Why Does My Hip Hurt When I Run

How Long Does Hip Pain Last After Running

The duration of hip pain after running can vary depending on the intensity and duration of the run, as well as the persons individual pain tolerance. In general, however, most people will experience some level of pain for at least a few days after running. For some, this pain may be mild and only last for a day or two. For others, the pain may be more severe and last for several days or even weeks. If the pain is severe or persists for more than a week, it is important to see a doctor or other healthcare provider to rule out any underlying causes.

Common Forms Of Hip Pain When Running

The most common causes of hip pain from running occur due to strength and flexibility imbalances in the body. They can lead to hip alignment issues, or strains or tears that result in pain. Hip alignment issues in particular lead to more strain and force on one hip more than the other. This can even create a functional leg length discrepancy, as one leg overcompensates and experiences a greater impact and force, while the other shorter leg can experience issues related to plantar fasciitis or Achilles tendonitis.

Hip, or pelvic, alignment issues have a number of causes. They can be caused by:

• Poor posture, or leaning more to one side both during running and throughout the day
• Favoring one leg over the other due to prior injuries
• An improper running technique
• Running shoes that dont work for you

Active.com describes one of the more prevalent causes of hip alignment issues: running on cambered roads:

Since we have all been taught to run against traffic, we tend to go to the left side of the street. This causes our left leg to have to reach down a little farther than our right, since roads have a slight camber to help water drain off.

Treatment Of Hip Pain

Consult your doctor if you have concerns as to a correct diagnosis and how to proceed with your treatment, especially if the pain does not subside with rest and reduces the mobility of your hip or causes limping.

There is a certain amount you can do to help yourself, but you may also wish to have physical therapy from a sports massage therapist, chiropractor, physiotherapist or other qualified practitioner.

Treatment of Bursitis

• Rest – It is important to rest from running if running has brought the condition on. In the meantime, choose an alternative form of exercise which does not aggravate the problem.
• Ice – Use ice to reduce the inflammation and pain. Put ice on for 20 minutes out of every hour, 4 or more times in the first 1 to 2 days. Do not put the ice right on the skin.
• Heat – If the swelling is gone, heat can be used e.g. with a hot water bottle.
• Massage – Massage or rub your hip to relieve pain and help blood flow.
• Movement – Move the hip joint through its full range of motion each day to prevent stiffness.
• Anti-inflammatories – Use these if desired.

Bursitis is likely to improve in a few days or weeks with rest and treatment. When you are ready to begin running again, start slowly and for short periods of time, or at a slower speed. Use ice afterwards.

Treatment of a Stress Fracture

A stress fracture does not always show on an X-ray. An MRI scan is the best study to assess whether a runner has sustained a stress fracture.

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Why Do My Hips Hurt When Running

Talk with many female runners and there is a good chance they have many things in common including hip flexor pain. Why? Thats what I am going to unpack here: why do our hips hurt when running?especially when running while pregnant or postpartum. Short answer: the weight of the baby can pull our hips forward causing imbalances.

One of my athletes discovered about six weeks out from her marathon that she was pregnant with her third child. Did I mention we were going for a Boston qualifying time? She fought nausea and fatigue but stayed consistent in her training.

Until about three weeks out from her race, her hips hurt when running. Then her quad started to hurt. She had to cut some runs short and miss some workouts. I sent her to see my massage therapist, Sandra. Sandra immediately identified that her quads and hurts hip when running due to the pressure of her growing uterus.

My athletes diligent work, Sandras skills, and my schedule adjustments were able to keep her hip flexor pain at bayand guess what? She qualified for Boston! 13 weeks pregnant!

Related: Can You Run a Marathon While Pregnant?

Because hip pain while running is commonespecially in womenI got with doctor of physical therapy, Sarah Colón, aka The Hip Doc, to further our understanding of the role hips play when we run and how to keep them healthy and strong.

Specifically in this article, I will discuss:

So, lets get going!

Ankle Pain After Running

If your ankles hurt during or after your run, it could be a matter of biomechanics or running form impacting the joint. Other causes of ankle pain associated with running include ankle tendonitis, arthritis, stress fractures, ankle instability, or sprains and strains.

Getting running shoes for overpronation can also help eliminate some ankle pain while running.

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How Can I Avoid Feeling Outer Hip Pain With Running

To avoid outer hip pain with running, consider these tips > stretch, strengthen, and smart training

StretchA flexible balanced body is a better moving body. Baseline stretching, yoga, or assisted stretching are great additions to your running regimen. An important note if you have developed gluteal tendinopathy- avoid your typical IT Band or glut stretches that compress the tendons on the outside of the hip. Aggressive stretching in cases of gluteal tendinopathy can make the symptoms worse. When in doubt, ask.

