Running pain...

[Syndirelah]

I have a question for the runners or PT's: on longer runs, Ive been getting an irritation on the tops of the back of my thighs... (think, sort of on the inside of the sits bones), which travels down the back of my legs a bit. Basically, my butt hurts!

Ive been training for a marathon, we just completed the 18 miler today.

Any idea what this is, and any stretches to combat the irritation?

Thanks--

Jen

[VeloVT]

piriformis syndrome?
http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/piri.html

or maybe just tight hams/glutes???
how well do you stretch after each run? when you're putting in that many miles it becomes really important. one stretch that is really simple that I found helpful is as follows:
1. Lie on your back on the floor, with left leg extended on the floor.
2. Bring right knee up to your chest. Hold for a while, until the stretch starts to abate.
3. Take right ankle in left hand or crux of left elbow and pull up slightly (up=towards bellybutton/shoulders, not towards ceiling), at the same time using right hand to push right knee towards left foot. (Knee should still be bent, and ankle should be somewhere in the neighborhood of your left hipbone). Again, hold until you feel like you've gotten enough stretch.
4. Take right ankle in both hands and pull as far towards head as you can, keeping left leg extended flat on ground, and keeping right knee as straight as possible. Alternately, depending on your comfort/flexibility, you could take your ankle in your right hand and pull your right thigh down gently with your left hand, letting the right knee bend if it needs to.
5. Release and repeat on the other side. Repeat on both sides if it feels like it would help.

BTW I am not a PT, just a runner. I have trained for marathons before but haven't had the pain that you're describing -- but I have read about similar symptoms, FWIW.

Good luck!!!

[VeloVT]

another great stretch for runners is the yoga pigeon pose (google...).

it can be super intense and hits a lot of stuff deep in your hips/glutes. good for IT tightness as well.

this is a stretch I will stay in for a few minutes, resting my forearms/forehead on the floor, and letting my bodyweight deepen the stretch. it can be pretty painful if you are tight in that area (I am!).