Annoying Hip Pain

[jburgard]

Please help my hip has been bothering me off and on for about a month and I really enjoy running. However, this pain is effecting my speed and will to run. Please read the following and let me know what you believe the problem to be and what I can do to make things better.

1. The pain started about a month ago.
2. The pain came on gradually after running 5 miles a day per week.
3. Left Hip (on the side)
4. Dull and aching
5. It comes and goes but after the 5th day of running it is worse but not over whelming
6. The start of my runs are fine but as I get to mile 4 and 5 my hip starts to hurt a bit.
7. Icing after(after my run) and ibuprofen(before my run)
8. This is localized to only my left hip.
9. Sub seven minute miles and now I am slower than a snail.
10. Will the pain in my hip ever go away?
11. I have never had an lower body pains such as this.
12. Some days/weeks are better than others. I took a full week off of running (which killed me) and it felt pretty good running the first week back. However, I am back to the same old nagging routine.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

Jason

[Jedi]

Could be a few things and I am no doc, just a runner.

could be Iliotibial band problems ITB a tendon that runs from hip to knee... there are some stretches which can help this....Ice and rest are often needed, this can be due to diff things
one leg shorter than other
running on the same side of the road with a camber
tight hips

could be hip bursitis, inflamation of the cap of the hip tendon... ice, rest NSAIDS...

could be overuse injury

need new shoes??

it is pretty hard to diagnose such things, I would check it with a sports doctor if I were you.... most problems are surmountable if you go about the healing the right way. I don't like to take ibuprofin before running as it can mask and therefore aggravate the problem.

[UConnJulie]

Can you post a picture and point to the location?
Are you an overpronator?
Do you stretch regularly?
Any other exercise done regularly? If yes, please specify.

[Kaisa]

Hi Jason!

Glad you took up on my advice and posted. This group of people is fabulous at helping. To help you better they need to know anatomically where it hurts. On the side of the hip is too general for good advice. Take the picture that Julie asks for and you'll see that you'll get some more specific advice.

How many days a week you run the 5 miles?

I'll be in Oregon next week! Can't wait to meet the little one!

Kaisa

[jburgard]

Thanks for the feed back everyone and hello Kaisa.

The pain is directly on the side of my hip, not towards the front (i will try and post some pics). I do stretch before and after my runs and i run 5 times a week at 5 miles per run. I do some light weight lifting 3 days a week, one day for lower body. However, it doesn't bother me lifting weights.PC110013.JPG.

Thanks again for the help.

Jason

[jburgard]

Sorry i am kind of new to this. The pain is direstly where my pocket is (on the side).

Jason

[UConnJulie]

It's probably your TFL ...
exactly what stretches are you doing?
Do you have a foam roller?

[jburgard]

I do your basic lower leg stretching (i.e. calves, hamstring,etc.) but i am not sure how i should stretch the area in question and no i do not have a foam roller. If i were to get one how should i go about using it?

What exactly is my TFL?

[kereru]

Take a look at your running shoes. Where are they worn? I've been seeing a physio for my hip, and he showed me that all my shoes are worn down at the outside heel, which creates imbalances and eventually pain. He put a small insert in my shoe to balance it out, but I'm going to buy a new pair as well.