Hip Injuries in Runners and How to Manage Them

There are a lot of injuries that athletes can sustain, especially runners. Bursitis, tendonitis, osteoarthritis, and sports hernia or athletic pubalgia aka core muscle injury are some. Hip pain and hip injuries are some of the more common ones. Determining what’s causing the pain is the tricky part. To manage and prevent it, we should start by locating where it is.

The hip is a ball-and-socket type joint that is formed where the thigh bone (femur) meets the three bones that make up the pelvis. These are the ilium, located at the rear; the ischium located at the lower front; and above it, is the pubis. Hip pain is the common discomfort or sensation you feel in or around the hip joint area.

Keep your hips healthy!

A healthy body transcends not only the physical sense but also the mind and soul. As a runner, you must have a healthy body to achieve your goals and live life to the fullest. Having injuries and accidents may be inevitable but you can always be proactive in maintaining a good and healthy lifestyle to avoid these.

Below are a few tips to prevent hip injuries to live up to your full potential:

Strengthen your core

Firstly, know that “core” isn’t limited to your abs. This also includes: the hamstrings, glutes, hips, lower back and the oblique muscles. Runners should target these areas for their core routines to prevent hip injuries and other running related injuries and maintain health.

Secondly, preventing hip injuries may seem hard and exhausting but it can be easy if you know how to do it properly. Strengthening and stretching your hip flexors is the key.

Issues concerning the general hip area are often related to weak glutes. Doing squats and the bridge pose exercise can strengthen these gluteal muscles. Lastly, you can try foam rolling daily to keep your hip flexors loose too. 

Control your weight

As an athlete, discipline is a must. Your body is a temple and you only have one so you should take good care of it. Follow your diet strictly and all the hard work will be worth it in the long run. Occasional cheat days here and there are possible, but know your limit. Your weight greatly affects your performance as a runner and once taken for granted, it’ll be harder to manage.

Do yoga and stretch regularly

Our body is composed of warm muscles, and when it turns cold like a frozen rubber band, it can easily snap and cause injuries. Most runners are doing yoga stretches because it stretches the muscles that are tight, thus increasing range of motion in linked joints.

As your flexibility increases, stiffness decreases, resulting in greater and faster ease of movement that in turn reduces the risk of hip pain and other related injuries.

Exercise regularly

As a runner, you have your own routine and choice of exercise which is good since no two runners are the same, but keep in mind that you should do it regularly and choose a routine that it is age appropriate and apt for your current physical condition.

Get annual check-ups

Annual check-ups may be tedious and annoying for some but as early as now, you must already know that as cliché as it may sound, “health really is wealth”. You only have one life to live and you must live it to the fullest. Your senior citizen self will thank you.

Don’t let hip pain and hip injuries keep you from doing what you love.