Been having lateral hip pain in the iliac crest area for the past month. Its worse afte running esp at night, but biking doesn’t seen to bother it. What could be the problem right before race season???
I have had IT issues with that leg, but never any pain in the hip area.
By your description it sounds like some tightness in your hip abductors (Gluteus medius, Glut Min, ITB, etc.) and possibly some hip flexors (Illiacus, Psoas, etc.). Im my opinion I would try some foam roller stretching after your workouts and some hip stretches to alleviate the pain. I hope this helps.
biff, I have the exact same thing, can’t figure it out either.
Would you suggest stop running totally or run through it with post run stretching?
I battled the same thing after IMLP last year. Strengthened glute medius and all related gluteal and hip muscles (fire hydrants and hip hikes are great - make sure form is perfect though), lots of rolling on a tennis ball - which worked better for me than a foam roller 'cause it’s more precise with trigger points. And, the magic bullet - gave up running. 
Yoga really helped too if you don’t want to give up being a runner. A great resource for all triathletes is the book “The Pain Free Triathlete”. You may have a psoas issue as well. Best of luck!
Just went to the doc & got pushed through the MRI process today for similar-sounding pain. (not on impact or push-off, not a sharp painbut not too dull? Near the top/side but if you push/look for it you can’t find it? Does it hurt if you kick that hip out sideways?) mine’s definitely soft-tissue, suspected iliac crest, glute-med strain or possibly bursitis. Been a month now so I got sent through the motions. MRI review on Thursday.
Do the PT suggested earlier (google glute medius PT for others, or check the womens forum for the latest hip pain thread). That’s a good first step. Take runs very easy & work on running softly and keeping your hips level. It’s most likely one of he stabilizer muscles.
What made the ortho laugh today? I was all blasé & doing everything asked with no pain whatsoever, until he has me try to squat down some on the ‘injured’ leg. I winced, he laughed. “Gotcha.”
Stretching may help, but won’t solve it.
Usually the sight of pain is not the sight of the problem. Do you run on a tredmill a lot, or lack hilly runs? This could cause weaker glutes and thus cause a muscle imbalance. Most common is ITB problems or the hips act up. Try some glute strengthening exercises. Hope this helps.
Google the “myrtl hip routine” Its a video of hip mobility and strength exercises. My collegiate runner friends swear by it to help with hip issues. It would be a good active warmup for it. I would advise cutting back on the running. I dont think you have to stop but ease back to reduce the strain on your hip.
Did you mean to reply to me or to the OP?
I never run on treadmills & run on hills in every run. I live in Nashville, they’re unavoidable. I do mix in a bit of trail running - which is also obnoxiously hilly. I’ve been doing the exercises & stretching 2-3x/day & do think it’s helping, but there’s obviously still an issue - hence the doc. There’s obviously imbalance (as there is, predictably, with the vast majority of athletes) between the larger muscles & the stabilizers. My issue isn’t with the ITB, oddly enough, so we’re having to look elsewhere. I think hips are elusive because there’s so much involved. My pain is minimal, almost disappears with rest from running, but my half marathon last weekend (also hilly) was ugly. So with a marathon in less than a month, it’s time to rule out the larger issues & get the legit treatment plan in place. Urg.
Caveat - I’m a big dude, so this might have more to do with my size than the average person.
I had the same thing in 2010 after training for a late August HIM. I could feel the pain during my runs, but afterwards (anywhere from -6 hours after) it got downright painful … almost froze up. Like you, biking was perfectly fine.
After my HIM (which I had to walk the last couple miles because the pain was too much … in the hip), I went to see an orthopedist who said it was muscular. I paid a couple hundred $$ for numerous deep tissue massages to work out the tightness, I went to PT to strengthen, and Chiro to stretch and align. Despite all of that it didnt get much better.
After having the post-run pain persist through the beginning of October’s Half Marathon season (which I eventually had to pull out of the races), I stopped running completely through mid December (kept riding). Lo and behold, I started running in again in December and the pain was gone. Hindsight said it was tendonitis coupled with or causing excessive tightness etc.
From December thru March, I took the opportunity to re-tool my stride from a heel strike to a midfoot strike and I haven’t had any issues since.
hope you get it worked out …
This really isn’t uncommon in runners and cyclists. In the majority of cases we see at our orthopedics and sports medicine office this is simply an under development/lack of strength in your hip muscles. Stretching and additional hip strengthening specific workouts are key.
Caveat is obviously that everyone is different so you may have something more serious going on.
Can you recommend any exercises? I do the clamshell, leg dips (stand on one leg on a stair and dip the other leg down at hip), and the pissing dog exercise (you get the picture), but always looking for others.
I agree with the tightness suggestion and foam roller as a solution, but the root issues may be hip stabilizer instability, requiring some strengthening. Some things to ask Google: “core strengthening”, “hip stabilization exercises”, and any variations you can think of. Good luck.
I know that proper stretching and other strengthening exercises are important aspects of our training, but aren’t running and biking enough to improve and strengthen stability muscles???
Sorry but I think your posts to this thread would indicate that the answer is no.