Runners - Ever get severe hip pain?

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pinkprincessmama
pinkprincessmama Posts: 52 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've been exercising since August - doing classes or the elliptical. Recently I started lifting. I also started doing interval sprints on the treadmill. Some days I have really bad hip pain. Like I can barely walk, it hurts so bad. Is this normal? I've only been running for a couple weeks now, and only about 2 times/week, so not much. I do classes on the other days. The days on the treadmill I have been pushing myself. I usually go for 30 minutes and do 1 min intervals (walking at 4.2 pace, and then sprints I start at 6.5 and work my way up to 8.5). I am really pushing myself (I feel). My HRM gets up to 193 during the fastest sprints. I am NOT in pain during the running. It is more afterwards. Is it from the running? Is it because I am a new runner? Or am I pushing myself too hard? Or is this normal? Please help!
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Replies

  • sandy2006
    sandy2006 Posts: 483 Member
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    Ive been an amature runner for about 6 months now. 2 months ago I started running on the treadmill and thats when my hip pain started. I was fine running outdoors or on an indoor track but the teadmill is horrible on my hips. Dont know why. I went back to just outdoors and the pain stopped. weird.
  • ESVABelle
    ESVABelle Posts: 1,264 Member
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    I'm an athletic trainer (Got the pretty piece of paper from George Mason University)

    It could be a couple things. If you wanna pm me, I could get more info and try to help you figure out what's doing if you'd like.
  • jenronan1
    jenronan1 Posts: 44 Member
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    I've been exercising since August - doing classes or the elliptical. Recently I started lifting. I also started doing interval sprints on the treadmill. Some days I have really bad hip pain. Like I can barely walk, it hurts so bad. Is this normal? I've only been running for a couple weeks now, and only about 2 times/week, so not much. I do classes on the other days. The days on the treadmill I have been pushing myself. I usually go for 30 minutes and do 1 min intervals (walking at 4.2 pace, and then sprints I start at 6.5 and work my way up to 8.5). I am really pushing myself (I feel). My HRM gets up to 193 during the fastest sprints. I am NOT in pain during the running. It is more afterwards. Is it from the running? Is it because I am a new runner? Or am I pushing myself too hard? Or is this normal? Please help!
    Where in the hip does it hurt? Under the butt cheek,noff to the side? I had excrutiating hip/foot pain, that prevented me from running, found out that the scatic nerve was compressed. You should have this checked out by a doctor.
  • kyrstensmom
    kyrstensmom Posts: 297 Member
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    I have hip pain when I run and then for a day or so after....dr said its hip flexor and I need to strengthen and stretch those muscles. This may or may not be your problem. The other thing you need to be careful of is making sure you are wearing proper running shoes. If you plan to run, you should be fitted for shoes at a running store. It makes a HUGE difference.
  • bettertracie
    bettertracie Posts: 196 Member
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    My trainer gave me some great stretches that really help, but personally I would have to say that because your hips are so used to the elliptical the change in tendon/muscle usage is bothering you...I used to only use the elliptical for almost a year, but I've been doing interval training on the treadmill and getting mileage on the street and I notice now that when I hit the elliptical my hips die!!

