You’re anxious to break away from your day and get out for a run, but one or both of your hips have been bothering you, making your exercise regimen far from invigorating. When it comes to running-related hip pain, there are many culprits, including your running mechanics and form.
As part of our sports medicine services, our team of specialists based in New Jersey wants to take a closer look at how poor running technique can lead to hip injuries and what you can do to prevent runner’s hip pain.
How Overuse Injuries Cause Hip Pain in Runners
While we want to focus on running mechanics, we consider the frequency and duration of your runs to be part of this equation. The plain truth is that the majority of running-related hip pain stems from overuse injuries; you’re simply overdoing it and not allowing adequate recovery time for your body to rest and heal properly.
When you overtrain, you can develop several common conditions:
- Hip flexor strain and muscle strain
- Hip tendonitis in the large joints
- IT band syndrome (iliotibial band syndrome)
- Hip bursitis and inflammation
All of these overuse injuries stem from overstressing the connective and supportive tissues in your hip joints and can lead to hip pain. Each condition can benefit from proper rest, regenerative medicine treatments, and physical therapy for runners here at our practice.
The Proper Technique To Avoid Overstress and Hip Pain While Running
As with most athletic pursuits, there’s a correct way of engaging your body to avoid overstressing your joints and prevent running injuries:
Foot Strike Pattern Matters
If you tend to take “pounding the pavement” literally, the concussive forces you’re sending up into your hips can quickly lead to hip pain. We suggest that you pay close attention to your foot strike pattern and make every effort to lighten the impact.
To reduce impact stress, concentrate on using your mid- and forefoot more when you run rather than relying on heel striking. This adjustment in running gait can significantly decrease the stress transmitted to your hips.
Proper Running Posture and Form
While paying close attention to how your feet land is extremely important, so is the position of your upper body. When you run, you want to maintain proper running posture by:
- Keeping your upper body straight or slightly forward if you’re sprinting
- Lifting your chest
- Relaxing your shoulders
- Swinging your arms straight forward and back to keep your upper body aligned
Engaging your core muscles and keeping your upper body well-positioned helps relieve any stress from above that you may place on your hips. In fact, many experienced runners concentrate on core strengthening exercises when they’re not running to help balance their bodies and provide optimal support during their runs.
Essential Mobility for Hip Pain Prevention
We also want to stress the importance of hip stretches and dynamic warm-ups before you run. Proper hip mobility can help prevent many common running injuries. To get you started, here’s a video of some must-do hip stretches for runners.
Get a Professional Assessment in New Jersey and Avoid Hip Pain
While these running tips can be very helpful, if you really want to determine whether your running mechanics may be to blame for your hip pain, come see one of our experienced physiatrists or sports medicine physical therapists at our New Jersey clinic. With their guidance through a comprehensive gait analysis, you can improve your running performance and enjoy pain-free running.
To get started with a running assessment, contact one of our offices in West Orange or Westfield, New Jersey, to set up an appointment.
