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Hip pain advice

by danleb85
Fri, Sep 01, 2017 20:50
10

Hi guys

I ride around 5 times per week, in the last couple of weeks I've upped my weekly mileage a fair bit and have started to notice a bit of hip pain, both sides but more so in my right hip.

I feel pretty confident in my bike set up, I have set up loads over the years and I've never had any kind of pain before over several thousands of miles so this has really stumped me. Then again, perhaps I'm doing something wrong?

I have recently been running in a new pair of bib shorts and am wondering if the slight difference in pad thickness is the cause?

I've also been told to think about shifting my saddle forward slightly but I'm not sure.

Other potential variables are, I'm 32 (getting a bit older) have done a bit more climbing this week than usual and I've got a new cap I'm running in as well lol.

Has anyone else had similar pain and what have you found helped?

Really appreciate any advice or tips from anyone and in the mean time I'm blasting my inner hip with deep heat!!

Cheers

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10 comments

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danleb85 | 7 years ago
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Hi all

I have been trying to post an update for days but the website keeps bringing up error messages whenever I hit save. Is there a mod who can look into this or are others having similar issues?

The short story is I think this was a bit of a muscle pull. I reigned back the climbs and a few less miles but kept active on the bike and managed to ride through it with no discomfort at all now.

Thank you for all the tips and it has definitely got me taking a second glance at bike set up anyway and also forced me to change my knackered cleats so not a total disaster!

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danleb85 | 7 years ago
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Peted76 you saying about the sensation when riding uphill is similar for me. Fingers crossed its a muscle pull as you say. I can honestly say I've never picked up a cycling related injury and I hope to still not have and can ride through this albeit a little more gingerly!

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danleb85 | 7 years ago
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Just a further update. I rested with no cycling at all over the weekend and yesterday (Sunday) evening started to feel a slight nag on the inside of my knee joint.

Ive put on the relevant kt tape 'install' for that which helped greatly.

This lead me to look at my cleats which ive discovered are overworn and possibly too free to move about. Said cleats are replaced now safe to say.

Ive done around 30km today very easy pace, a little bit of climbing but again a nice gentle pace. When I got on the bike this morning I had no pain anywhere and when I got home this evening the knee is feeling spot on with no pain but a slight nag has returned to the hip.

A few stretches are in order this evening and probably every evening from now on pain or not so ill see how I feel tomorrow but hoping the loose cleat caused all of it. Im loving my riding at the minute and dont want any periods off the bike.

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danleb85 | 7 years ago
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Sorry its taken so long to get back to you all!!

Initially (first 2 days or so) I only felt a niggle a couple of hours after getting off the bike but in the next couple of days after it felt like a continual nagging ache on the bike and off it pretty constantly. Not too much of a noticeable difference in the severity of the pain when sitting or climbing or anything else to be honest which is making it hard to pin down.

It's deep in the joint and constant but not terribly painful, I spent the first day punching it trying to get some sort of deep massage going on in there lol, safe to say that didn't work too well!!

Madcarew Ouch sounds rough and worryingly similar in the way the pain progressed... I cannot recall any kind of injury on or off the bike recently, not even a pedal slip but if it continues for a while longer I'll definitely get it checked in case I've done something similar. How long ago was that mate? Any long term issues since?

Dottigirl that's exactly what I thought RE the adjustment of perch hence leaving it where it is for now. The saddle is a Charge Spoon and I have the same one on all three of my bikes and have never felt anything other than comfortable using them.

Matthewn5 for the sake of keeping in the saddle I hope I am like you!! Planning a big ride early next year and my winter training is going to be important for that so really hoping it's just a knock!

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dottigirl replied to danleb85 | 7 years ago
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danleb85 wrote:

...it felt like a continual nagging ache on the bike and off it pretty constantly. Not too much of a noticeable difference in the severity of the pain when sitting or climbing or anything else to be honest which is making it hard to pin down. It's deep in the joint and constant but not terribly painful, I spent the first day punching it trying to get some sort of deep massage going on in there lol, safe to say that didn't work too well!!...

OK.

Not sure if this is going to help. Just having a think and throwing some ideas out. Please do not take any of this as gospel. 

I know what you mean by a 'nagging ache'. This is the pain I get when I sit on one of my hips. Pressure at one certain point sets it off. Or, subluxation (semi-dislocation - i.e. the hip is going out of the socket). What relieves it is spinning, 25-30 miles worth. Punching doesn't work, trust me. 

The two areas I'd primarily look at are your saddle width and saddle height.

If the problem is subluxation, the femur is being pulled out of the socket within the pedal stroke. Lowering the saddle by 1cm or so may help. 

If it is pressure on one part of the joint, you need to look at whether your saddle is interfering with your pedal stroke. Are your knees describing a circle, or are they wandering within the revolution?

Stretch, but do not do any stretches where the ball of the femur is unsupported within the hip socket. E.g. no standing quad stretches - do this kneeling in an upright lunge instead. 

I've also had a similar pain when my pubic symphysis was out of alignment, in addition to some sharper spasms. I had to see a very good osteopath for that, but he fixed it very quickly. 

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dottigirl | 7 years ago
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This is a bit more technical, if you think there's something like impingment going on:

http://theprehabguys.com/4-exercises-to-improve-hip-mobility/

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peted76 | 7 years ago
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You may just have pulled a muscle... I had throuble with my hip flexor's a while ago. Mainly them not being 'tight' and not very flexible. 

On rollers I could 'feel them' working when concerntrating on pedal stroke, also on a wattbike when trying to get the peanut shape better, same engagement of muscles same feelings. I get similar 'engagement' when pushing hard uphill.

I'm not sure but I think this came on after moving my saddle position slightly, it was overcome easily with a simple hip flexor stretch before bed. Not happened since. The sod of it was that it took so long to heal as you can't really 'leave them alone to heal'.. 

 

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matthewn5 | 7 years ago
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If you're anything like me, you probably hurt your lower back somewhere, stretching, twisting or leaning, but it's come out in your hip. And again, if you're like me, cycling is actually going to help keep you moving and will help to fix it. Try paracetamol and keep moving.

If pain persists etc. see your doctor.

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dottigirl | 7 years ago
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Cycling is great for my hips, in fact it's the best, longest-lasting painkiller with the only negative side effects on my bank balance. I can be hardly able to walk, but after 25-30 miles, the 'chronic' pain symptoms melt away and mostly stay away (until I set it off again). 

As madcarew asks, where exactly is the pain? Does it 'catch', or is it a constant? A bone-deep ache, or a sharper spike?

I would be careful about shifting the saddle forward as that may put more pressure on the stabiliser muscles around the front of the hip.

Your new shorts may have changed the way you sit on the saddle, but is your saddle the right size/shape? If it's too narrow for your sit bones, that may cause instability and pain. Too wide and you won't be able to pedal properly, which could also cause problems.

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madcarew | 7 years ago
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Where abouts in your hip is the pain, (front, side, deep in the joint)and when does it occur? (sitting down, pushing on the pedals, crouching, as the pedals come back up, twisting.....)

I slipped while out running, and then again at work. I had just a general low level pain in my hip after getting off the bike, and then later on after I'd been riding only a short while, and then while walking. Turned out I had torn the cartilage in my hip. It was an 8 hour operation and 9 months recovery. But, on the bright side, cycling is the optimum exercise for that recovery. Came second in a 130 mile race during my recovery 1

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