Advice on hip pain

[mustriharder]

As a long time follower whenever I get aches and pains I normally go with the Team TBB approach i.e. work under the pain, heat etc and have been relatively injury free.  Over the last few weeks I have been suffering with a sore hip and I wondered if anyone on the team has had a similar experience and has any words of wisdom to try to banish it.
Basically when I run I get a grating/uncomfortable sensation on my side just below the hip where there is a bony bit that sticks out.  Feels like the tendon/muscle is 'catching' on this bony bit and the area is getting sore/inflamed when I run.
It is worse after hill reps/hilly runs and obviously the longer I run it gets more sore.

From previous threads I am aware that although this manifests itself on the run it may not be a 'run issue' as such.

At the mo I am working on foam rolling the IT band in the hope that loosening that muscle will help the tracking and continuing to keep running albeit not massive mileage and heating the area on a regular basis.
I am also trying to strengthen my hips/glutes but am kinda stuck as obv one good way of doing that is hill reps but doing those is making the area sore so I am not sure if I should just keep doing them or stop?

Any advise would be gratefully received!!  I know if I go to the physio they will just tell me to stop running and I know from reading other threads that you guys have a slightly different approach which I like

[Matthieu O’Halloran - "M@"]

Hey mustriharder - I'll bite!
Its only one hip right?

Do you run on the side of a road thats on a camber? Back N forth facing traffic?
Whats your "age group" and how much does it hurt on scale of 1 to 10?
Does the pain stabilize while running or increases with duration?

I could ask more questions but this is a start.

[mustriharder]

Wow quick response Matt thank you
Answers:
Left side only
No I don't run on a camber, mostly flattish pavement
Age group - only just into my 30s - not quite over the hill yet I hope
Start of the run zero pain - in fact I wouldn't even call it pain as such - more a grating discomfort.  Discomfort builds to about a 4/10 so not really bad - I guess I want to try to address it before it gets any worse! 
Once I am home and heat the area and foam roll the discomfort around the area goes but if I fully straighten out the left leg, right at the end I can feel the muscle/tendon 'sticking' when it moves over the bone.

Thanks for your help!


 

[Matthieu O’Halloran - "M@"]

Hey mustriharder sounds good.

If the temperature is cold where you are at present.
It would not be the first time cold weather instigates injuries.

Since the pain is not so intense and recently started.
I would recommend shorten up the duration and cut intensity of your run sessions.
And replace them with shorter, easier and more frequent runs.

Trying to look at the recent past.
Figure any possible changes?
Such as training or shoes or bike fit?
Can help to over come this.

And sometimes it can be outside circumstances.
Such as sitting at a desk for hours with legs crossed.
Or you need to put a pillow between your legs when sleeping on your side.

Definitively keep nursing it.
And adjust your training to avoid what makes it inflamed to much.
All the while keep moving for circulation to allow your body to overcome and adjust gradually!

[doc]

Hi
I would suggest if you have acces to a pol about a meter deep then car range to be able to wear clean jiggers and then don't least every 2nd run in waist deep water , kep u moving while it clears up
Hen I'd walk on the other session and see if the "taking the weight out of the equation" helps in the rehab
Cheers

[JamesCunnama]

Hi,

I have had almost exactly that problem in the past. It is obviously hard to say 'it is the same thing' as there are many other factors to consider, and trying Mat/Doc's advice to narrow it down is first step...

But I had it in the run up to my first Ironman and sounds the same. I tried everything, including water running and rest, and no joy. Eventually i went to see a chiropractor. Yes, I said it. And on this forum too!    It is the first and only time I have been to one. He didn't do any of the back-cracking, twisting and 'manipulating'. Checked leg length, and they were different. X-rayed to confirm it was not skeletal (it wasn't), then worked out why they were different. It was my QL (Quadratus Lumborum) in my lower back. It had spasmed and was pulling my hips up on one side, causing rubbing on the Greater Trocanter. He released it, I walked out of there, started running and never went back as it never returned...

The dream solution to an injury, which I learned the hard way recently is oh so rare...

[DamienC]

Musttriharder, when you foam roll, are you working over the lower back and down into your calves as well?  The problem with the hip is that it is such a large ball joint, that it can be affected by virtually any other muscle group in the body.

[Renner]

Hi mustriharder,
Just my two cents here since this sounded very familiar and sounds very much like what I dealt with. No pain on starting the run, it would settle in exactly 15 to 17 minutes into each run (I dealt with it for years). Never got worse, never any consequence to running through it. Rest did not help. It was not the trochanter itself, but rather felt like something was very very tight over the area and tearing off it! I'll tell you what I did that really helped, but take it with a grain of salt as everyone is different and it goes against what some people may say. This area, your abductors/stabilizers around your hips/glutes need to stabilize and not be loosy goosy so I had to cut out the foam roller just over that area. The foam roller and stretching will inhibit the muscles and you want them FIRING, not taking a break. That is where I go a little against the grain, not a fan of the roller or stretching (if something has the full range of motion, no need to go stretching beyond that). There is a time and a place for it, but not all the time  Make sure you ADDucutors are not overly tight.
It sounds overly simple, but here's what I did:
1. gave the roller a break and stopped stretching it (you don't want a loose IT band anyhow and can't really stretch it)
2. did a dynamic warm up-I don't know why this helps so much, it just does. I did the hold onto a wall or chair and really swing the leg way forward and way back, straight up, straight back for a good 15 to 20 reps at least. Then grab the wall/chair, etc and swing the leg left to right-you may hear a nice free hip adjustment during this. If you need pics or a video I will try to find something. Both legs about 2 sets of 20 swings and really get it going.
3. Simple side steps where you're stepping to the side but have to lift your leg really high and over something. Again, might be hard to visualize.
4. I put a little pad on the side of my arch and it bumps my arch and reminds my foot/adductors to do it's job. Not a correction thing just a "reminder" for some muscles as I run in super lightweight shoes.
If you supinate (on the outside of your foot a lot) those muscles will always be somewhat taxed so it's just controlling it as much as you can.
Oh, and one more thing. If you truly have lazy glutes that are not doing their job, the magic trick is to walk backwards on the treadmill for 10 minutes a day. Don't hang on and drive the feet back and walk forcefully/purposfully, not need to go super fast. Poke that glute and remind it to do it's job while you're walking. Don't be surprised if on the affected side you can barely walk backwards at first and may almost "limp" a little while your body figures out how to do it. Yes, I've had people ask "why are you walking backwards and poking your butt/hip?" but who cares, it works    It's usually the glute medius that gets lazy.