just wanted to know if anyone has had any T Band problems in their hip from running. the past few months i increased my weekly running milage by at least 20 miles and noticed my hip becoming very sore.

what kind of stretches and exercises would be helpful? Thank you

Not sure where you're located, but I'd suggest you get yourself to a yoga class. They'll teach you a bunch of stretches to release your hips, lower back and ITBand. If you're brave, you're in for a good time! I DID have T-band tightness a while back in my running career, but a somewhat regular stretching/yoga practice dispatched it and it has not returned, even after 5 marathons.

My experience is that one stretch is not sufficient for bringing flexibility to the hips. You likely have several groups of muscles that have become "gripped". If you go to or look into yoga-type stretches, I would suggest the following:

Rotated Triangle Pose

Pigeon

Half Seated Spinal Twist

Rotated Side Angle

Flying Crow (preparation)

It's not possible to tell exactly what's tight on you from a post. If you'd like some info on yoga teachers I know around the area, feel free to PM me.

It also might be a good idea to go for a massage/acupuncture treatment to help speed your "release".

-em

Warning - wisecrack ahead

And don't forget to wear a crystal amulet around your neck. Crystals are very important for the release.


Mainstream Mike

the pain is in the mid section of the left outter hip. i have been strectching like crazy and noticed my hamstrings are very tight. i'm down in dirty jersey there are a few places that offer yoga classes. what is the rotated side angle? thank you for the info.

mike the only crystals i've tried was crystal myth. didn't really care for it all that much. you know of any witchdoctors

Stretching (be it yoga or anything else) may help (and certainly couldn't hurt) long term but you may want to get this checked out. I developed bursitis of the hip a few years back which required a go-round of ice and ultra-sound treatment.

I use a hard foam roller on the IT bands after every run and have almost eliminated any pain above my knees (and I realize you're having pain the other end). My doctor recommends it and he's an Ironman and plain old smart fella. The thing to do is roll your IT band over this thing with all your weight on it. Alter your weighting as you start because it is quite painful even when the band is in great shape. Here's the first link I found for one of these things...I suspect you can get it at any medical supply store (aren't there lots around you in dirty jersey? ).

http://www.wisdomking.com/product210244c175042.html

With all due respect to Mike (who couldn't make it thru 1/2 hour of the Astanga class I take), I think you'll find plenty of good yoga schools in Jersey. I would look specifically for a place that teaches Anusara style. It's very exacting, and it will help you find the specific muscle groups that need attention. You could consider Astanga (a more athletic and intense workout) but it's pretty strenuous, and might waste a tight homeboy like you!

The roller thing that Joe suggested is helpful. I've used it in the past, but it's pretty uncomfortable (and ultimately it only treats the symtom, not the cause). I would also say that running off to the doctor and dropping a few hundred dollars is something of a last resort. *$#%&-doctors are just going to write you a prescription for some high dose of motrin and tell you to run less; or worse, send you off to a specialist to pay 5x the regular doctors rate for a stronger Rx and a technical but useless diagnosis. We all know the problem--you're tight and your muscles are out of balance from doing the same thing over and over (running).

Get yourself to a yoga class twice a week and the problem will be solved. You'll also find yourself climbing a grade harder to boot.

Michael, whenever you're ready, you can join me for Astanga class at 71 Main. I'll pay your way!

BTW: Rotated side angle: Start in a lunge with your right foot forward, knee directly over ankle, knee at 90 degrees. Left leg with straight knee behind you, ball of left foot on floor, heel in the air. Put your hands in prayer at your chest, rotate at your torso to the right, so that your left upper arm comes to the outside of your right knee. Press your right palm into your left, and remember to keep back of the left knee straight, strong and reaching toward the ceiling. As you get looser, you can try putting your left palm down on the floor next to your right foot, and reaching the right arm up towards the ceiling.

You might also want to incorporate some of the streches shown here. If they feel hard to your, they're probably ones you need to do:
gunks yoga article

-em

I would also say that running off to the doctor and dropping a few hundred dollars is something of a last resort. *$#%&-doctors are just going to write you a prescription for some high dose of motrin and tell you to run less; or worse, send you off to a specialist to pay 5x the regular doctors rate for a stronger Rx and a technical but useless diagnosis. We all know the problem--you're tight and your muscles are out of balance from doing the same thing over and over (running).

