After doing a half marathon at the beginning of March i noticed some pain in my left hip. After a couple of weeks it got worse and I went to see a specialist who did an MRI scan which showed edema at the top of the femur. He told me to rest for at least 4weeks so avoid it leading to a stress fracture. It improved a lot so that i had minimal pain when walking and just a few twinges and sometimes a bit of stiffness so he said I could swim, cycle but take it easy with weight-bearing activities. In the last couple of weeks i have moved to Vietnam for work and been doing a bit more cycling but have kept walking to a minimum. I am worried my hip isn't healing. I have been getting a bit of pain but not sure if this is because it is the 'healing process' or if it is getting stiff and I actually need to do more walking to help it? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!thanks
reply - Janet
I guess I'd err on the side of caution with this one Natalie.  Assume that things are not fully healed when you feel discomfort like you describe.  With your move to Vietnam - were you under more physical and mental strain?  If so - this can take a toll on your body.  Have you been getting adequate sleep?  If not - this too can affect the rate of healing.  If you have access to healthcare there - it might be good to follow up with an orthopedist to get a sense of where you are in the healing process. If you can have follow-up diagnostic imaging done, they can tell whether things are progressing as expected. If you don't have access to this, you might just consider backing off of activities that load the tissue (walking, biking, etc) as much as possible and see if things will settle down again.  Is there a chance you could call your orthopedist back home and discuss it with him/her?  They were the ones that saw the images and have the best sense of how bad the edema was.  Best of luck in your new job and hopefully you'll be back on the mend soon! Janet Hamilton, MA, RCEP, CSCS, RRCA coaching instructor

I love cross country but I really don't like track and I'm not very good at it. What spring sport would keep me in really good shape for the fall?
Reply - Janet
Samantha, that's a tough question! I guess it depends on what sports you have available to you at your location.  Perhaps if cross country is your true passion, you could use the spring and summer to take a break from "formal" sports and just do running on your own - conditioning?  Perhaps something totally different would give your body/mind a break - something like soccer or ultimate frisbee? If you have a cross country coach you've been working with locally - talk to him or her and get their advice.  They know you and your location and can guide you far better than I can. Janet Hamilton, MA, RCEP, CSCS, RRCA coaching instructor.

Thanks for answering some of my questions. Truly appreciate it! Can you help understand why I would be experiencing glute tightness? I am recovering from a recent marathon (# weeks ago) Hd no problems during the marathon. I have been building back mileage slowly and a slow recovery pace. In the last 2 weeks, my glutes are so tight both sides both differnet glute muscles. I believe on side is the glute maxiumus and the other is a deeper glute muscle. Anyway it looks like the only way I am going to get ride of the tightness is seeing a massage therapist as I have tried stretch them.
Reply - Janet
Mark, what you've discovered is that you can't "stretch away" an injury.  Your muscles were damaged at least at some level by that sustained hard effort and you may take more than 2 weeks to recover! It depends heavily on the mileage base you had going into the marathon, and the number of 20+ mile long runs you did in advance of the marathon. If you did your marathon on minimal mileage (<40) and only one or two long runs of 18-20, then you may take as long as a month or more to fully recover.  Lower miles (30 or less) may mean 2 full months.  Massage is fine, but it won't "fix" the problem. You need to give your body a bit more time to recover and while you're doing that - you can work on the potential causes for the gluteal muscle injury... weakness, tightness, training errors... etc.  You might step back and just walk or swim for a week or two and let this settle down.  Give your body the time it needs to heal from the damage sustained during the race. Best of luck - Janet Hamilton, MA, RCEP, CSCS, RRCA coaching instructor

Do only overpronators get shin splints? Say if a neutral runner was in a pair of stability shoes, could they shin splints? I have been told I am neutral runner by lots of shoe people but I also have been told I need a little stability. If I am a neutral runner, would be some issues I might come up on if I run in a light stability shoe?
Reply - Janet
Riggs, this is a great question and unfortunately doesn't have a simple answer! There are multiple factors suspected to be involved in medial tibial stress syndrome (shin splints).  Overpronation is one, but not the only one... hip weakness, training errors and lack of adequate calf flexibility are a few others.  If you truly are "neutral" (in other words pronate to the appropriate degree at the appropriate time) and the shoe you select has more "control" than you need - then it might contribute to problems IF you didn't have the flexibility in your calves to tolerate the control.  I would start with addressing hip weakness and calf flexibility issues.  If you do need "a little stability", then running in a shoe with a little stability built in will be beneficial, but again you need enough calf flexibility to tolerate the motion control being offered by the shoe.  Hope this helps - Janet Hamilton, MA, RCEP, CSCS, RRCA coaching instructor

I am 66, 5'10" and weigh around 205. When I power walk I often get numbness and tingling in my feet, sometimes severe. I have tried with and without arch supports and with various type sneakers, but see no pattern.
Reply - Janet
Bob, the first thing that I'd want to rule out is peripheral vascular disease.  This is a condition where the blood vessels in your legs aren't allowing blood flow adequate to meet the demand and the symptoms are usually an aching/cramping sensation but some people have numbness/tingling.  If you've seen your doc recently and haven't any cardiovasular issues like high blood pressure or vascular disease, the next thing I'd want to rule out is lower back issues.  For this you might need to see a Physical Therapist or perhaps an orthopedist.  Sometimes nerves in your lower back get irritated and refer their symptoms downstream.  It's usually a symptom that radiates down the leg (which you didn't describe) but not always.  Are you using good quality running shoes for your walking (not walking shoes or "sneakers")?  If you're using a walking shoe or cross trainer, there's a pretty good chance that switching to a good quality running shoe would help.  It may be a simple matter of shortening your stride length a little - perhaps you're overstriding?  There are several things to consider -- the least expensive/invasive is to try altering your pace and stride length, and to get a good pair of running shoes if you're not using them already.  If you haven't seen your doc in awhile... it might be a good idea to check in just to rule out the vascular thing.  Best of luck to you!  Janet Hamilton, MA, RCEP, CSCS, RRCA coaching instructor

