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Today I finally went to see the doctor. It’s been three weeks since I injured myself during my first-ever 10k run. Last Monday, after waiting in vain for the pain to go away completely, I gave up my Roth stubbornness and made an appointment with a sports doctor at a nearby clinic. Over the past week, as I’ve waited for my appointment, the pain has subsided further, but it hasn’t vanished completely.
I was surprised at how much I like my doctor. He’s my age and my build and has similar interests. He also just cut through my guff, getting to the heart of the problem. After listening to me describe the pain in my thigh and in the side of my leg, he had me lay down so he could manipulate my leg. When he was finished, he gave me the diagnosis.
“The good news,” he said, “is that you can run. There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with you that would make running a problem. You might have some discomfort for the first mile or two, but that may fade. As long as it doesn’t increase, you’re fine running on that leg.”
I smiled with relief.
“The bad news,” he said, “is that you need to stretch. A lot. I have two-by-fours at home that have more flexibility than you do. You need to stretch at least three times a day, preferably more.” He showed me a variety of stretches I should do and explained that I should hold each pose for fifteen seconds, and do three sets every time I stretch.
I asked if I could resume my marathon training. “Yes,” he said, “but ease into it. You haven’t run in several weeks. You ran thirteen miles on the last training run? What did you run the week before?”
“Twelve miles,” I said.
“Start back with twelve miles this weekend,” he said. (Though after talking with Coach Pam, I’m going to ease back to ten miles, actually.)
“But really,” the doctor said, “you need to stretch. Your flexibility is terrible.”
So what was my injury? Turns out I had two problems, which was part of why I was so confused. “I think that on your 10k run, you probably tore your quadriceps a little,” the doctor said. “That’s an acute injury. You were pushing yourself hard and you were running downhill. When you run downhill and you don’t shorten your stride, your muscle wants to both elongate and contract at the same time. That’s not good.”
“As for the pain on the side of your leg, that’s your iliotibial band. The IT band is a mass of tissue on the side of your thigh. Other muscles connect to it. That’s a chronic injury. It’s a result of ongoing overtraining. You need to be careful that you don’t increase your mileage by over 10% each week. You’re a man. You want to do stupid things. Just take it easy.”
The doctor suggested that I continue biking, but that I get fitted so that I have proper form, especially if I plan to do long rides. He also wants me to begin doing interval runs at least once a week. “Those are just as good as lifting weights,” he said, “probably even better.”
Finally, he told me that he could write me a referral to a physical therapist. “If you find you can’t figure out how to do the stretching, or if you’re not doing it as much as you should, then a physical therapist can keep you motivated.”
I admit that I’m the world’s worst stretcher. It takes patience I just don’t have. But you know what? If stretching will help to prevent injury and will allow me to run again, I’ll do it.
Mac
24 responses so far ↓
1 Anne Keckler, Personal Trainer // Jun 17, 2008 at 6:18 am
“Those are just as good as lifting weights,” he said, “probably even better.”
Just as good for what? For burning calories? Yes. For losing fat? Okay. But for gaining muscle? Absolutely not.
2 grimsaburger // Jun 17, 2008 at 6:29 am
When you talked before about your injured thigh, I was going to guess it was the IT band–I’ve got the same thing going on. My personal experience says when it starts to hurt, LISTEN. Otherwise you’ll end up taking weeks off running, trying to heal the thing.
Are you still doing the yogatoday.com stuff? If you can’t find an hour, there’s a 20-minute yoga podcasts on ITunes that’s pretty good (yogadownload or something like that). Anything that says “hip opener” or “yoga for runners” works for me. The first stretch on this video from runnersworld.com is a doozy, but your hips will feel like rubber bands afterwards.
3 J.D. // Jun 17, 2008 at 6:51 am
The doctor and I were discussing my former habit of lifting lower body weights and I how I felt like whenever I did, it interfered with the running. He offered the interval training as an alternative. He told me that doing this would make my legs stronger, and in a way that it’s appropriate for the motions I use for running.
