I just completed the Great Chesapeake Bay Swim on Sunday and once again, I had to fight through terrible hip pain during the race. The pain is on both the left and right sides and is basically in the bone/joint area. I thought the wet suit may be contributing to the pain, due to a different positioning in the water, but have tried OW races without a wetsuit and still have the same pain. It hurts to walk after the races and also hurts the next day. The pain typically starts around mile 2 of a race. I never get the pain while swimming distance in a pool. I am 31 and average over 30,000 yards a week so the OW races I have competed in are not longer distances than I am used to swimming. Has anyone had similar pain or any advice?
The big differences out in OW are no flip turns and lots of looking up for sighting, and the chop makes it harder to sight. Flip turns change/relieve pressure on the hips; sighting increases pressure on the hips. Therefore OW stresses hip flexors more.
The thing that concerned me about your post was the persistence of the pain after the race. That's why I suggested an ortho check. In any event, you will probably want to start to doing PT specific to hip girdle, flexors, core etc which will help you cope with the stresses of OW competition. Hope this is helpful.
PS Do you do much kick training? If not, you may find that doing some will help build hip flexor strength and make the OW racing easier, even if you hardly kick in the race.
The big differences out in OW are no flip turns and lots of looking up for sighting, and the chop makes it harder to sight. Flip turns change/relieve pressure on the hips; sighting increases pressure on the hips. Therefore OW stresses hip flexors more.
The thing that concerned me about your post was the persistence of the pain after the race. That's why I suggested an ortho check. In any event, you will probably want to start to doing PT specific to hip girdle, flexors, core etc which will help you cope with the stresses of OW competition. Hope this is helpful.
PS Do you do much kick training? If not, you may find that doing some will help build hip flexor strength and make the OW racing easier, even if you hardly kick in the race.
