Specific advice needed - returning to running

[imgetinold]

Hi everyone.  It's been months and months since I've been on here.  I suppose that's good, since I'm just out there living life.

I am 19 months out.  Life is pretty much back to normal.  I can play tennis.  I can mountain bike for as long as my lungs and leg muscles will let me.  This morning I did another Insanity hour-long workout.

But.....I still can't run.  I get about 5-8 minutes on a treadmill, and the hip soreness starts.

A while back, I started a program where I would run 4 minutes a day for about 4 days (on a treadmill).  Then, I would do 5 minutes for 4 days.  Then six minutes, etc...  I made it up to about 10 minutes before the soreness would set in.   Then, I switched jobs, went overseas for weeks, then started running a small company.  My schedule changed a LOT, to say the least, and I wasn't able to keep up my program. 

When I got back to it, I was back down to about 7 minutes of running (slowly.....about 9.5 min./mile pace) before the soreness set back in.

Running seems to be the only thing that does this.  I did buy the Hoka One One shoes.  They're awesome, but they don't help my issue.

I've spoken with Dr. Gross, and he said that there is a small percentage of people who experience this, and he really doesn't know what it is.  My x-rays look perfect.

So, I'm back on my work-back-into-it-a-minute-at-a-time program.  But, I was wondering if anyone else experienced this, and what they did to overcome it?  Did you get PT? (which I've got a prescription for, but not the time)..  If so, did the PT discover a specific weakness to be worked on?

Anyone with a similar experience (and solution)....please chime in.

Thanks,

Andy

[David]

Hi Andy,
I think you should find a good sports specific PT and get yourself an evaluation/assessment of your muscle strength and flexibility.  I know for me my glutes have always been weak and probably the cause of my hip deterioration with all the endurance sports and running I have done.  After the op they were much weaker and the bounce back, not so quick.
I know the more strength work I do, the better I feel and the faster and longer I run without any discomfort.
We all of course are different, but my opinion would be to start there.  I've had good experience with PT's involved in Active Release Technique as well as the Graston Technique.
Ask me any questions and I'll give you my opinion for whatever it may be worth...
Best,
David

[Baby Barista]

It's been awhile since I've been on here too Andy. We had surgery at nearly the same time and I'm in a similar situation.

I'm 19 months on my left side, 8 months on the right. I bought the Hokas and have been trying to do some light jogging, going 2 minutes run, 2 minutes walk. About 4 cycles in, my left hip starts to ache. It's a dull ache that radiates in the joint. My right (newer) hip feels fine.

Within a few minutes of stopping, the ache goes away. It's nothing alarming to me, but a little disappointing. I haven't yet talked to my surgeon about it, but it will be something we discuss at my next follow up in December.

It would seem this is a muscle issue, as the pain subsides when I stop running. However, running is the only activity that seems to induce the pain.

[Arrojo]

You probably have scar tissue buildup that is causing the pain.  You need to have that broken up before you can get back into running pain free.  The best way to have that done is to find a practictioner who performs Active Release Technique (A.R.T.)  I can't link to anything here (per rules) but you can google it to learn more and to also find a practitioner near you).

ART really works, and helped me return to running 6 months after surgery pain free.  I won a couple of gold medals in sprinitng at the RI Sr Games and am trauning for a half marathon next month.

From the ART sie:
"ART is a patented, state of the art soft tissue system/movement based massage technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. Headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, shoulder pain, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, knee problems, and tennis elbow are just a few of the many conditions that can be resolved quickly and permanently with ART. These conditions all have one important thing in common: they are often a result of overused muscles.

How do overuse conditions occur?
Over-used muscles (and other soft tissues) change in three important ways:
•acute conditions (pulls, tears, collisions, etc),
•accumulation of small tears (micro-trauma)
•not getting enough oxygen (hypoxia).

Each of these factors can cause your body to produce tough, dense scar tissue in the affected area. This scar tissue binds up and ties down tissues that need to move freely. As scar tissue builds up, muscles become shorter and weaker, tension on tendons causes tendonitis, and nerves can become trapped. This can cause reduced range of motion, loss of strength, and pain. If a nerve is trapped you may also feel tingling, numbness, and weakness."

--------------------
The other bit of advice I'd give is to NOT run every day!  At least not when you are just starting back into running.  There is a wonderful Resurfacing to 5K program that I used and posted here awhile back.  Consider doing this, it worked quite well for me:

http://surfacehippy.info/hiptalk/running-ironman-marathoner/resurfacing-to-5k-program/

Good luck!

[Manofword]

For me, as soon as I was able to get in the whirlpool at my local athletic club, I was massaging my incision while making circles with my leg. I did this for weeks and broke up the scar tissue quite well. I am not running (9mos post op) pain free and 4-10mi at a time. My pace isn't blazing and not quite what it was before surgery, but it is pain free. I'm not supposed to run until Nov but I've eased into it slow and easy. Scar tissue can cause a lot of problems w/repetitive motion.

[Arrojo]

I am not running (9mos post op) pain free

Did you mean to say you are now running pain free?