Outer hip pain running clinic San Diego

Outer Hip Pain in Runners

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Outer hip pain is a very common complaint we see with out runners at our Mission Valley office. The outer hip musculature is designed to provide hip, and lower back stabilization during running. When there is pain or tightness at the outer hip, the stability at the hip and lower back is compromised. This in turn can create abnormal stress into the hip, outer hip muscles, lower back, the knee, and even the lower leg/foot. The following conditions cause outer hip pain and dysfunction:

Causes of Outer Hip Pain

  • Glute Medius Muscle Strain
  • Tensor Fascia Latae Strain
  • Gluteus Medius Tendinopathy
  • Trochanteric Bursitis
  • Iliotibial Tract Syndrome (IT Band Syndrome)
  • Sciatic Nerve Entrapment

As mentioned above, the out hip plays a role in lower back and hip stability. If the outer hip is painful or dysfunctional the following conditions may also be present:

  • Low Back Pain
  • Facet Joint (Lower Back Joint) Irritation
  • Hip Impingement
  • Knee Tracking Issues
  • Outer Knee Pain (IT Band Syndrome)
  • Shin Splints
  • Plantar Fasciitis

Evaluation

It is important to be evaluated by a running doctor and sports chiropractor. We will help diagnose your outer hip pain and any potential compensatory injuries that may be occurring simultaneously.  A combination of range of motion, orthopedic, functional movements, and strength/endurance tests will be used to pinpoint the exact cause of your pain.

Gait Analysis

We currently offer at home gait analysis for current patients. After being evaluated in our office, if it is deemed necessary, we have our patients video tape themselves running on a treadmill and send it back to us for evaluation. For outer hip pain, many runners with outer hip pain run with what is known as a cross over gait. Check out our previous blog posts here on what a cross-over gait consists of.

Hip pain Running San Diego

Potential sites for injury with cross over gait

Treatment for Outer Hip Pain

Active Release Technique is an excellent tool for helping runners with outer hip pain get out of pain quickly. A targeted home rehab approach is then prescribed b our running doctor as a way to prevent the injury from coming back again. Schedule with us today at our Mission Valley, San Diego running injury clinic today!

The Running Clinic Certification

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Congratulations to Dr. Travis Rose, DC CCSP for successfully completing the course in “New Trends in the Prevention of Running Injuries”! This course, taught by The Running Clinic, teaches health care providers about the latest methods to treat and manage running injuries. Dr. Rose is currently the only healthcare provider with this certification in Mission Valley, San Diego.

Running Clinic Running Doctor San Diego

The following is a quick Q and A with Doctor Rose regarding running injuries.

Q: Having taken this latest course, put on by The Running Clinic, what were the main takeaways to prevent running injuries?

Dr. Rose: The main takeaways for injury prevention and increasing running efficiency were the following: 1. Run with a cadence between 170-180 steps per minute, 2. Limit the up and down motion while running (decrease vertical loading associated with injury), and 3) Use as little of a shoe as possible as this allows you to run more naturally.

Q:  Was there information that surprised you or went against conventional running information?

Dr. Rose: The biggest “eye opener” was the fact that there is zero research to support prescription of specific shoes for specific types of feet. Many people put their trust in companies to tell them which shoe to buy based on treadmill analysis. Unfortunately there is research that shows that shoes don’t limit pronation like they claim to do. So why give somebody a big bulky shoe when it doesn’t do what it is designed to do? Instead, work on the items listed above and become a better runner!

Q: What is the biggest cause of injury in runners?

Dr. Rose: It is when a runner changes something. For example, a runner runs 25 miles per week, same distances for each run. But then decides to run an extra 10 miles one week. That change in volume is what will likely cause an injury to pop up. Another example is always running on concrete or hard trails, then deciding to run 10 miles on soft sand. The body was not ready to support a long soft sand run and an injury occurs.

Q: There is a lot of information for exercises online to help improve running technique, can a runner do home exercises and fix their running flaws?

Dr. Rose: Unfortunately no. I used to be under that assumption when I was an injured runner. I would get frustrated when I would do a ton of strength exercises and core work to then run 2 miles and have that all too familiar pain come back. Running gait needs to be corrected to take strain off the injured area. Using myself as an example, I suffered from repeated shin splints due to cross over gait. It did not matter how much glute or calf strengthening I did because once I ran incorrectly again, the tendon would get overloaded and I would be back to square one. Once I learned to run with a wider step width and have a faster turn over (faster cadence), my injury went away almost immediately and I was able to slowly build back up.

Q: Any other advice on running injuries that you learned?

