Hip Pain with Running
The knee and achilles often take the bulk of conversation when discussing runner rehab and preventative care for helping people run pain free. Today, I wanted to discuss how important it is to look at the hip for running health and making sure hip pain when running stays absent!
There are many trains of thought that since the foot hits the ground first, we should focus our efforts there to build running efficiency. Though I agree maximizing initial contact with the ground is important, it is certainly more complicated than that. Hip pain while running will often be a product of a couple things, or combination of them. We have alluded to cadence in a prior post, but that absolutely is at play here. The longer we spend on the ground, the greater the ground reaction force is. If we increase our cadence in running, our time spent on the ground is less so we ideally absorb forces better. What needs to work in our favor then is the second item, actually absorbing forces well.
Tendons, bones, and muscles will all react to the ground force acted upon us when we land. If they are not readily equipped to do so, there will be a possibility for irritation/breakdown/pain. With miles to go, or however long your distance is, we need to make sure these elements of our system and prepared to absorb that force. Best way to do so is build resiliency to the task at hand. If it’s running, then we slowly ramp up running volume to assist the system in building tolerance. When in relation to hip pain with running, this can come from the joint/bone, soft tissue structures around the joint, or intraarticular soft tissues being the capsule or labrum to name a few.
The most common hip pain in runners we see at Loon State Physical Therapy is gluteal tendinopathy with or without bursitis. This is often a tendon and muscle problem that is certainly addressable in physical therapy for the specific hip pain present! We often would begin by calming the area down by modifying volume (but not removing running!), build strength in muscles that may present with isolated weakness (commonly we see glute medius and minimus), and perform any soft tissue hands on techniques to desensitize the body for improvement in movement. Hip pain for runners does not get better with just stopping running. If you have providers telling you to stop the task entirely, please find another provider! You can definitely achieve the results you are looking for in hip pain relief while continuing to run. You just need to have a better direction on how to improve! We are happy to provide you that direction.
Looking for assistance in treating your hip pain? Do your hips hurt while you run? Let’s chat! I would be happy to discuss further how Loon State Physical Therapy can be a teammate in getting you back to moving and feeling your best! Our convenient Minneapolis physical therapy and Edina physical therapy locations will happily see you to get you back to moving at your best. Call us at (612) 405-8503 or book with us online for an in-person or virtual appointment. All things Loon State can be found on our website at www.loonstatephysicaltherapy.com !
Let’s get to it!
Andrew Eccles
Owner and Physical Therapist at Loon State Physical Therapy
