Thinking about my nagging problem areas - mainly the right hip and the left
hamstring - I've somehow finally realized that these two problems may be
related, and may be caused by mechanical problems. Both problems can become
acute, and both at different times have stopped me from running when
inflammation occurs; but until now I didn't take it seriously that my
posture and/or running form could possibly be the direct cause.
After having some signs of inflammation that left me extremely tight and
wary of a sciatica attack over the past few days, I've been motivated to try
to go beyond the treatments and preventative stretches that have helped so
far to find a real cause for this pain. I got a few running books from the
library to see what they might have to say, and I also started reading a
book my sister had given me last year: "Pain Free: A Revolutionary Method
for Stopping Chronic Pain".
I got something from the descriptions of certain mechanical problems that
can occur and how they manifest in various injuries from the running books.
But what talked more extensively about it was the chapter on hips in the
pain free book. It's just 15 pages, but it describes the problem of
arthritis and hip replacements in society today, and why the authors believe
mechanical problems are the more likely cause of such problems, and gives
some exercises to help correct these problems.
Basically they talked about how one or both sides of the pelvis can become
chronically tilted or tucked under, and how this can mess things up and
cause undue wear in the hip joints. They said that overall poor posture is
also a contributing factor to hip problems.
I haven't tried the exercises they prescribed yet, but something interesting
happened when I ran today. Recently, as I've pushed my running (my long run
duration and frequency) in preparation for a 50 mile race, my left hamstring
has been hurting more and more. It's always a presence in my running, though
sometimes it becomes very painful, as it has recently. Also my right hip has
been on the verge of an acute attack the past few days, as I know from
experience the conditions that usually precede such an attack.
So, during today's run, I changed my posture consciously, though it was
somewhat awkward. The result: no hamstring pain whatsoever, and what seemed
like better tracking in both hips. Of course it's too soon to tell, but it
was remarkable how the hamstring pain went away. I simply forced my
shoulders and head back, and tried to keep my hips pressed forward as much
as possible, and ran much more upright than usual.
I knew my posture wasn't the best, but I didn't think it was that bad
either. Now I think it may be the primary cause of these two running
problems. It's too late before my race (10 days away) to make substantial
changes to my running motion, and to fully correct my postural problems, but
I'm encouraged by this more than by any of the other things I've found that
have helped.
As I ran today, I thought about Michael Johnson (always a hero of mine) and
his strange running form. He ran very upright, and appeared to even lean
back at times, but clearly had a style very different from most runners. His
style: shoulders back and relaxed, hips straight and squarely under the
torso, and what looked like short strides -- set two outstanding world
records. It's not clear to me that a forward lean is bad, but it does seem
like a forward lean could lead to a pelvic tilt that may be problematic, as
such a pelvic tilt is suggested to be a source of hip problems in the pain
free book.
-Tony