@grimmy
Thanks for the tip.
4 Him // Jun 17, 2008 at 7:27 am
JD,
I also had some IT band last year as a result of overtraining (actually getting into interval training). Try seeing if you can get your hands on a foam roller and roll out the side of your thigh that hurts. See it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk9KDJ-EORs
When you start on intervals, try something simple like this on a shorter run, after mile 1 or 2:
Run fast - 10 sec
Jog - 50 sec
Repeat 5-10 times
Don’t start by doing all out 400 meter runs, like me. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
5 j-squared // Jun 17, 2008 at 8:07 am
I’ve also had my fair share of IT band problems over the last year (training for a half marathon). You’ve already received plenty of solid advice (especially the foam roller tip), so the only thing I’m going to add is this: try not to sit down for too many hours in a row. Sitting for extended periods of time will contribute to the tightness that causes the IT pain.
Good luck with your next long run!
6 greenman2001 // Jun 17, 2008 at 8:31 am
“That’s a chronic injury. It’s a result of ongoing overtraining. You need to be careful that you don’t increase your mileage by over 10% each week. You’re a man. You want to do stupid things. Just take it easy.”
Amen.
Many of your marathon pals will tell you that the 10% rule is nonsense. Them vs. your doctor: who will win the battle for JD’s mind?
I didn’t learn how to really stretch until I started going to yoga class. Not a book, computer program, video, or DVD: a $15 class taught by someone who knew what they were doing. I spend about 1/2 hr stretching before I do anything — lifting weights especially.
7 JFBF // Jun 17, 2008 at 9:11 am
I feel for you JD. I ran my first half marathon last year, felt great about it, went right back into running, and then suffered a knee injury about two weeks later. It was a a meniscus pinch, and I recovered pretty easily, but I had to take several weeks off, and start up again really slowly, so it set me back quite a bit. I also have back problems that flare up every now and then. Every sports doctor I’ve seen says I need to stretch more - for my knee, for my back, for everything. And I always swear I’m going to do it - it certainly seems worth it, to avoid the pain and frustration - but I never keep with it. I hope I’ll be inspired by you! I just don’t have the time or the patience… but I know those are just excuses.
8 bethh // Jun 17, 2008 at 10:02 am
That’s great news, and your doctor sounds wonderful.
Now, as to the bike fitting - do it! Don’t delay like you did for buying new running shoes.
You’ll be amazed at the difference small informed tweaks can make to your bike fit.
9 Andrew is getting fit // Jun 17, 2008 at 10:25 am
Glad to hear you’ll be hitting the pavement again. I hate stretching too but I guess I should add it in.
10 Johnny // Jun 17, 2008 at 10:33 am
I am horrible at stretching, but I’m glad I read this today to remind me to always do it. I think sometimes though I talk myself out of it thinking I could very well hurt myself by overdoing it (stretching, that is). I have never heard of the three times daily thing, but it might just be worth a shot…I think I’ll give it a try as well.
11 Garrison // Jun 17, 2008 at 10:45 am
Great news JD. Now for the challenge of getting back into running without too much disappointments from the set back. I do expect to see you start racking up the miles again over at WeEndure.
Oh and when you get this JD I’m reminding you to stretch right now, just stop what you are doing and get another good stretch in for the day.
12 Sam // Jun 17, 2008 at 12:14 pm
I was diagnosed with IT band tendonitis a few months ago. Evidently, being a hockey player and skating really tightens up that band and when I switched over to running my body rebelled in a serious way. Luckily, it has seemed to go away.
Good luck with the recovery and the training.
13 Brooklynchick // Jun 17, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Oy! Not stretching!! VERY BAD! I really recommend all the yoga tips above, PLUS a physical therapist to ensure your form is good.
