Hip/Buttocks pain while running...what is it?

how did I guess that was the going to be the first reply? Thanks for the bump and I guess you would know, right?

I'm sorry. This kind of stuff is the hardest stuff to diagnose and deal with. I wouldn't be surprised that if you went to 10 doctors that you would get ten different diagnosis.

You probably have some kind of contracted/tightened muscle somewhere in your muscle leg chain. Stretching probably won't be able to mobilize those muscles. Some deep massage might help if it is done correctly. You probably also have been running too long and developed weird muscle imbalances that are contributing to it.

Try the tennis ball massage technique. Do it lightly. Google tennis ball massage.

thanks, I will try that. I was thinking that I must be doing something that I not aware of, maybe even while not running that is contributing to this pain.

You might have weak hips. Try some hip abductor exercises.

http://footloose.runnersworld.com/2009/04/to-prevent-leg-injuries-look-to-the-hips-not-the-feet.html

Maybe Piriformis or just IT band problems.

I had the EXACT same thing. It's a weak/tired muscle that may be in spasm on the side of your hip.

Ice, ibuprofen, stretch, massage (active-release), rest, and do strengthening exercises in the area every day.

Mine was so bad that I was limping, and ~1 week later I'm back running after taking 3 days off and 5 days easy.

could be inflammation in the SI joint - look into it. it's a joint within the pelvis near where it meets the spine. Hurts like crazy.

xcskier wrote:I'm sorry. This kind of stuff is the hardest stuff to diagnose and deal with. I wouldn't be surprised that if you went to 10 doctors that you would get ten different diagnosis

well you obviously have been to some poor doctors

that's an obvious diagnosis of

ischial bursitis

& needs a cortisone injection ( under U/S guidance, as i woudn't do it otherwise, in case of hitting the sciatic nerve )

The most likely cause is tight or spasming psoas muscles.

I would start with the stretch at the end of this article.

http://www.julstro.com/what_happens_exactly.html

I had a similar injury 2 years ago. I limped when i walked and I could feel the pain running all the way down my leg. Turned out I had strained my glute. The thing about your injury is that it is in a spot that effects a lot of other things around it. When I was hurt I would feel pain at different times in my lower back, upper glute, and hips. They are all dependent on one another and if one is injured it puts pressure on the others. I went to active release therapy for about a month or so and was back running pain free. I would get therapy on all of those areas to relieve the pressure. Your injury sounds like it is muscle related and my best advice to you is to find some sort of therapy where you can get yourself to a point where you can do basic movements pain free since you say you can't do that right now.

thanks for the tips everyone, I have been trying to stretch and massage the area. I have taken two days off running and I am feeling better already. We will just see how my next run goes.

Deal with the inflammation now by rolling it or tennis ball, possibly ibuprofen if it is too deep to ice. I had a similar problem last year and it was a result of my glutes not activating properly. It quickly went away by working on strengthening my hips and glutes. Definitely go to a trainer to give you some strengthening exercises after the inflammation subsides.

I had a similar problem on and off for 2 years. Pain would switch sides periodically, but was more on the right side. Initially diagnosed with piriformis and glute muscle issues. ART always helped, but it never was gone.

Eventually I saw a PT would did a gait analysis (She has a Masters in Biomechanics). Turns out my left glute was weak, so my right hip would dip with every stride. After some work on tight muscles, I was given a strengthening program. Pain free for 6 months. It comes back a bit now when I skip the exercises for a few weeks. Try the exercises from a previous poster. There was an article in Runner's World sometime last year or get someone who knows what they are doing evaluate your stride.

I started getting a similar thing the exact same time I became anemic. Probably not likely for you, but if you are also feeling really tired for your runs, it could be possible.

I've had this problem before too. It just came out of nowhere. The only thing that worked for me was taking time off (it took me about a month completely off and a few weeks of taking it easy after that). It has occasionally flared up since, causing me to miss 1-3 days or to do an easy run instead of a workout. I have no idea what causes it. I even went to a doctor and he was totally clueless.

This comes up from time to time on here; if you do a search you may be able to find some stuff that could help you.

Start doing dead lifts, turkish get ups, and squats with heavy weight. You'll be better in six weeks.

Also, X-band walks.

Or you can do the Runner's World stuff, which does work, but will take much longer. Six months in many cases.

I had this exact pain you describe and went to the doctor for it a while back. Sorry but that's an ass fracture.

If it includes butt/low back, it Might be a sacral stress fracture and/or si joint dysfunction?

ebirt og wrote:

I had a similar problem on and off for 2 years. Pain would switch sides periodically, but was more on the right side. Initially diagnosed with piriformis and glute muscle issues. ART always helped, but it never was gone.

Eventually I saw a PT would did a gait analysis (She has a Masters in Biomechanics). Turns out my left glute was weak, so my right hip would dip with every stride. After some work on tight muscles, I was given a strengthening program. Pain free for 6 months. It comes back a bit now when I skip the exercises for a few weeks. Try the exercises from a previous poster. There was an article in Runner's World sometime last year or get someone who knows what they are doing evaluate your stride.

This is by far the most valuable post you've gotten. Also, one question is are you referring to the lateral side of your buttocks? Because some posters have mentioned SI-joint although the pain you describe sounds more like glute medius and tfl related than towards your sacral area. I am trying to get a better idea of where the discomfort is.

The gait ebirt og (go tribe?) is describing sounds a like like Trendelenburg gait. I suspect if you were tested, you would test positive at least on one side, if not both (if it's a general weakness chances are you have it on both sides although one might be worse). The problem is, although it IS an indicator of weak hip abductors, it's also a very general test used to determine hip dysfunction. If you are lucky, that dysfunction is more soft tissue related and can be remedied by seeing the right PT (such as ebirt og)and developing a stretching and strengthing routine. However, if that does NOT show improvements, it's time to see a hip specialist. Either way, it sounds like you need a structured intervention so you don't get in a cycle of taking 2-3 days off, then running 1-2 days with progressive pain/discomfort.