pain in my leg from walking.

So I walk a lot. roughly 13 miles a day. yesterday on the way back from my walk i developed a pain in the right side of my thigh. here's a picture of where the pain is:
http://s566.photobucket.com/user/artsygirl87/media/DSCF2632.jpg.html
has anyone else had this? any ideas of how to deal with it. Today I only walked 6 miles and it feels a thousand times better than yesterday but still acting up. Its more annoying than painful.
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Replies

  • Ferrea
    Ferrea Posts: 19 Member
    When I was having pain on the outside of my leg/hip from running, I found that doing this stretch helped a lot (from runnersworld.com) :

    "stretch your iliotibial band by crossing your good leg in front of your sore leg and pushing your painful hip out to the side as you push against a wall. You should feel the tissue tighten along the side of your thigh. Hold this stretch for 10 to 15 seconds. Do this stretch two to three times a day."

    Also, it would probably behoove you to take a couple of days off from the distance walking and rest whatever muscle/tendon is irritated. If you take the time to rest a sore spot early you can often avoid having it develop into a real overuse injury (which can take a lot more than two or three days to recover from).

    Anyway, that's my amateur advice! :)
  • When I was having pain on the outside of my leg/hip from running, I found that doing this stretch helped a lot (from runnersworld.com) :

    "stretch your iliotibial band by crossing your good leg in front of your sore leg and pushing your painful hip out to the side as you push against a wall. You should feel the tissue tighten along the side of your thigh. Hold this stretch for 10 to 15 seconds. Do this stretch two to three times a day."

    Also, it would probably behoove you to take a couple of days off from the distance walking and rest whatever muscle/tendon is irritated. If you take the time to rest a sore spot early you can often avoid having it develop into a real overuse injury (which can take a lot more than two or three days to recover from).

    Anyway, that's my amateur advice! :)

    Thank you soooo much :) Awesome advice I will be taking a few days off and doing stretches :)
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    You walk a half marathon every day?
  • MrGonzo05
    MrGonzo05 Posts: 1,120 Member
    13 miles a day? You're lucky your eyebrows don't hurt.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    How long have you been doing this? And when you say everyday you mean 7 days a week with no rest day? And why?
  • BillyJan1992
    BillyJan1992 Posts: 171 Member
    I had pain in my leg all day today too my doctor ended up putting me on calcium pills twice a day
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
    63663625.png..........

    or walk too much till you end up on it.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    You walk a half marathon every day?

    And it felt better today when you didn't walk a half marathon?

    I think I've found the source of the problem....

    ...*and* the solution.
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
    please look up "rest days".
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    You walk a half marathon every day?

    And it felt better today when you didn't walk a half marathon?

    I think I've found the source of the problem....

    ...*and* the solution.

    More potent pharmaceuticals?
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
    You walk a half marathon every day?

    And it felt better today when you didn't walk a half marathon?

    I think I've found the source of the problem....

    ...*and* the solution.

    More potent pharmaceuticals?

    really OP not to be mean but you really did answer your own question. did that not occur to you as you wrote it?
  • I've never walked a marathon before so I have no idea how long they are. Also- when I walk 13.5 miles a day I burn a lot of calories- which is nice because I can eat whatever (with in reason) and still lose weight. I have only been doing this since the 4th of may. friday and saturday were my rest days. When I have days where my leg hurts then I only walk 6-7 miles. I see nothing wrong with walking this much. It is low impact, I have the time it takes (4 and a half hours) and I am more active so I don't really see a problem. I will however adjust if I should start taking vitamins. So far all I do now is drink muscle milk after my walks.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    Yep, everytime I experience excruciating pain after overdoing something, my first thought is "I'm going to take some more vitamins."
  • Cranquistador
    Cranquistador Posts: 39,744 Member
    Definitely overtraining.

    How about walking every other day and lifting some weights every other day?
  • Susanm1943
    Susanm1943 Posts: 11 Member
    I have nothing constructive to add but I do object to others with tongue in cheek replies. Sometimes it's difficult to see the obvious!
  • tracydr
    tracydr Posts: 528 Member
    Ice and rest. If not better in a week, see a doctor. Hard to tell if this is your back or hip,
    Stretching, yoga and spinning would probably help, too.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    I've never walked a marathon before so I have no idea how long they are. Also- when I walk 13.5 miles a day I burn a lot of calories- which is nice because I can eat whatever (with in reason) and still lose weight. I have only been doing this since the 4th of may. friday and saturday were my rest days. When I have days where my leg hurts then I only walk 6-7 miles. I see nothing wrong with walking this much. It is low impact, I have the time it takes (4 and a half hours) and I am more active so I don't really see a problem. I will however adjust if I should start taking vitamins. So far all I do now is drink muscle milk after my walks.

    So even if it is causing excruciating pain you don't see anything wrong with this?

