Hip Pain from Running? 4 Tips to Prevent & Relieve Soreness
Running can be hard on your body, but your hips don’t have to suffer because of it. Addressing hip pain from running and preventing future sore hips can be achieved by following the tips below. There are many reasons you could be experiencing hip issues. Figuring out the cause is step one in solving the problem.
Causes of Hip Pain After Running
Overuse
Overuse is one of the top causes of hip soreness and pain. Frequent running can put a lot of stress on your hips, but another activity that causes hips to become overactive may surprise you. Sitting is a large contributor to overactive hip flexors. It may seem like sitting provides rest for your hips. In reality, when hip flexors remain in a shortened position for prolonged periods of time they become overused. To help offset this problem, hip mobility and elongation exercises are crucial.
Typically, overuse and tightness go hand in hand. After running, you may notice that your hips feel a little stiffer than before. That’s okay in the short term, but over time this can make the tendons and muscles less flexible and place more stress on the hip joint, muscles, and tendons – making hip issues worse.
Alignment Issues
Pounding the pavement, poor posture, and improper running gait can all cause hips to become unaligned. This is known to cause hip pain for many people. Not to mention, when your hips are out of alignment your workout isn’t nearly as efficient and you open yourself up for a more serious injury.
Improper Shoes
Wearing the wrong shoes for your foot can play a big role in hip pain. Do you know if you have a neutral, pronated, or supinated foot strike? This information can help you determine which type of shoe is best suited for your foot. Plus, those who have high arches or flat feet may need shoes that provide additional support or cushion.
How to Prevent Sore Hips
Many articles suggest taking an NSAID or using ice as the first line of defense against hip soreness and pain. However, there are better options than popping a pill or icing. At best, both of these options will delay the recovery process, and in many cases they will make the situation worse in the long term. Here are a few options that are proven to be effective.
Warm Up
Completing a warm up prior to working out will loosen up your muscles and allow for better elasticity. This can help prepare your hips and prevent injuries from occurring. Dynamic exercises (ie. squats or lunges), lightly jogging, or walking are a few great ways to warm up your body.
Stretch
Static stretching before a workout has been shown to increase the chances of pulling a muscle. When you stretch “cold” muscles to their max that have not yet reached their full range of motion, muscle pulls are much more likely. Dynamic stretching (which include more movement and less about stretching into your full range) is the ideal choice pre-workout. Once your workout is complete and your body is warmed and flexible, static stretches can be more useful. The figure four stretch and the lunging hip flexor stretch are a couple great options to relax your hips. Tight hips can often lead to hip pain and injuries, so keeping them loose is an important step to prevent issues.
Active Recovery
One of the best ways to eliminate soreness and speed up your recovery is to move. Movement is the key facilitator for each stage of the recovery process. There’s no other method that will get each phase going. In order to recover faster and eliminate soreness quickly, you have to activate your muscles. When completing active recovery, make sure the movement doesn’t put more stress on your body. Your workouts are tough, your recovery should be easy. You can go for a swim, walk, or to make your active recovery even easier and more effective you can use Marc Pro.
Marc Pro is a tool used by pro athletes and everyday people to improve their recovery, prevent injuries, and feel their best. Marc Pro provides non-fatiguing muscle activation that you can use almost anywhere (at home, work, traveling, etc.) to achieve the benefits of active recovery. Plus, Marc Pro is non-fatiguing, so you can use it as long as needed and not worry about placing more stress on your body – no other recovery device can say that. The hip flexor or hip pain placements are a great place to start, but if you want more personalized assistance then our free coaching calls are encouraged.
Strength Exercises
Strong hips can do more work before they break down. When your hips are conditioned properly, they can handle more activity, which will ultimately help prevent overuse. Single leg bridge and clamshells are two exercises that can help build strength in your hips.
You may also be interested in:
Loosen Tight Calves with a Better Recovery Routine
How to Get Rid of Muscle Soreness
The Overuse Phenomenon | Kelly Starrett Shares How You Can Counteract It