injury in area between hip and thigh muscle!

I experienced similar discomfort from about December to March last year. I think it was due to rapidly increasing training distances. Also more noticeable when doing the majority of training on road (which might be the reason why one leg suffers more - the camber of the pavement or road..). The solution i have come up with has been to not increase my run training times by more than 5 mins at a time, and lengthen the process of building up distance. So far this winter i've had no hip problems. I have got a problem with my left knee though..

Core training is also key to maintaining good running form, which when you are going for increasing distance can suffer. This would be linked to a weak back and might mean that you are putting more force on one side of the body causing the left leg trouble?

Probably no help whatsoever!!

Good luck 8)

Dom

I train for triathlon and I have been battling a left hip injury for the past 2-3 months. My pain is directly front of the hip joint in what I believe is due to the the Tensor Fascia Lata(TFL) muscle. My other hip is sometimes stiff at the front and above the joint but never as severe as the left side. The TFL essentialy is the start of the ilio-tibal band(ITB syndrome). This muscle(ilio-tibal band) runs from above the hip down the outside of the thigh and connects to the oustide of the knee. Most people tend to have pain at the oustide of the knee, but others like you and I get it at the hip. From the internet research I have done it is caused from:
over training, crowned roads, weak or imbalanced gluteus muscles(gluteus medius in particular or hip abductors), weak or imbalanced core muscles, bowed legs, uneven leg length and/or exaggerated forefoot pronation. I have a degrees of most of these causes/symptoms and tend to overtrain.

I have had lower back problems(to mention just one other) that have decreased with improved stretching and core muscle conditioning. Seams to me that slamming down over a hurdle could be hard on the joints, same as running long distances. Some of the recovery advice I have read about says:
rest, decrease mileage, run on flats(no crowned roads, no curved track and no hills- not sure where one would find this :?:), shorten your stride length, and/or get checked out by a sports injury expert(smartest thing to do). Chiropractic manipulation and ultrasonic treatment also appears to show good results. I have had good results with chiropractors, but have not tried anything with this injury.

Prior to 1/1/04 I had not ran for 2 weeks. Two days ago (1/5/04), I could barely walk and felt like I broke something after some extracurruicular activity with the wife the night prior(I did most of the work :oops: !). This is the worst it has ever felt. I iced and heated the hip and took Naproxen Sodium(over the counter anti-inflammatory) on 1/6/04 and today 1/7/04 I walk with moderate stiff soreness, much like soreness after a bad run. Much like you I am very frustrated but determined to beat the weakness. I am done running for the next several weeks and will probrably backoff on the bike(spinner) also, then start with strengthening/stretching/ice/heat then gradually work into running on flats. If that doesn't work I may consider chiropractic since my hips "click"- I just feel out of alignment.

There are numerous internet sites that provide guides for recovery, treatment, stretching and strengthening the hip abductors, lower back, gluteus and core(abs) muscles. If you search iliotibal band syndrome or Tensor Fascia Lata you'll get more info than you probrably want. Hopefully you(and I!) do not have bursitis.
Here is a few sites which may be of help.
http://www.drpribut.com/sports/spitb.html
http://www.emedicine.com/pmr/topic61.htm
http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/archive/gluteal-muscles-excercises.
htmlhttp://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/archive/hip-muscle.html
http://www.powertrim.net/workout.htm (for tool but principal is good)http://www.chiroweb.com/archives/21/09/15.html
http://www.csuchico.edu/phed/atc/Projects/ITband/ITBFS.html
http://www.time-to-run.com/injuries/thebig5/itb.htm
http://www.rad.washington.edu/atlas2/tensorfascialata.html
http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/archives/knee-pain.htm
http://eduserv.hscer.washington.edu/hubio553/atlas/content.html#214
http://www.nismat.org/ptcor/itb_stretch/
http://eduserv.hscer.washington.edu/hubio553/atlas/204.html
http://www.coachr.org/tfl.htm
http://www.webgate.net/~welchiro/stretching.html
http://www.physsportsmed.com/issues/2000/02_00/fredericson.htm

Best of luck!

Thanks for the replies, really helpful. :D . Looking at a few of the websites I feel there is hope for me yet!
I actually did have bursitis before I obtained this recent injury and during one training session felt as though something in my hip was going to snap. I found that with plenty of rest, icing, and gradual introduction to training again :D I was fighting fit again within 6-8weeks.