    Just my experience, hope you get some relief, just don't quit!!
  • peaceinside
    peaceinside Posts: 272
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    Wow, I am going thru the same thing and I have been training on the TM to do my first ever 5K at the end of this month and I am so afraid the pain is going to keep me from doing it! I will keep reading your responses. If you get anything real good thru email please let me know.
    Peace! :flowerforyou:
  • tammy1005
    tammy1005 Posts: 62
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    I have been running since last April and its great except when you have pain. I to get hip pain when I walk to fast on the treadmill. When I run it subsides a little bit. I have been icing it at night and that helps. Try slowing down a little bit and make sure you stretch before and after. I walk at 4.0 and on the treadmill I run at 5.5. good luck!
  • mrsbastone
    mrsbastone Posts: 83 Member
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    I kind of have this problem as well and I know a few things you can try. For me it was Sciatica. After asking around I got some advice to get the proper shoes. So I went to a running store (not like sporting good store, but a real running store) and they helped me find out the right shoes.. A good store will have people who can watch the way you walk and match the support you need. After I bought my shoes the pain went away pretty ( within a week or so). I am still new and trying to build up speed and endurance. Unfortunately I found if I try too much too fast I still can get that pain. The other day I did intervals at a much higher speed then I normally do and aggravated my back.. From now on I am going to build my way up. I am so glad I found those shoes. I've tried running so many times and stopped because of the Sciatica.
  • magnum6
    magnum6 Posts: 18
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    So many things it could be. Is it sharp, acute pain? If so, cease fire on your training until you get it checked out by a physician. Dull, gradual onset pain? Probably slight tendinitis or even DOMS. See a personal trainer for some stretches and invest in a foam roller ($20 at Target).
  • harleyshan1
    harleyshan1 Posts: 21
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    A few years back when I started dabbling in running my right hip was down right painful, couldn't even lay on that side when I was laying down. It turned out to be bursitis and I rested it and it went away but came back when I tried to run again (not really a runner but want to be).. I have been dabbling in running AGAIN and this time no hip pain. Try to rest it, stretch better. Might need new sneakers too.
  • utvols12
    utvols12 Posts: 3 Member
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    I had the same issue and bought a "foam roller" for $20 and my life has totally changed. It is an awesome stretching tool that most runners use.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    Being in pain where you can hardly walk is not normal.
    It could be any path the things that precut posters have suggested but none of us know for sure.
    I highly recommend that you get yourself to a physiotherapist to help you work out exactly where the problem lies.
    You might benefit from exercise... or rest, or stretching, or icing, or heat, or anti-inflammatories. Unti you know what the issues is you won't be able to treat it effectively.
  • tamraj
    tamraj Posts: 50 Member
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    This is my third go round with running and I have experienced hip pain in my left hip each time that eased with rest. This time around I was on the verge of seeing my doc when my fiance happened to video me jogging from behind when we were out jogging one day and we discovered that when I run I tilt to one side a lot. Since making an effort to correct this (running with my left arm held higher reminds me to be aware) my hip pain is gone, except when I forget to focus on it and revert to old form. Also, new shoes from running store helped ease pain when attempting to run last year. As others have said, it could be many things, posture and/or running form being one of them. With that said, I am now taking care to stretch core and hips well as well as strengthen core, especially back and hip muscles.

    I do agree that seeing a sports doc is a good idea-even though I think I have solved my problem, if I had gone earlier it is likely this posture thing could have been found out a year and a half ago and I could have been running all that time.
  • kdecourcey
    kdecourcey Posts: 5
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    Stretching and foam rolling IT, quads, hamstrings and piriformis muscles after each run really helps. May be a good idea to back off the interval runs to only 1x a week and substitute the other run outdoors at a slower pace but longer time frame. You might find you may enjoy running even more when you take the pressure off of yourself for all runs to be really fast. Good luck! :smile:
  • Fit_Canuck
    Fit_Canuck Posts: 788 Member
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    If you are like me you suffer from Iliotibial band syndrome (IT Band) and it really does hurt. Luckily my new best friend is a foam roller and it's really helped me!!
  • jlbay
    jlbay Posts: 473 Member
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    No, definitely not normal! It could be so many things. Go see a physio, especially if you can find someone who specializes in runners or athletes. Regular GPs are not very useful in sports injuries, in my experience.

    Reduce activity or intensity level until you are not in pain and do that level for a few days - even if that means total rest. You have either injured something or are on the verge of injuring - rest is best. Believe me, you want to nip it in the bud before you do something more serious and have to take off weeks from exercising.

    You say you are new to running, only been running "a couple of weeks." Truly new runners should not be adding intervals or speed work at all. Your body has to adjust to the work of running. First build endurance and train your soft tissues and develop good running form. Beginners should start by running at a comfortable speed a few times a week and slowly adding distance. I've read anything from 3 months to 1 year of building a base of running before adding speed work. Usually the guide is something like 20+ easy miles a week for at least 3 months. RunnersWorld or CoolRunnings sites have great info for speed work for beginners.

