Hamstring/Shin/Leg injury

Dear all, 

I really need some help before I give up running altogether...

I am now 50, but have run since I was 18, doing any thing from 1/2 marathons down to 5ks..I have never had an injury from running, and have nearly always been out running perhaps on average twice a week.

I am now down to running 5ks, as on my last 10k about 6 years ago, my left leg went all wobbly on me during the run, and I had to stop for a rest to enable me to go on and finish the race. I did go and see a phsyio who didnt really know what the problem was.

Since then 5ks have been fine until last year, when I found that even 5ks are causing me problems. My left hamstring seems to have a dull pain in it. I did use some spray on the hamstring which helped me run, but of course that is masking the issue.

I also think that the left hamstring issue may be caused by my left leg. Whilst running I can feel my right leg hitting the ground, and doing what it should do, but my left leg i can feel a bit of numbness there, especially around my shins..and I cannot feel the shame impact on the ground as my right.

I have given up running now for 6 months, which is killing me, and recently did a 4k run to see if anything had changed, and whilst running the 4k I could fell whilst running  that the leg shin was numb, and I ended up feeling a dull pain in my hamstring at the end of the run. I also felt an ache in my left hip.

Now I always warm up and warm down by strecthing, in fact my left hamstring I can strecth better than my right. But I do not know what is going on with my left leg...

Does anyone have any ideas as to what could be causing my issue?

Thanks

Dave

Comments

  • not much i can advise of without doing a physical exam on you here, get yourself to a pysio or chiropractor in your local area. plenty of questions i could ask but i feel without being there it's going to be nigh on impossible to diagnose, doesn't sound like a straight forward case by any stretch of the imagination.

    go and see someone, and let us know how it goes. where are you based, i might (might!) be able to give you the name of a local chiropractor to you.

    Ross.
  • I am in Southampton, so if anyone knows anyone they could recommend in the Hampshire area that would be good
  • no...way! i'm from southampton! where abouts are you based? i'm not there at the moment, but there is a good clinic called "the joint" at the end of the avenue at the stag gates cross roads.

    58 The Avenue
    Southampton - SO17 1XS
    02380 210241

    are you a member of southampton AC? don't know a dave turpitt, so if you are, presumably you're from the southampton city group before the merge?

    Ross.
  • hi ross,

    wow....  i actually live in Chandlers Ford, so not that far away.... but have lived here for 40 odd years...

    I will certainly look up the joint.. thanks for that info...

    I have never been a member of any running club, I suppose i have have never got round to it.... I have always just run on my own.. or with friends when they need to get fit.. 

    I do remember doing the first southampton 1/2 marathon back in 1981 when i was 21... and young and fit, and the soton university 1/2 marathon back in 1980......

    regards

    dave 

  • if you fancy it you could join the group i train with when i'm not at university. lovely bunch of people ages range from me being the youngest (21) up to about 50 or so. massive variety of speeds too, meet at soton sports centre or soton common image most of them are distance runners, some are fast (quickest guy about 1:15 for half marathon, and then slower guys fair amount over 2 hours.

    i used to live in c'ford a few years back along park road, just of hursleigh road.

    let me know how you get on with any treatment if you're able to get some.

    and seriously, if you'd be interested in joining our club you'd be very much welcomed and can give you a phone number of the main guy in charge.

    all the best,

    ross.
  • If you're not going to see your GP then find an orthotist practicing in your area, who will assess your whole body & should be able to help
  • I went to see the physio at the Joint just before christmas, and after explaing all my details, and lots of prodding, leg raises etc, the physio reckoned it could be my IT Band (lloitibial band).

    I am now doing lots of IT band stretches, a bit of massaging on the IT band, and have just been doing the cross trainer, a few weights and no running. Next appointment in a couple weeks time...

  • I have been diagnosed with the same thing as you. Not sure if I have some problem with the piriformis too as sciatic nerve goes through it. A nice man (Hitman) from the forum told me about self massage with a quadballer. I also spoke to several other people. I hav ordered a quadballer and a foam roller. In the meantime I have been massaging with a rolling pin and also with a massage ball I have. Whilst it is by no means cured yet, it all feels much easier. At least my leg works now. It I sat down for more than a few minutes, I couldn't use my leg (from hip joint I think) for a few strides until it loosened up. Why do we do this hobby??

    Fed

  • the foam roller really hits the spot well... i use the foam roller down the gym, and it really seems to work well for the IT band.. I have read your other posts talking about the rolling pin.. that did make me laugh as I was looking around for something to use at hom, and never thought about a rolling pin... it must of been agony doing it on the rolling pin...
  • HI! I don't really know where to ask but since this is about running health/injury, I thought of asking here.

    The thing is, I love jogging, it has been my thing and my exercise since then. But I've been having problems running recently. When I run 3 rounds, the right side of my right knee hurts really badly. I don't know if a vein is stuck or what. And now I get scared of running too much! image
    Help!


    _________

    vita mix blender

  • Go and seek advice from your GP. Veins don't get stuck, though you might have a venous problem. You also may have any number of other knee problems.

  • Jack Parker, look up ITB syndrome, sounds like what you might have.
  • Just go & see your GP, you cannot do this sort of diagnosis on the internet. Some things yes, but not everything.
  • I went to see the phsyio for the second time today. Even though I am doing quite a few IT band stretches, she still said my IT band was very tight.

