Most Common Causes of Running Hip Pain
When you are running, hip pain is not the most common running injury.
Much more often you would have knee pain or lower leg injuries.
It is however possible to get hip pain when running.
And it can limit you severely from doing what you have to do and going where you want to go.
This article covers some of the most common causes of hip pain.
Different Hip Injuries
Hip Fracture
A hip fracture happens most often in younger runners whose bones are still developing. It can happen to older runners as well. A common reason for a hip fracture is bone displacement due to another injury. Hip fractures need to be treated as they may cause you problems later in life. Osteoporosis, for instance, can be caused by untreated bone fractures.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory disease that causes the loss of function or malfunction of the joints. It also causes pain, stiffness and swelling in the hips, knees, or parts of the body that have joints.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is the cause of breakage of the cartilage that can be found in the joints. Cartilage is the slippery tissue that covers the end of the bones connected by joints. It prevents shock from body movements, Over time, continuous movements eventually damage the cartilage, since your bones rub together when they move.
Avascular Necrosis
Avascular necrosis happens when the blood supply to the bones is temporarily or permanently lost. Since the blood is what keeps the bones working, the loss of blood will eventually result to the death of the bone tissue, causing it to gradually malfunction.
Post-Traumatic Arthritis
Post-traumatic arthritis may develop when you encounter an injury and the bones or the cartilage do not heal. This may lead to more complicated diseases such as osteoarthritis when not properly medicated.
Congenital Hip Disease
Congenital hip disease is acquired genetically, or from birth, and if not diagnosed, it can lead to more complicated problems later in your life. For instance, hip dysplasia is most common among many people, but is less treatable. This is when your hip seems to be perfectly in position, but is not actually placed well on the socket. The "ball" then moves to the very edge of the socket, causing fractures to gradually develop.
Preventing Hip Pain
Many of the injuries / diseases above cannot be prevented. When you have got a painful hip injury, it is best to stop running and get it properly diagnosed so you know what is wrong. The most common running injury logic also works here: if you overdo it, so if you run too fast or too much, you will get pain. Most overuse injuries are nasty and take a long time too cure, so take care of your legs and make sure you follow a sound running training regime.
In general, when you experience running hip pain, go to a doctor and get a proper diagnosis and the right medical treatment.
Hip pain does not have to stop you from doing what you normally do.
With the correct diagnosis and proper medical treatment, long term function of the hips can be maintained and you can keep on being a happy runner!
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