Dr. Rose: When in doubt, get it checked out. Running should be fun and injury free. I hear too many stories from patients about how tight and sore they are after every run. Or that pain is something “you deal with as a runner”. Not true! Get evaluated by a running doctor who can get your gait back on track. If there is not a running doctor in your area, there are a few pieces of wearable technology that can help. One being Lumo Run which gives feedback on cadence, vertical bounce, hip drop, hip rotation, and braking force. If you already run with a running watch, usually they have features that you can use (like cadence) to start really emphasizing proper technique.

Dr. Travis Rose DC CCSP and Dr. Kevin Rose DC DACBSP are Chiropractors trained to treat a wide variety of sport related injuries. Schedule a visit at our Mission Valley, San Diego office!

Hip pain running doctor San Diego

Types of Hip Pain and Running

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The hips play an important role during running. Running is essentially a single legged sport once you break down the movement.  The hip not only helps propel the body forward but also is a stabilizer of the lower back and the leg during the gait cycle. Due to the demands placed on the hip, it is susceptible to overuse, and acute running injuries. A running doctor can help by diagnosing the problem correctly and developing a treatment plan to get you back to running pain free.

Common types of hip injuries found in runners

There are many types of running injuries that can occur at the hip. Pain may be felt in the front, outside,inside, or back of the hip. Certain cases runner’s will describe the pain as deep in the hip joint. We will categorize the most common types of injuries we see based on location of the injury:

Front hip pain in runners

  • Hip flexor strain
  • Rectus Femoris/quadricep strain
  • Iliopsoas bursitis
  • Iliopsoas tendinitis/tendinosis
  • Rectus femoris tendinitis/tendinosis
  • Hip impingement
  • Hip labral tear
  • Stress reaction/stress fracture
  • Hernia

Outside hip pain in runners

  • Gluteus Medius tendinopathy
  • Iliotibial band syndrome
  • TFL strain
  • Trochanteric bursitis

Inside hip pain in runners

  • Adductor strain
  • Adductor tendinopathy
  • Iliopsoas tendinopathy
  • Hip impingement
  • Hernia

Back hip pain in runners

  • Hip osteoarthritis
  • Hip labral tear
  • Gluteal muscle strain
  • High Hamstring injury
  • Piriformis syndrome
  • Low back pain referral
  • Sciatica

To complicate the injury spectrum, there are cases where runners feel pain in the hip but is a referral from joint/nerve impingement from the lower back. Also if the hip is weak and injured, other injuries to the lower back, knee, shin, and foot may become prominent. Receiving a diagnosis from a running doctor trained in diagnosing and treating runners is very important.

Hip pain treatment

Our sports chiropractors at our Mission Valley office are trained to treat a wide variety of running injuries. We specialize in Active Release Technique, Graston technique, running form analysis, and rehabilitative/performance exercise. Schedule today to get evaluated by a running doctor who knows how to get your training back on track!

Knee Pain Running Doctor

Anterior Knee Pain and Running

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Pain in front of the knee is a common complaint that runners seek advice for from a running doctor. There are many conditions that can cause anterior knee pain including:

  • Patellar tendinitis/tendinosis
  • chondromalacia
  • Patella tracking issues
  • Quadriceps strain
  • Hip flexor strain
  • Capusular ligament sprain
  • Meniscus injury
  • Fat pad syndrome
  • Osgood Schlatter’s disease

It is important to seek treatment from a sports physician and running doctor to get a correct diagnosis, and begin correct treatment immediately.

Knee pain running doctor San Diego

What to expect at your appointment

At our Mission Valley office, our running doctor will take a thorough history of the running injury. After the history is completed an exam will occur which will include some or all of the following: range of motion, orthopedic, neurologic, functional movement, and strength/endurance tests.

Gait analysis is another important aspect for certain running conditions. We currently offer remote gait analysis where current patients can take a treadmill video of themselves running, then email it to our running doctor for evaluation. General recommendations for running technique can be found on our blog here: Increase your Cadence, and Improve Running Posture

Treatment for anterior knee pain

A combination of Active Release Technique, Graston Technique, and a home exercise program resolves many cases of anterior knee pain. We see significant results within 4-8 visits. Our goal is to our runners back to running pain free as soon as possible and have exercises to do to prevent the injury from reoccurring.

If you have been dealing with anterior knee pain during your training, please call our Mission valley office to schedule today. Our running doctors are certified to treat running injuries and get you back to running pain free fast!

Dr. Travis Rose DC is a certified health professional through The Running Clinic. Both Dr. Kevin Rose DC DACBSP and Dr. Travis Rose DC CCSP have treated hundreds of runners including Boston marathon qualifiers, and Olympic trial marathon runners.

Running Doctor Running Injuries San Diego

Running Injuries Treated in Mission Valley, San Diego

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Your training plan was going well and then out of nowhere, pain and discomfort pops up. At first you think, “Well it’s pretty minor, probably just a little sore from the weekend workouts.” So running continues as normal. Each run becomes more and more painful until the injury now hurts before, during, and after runs. This is when patients begin to search for a running doctor in San Diego to help recover from the injury. Our doctors of chiropractic are certified to treat sports and running injuries at our Mission Valley clinic.