Hey Evan, if he gets really crippled up from taking your advice can he sue you?

Hey Evan, if he gets really crippled up from taking your advice can he sue you?

Of course! But as you well know, I'm not a doctor, I just play one on gdc.

-em

The roller thing that Joe suggested is helpful. I've used it in the past, but it's pretty uncomfortable (and ultimately it only treats the symtom, not the cause). I would also say that running off to the doctor and dropping a few hundred dollars is something of a last resort. *$#%&-doctors are just going to write you a prescription for some high dose of motrin and tell you to run less; or worse, send you off to a specialist to pay 5x the regular doctors rate for a stronger Rx and a technical but useless diagnosis. We all know the problem--you're tight and your muscles are out of balance from doing the same thing over and over (running).

evan-

while i certainly respect your views, i don't think you should (and you certainly couldn't) argue that all doctors would make the suggestions you indicate. i have no doctors that would suggest any of the above (nor have they) in the same/similar circumstance. stretching is important, healing is important. finding the balance that works is the goal. my doctor just told me send him a finish line photo from my marathon after diagnosing me with achilles tendonitis and hamstring stress.

spreading your disdain for the professional medical community as a whole is your right (especially as gdc doctor ), but don't forget that other folks have had other experiences that differ greatly from yours and respect that not all doctors are cash/cut.

and yeah, that roller thing sucks, but after doing it consistently at home each time i run, i no longer have any pain and i no longer feel major discomfort rolling on it--only minor.

kayak

Joe-
Your point is well taken about doctors. Unfortunately from my experience, VAST majority of doctors would deal with the problem in the way I described. I'm glad you have a doctor who is more...thoughtful. But let me say in general that most of our doctors are dealing with these types of problems from a theoretical perspective--they're passing on advice not from what they've experienced, but from what they've learned, read, and observed coincidentally in their other patients. None of this is bad.

When people start talking about going to the doctor right off the bat, I think, "why?" Was there some trauma? Sure, makes sense. But much of the time, my take is that people are relatively unconscious about their bodies, and are foolishly turning their welfare over to someone (a doctor) who's not as interested and doesn't have a fraction of the time to investigate a condition as they themselves do. The unconsciousness to me is, "something hurts, I'll go see a doctor to take something to make it go away." Addressing the symptom, not the cause. Is this not the paradigm for the western world? I'd say the pharaceutical industry today is the ultra-monumental tribute to this unconsciousness.

I'm not saying the doctors are bad per se, but that our reflexive (conditioned?) reach for them is bad. My thinking about (western) medicine is that it is 2% God-send, 98% unnecessary and likely harmful. This is coming from someone who was misdiagnosed by 3 physicians and took a strong Rx for 5 years when it was completely unnecessary--harmful? We'll know in about 30 years.

We are creatures that are designed to move around regularly. The fact that the majority of us sit on our butts looking at a screen (of one kind or another) 16 hours a day and perhaps exercise 6 hours a week has some implications for our health. To me, the implication doesn't have anything having to do with a doctor.

</soapbox>

-em

Evan-

I appreciate your end tag. And you may be surprised (or not) that I am mostly in agreement with you. One area of socialization in our country is when our parents take us to the doctor when we're little for every ache and pain. It turns us into dependents. Personally, I seldom take any pain killers for headaches or general aches and mostly don't visit my doctors too often. That being said, I like my doctors and most of them do not advocate taking meds for anything (ten years of trying to lower my cholestorol before being given a med). And while we certainly are conditioned as you say, I wouldn't agree wholly with your ratio.

I am sorry that you had a bad experience with modern medicine. You're not the only friend I know who's been through that. And quite frankly, my rule for going to the hospital is that I need to be: A) unconscious or, B) have a severed artery (I've only had the latter to date and was quite pleased to get the express lane to an OR).

As to the matter of butt/screen time, I can say that you and I and a number of others I know on here manage to balance it well with more than 6 hours/week of running around. But we're the lucky ones, with comparatively uncluttered lives. So I'll shut up and be grateful about how much time I get to spend getting my ya-yas out!

Peace Yo.

sounds like voodoo to me