Getting back into running

[MattFL]

For those of us who run, what was your experience returning to running after surgery?

I just passed 1 year post-op and started running again (Dr. said no running for 1 year).  It's my left side, so assume the front of my leg is at 12:00, I'm finding the hip muscle that is at about 7:30 (right near my incision) is fragile and easy to pull.  It feels great during the run, but later that day feels pulled or bruised, then if I don't run again it will recover pretty quickly over the next couple of days, but if I keep running it just gets worse.  If I over-do pigeon pose or sitting criss-cross in Yoga it has the same effect.  I've only run 5 or 6 times so I'm hopeful this will resolve over time if I don't overdo it.  Has anyone else had this? 

Otherwise the hip has been great, tons of biking and pretty much anything I want, but I'm really hoping to get back to running!

[BSarchet]

I am back to running four miles or so several times a week.  When I first started I was having some shin pain (which I never had before) and I would occasionally feel a quick, sharp pain in my left hip when I stepped.  This has almost completely gone away and my doctor said it was continued soft tissue healing. I'm now 15 months post op on that side and that rarely happens.  I continued to feel some healing progress even after a year. But now I'd say that everything feels just almost as close to perfect as I could expect.  I've really tried to take it easy as I ramped up activity. I hope you continue to see improvement, I think you still will with some of the hitches.

[MattFL]

Thanks for the reply.  I've now run probably 6 or 7 times, up to 2 miles and seeing improvement.  Although the second half feels like I'm pulling a parachute LOL.  At the beginning, a 7:30-7:45 pace is super comfy, but by about 1/2 mile it's clear I cannot keep that pace, and my first mile ends up in the 8:00-8:20 range, then my second mile is slower and just feels like a struggle cardio wise, which I'm not used to.  I've been doing a ton of mt. biking and feel great on the bike so I didn't expect my running cardio to be so far off.  Do you remember feeling the same way at the beginning?