What to expect for your running injury evaluation

Our running doctor will go through a thorough history of the injury first and then perform an exam which includes: range of motion, orthopedic, neurologic, functional movement and strength/endurance testing. If special tests are needed (x-ray, MRI), they will be ordered to help with a proper diagnosis.

Running injuries we treat

Runners seek treatment from a running doctor to specifically treat their injury. We treat the following conditions at our Mission Valley running injury clinic:

  • Runners knee
  • Quadriceps tendinitis
  • Hip bursitis
  • IT band syndrome
  • Hip impingement
  • Chondromalacia
  • Shin splints
  • Plantar fasciitis
  • Heel pain
  • Metatarsalgia
  • Morton’s Neuroma
  • Hallux limitus/rigidus
  • Posterior tibialis tendinopathy
  • Peroneal tendinopathy
  • Low back pain
  • Sciatica
  • Hamstring tendinopathy
  • Muscle strains

San Diego Sports Chiropratic

Treatment

Majority of running injuries are a result of overuse, with not enough rest which results in eventual injury (muscle strain, tendinitis, periostitis). Specific interventions to the affected area will help speed up the recovery process. These treatments may include:

Seeking the help from a running doctor specifically, will help get you back to running pain free faster. Schedule with one of our sports chiropractors today at our clinic in Mission Valley San Diego!

Shin Splints treatment San Diego

Shin Splints and Running

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Shin splints can be a frustrating condition to deal with. There are two types: anterior and posterior shin splints. Anterior shin splints are more common in beginner runners and doing “too much too soon” when starting a running training plan.  Posterior shin splints are more common in over trained runners; too much load over time, and/or too much intensity without proper recovery. Running form and technique can play a HUGE roll in recurring shin pain. We will mainly focus on discussing posterior shin splints as this is the most common condition we treat at our San Diego running injury clinic.

Do You have Shin Splints?

Shin splints are characterized by pain along the inner shin bone. In minor cases it may only hurt before and after runs. In more chronic or severe cases, it may hurt before, get worse during, and then be quite debilitating afterward. It is important to get evaluated by a sports chiropractor to rule out more serious conditions such as: chronic exertional compartment syndrome, stress fracture, and calf tear.

Why does the shin hurt with shin splints

The lower leg muscles attach to the tibia (shin bone) and run down to the heel and bottom of the foot. They act as shock absorbers during walking, running, jumping, etc. When these muscles contract, they pull on their bony attachments. If the muscles are not strong enough to absorb the shock well, the pulling at the attachments sites increase. Add in inadequate recovery after workouts, the tissues will not regenerate and will begin to fail. This will lead to soreness, pain, and inflammation along the inner shin where the muscles attach.

What causes shin splints?

Many times we see shin splints due to a recent change in training; change in volume, intensity, terrain, shoes, etc. For example, going from running 30 miles a week to then running 50 miles the next week. The interesting part is that many runners will not recognize this and state, “My training is great! I’ve had no issues until I ran 6 miles yesterday and had pain during and after the run.” It was not the 6 mile run that led to the shin splints, it was the 20 mile jump in volume the week before!

Many runners are susceptible to developing shin splints due to past injury to the lower leg muscles, poor running form, weak core muscles, weak lower leg muscles. When screening an athlete with shin splints, our running doctor will look at all of these potential causes  of shin splints.

But you said most cases are due to training error?

Correct, but if you have deficiencies mentioned above, your body will not be able to handle the forces involved in running as well, and failure will occur at a certain point. We see this a lot when patients have recurring shin pain season after season, or they develop pain only if they do speed work, or only if they run more than 25 miles per week. Their bodies are simply not strong enough to support the increased demands they ask of it. Or their running style puts more strain on the lower leg muscles; see our post on cross-over gait.

Treatment

Short term relief of shin splints involves: potential rest, Active Release Technique, Graston Technique, and home exercises. We see excellent results when we treat shin splints with Active Release technique to break down tight sore muscles that are irritating the bone. A rehab schedule will be advised so patients know when and how far to run. We typically see significant reduction in symptoms within 4-8 visits.

ART shin splints

Long term relief involves: correcting running form, correcting muscle imbalances in the lower leg, strengthening the core, and following a well periodized training plan every season.

We have worked with countless runners dealing with shin pain at our sports injury clinic in Mission Valley. It is important to have a running doctor correctly diagnosis your injury so a custom treatment plan can get you out of pain fast!

 

Dr. Travis Rose, DC CCSP and Dr. Kevin Rose, DC CCSP are Sports Chiropractors who practice in Mission Valley, San Diego.