I have been a competitive cyclist and swimmer for the last four years. I decided to try a tri so I started a running program. About 2 weeks into run training, my left hamstring started to ache. Nothing that interferred with my workouts and I only felt it when I sat too long.
About one month later, I took a moderate fall on my mtn bike and landed, of course, on the left hip. My back got stiff for about 4 days and then cleared up. The left hamstring, however, got much worse. Now, if I sit in the wrong position for any period of time, it is hard to stand up straight and it is very painful. It takes me about 15 steps to get somewhat painfree. The pain is worse in the morning and it is difficult to sleep. I feel fine when I am walking around or riding the road bike. Swimming takes a little more to warm up but then I am fine.
I am in the process of trying yoga, Pt and ART, but would love to know if anyone else has experienced this and what they did to get rid of the nagging pain.
Go see a doctor to rule out any lower back injury (a herniated disc can cause sciatica). Assuming you’re safe there, check your TT position. You said you come from a cycling background, so your position is probably fine. However, having a saddle that is too high, combined with being in the aero position, commonly causes sciatic nerve pain. My guess is that it’s from your running. I dealt with the same problem and found that if I shortened my stride and landed more flat-footed - rather than on my heel - that the pain went away after a couple weeks. Also make sure to stretch the muscles in your glutes frequently, and try to avoid sitting for long periods of time.
Thanks for responses. I kinda figured that it is piriformis but I am seeing a doc to confirm. My chiro belives that is what it is as well.
Since my running form is hideous, I have decided not to run until this is under control. I am getting orhtotics tomorrow to correct my foot plant ( overpronation) and then will need to slowly approach a new running form. I too have a long stride and do more of a heel plant.
I will train easily through this and hopefully will be well enough to do the Xterra series this year. By the way, this is not Dan, this is Ellyn. I just used his site to log in ( wives can do that).
Well , i must get up from sitting, my butt is killing me. Thanks for the website. Also, check this one out, It is really cool for any kind of injuries…www.deeptissue.com
Hard to do a diagnosis on the net, but I agree it could be priformis syndrome. As your chiropractor to also have a look at your sacro-iliac joint if he hasn’t already.
It could also be a disc problem or just an actual hamstring injury.
Seems like you’re doing the right therapy for it. If it doesn’t work you might want to see a specialist (orthopaedic or neurologist) for a further opinion.
