Anyone out there training through glute pain? I’ve been suffering from glute pain after running for the last couple of weeks and with Timberman in two weeks I’m starting to worry. The last couple of weeks have been very low on running mileage. Massages and stretching don’t seem to be helping. Rest is probably the best solution, but with only two weeks to go I’d prefer to avoid that option.
The fortunate thing is that swimming and biking don’t seem to aggravate things.
I see two options:
Forget about running and just continue to swim and bike. Race day would be more an aquabike event followed by shuffle.
Try a minimal amount of running through the pain to keep some semblance of run base.
Never had glute pain before and I’m not sure how risky training through the pain is. Any advice?
Right side only, and more on the back than the side. A friend suggested it could be piriformis. I’ll keep going with the stretching and massage. Thanks.
I’m just recently getting over a glute issue. It was pretty serious pain for a while - especially after my last IM. Went to a sports therapist and had some pressure point massage and ultra-sound done on it. That and stretching allowed me to train through the recovery. I would recomend seeing someone if you can. They’ll be able to tell you how serious it is and make recomendations. Also, seeing someone who is an athlete makes all the difference in the world (IMO).
Find a GOOD sports massage therapist and get some serious work done on both sides. Like I said, it is painful, but in that good way.
As far as streching goes, the yoga poses pigeon and double pigeon are the best I’ve seen for piriformis issues. Again, they’ll hurt, but it’s a good hurt.
Find a chiro or sports massage therapist who does ART. I had glute issues the last two months before IMLP and had massages and ART in the week before the race to help loosen it up enough so that it wasn’t a problem on race day.
I had a very similar issue. My advice is not to run on it. With your event in 2 weeks, rest will only help and not hurt. The problem is that if you run on it, you may alter your stride and as a result pull other muscles, that is essentially what happen to me. I ran on an injured hamstring for 3 weeks and now because I did, I strained other muscles in the leg. With IMOO 5 weeks away, I finally decided to rest it and see PT about it.
i would train the other 2 sports and not run for a week. I promise, you won’t forget how to do it.
A GREAT tool to get is a foam roller. If you dont know what this is, it’s a big tube of very firm foam type material that you can balance your body over and “roll” over the roller, giving you the most intense, painful and PRODUCTIVE self massage possible.
I got one at Target (of all places) this summer for 30 bucks. Sports Med places may also let you buy one. Or a chiro or massage therapist. But it’s a great piece of sports equipment to let you do some self administered PT on a daily basis. best of luck.
IF it is your piriformis (spelling) DON’T mash on it… I thought rolling mine out would be so good until I went to my PT who said that is kinda okay, but don’t make a habit out of it b/c when you do that it gets inflamed and will press on nerves and other muscles and make it worse. I don’t roll mine anymore…it is tight occasionally but a little stretchy and all better… just fyi.