CLOSED LIKE A DURN FOOL!!! When I remembered this today, I went back and looked at my log to see just when that tread-mill oopsie had occurred. Guess what? It happened THE DAY BEFORE my hip started hurting!!! OMG! I can't BELIEVE I totally forgot about this! And that's SUCH a simpler explanation than anything else I've come up with! I am SO TOTALLY embarrassed! I may have to start paying more attention to things like falling down if they're going to affect my running! Blush Well, guys, thanks for your support and feedback. I'm going to go find a convenient hole to pull over my head now - I'm really embarrassed! The good news is I'm still feeling much better and am ready to start SLOWLY coming back up to speed. But I think I'll run with my eyes OPEN from here on out... Blush

                            Roads were made for journeys...


                            gimme some sugar, baby

                              Hey, thank goodness it wasn't an overuse injury. I'd almost rather have something like that happen because it will most likely not be nagging...
                              George: Runner/Law Student
                              www.gimme-five.com
                              Wingz


                              Professional Noob

                                Yeah, it makes me feel a lot more comfortable about starting back up running. But I'm still going to play it safe. I think 10 minute jogs is a good place for me to start back at...

                                Roads were made for journeys...

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