StrengthenHaving a strong core and gluteal muscles can lower the risk of developing a running-related outer hip injury by keeping your pelvis stable. The gluteus medius is a muscle to pay attention to. It is located on the side of your hip and runs down to the outer part of your thigh. This muscle is key in lifting your leg out to the side but is also important to the mechanics of running.

As you run, the gluteus medius stabilizes your pelvis, keeping it level, as your alternating feet strike the ground. Weakness here can cause small shifts in alignment that add up to big problems. Especially in long-distance running or on challenging terrain. The good news is that there are simple at-home exercises to target this specific area and keep you on the road to running.

Hip Pain From Running # 4 Stress Fractures

If you feel throbbing or stabbing pain on the inside of your hip , then you might have a stress fracture.

If you experience pain coming more from the inside of your hipespecially if you end to run on hard surfaces like sidewalk or pavementthen you might have a stress fracture.

Stress fractures consist of a break in the bone caused by repetitive strain. A fracture can be partial or a complete break, depending on the severity of the condition.

Hip stress fractures are usually associated with the elderly, but they can happen at any ageespecially among endurance athletes who do lots of impactful training.

More specifically, in runners, the excessive impact can cause a small crack to develop in the femoral necknear the ball at the top of the femur. These fractures can occur in the neck of femurwhats known as the femoral neck.

Stress usually manifest as a dull ache either in front or behind the hip, especially when exercising. Left unchecked, the pain will gradually increase until it becomes excruciating.

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Outside Hip Pain After Running

If you experience outside hip pain after running, there are a few causes. It could be from Iliotibial band syndrome as we talked about, or a poor choice of running shoes that affect your gait.

However, for most people that experience outside hip pain after running, it is often caused by overuse and tight muscles. This can often be relieved by regular stretching, a reduction in volume or intensity, and rest. Other things like foam rolling and ice can also help to reduce any discomfort you may have.

Treat The Root Cause Not The Symptoms

Whether your hip pain presents as dull and achy or sudden and sharp, its a problem that needs to be solved and you cant do that by addressing the symptoms alone.

There are plenty of temporary solutions that can help mitigate your pain, but having to trial-and-error different options or repeat the same ones time and time again isnt the best option for truly sustainable running.

Hip pain with running is most often caused by biomechanical impairments and improper running form. So, what better way to fix the problem than by tackling those exact causes?

Seek out the expertise of a movement and running specialist. Theyll help you understand why your pain happens and how to biomechanically fix it, leaving you better equipped to maintain proper running form and technique for smarter, healthier running in the long-term.

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Why Do I Have Hip Pain From Running

While you engage several areas of your lower body while running, one of the primary motions is happening in your pelvis with your iliopsoas. The iliopsoas is made up of your iliacus and psoas muscles which are responsible for hip flexion, and are therefore also referred to as âhip flexors.â

Running utilizes the iliopsoas to swing the leg forward in the running pattern described above while simultaneously stabilizing your spine and your hips.

Your leg strides forward by using your iliopsoas. Then, when your leg extends behind you, the muscle stretches out. You are repeatedly contracting and stretching while your muscles work to stabilize your hip and spine which can quickly lead to overuse and muscle fatigue.

Because of this constant engagement of the iliopsoas as you move through the cyclical running gait cycle, there is a good chance one or both of your iliopsoas muscles will develop tightness.

When you have tight hip flexors, you may experience hip pain running, but many runners also experience pain in their knees, glutes, ankles, and lower back because of this muscle tension.

Some of these additional pain points along with hip pain while running can be signs of a tight iliacus.

What is really surprising to most runners is that your hip flexors never really get a break, even when youâre done running. When you are doing other things like sitting at your desk, laying on your couch, or simply doing household chores, your iliopsoas is still engaged.

Hip Pain During Pregnancy

The pelvis can take on a more anterior pelvic tilt due to the need of supporting the anterior weight of the baby. This causes a relative forward tilt to the rectangle creating tight and over-recruited hip flexors and long and weak glutes.

While running, we might over recruit the front side of the rectangle a.k.a. our hip flexor so we start to develop hip flexor overuse i.e. tendinitis or hip flexor strains.

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Meet With An Athletico Endurance Or Hip Preservation Expert

Preventing injury with proper technique and different training methods is an effective and efficient way to improve physical fitness and prevent injuries for runners. Building an all-inclusive program is the key to success for runners.

If you notice abnormal soreness, aches, or pains with a cross-training routine or during your running, start at Athletico by scheduling a Free Assessment. An Athletico expert will assess your pain and provide recommendations for a treatment plan which may include starting physical therapy the same day. Free assessments are available via telehealth or in-clinic.

