Pain in thigh/hip/groin area while running

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xxthoroughbred
xxthoroughbred Posts: 346 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've recently been getting pain during and after my runs along the line where your thigh meets your torso and into my hips. I don't know much about the muscles there, so I'm wondering what could be causing this and what stretches I should be doing to prevent it. It's just a very achy feeling in my hips when I'm finished running and I hardly want to move that area to walk. I usually stretch a little bit before a run if I feel I need it and a lot afterwards, but I don't really know how to hit this area or if stretching will even help. And I'm not doing super long or hard runs, either. 3 miles is my average, with 8 being my longest. Any suggestions?

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  • ASPhantom
    ASPhantom Posts: 637 Member
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    Sounds like Hip Flexor. The muscle that lifts your leg from the front. ie, it hurts when you lift our foot to step.

    http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0oG7mbSyMNOFmEA6VhXNyoA?ei=UTF-8&fr=slv8-hptb5&p=hip+flexor+stretches&rs=1&fr2=rs-top
  • Flyntiggr
    Flyntiggr Posts: 898 Member
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    stretch, stretch, stretch!

    Google Hip Flexor stretches, and GET A FOAM ROLLER!!!!!
  • damecaite42
    damecaite42 Posts: 24 Member
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    I would recommend that you get it checked out. I had a very similar kind of pain, and my PCP initially thought it was a groin strain. However, after two months of Physical Therapy, it wasn't any better, so they sent me to an orthopedist. He sent me for an MRI, and it turned out that it was a tear in the labrum of my hip (which was repaired in February, but I still can't run yet without pain.) So, I would say, better safe than sorry. It could be something relatively easily healed, but if rest doesn't work and if you have the medical coverage, I think that would be the way to go.

    Kay
  • Beehiveof8
    Beehiveof8 Posts: 85 Member
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    Wow, I was going to post about this very thing!

    I have it especially bad in my left hip, so much so I am limping a little today. I just got back into running, and I am loathe to give it up at all. Good to know some good stretching will help!
  • techgeeksquared
    techgeeksquared Posts: 30 Member
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    I agree it is a hip flexor issue. Check out this video on some strength training you can do. The stronger and more flexible our muscles the less prone to injury we are. One thing you can do is make sure your form is correct, make sure you are not throwing your leg forward instead of placing it. Also, make sure you are keeping your hips forward as you run and keeping the movements minimal. Good luck and keep up the good work.

    There the link:

    http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-241-286--13410-0,00.html
    http://dailyrunningtips.com/running-injuries/hip-stretching-exercises-demo-hip-flexor-exercise/
    http://youtu.be/qbZey6xM0VA
  • meg7399
    meg7399 Posts: 672 Member
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    My PT told me my hip flexor pain was due to not running evenly. Which in part was due to my shin splint which was making my running off. I fixed the shin splint problem with compression sleeves and the hip flexor problem went away. Check you shoes and see if you have uneven wear and that can determine if you run unevenly. A good running store would have some solutions for this! A GOOD stretch is a lunge and thrusting your pelvic forward while in the lunge. It will stretch the hip flexor you are pushing forward.
  • xxthoroughbred
    xxthoroughbred Posts: 346 Member
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    Thanks, everyone! :flowerforyou:
  • WillieEverlearn
    WillieEverlearn Posts: 87 Member
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    Hip flexor or groin could definitely be the culprits...but I experienced pain concentrated on one side, on the outside of my hip, and discovered it was my Illotibial (IT) Band. Many runners get IT Band soreness around the knee, but mine acted up in the hip area after running on an uneven hard surface. I found a few IT Band stretches that really seemed to help loosen it before runs, and I haven't had any issues since it healed.

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