    She rechecked my hips, as I have a slight feeling of a bruise half way up my left hip, and I wonder if it was the hip giving me a problem... she poked and prodded the area, and said that its all to do with my IT band, and until we get the IT band sorted out, then things will not get any better.

    She also told me to try and stretch my illiopsoas  or psoas, so I have been looking up the best stretches on the web.

    I am going to do the IT band, quad, psoas stretches for the next two weeks... then I will try a run.. and see what happens as I am going to see her again in 3 weeks times.

  • an update... I have been making lots of use of the foam roller, massage plates at the gym, and generally doing as much stretching as I could..but she reckons I should do more on my psoas.... I went for a 4 mile walk, followed by a 5k run the next day, then a 20m jog the next day.. then I went to see the physio.. I must admit the jogging did seem much better.. but I still seem to have a bit of numbness in my lower leg... nowhere near as much as I did before.. so things seem to be getting better.

    The phsyio once again did an all over check on my left hand side... as thats the side where I now feel just a bit of numbness, and massaged bits which semed to be tight, and had problems.. she also wanted me to do some side bend strectches.. which I have started doing..

    She advised me to do a 5k run once a week, and see how that goes, especially after all the streching, and foam roller work.. and massage work she gave me.

    tomorrow will be a 5k run... lets see what happens

  • I was reading all the other posts on this forum to do with the IT band, and found someone who was using a golf ball to roll on for their IT band... so I started off doing this, and found this an excellent way to stretch/manipulate my IT band... It seems to me that the foam roller does not have the same impact on the top of my IT band as the golf ball does. The gold ball seems to hit the spot.. When rolling on the ball, I can feel the ache/bruise type feeling in the top of my IT band.. that is where I lay on and move around the golf ball.

    This seems to have worked well for me, so much so that a couple weeks ago i played football one day, then did two 5k runs on the next two days... and guess what my leg seems to be much better.

    I did go back to the physio last week... and besides her doing lots of massaging of my IT band, she doesn't think she needs to see me any more, as I know where the problem is, and I just need to do more manipulation of my IT band... with the golf ball.

    She did remind me that when I first came to see hre, I could not run a 5k without one leg feeling like jelly half way through.. now of course I can easily run a 5k... now all it needs is for me to get my fitness up...and do mroe running... what excellent news...

      

  • Latest update.. after lots of swiviling my IT band on a golf ball... I have managed to run the following...

    Last week.. one game of fottball and three 5k runs

    This week five 5k runs in 5 days... 

    When I think back to a couple months ago when I couldnt run a 5k without feeling like I had a dead leg... I find the transformation amazing.. 

  • Another update...

    The golf ball seems to have done the trick... between me and the physio we found what area was causing the issue. For me it was the top of my itband... and by laying and rolling on the golf ball it seemed to make things better... 

    I had been building up to the basingstoke 5k run, with training runs of 5k 5x a week, for about 4 weeks. I completed in the basingstoke 5k a few weeks back and put in a time of 24 mins which i was pleased with.. Since then I have been doing lots more running, and haven't looked back.. hopefully this will be of help to anyone else who has the same issue..

  • Dave, that's excellent news. I've been using a golf ball and foam roller for shin splints. Made a big difference.

    As you're based in Southampton and running 5km runs, have you done Eastleigh parkrun (http://www.parkrun.org.uk/eastleigh)?
  • So james you obviously had a similar problem... luckily i have never suffered with shin splints..

    No I have never done the park run.... I didnt even realise it took place.. Sat morning at 9am opposite parkway train station... I may start doing that.. it will only take 25 mins hopefully, and I would be home by 10..  ...

     I was thinking about joining eastleigh running club for the winter to keep me going.. but I haven't got round to it yet..

  • I think you'll really enjoy the parkrun. It's based at Wide Lane Sports Ground for the winter and you can easily be home by 10am. Alternatively, we head to Lakeside cafe after the run for a hot drink and breakfast! I should add that I'm the Event Director.

    ERC normally have a presence at parkrun (in fact most local clubs do) so a good opportunity to chat with them.

    I've found that a combination of golf ball and foam roller has really eased my shin splints this week. I'm really pleased about that.
  • IT band update...I started doing weights a couple years back, (as i only really ran the parkruns) and this has strengthened all of my body... I did do a session on legs once a week which included squats, deadlifts and the abductor's. I have found this has certainly helped my running..and I am currently doing 35 miles a week training for a marathon without any leg issues. I now make sure that I do deadlifts once a week, and train my abductor's twice a week. I haven't rolled on a golf ball now for a few years. Although I can deadlift heavier..I find that four 10 X 60kg lifts seem to be right for me..and as much time on the abductor machines at the gym as possible.
    So for me, maybe my issue was muscle imbalance after all.
  • After all the initial issues I had, I managed to run a full marathon in May without any issues. Looking back ...the physio helped me a lot, and pinpointed various things I needed to look at. It made me become aware of how parts of my body interact when running. I am also sure weight training once a week not with massive weights helped immensely with deadlifts, squats and abductor weights... so don't give up.. it may be a long road back to running.. but I am happily now running 4 times a week, and have entered for two half marathons. 

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