Thank your response above. So if I don' t do any speed work or tempos for 2-3 months of base building. Will the speed still be there when I go to use in the 3rd month? Say I'd did a 5K 3 after 2-3 months of basebuilding - will as fast or faster?
Reply - Janet
That depends - if you did your 5K after a mesocyle of base building and then appropriate speedwork, I would expect it to be faster.  Remember, base building is a building process... gradually adding mileage and endurance to your existing base.  When you achieve a weekly base mileage and long run mileage that is appropriate for the event you're training for, then you shift gears and hold the volume steady while playing with the intensity through measured amounts of appropriate speedwork.  It's really a fun mix....  Enjoy the journey.  Janet Hamilton, MA, RCEP, CSCS, RRCA coaching instructor

When basebuilding I understand all my miles should easy paced. If I basebuild for 2-3 months, will I lose my speed without doing any speed work?
Reply - Janet
If you are building your base volume of miles (weekly mileage) and your endurance (your long run) then you will be building your aerobic fitness.  The physiological changes that occur in response to the overload of volume include lots of things that have the potential to make you faster... even though you're running those miles at an easy aerobic effort. More blood volume, more strength in the slow twitch muscle fibers, conversion of the fast-twitch convertible fibers to be more aerobically capable, building mitochondria, building capillaries, enhancing glycogen and intramuscular triglyceride storage, improving skeletal and connective tissue strength.... all of these set the stage to make you a stronger athlete and when you have built that aerobic infrastructure, then your body will be better able to tolerate a larger dosage of speedwork when the time comes.  The volume of speedwork you can safely prescribe is based in part on what mileage base you have achieved in base building.   If you feel really antsy about doing all your running in base building at an easy pace and crave a challenge... throw in some running on trails, or do some hilly runs, or better yet - some hilly trail runs!  Enjoy the base buildng phase, it sets the stage for your success!  Janet Hamilton, MA, RCEP, CSCS, RRCA coaching instructor

Can you tell me some reasons why the adductors experience tightness and inflammation? I have seen two drs and a massage therapist but no can solve my chronic adductor tightness and inflammation. I have rested it and gets worse with rest. Doesn't hurt at when running. I did incur a small sports hernia 6 months past and the residue inflammation and tightness in the adductors remain after the pain in the abdominnal wall is gone. Should I see a PT for help? Is there anything I can do on my own to solve the adductor issues?
Reply - Janet
In my experience the part that's hurting (in your case the adductors) is rarely the part that's causing the problem... it's more often the victim rather than the perpetrator.  Perhaps weakness in your gluteals and lateral hips? Perhaps low back weakness? Perhaps it's a matter of wearing a shoe that's not complementing your gait pattern?  Inflammation is usually very short lived - it's a necessary first step to healing.  If you have lingering issues it's likely not inflammatory but rather a degenerative issue where the tissue is weakened rather than inflammed.  It might be a good idea to see a qualified PT to evaluate your situation and check out your low back -- especially since you mention that the symptoms seem worse at rest than when doing activities.  You can use the search engine at the top of this page to seek out a good PT in your geographic area.  Click on the link for the APTA Specialist search directory above and when you get there follow the links to get to the search engine.  Narrow your search to Orthopedic specialist Certified (OCS) and use your state to see how many you find.  You can then narrow your search by looking for one who focuses their practice on lower quarter biomechanics and/or lower back issues.  Best of luck to you - Janet Hamilton, MA, RCEP, CSCS, RRCA coaching instructor

How can I tell if I am a midfoot striker or a heel striker? I have heavy show wear on the midfoot/ball of foot. Right in the center, very little elsewhere with some wear on the heel but very little.
Reply - Janet
Well it sounds like your shoe wear pattern indicated only a light heel contact.  I guess the more important question is why should you care? You run the way you run because of how you're built (skeletal alignment) your unique strength and flexibility characteristics, the terrain you're on, and the speed you're running. It's natural for most people to use a variety of contact patterns based on speed, terrain, etc.   Running is largely driven by reflexes, don't overthink it and try to change things just because you've read something.  You may succeed in changing more things than you initially intended to!  If it is really important to you to know your foot contact pattern, you could have a video taped gait analysis done but keep in mind that's only looking at one terrain (a treadmill) and a limited range of speeds....   Just relax and run - don't make it any more complex by thinking about it too much.
Janet Hamilton, MA, RCEP, CSCS, RRCA coaching instructor

I am the top distance runner in my school but I am just coming off an injury that set me back. There are some big track meets coming up and I need to peak my performance quick. Any suggestions?
Reply - Janet
I know you hate to hear this, but there's no way to speed up physiology.  You may be more talented than your buddies on the team, but your physiological healing process is pretty much the same. The best advice I can offer is to build yourself up carefully - adding distance before speed, and then focus your track work on the paces that are most important for your events.   Unfortunately there are no short cuts I'm aware of.
Best of luck to you - Janet Hamilton, MA, RCEP, CSCS, RRCA coaching instructor