Thigh Chafing

by Chris R.
(Orlando, FL)

I am a beginning runner and am having a problem. I have very muscular thighs and when I run any amount over 45 minutes my thighs will chafe. How do I prevent this thigh chafing from happening?


Answer by Dominique:


Hi Chris,
Thanks for your running training question.
Being someone with "soccer player thunder thighs" I have had the problem of thigh chafing as well and many runners with us. I have got a few tips to prevent this from happening:

Fitted shorts

The thigh chafing happens because your thighs rub together and rub against your clothing. Wearing tighter shorts/pants like running tights or bike riding shorts can help a lot.

Lubricant

A lubricant (petroleum jelly, Body Glide, etc.) on your inner thighs puts up a bit of a protective layer. It's got a limited life though. With the rubbing of the thighs, the protective layer diminishes over time. I found that for me any run under 90 minutes was fine, but over 90 minutes the chafing would start again.

Stop sweat

Apparently the sweat chrystals that form can cause extra friction. It's like rubbing your thighs on sandpaper so to speak. So wearing CoolMax or other fabrics that take the sweat away from your skin and being well-hydrated could help as well.
When I first was experiencing thigh chafing I solved it with petroleum jelly. However as my runs got longer the jelly did not help anymore. I however really diminished the issue when buying a pair of those bike rider pants. Now I rarely experience thigh chafing anymore.


Hope this helps.
Kind regards,
Dominique