Running injuries and hip weakness

[OakLeaf]

http://sph.sagepub.com/content/1/3/242.abstract

Full text is by subscription only. Very interesting, especially as I've noticed more soreness around my hips after tough runs than anywhere else. I'll definitely be adding more hip strengthening exercises to my routine!

[colby]

And don't forget your glutes!!! Ever-important counter-balancing muscles. :)

Good exercises for glute medius: http://www.bodyresults.com/e2gluteusmedius.asp

[kacie tri-ing]

This is my thread an my running/PT life :p

[Jolt]

Hip muscle weakness (specifically glute medius) definitely seems to be a contributing factor at least in IT band syndrome. It certainly was in my case last year. However, I have come to think that the real cause of the problem is that because of the way our shoes cause us to walk/run, we tend to use these muscles less and others too much. In other words, we end up using sloppy form that results in imbalances and injuries. The glutes are important for walking/running lightly rather than pounding the ground like padded shoes encourage us to do. (Try walking barefoot across some gravel--you'll notice it feels a lot better when you focus on using your butt muscles for propulsion than when you walk the way you probably are used to doing in shoes). That's why I made the switch to running in minimal shoes (no padding or support, and very flexible) or barefoot. It has definitely helped me get rid of an annoying problem (more than doing the PT exercises did--they helped with strength and flexibility but didn't address the underlying form issue)!

[OakLeaf]

Little do my strength class participants know that every new thing I learn gets taken out on them. :p It's always some under-worked but important stabilizing muscle group that I know the other instructors aren't paying attention to, so I feel absolutely zero guilt about getting my own workout in my classes. :cool:

[alpinerabbit]

I saw a guy today - thin as a rake, "run to work" type of guy.
He was kneeing-in something horrible, as if he had zero lateral stability in either knees or hips.

No clue how his system can take the kind of mileage he seems to be doing.

[OakLeaf]

I have come to think that the real cause of the problem is that because of the way our shoes cause us to walk/run, we tend to use these muscles less and others too much. ...That's why I made the switch to running in minimal shoes (no padding or support, and very flexible) or barefoot. It has definitely helped me get rid of an annoying problem (more than doing the PT exercises did--they helped with strength and flexibility but didn't address the underlying form issue)!

Barefooting really appeals to me, but I've come to the conclusion that I can't do it safely unless I can get the head of my first metatarsal onto the ground with my ankles in neutral, and I've not been able to do that, even standing still. The prevailing thought is that it's a structural issue that requires external correction.

Still working on supporting it with a minimal amount of disruption to the rest of my foot...