Remember that song “Dem Bones?” “Your thigh bone connected to your hip bone …”
I’m learning anew just how true that is.
A really smart physical therapist pointed out that my my original hip problems seemed to stem from an ankle sprain at a friend’s wedding in 2007. A flareup last spring/summer stemmed directly from a separate ankle sprain that turned into peroneal tendonitis. Now, a flareup of that peroneal tendonitis seems to have led to … wait for it … hip pain. Once again, as my ankle goes, so goes my hip.
I’m not freaking out about this. Instead, I’m trusting that my rock-star of a running doctor will again guide me past an injury and lead me toward a healthy, tendonitis-free running life. And I’m optimistic that physical therapy, which I’m working on setting up, will strengthen my apparently weak ankles to prevent problems like these in the future.
Finally, I’m taking this as a reminder to never write off what seems like an insignificant pain. I’m more than just a big, walking peroneal tendon, so it makes sense that pain in one part of my body would lead to problems in another.
This weekend, I’ll be thinking about my friends running the Philadelphia Marathon, which is on my list of dream races (flat, fast, in the fall, close to home … what’s not to love?). Marci, Jenn, and all my other Philly-running friends, I will be thinking about you all morning on Sunday!
In other news: I’m writing a story about the best half-marathons in the greater Washington area. DC-area runners, what’s your favorite half-marathon close to home, and what’s cool about it?
7 Comments
November 20, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Personally, I enjoyed the Pacer’s Running Festival half last year, but that’s mostly because it’s close to my home and has a wicked downhill start. It’s also very well run. However, it’s not the most exciting scenery and kind of hilly.
I can’t wait to see the article. I just joined Half Fanatics, so I look forward to seeing which halfs are good in the area.
November 20, 2009 at 8:15 pm
Oh this is really interesting. I fell and killed my right ankle over a year ago and have had hip problems ever since. maybe a connection? thanks for the post
November 21, 2009 at 5:19 am
I’m running Philly this weekend too! Very excited about it, have heard great things about the course…I’ll let you know how it is!
November 22, 2009 at 12:40 am
at least now you see connection and have truly “learned your lesson”! hopefully spoiling the ankle will cure the hip (and ankle) problems for good.
December 3, 2009 at 12:51 pm
[...] hip issues stem at least in part from ankle instability (read my post expounding on that theory here), and I’m optimistic that this will help curb another [...]
December 4, 2009 at 1:56 pm
[...] of all, my therapist there was the first person to suggest that my hip problems and ankle problems were one and the same, and to make me see that I’m more than a big, walking IT band or hip [...]
January 26, 2010 at 1:20 pm
[...] body likes it better when I’m closer to 15 or 20, and reminds me of that with flareups of my hip and ankle injuries. I compromise by using the FIRST training plan, which calls for three quality days a week of [...]