Hip flexor pain 3 weeks b4 marathon

To anyone who can help,

I have just experienced hip flexor pain and 3 weeks before the marathon. I've never had it before.

I had 3 days off running after it first started so missed my last 20 mile training run. After 3 days i ran 13 miles and was in agony afterwards. I saw a physio who did some dry needling and gave me exercises and diagnosed the psoas hip flexor as the culprit strained muscle.

Can i still run the marathon, and should i just rest from now on? How much fitness will i lose. My aim was sub 3:25 having run 3 marathons at 3:22, 3:23, and 3:24 (and 1 at 3:41), but perhaps i shall just hope to finish now.

 Anyone else run a marathon with hip flexor pain. Any advice is very welcome.

Thanks,

Runningbec

Comments

  • hmm bad luck. The muscle strain will need time to heal and the rate at which is does this depends on a few things like the degree of strain to start with, what stresses it's subjected to while it heals and the treatment / management it receives.

    Option 1 - in an ideal world it would be best not to run - if you're getting pain while running I'd definitely say don't run. Option 2 - rest it and treat it as you're tapering anyway and run the marathon aiming just to get around, walk / jog if necessary. If you decide to do it make sure you have access to ice afterwards!

    It's not so much your loss of fitness that is the concern, but the injury - you have done enough training and have previous marathons to cope with the psychological aspect - it's just that you don't know how your hip flexor strain is going to respond to 26.2 miles.

  • I hurt myself - a strained muscle as well.

    I can't walk.  Let alone run.  I guess if you really had a proper strained muscle, you would be in enough agony to know that running would be highly stupid.  I havent' run for over a week, with 3 triathlons and a marathon coming up.  And no end in sight.

    Listen to your body 

  • Looks like we're all in good company then!!  I did a crappy 17 miler on Monday and my hip flexors are making their feelings known!!

  • I am currently going to a physio who seems to be charging me and then not doing much to help.  It's just as bad after 2 sessions and I still can't run or cycle  image
  • Hello there. 

    I'm in a similar position though with my knee rather than hip.  Training for FLM had gone very well, did 18 miles 3 weeks ago, attempted another long run a week later and had to stop due to pain in calf.  Went to physio who discovered all sorts of abnormalities with my body - hips out of alignment massively, feet stiff and inflexible, weakness in muscles, etc - made me feel very depressed.  Yet despite this have managed a marathon and plenty of other races in the past.

     Anyway given exercises to do which improved calf, so foolishly decide to do 10 miles last Sun.  Big mistake - last 5 miles awful and now have a bursa on inner aspect of my knee, so like you PH now can't run at all.  Had some ultrasound yesterday and going back for physio next week - will then have to decide if I can do FLM...not looking good.

     It's so depressing.  Have raised loads of money for MS Society and now feel I'll be letting everyone down.

  • Sorry to hear all your sore and sorry stories too. I actually have been off work since that 13 mile run as i can hardly weight bear and my job is running around an emergency dept all day on my feet so have had to remain on the couch. Very depressing. I've been doing physio and dry needling  to the area which is hopefulyl helping, cause as you say, it can be expensive and you wonder if it is worth all the money, particularly if you don't see much improvement. I've decided that if i can weight bear normally before the race then i will run it even if it may be very painful, and i won't run at all (well actually can't anyway!!) until the marahton day if i can actually make it to the start!!

    Sometimes i really do wonder why we run!!!!

    Good luck everyone,

    BTNG image

    BTW, Pavey have you had long-term hip flexor probems, and ever run a marathon wihen they've been sore like that?

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