Others should chime in, but I’ve been told by numerous trainers to warm up (walking, jogging or biking) for about ten minutes (until you start to sweat basically) before stretching. And to stretch again at the end of a workout, but to never do it “cold.”
I’ve also been told to hold stretches for 30-60 seconds, and to *never* “bounce” the way we did it back in the 80’s!!
14 Pat Blanks - EasyDietMeals.com // Jun 17, 2008 at 1:54 pm
J.D. thanks for sharing your doctor’s advice.
This post is useful for everybody as when we think of doing some exercise we usually neglect the value of stretching.
15 Sheamus // Jun 17, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Stretching is a funny thing. I’ve never bothered stretching before any kind of workout and have only had one significant injury my entire life, and that was when I popped my rotator cuff *warming up* doing push-ups (of all things) before the bench.
I don’t stretch before or after a workout. I’ve never had cramp. Ever. Not once. Nor a charley horse or anything like that. I’ve gone ‘cold’ into a half-marathon and ‘cold’ into 140kg presses.
Dean Karnazes claims he never stretches either, irrespective of how far he’s running, feeling that he’ll warm up in the first few miles.
Obviously it’s different if you’re a sprinter, as the impact is far, far greater right from the start. I’m personally not so convinced it’s as essential as many make it out to be for distance runners, but as usual we tend to favour the things that work for us.
Different strokes for different folks and all that. I guess as I get older (I’m 37 this year) it’s probably going to become more important. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I don’t own a car and walk everywhere, so I’m always already partially ‘warmed up’. Who knows.
16 Amy // Jun 17, 2008 at 7:42 pm
Great news that you can resume! Looks like you have some good advice in the comments - stretching is good for IT band and if you don’t do it - it will remind you to be more consistent. I found that I am bad at setting aside time just stretch, but do better when I can do it while doing something else - like making dinner, waiting on kids. The simple standing, leg in front of the other and bending the other way does wonders.
Amy
http://www.runnerslounge.com
blog.runnerslounge.com
17 Concerned // Jun 18, 2008 at 6:24 am
I read your blogS on bloglines. So do hundreds of other people. Yet I see no Ads on bloglines. Your GFS blog page itself has no Ads. Just wondering, aren’t you losing revenue?
18 Pam // Jun 18, 2008 at 10:43 am
Sheamus - you are right, there have never been any conclusive studies to show that stretching prevents injuries in distance runners. there is currently a very large trial going on (you used to be able to enroll at runnersworld.com, not sure if you still can) to see if there are any differences, but that is still ongoing. So as long as you’ve never had any real injuries, science says you can go ahead and skip the stretching.
People who already have injuries do benefit from stretching in some studies, so if you have ongoing problems (that’s you, JD!), than it is time to stretch!
19 Sheamus // Jun 18, 2008 at 11:39 am
Thanks Pam! Nice to know I’m not a complete nut.
20 Anne Keckler, Personal Trainer // Jun 19, 2008 at 7:40 am
JD, interval training is not going to give you the same strength results as weight lifting. So it really depends on your priorities.
It sounds like your doctor is biased towards running, and against weight lifting.
21 Mark // Jun 19, 2008 at 12:55 pm
J.D., You sound like my twin! I am incredibly inflexible. I have experienced a few nagging injuries over the last couple of years (ankle tendinitis, foot pain, a sore butt) and they were all due to my inability to stretch. I now stretch thoughout the day and in the evening before bed. If I do that I am relatively pain free but if I wimp out in the stretching I know it immediately.
22 Kyle // Jun 20, 2008 at 11:56 am
I’ve run into IT Band Syndrome a few times in the past, usually when I’m training for a half- or -full-marathon. Stretching is key, both before the run and about a mile or two in. I usually stop after a mile and do a complete stretch routine, focusing on the IT band. Also, squats and lunges seem to help me a lot. You can also buy a brace, which seems to work, but shouldn’t be used as a replacement for proper stretching.
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