Runners can deal with all types of aches and pains. Some of which they can push through and others stop them in their tracks. Unfortunately for this runner, the hip pain they were experiencing forced them to stop running.
I must give this athlete props as they sought help for this pain before it became super chronic (longer than 3 months) and lead to other issues. This is one thing I wish more athletes knew: THE SOONER WE ADDRESS THE PAIN AND DYSFUNCTION, THE SOONER WE CAN GET THE PAIN TO GO AWAY. This particular athlete attended 3 Physical Therapy sessions and was complaint with their Home Exercise Program and was discharged in less than a month.
(Yes, only 3 PT sessions…way better than 3 times a week for 6 weeks at a typical outpatient clinic…just saying.)
If you think about why it is so important to seek treatment before the aches and pains become chronic consider how your running form can change when you get something like a cramp much less sharp stabbing pain. When your mechanics change, you loose running efficiency and also put additional stress on other parts of your body which can lead to breakdown and, yeah, more pain.
I remember when I was dealing with posterior tibial tendinopathy as I was training for the Houston ½ Marathon in 2021 (the virtual one), the pain was so intense I thought I was going to tear my muscle. I’ll make a post about this later, so you can see what happened, but remember, address the pain sooner than later!
Keep living that run life, one mile at a time!