what if your knee hurts? what do i need to do
Reply - Janet
Without knowing more about the location, nature and onset of your pain it's hard to say. If your pain was a gradual onset in response to starting a running program then look into hip weakness and calf/hamstring tightess as being possible contributing factors.  If your pain was sudden onset in response to a trauma (twist, fall, etc) then it would be wise to see your physician to rule out something serious like meniscal injury. Janet Hamilton, MA, RCEP, CSCS, RRCA coaching instructor

I have recently returned to running after taking about 8 weeks off with a femoral shaft stress fracture. I returned to running very slowly, running for about 5 minutes every 3rd third day, then slowly workded my way up to running 30 minutes straight over the course of about 4 weeks. My recovery was going great and I was not having any pains until I started running 3 days in a row, for 30-45 minutes at a time. Now, I am not experiencing any pain while running, but have some inner thigh pain in the crease of my injured leg when I internall rotate the leg and apply pressure (i.e. crossing my leg and squeezing them together). I stopped running after discovering this mystery pain a few hours after a 35 minute run. It has been 2 days since running and I still have the pain-- only when pressure is applied, not during walking or any other activity. Is it normal to experience pain around a recovering stress fracture area or have I reinjured the area?
Reply - Janet
8 weeks off for a stress fracture of the femoral shaft is not very long.  You mention it took you 4 weeks to go from running 5 minutes to running 30 minutes and that's a fairly conservative build up but may not have been conservative enough.  It's hard to tell whether you've reinjured or not, but you'd be wise to take a short break and give your body a little time to catch up.  Perhaps a week of alternate activities (walking? swimming?) will give your body a chance to recover.  It's not unusual to have some lingering discomfort after a stress fracture but the fact that you returned to running after only 8 weeks would make me take a conservative approach and recommend a little break in your training.  Also make sure you're running appropriate paces.  Training too fast at this point will increase your risk of re-injury.  Have you addressed the underlying causes for your original injury? Were you able to address the strength imbalances and other issues that contributed to your stress fracture?  If those issues are not resolved then you are at risk for another injury. I'd be happy to help with more specific guidance -- if you're interested, send me an e-mail:  janet at runningstrong dot com.   Janet Hamilton, MA, RCEP, CSCS, RRCA coaching instructor

I was playing softball, and as i was halfway down the 1st base line running, but i was not running at full speed, i felt a pop in my right thigh. It prevented me from playing the rest of the game and felt tight and very soar. I tried to loosen it up but did not work. I want to know if i should get an X-ray or if this sounds like a quad pull innury? I can walk on it but with a slight limp, what should i do? Thanks, Jerry
Reply - Janet
Jerry this could be a pretty significant muscle injury - I think you'd be wise to see an orthopedist for this one.  If it was a significant muscle tear (strain) then how you treat it and rehabilitate it can have long-lasting implications for your future athletic pursuits.  Best to get the pros to tell you what injury you're dealing with and then get their assistance on charting your path back to full sport participation. Go see your doc!  Janet Hamilton, MA, RCEP, CSCS, RRCA Coaching instructor

First a little background information about me: - I have been running for about 3.5 months. - I ran exclusively on a treadmill for the first two months. - I am 6 foot and 187 pounds. (I’ve lost 37 pounds!) - I run 5-6 days a week (streets and some trails) - Short runs are 3 miles (7:30 – 7:45 pace) - longer run are 8-9 miles at 8:00 pace I am training for a long distance relay race (12 member team / 190 miles) each runner takes 3 legs. I have been training on flats and hills. I read about leg muscle fatigue and learning to “run through the pain” to make you stronger. My question is this: My legs rarely feel fatigued; it’s my cardio that limits my progress. Yesterday I ran a 4 mile hill with an average incline of 7.9% (btw, it took me about 49 minutes. Certainly not a speed record, but at some points the hill is at a 13% incline. My legs felt great, when I was done, my legs felt like they could do it again, and I’m not stiff at all this morning, but I had to stop several times to walk because I was just too tired to keep going. From the reading I’ve done it seems many/most people are limited by their legs, I seem to be limited by cardio. Is this normal? Any suggestions? Thanks in advance for your response.
Reply - Janet
First - sorry about the major delay in response from me -- somehow the notification of blog questions was getting diverted!
Most people when they start running are limited in cardiovascular endurance. You seem to be following that trend. The solution is to make sure you're running your training runs NOT at race pace but at an easy training pace. This will stimulate the proper physiological adaptations to enhance your cardiovascular endurance and capacity.  If you train at/near target race pace you'll miss some important adaptation and in the process you'll not only miss that but also put yourself at higher risk for injury. This is especially true with the hill training you've been doing.  It's important to train with the weakest link in the chain in mind.  In your case, strength doesn't seem to be an issue but cardiovascular capacity is.  So... back off a bit and let your body catch up!  The concept of trying to "push through pain" isn't usually a wise choice for beginning runners.  I'd be happy to help with some pacing guidance if you're interested.  Send me an e-mail at janet at runningstrong dot com if you want more info.  Hope this helps - Janet Hamilton, MA, RCEP, CSCS, RRCA coaching instructor

I have been suffering from a dull pain on the inside of my lower leg for about a week. I had a stress fracture last year in the same spot but this pain dose not feel like the stress fracture. I ran a 50K this weekend and felt very little pain. What are the chances of having a stress fracture in the exact same spot? What other injury could this be?
Reply - Janet
First let me apologize for the late response to your question!  Hopefully by now you've had some diagnostic imaging done to determine if your injury is indeed a second stress fracture. It is not uncommon to have a repeat injury - either another stress reaction or perhaps a related tissue injury like a periosteal injury.  MRI or bone scan will be your best bet to figure out exactly what's going on. Perhaps you didn't resolve the factors that lead to the original stress fracture in the past?  Sorry about the late reply - feel free to e-mail if you have questions (janet at runningstrong dot com).  Janet Hamilton, MA, RCEP, CSCS, RRCA coaching instructor

What treatment is available for a broken hand?
Reply - Janet
generally they'll either cast it or do some sort of surgical stabilization with pins... it depends on what's broken.  After the broken bone is healed it's usually a good idea to get some physical therapy to regain your mobility and dexterity. 
Janet Hamilton, MA, RCEP,CSCS, RRCA coaching instructor