Lateral Hip Pain Can Be Seen In Stress Fractures Too

This is worthy of mentioning here. The majority of people with pain on the outer side of the hip will have pain due to the gluteus medius tendon. Hoewever, on a few occasions in my career I have seen runners with stress fractures of the upper femur, or the femoral neck present with pain on the outside of the hip. Most doctors, me included earlier in my career, usually expect to hear of severe groin pain when we are dealing with a possible femoral neck stress fracture. The treatment of femoral neck stress fractures and tedninopathy are very different, so feel free to bring this up with your doctor.

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How Do I Relieve Hip Pain With Running

The good news is that these diagnoses and most general, nagging hip pain are considered self-limiting.

That is, its generally safe to run through the pain if you work within a specific set of guidelines to prevent more severe problems. Here are some of the most common parameters we suggest for runners dealing with recurring hip pain:

But, of course, learning how not to aggravate your symptoms is far from a true solution these parameters are meant to supplement a complete treatment plan.

Similarly, there are plenty of treatments that people use for temporary pain relief, like manual therapies, icing, STIM, ultrasound, etc but fully resolving the issue requires the more direct approach of improving your biomechanics and physiology.

So what would a treatment plan look like?

Why Does The Outside Of My Hip Hurt

Hip pain in runners occurs more often than youd think. When your hip is sore on the outside, and if youre a runner, it is usually one of a few problems:

• gluteal tendinopathy,
• gluteus medius syndrome,
• IT Band dysfunction.

Lets dig into the first one. Few people have heard of it, but gluteal tendinopathy is the most common cause of running-related outer hip pain.

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Old Injuries May Be A Factor

Many hip problems are caused by insertional tendonitis, which is an inflammation of the tendon where it inserts into a bone. This often causes problems in the hip flexor, the muscle that helps lift the knee. Injuries of the hip abductor or external rotator muscle, which may cause weakness, poor mechanical utilization and imbalance, also are common hip injuries.

Hip pain frequently occurs because of a difference in leg length or a foot problem that alters the person’s stride or gait. Often the abnormality of gait or foot pathology has been there for a long time and it finally manifests itself.

Other times, a problem may have been caused by an injury that altered the gait. For instance, a person may develop knee pain then alters his or her gait to compensate for it. In older runners, a decrease in range of motion in the hips and back may cause motion restriction and muscle overload.

• Stop to stretch during exercise
• Have any pre-existing leg, foot or hip problems checked before beginning training

Strengthening or resistance exercises can make the muscles and tendons of your hip area stronger and help them perform properly. This type of exercise might include using weight machines or elastic bands, swimming, or walking on stairs or hills.

If the pain is persistent and does not go away with rest and stretching, visit a sports medicine specialist or orthopedic doctor.

Common Causes Of Hip Pain In Runners

Running is a common form of exercise that people of all ages can and do participate in. Mobility, strengthening, running mechanics, and stabilization are critical factors to consider when beginning a running program. Without proper mobility, strengthening, and stabilization, one can develop hip pain.

Hip pain is very common in runners, can vary from the front, side, or back of the hip, and has many different causes. Hip pain specifically could be caused by poor movement patterns and weakness in the hip, but also could be caused by poor core strength or an old injury to the low back, knee, or even ankle. Below you will find the four most common causes of hip pain and what you can do about it.

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Symptoms: What Does Trochanteric Bursitis Feel Like

The pain from Trochanteric bursitis is usually located outside the hip or thigh and worsens with activities like running, walking, going up stairs, and getting out of a car or deep chair. Trochanteric bursitis pain may be worse at night from lying on that side, which puts pressure on the area.3 A hallmark sign of Trochanteric bursitis is tenderness to touch on the side of the hip.4,5

What Causes Hip Pain From Running

Plenty of runners experience hip pain. Being connected to so many large muscles, its not surprising. However, diagnosing hip pain isnt straight-forward. There are a number of reasons you might be experiencing hip pain from running, so its always useful to get the pain checked out by your GP.

For most runners, hip pain comes from overuse. When the area becomes overworked it doesnt have enough time to heal. Most hip pain from running falls under one of the following categories:

• Alignment issues: lots of people have body alignment issues they arent aware of. For example, one of your legs may be slightly shorter than the other, or you might lean in a certain direction when you run, putting more weight on one side of your body. This can put pressure on your hips and cause pain or discomfort.
• Strains: hip strains are common among runners, as they occur when the hip flexor muscles are overworked. Mild hip strains can take a few weeks to heal, whereas severe strains can take months.
• Bursitis: bursitis is one of the more serious hip injuries. A bursa is a sac of fluid that provides a cushion between the surfaces of a bone and soft tissue. When this becomes irritated or inflamed in the hip, youll feel significant pain and soreness.
• Stress fractures: Hip stress fractures are commonly caused by overactivity, making them common among runners. Pain will be found in the front of the groin when standing, walking or running.

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