    If you want to add intensity - add incline on the treadmill while walking, add in some jump rope, or use the stair climber. Sprinting when you have only been running for a few weeks will most likely end in injury - even if you are otherwise fit. Fitness on the elliptical is not the same thing as being running fit. You just can't compare other activities to running (or different activities, in general).

    Here are sites with more info on adding speed for beginner runners:

    http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_1/105.shtml
    http://running.about.com/od/faqsforbeginners/f/Should-I-Try-To-Improve-My-Distance-Or-Speed.htm
    http://running.about.com/od/speedworkouts/tp/8-Rules-For-Speed-Training.htm
    http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/general/speedwork-for-every-runner/167.html
  • pars1981
    pars1981 Posts: 167 Member
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    I like others here would recommend you go see somebody about it. I had hip pain for several weeks before my brother scared me into going to see my Dr. By the time i went, I could barely walk, I definately couldnt run, I wasnt sleeping well, I couldnt sit down and I couldnt even drive my car because of the pain-it turns out it was bursitis. I got a major telling off from the doc for not going sooner.
  • zoom2
    zoom2 Posts: 934 Member
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    It could be something as serious as a stress fracture (a friend of mine developed one in her hip a year ago while training for a 25k race), or it could be overstressed muscles or tendons.

    BUT...why are you doing speed work? Most running experts warn very strongly against doing any sort of speed work unless a person has been doing 20-30 mile weeks solidly for a minimum of 6 months. When I was a new runner I developed some relatively minor hip flexor tenderness about 6 months into my running "career," just before my first half-marathon. At that time I had been doing 30+ miles/week for only a very short time. I lived and learned and nearly was unable to run my race. Even now, after running for 6 solid years, I won't do any speed work unless I've been logging 20+ mile weeks consistently for at least a couple of months.
  • afirkins
    afirkins Posts: 2
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    I had been doing Zumba and other classes for 3 months - both hips were stiff and sore, but a good sore. During the last week of my membership, after a zumba class, my hip began to hurt (the actual hip bone right at the top), I went grocery shopping and could barely walk through the store. got home took Advil and rested it - it took a while for the pain to subside, finally 3 weeks later I started back to exercising (treadmill, eliptical, rowing machine...) the 1st week, I walked and lightly jogged on the treadmill - was ok - Last night while jogging lightly on the treadmill, the pain came back and I could barely get in and out of my car. Ice and 4 Advil did nothing for it. If I'm sitting and sneeze, pain runs trough my hip, I have trouble walking and it's very painful when I get in and out my car and if I've been sitting at my desk and get up to walk.... would like to know if this is something that I should have looked at or if it seems more like muscle... any thoughts out there?? Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • alliefiorini
    alliefiorini Posts: 11 Member
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    I'm going to go back and read everyone's responses, but please please please listen to my advice. Go to a doctor. I know it isn't what you want to hear. It wasn't what I wanted, either.

    I run marathons. A lot of them. 3 weeks before the Boston Marathon I had hip pain. Not super severe and it would subside when I ran. I ran and finished Boston very strong. The pain didn't go away. I finally went to the doctor. I have a stress fracture in my femoral shaft - basically your thigh bone.

    Even though I ran on it, I took care of it pretty early and I don't require as much time off. However, it could have been worse - it could have been in the femoral neck, which is part of your hip. Femoral neck fractures mean crutches and if not taken care of immediately could require surgery. If it's not a fracture, it could be a labrum tear in the hip.

    Or it could be absolutely NONE of those things - which I sincerely hope. I was so against going to the doctor this time - I mean, I run 50-60 miles/week for the past 7 years - I know when enough is enough, right? I am just thankful I went when I did. I had my first physical therapy appointment yesterday and we targeted the weak muscle that might be responsible for this. You will be much stronger if you take care of it now. Running is a wonderful hobby!!!!!

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