    Okay then. Best of luck there.
  • pechepanda
    pechepanda Posts: 7,939 Member
    its great that youre doing that, but its a bit much, itll put a lot of strain on your muscles, if it hurts, you need to rest a bit. Also dont forget to stretch everyday if youre going to walk that much!
  • Yep, everytime I experience excruciating pain after overdoing something, my first thought is "I'm going to take some more vitamins."

    Do you think I should take a multivitamin- or a specific one like calcium- I appreciate all the help, I love walking a lot but I dont want to hurt myself.
  • ThickMcRunFast
    ThickMcRunFast Posts: 22,511 Member
    So let me get this straight. About a week ago, you decided to walk a half marathon every day, and are wondering why you hurt, and if calcium will help?
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
    I've never walked a marathon before so I have no idea how long they are. Also- when I walk 13.5 miles a day I burn a lot of calories- which is nice because I can eat whatever (with in reason) and still lose weight. I have only been doing this since the 4th of may. friday and saturday were my rest days. When I have days where my leg hurts then I only walk 6-7 miles. I see nothing wrong with walking this much. It is low impact, I have the time it takes (4 and a half hours) and I am more active so I don't really see a problem. I will however adjust if I should start taking vitamins. So far all I do now is drink muscle milk after my walks.

    The thing that is wrong with walking this much is the pain you are experiencing. To put it in terms MFPers seem to like "your body is telling you" blah blah blah.

    You are simply in the position of making a choice.

    1) realize that you started a very short time ago and this was your trial schedule to see if you were up to it and the pain indicates that you may need to increase your walk times and distance more slowly to condition yourself (even if you have all the time in the world and want to eat all the cals earned by the long walks.)

    2) continue on the trajectory you are on and risk having the problem exacerbate to the point where you are unable to keep up even a milder schedule of say 2-3 days a week of easier walks.

    Now to solve the problems that are in your way of seeing that this is the solution.

    1) You have lots of time. There are other things you can do with this time that will help your weight loss goals.
    -researching the injury you are feeling
    -researching couch to 5k
    -researching walking for exercise
    -researching critical thinking

    2) You want to eat the cals you gain from all this walking
    -stretching burns cals log this
    -swimming burns cals try this too
    -research how adequate fiber and protein and fat intake can help with satiety.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    Yep, everytime I experience excruciating pain after overdoing something, my first thought is "I'm going to take some more vitamins."

    Do you think I should take a multivitamin- or a specific one like calcium- I appreciate all the help, I love walking a lot but I dont want to hurt myself.

    YGTBSM. Listen, walking is a fine, low stress activity. Just like water is a healthy refreshing drink. You know, right up until you try to drink five gallons of it and die from dilutional hyponatremia. Your half marathon walks (a full marathon is 26.2 miles btw) are the exercise equivalent of water poisoning. Too much, too soon.

    Take whatever vitamins you want as long as you WALK LESS. And less often. Eventually you can walk your halfs but build up to it. Pain is the body's way of signaling a problem. Listen to your body.
  • True I only started walking 13.5 miles this week but since the 1st of april I have been walking 6 miles. I increased my distance because there was no weight loss at only walking 6 miles a day.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    True I only started walking 13.5 miles this week but since the 1st of april I have been walking 6 miles. I increased my distance because there was no weight loss at only walking 6 miles a day.

    Your weight loss is dependent on you walking 13.5 miles. It's dependent on your calorie intake.
  • Cranquistador
    Cranquistador Posts: 39,744 Member
    True I only started walking 13.5 miles this week but since the 1st of april I have been walking 6 miles. I increased my distance because there was no weight loss at only walking 6 miles a day.
    are you weighing and measuring all of your food?
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    True I only started walking 13.5 miles this week but since the 1st of april I have been walking 6 miles. I increased my distance because there was no weight loss at only walking 6 miles a day.

    A more effective means to weight loss would be to increase the distance from your plate to your mouth. Exercise us for fitness, diet is for weight loss. Trying to out exercise a bad diet leads to futility and injury.
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  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
    So I walk a lot. roughly 13 miles a day. yesterday on the way back from my walk i developed a pain in the right side of my thigh. here's a picture of where the pain is:
    http://s566.photobucket.com/user/artsygirl87/media/DSCF2632.jpg.html
    has anyone else had this? any ideas of how to deal with it. Today I only walked 6 miles and it feels a thousand times better than yesterday but still acting up. Its more annoying than painful.

    OP...google "training to walk a half marathon" or "training to walk a 10k". Each program has you start out walking 30-40 mins every other day. Each week for 10-12 weeks they have you build up in time and distance. Each will give you rest days and recommend that you cross train and strength train.

    Do some research and I think that you will figure out what is causing your pain...over doing it. Even people that have been walking marathons for years don't walk that far for training.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    OP you're going to end up injured to the point of not being able to walk at all.

    If you're not losing weight it isn't because you aren't walking far enough, it's because you're eating too many calories, and likely not being patient enough.