It's Suspected: Hip Bursitis February 10, 2006
Posted by Amber D. Evans in : Running, Reflections, Blacksburg VA , add a commentRunning is no longer an option, and I don't know for how long …
The end is near. Well, the end of training for my half-marathon, that is. After last week, my right hip was "snapping." The day after my long run, my right hip started to hurt. Then, I couldn't even walk on it. I gave myself four days off from running, and today I can walk without too much noticeable discomfort. This is not looking good, though.
Yesterday, I (stupidly?) tried running on the treadmill for 2 miles at a 10:30/mi pace. I figured it would be slower than normal, lower impact than the road, without elevation, and without camber interference. I made it two miles, but the burning in my hip became so debilitating that I decided to switch to the recumbant bicycle for the remainder of my workout. I had no problem with cycling (as long as it's all seated), nor do I have any problems with swimming (in fact, swimming makes it feel much better).
I've researched online as much as possible and narrowed it down to either hip bursitis or something to do with the IT band. So, I called my sister's boyfriend who is a personal trainer getting his Ph.D. in Physiology and he seems to think it's hip bursitis, too. (FYI: I didn't tell him that first–I just described my symptoms to him and he independently came to the same conclusion.) And then he said something about going to a doctor to get it checked out and diagnosed for sure.
Uh … finances and medical insurance being what they aren't (i.e., non-existant), the doc will have to wait, so that means running will have to wait … about 6 weeks if this can be believed at About.com, "most patients who are faithful about treatment get better within about six weeks." Also, "Generally, patients should avoid hills and stairs and direct pressure on the affected hip (sleep on the other side), when possible, while symptoms are present." R-i-i-i-i-ght. I live in Hillsmania, USA and sleep on my right side. No wonder it's been a rough week of sleepless nights!
Doh! So much for the half-marathon on March 4th. Worst case, I guess I volunteer to help with the event. Bummer, though. Well, at least I still have two out of three I can do!