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?
Hey Everyone, wanted to post an update to my nagging hip problem. I swam a 2 mile race over the weekend with basically no pain in my hips, which was good (The pain usually starts after 2 miles though). I saw an orthopedic doctor who specializes in hip problems and he said a few things: he thinks I don't have enough flexibility in my hip flexors so he prescribed 6 weeks of PT 2x per week which will take me right up to the date of my 8 mile race in Vermont. He also said that he thinks there may be microscopic labral tears in the muscles in that area which is causing the pain. He suffers from labral tears in one of his hips and says that he can not swim distances when they are inflamed. And finally, he said that the ball and socket bones in my leg/hip are just very slightly misshapen so that being in a horizontal position for a long period of time kicking could cause the pain. Other than the PT, he said that cortizone shots are an option but I think I'd like to avoid those if possible. I have had several people tell me that I need to stretch my hip flexors more, so I am hoping the PT pays off. Will post again with my progress though!
Hey Jamie. Good to hear that you got sensible feedback from the ortho. Hopefully the PT will help address the problem. Good luck in your long race in VT - maybe it will even be sunny by then!
Finished Big Shoulders 5k last week and had hip pain almost the entire time. I was having back problems for several weeks prior to the race and went to a chiropractor two times the week of the race (had never been to one before).
When I finished the race, my hips felt like a finished a marathon. Very sore for a few days. On my visit to the chiropractor last week he said after the first visits I might have gained more flexibility and range and thus used muscles in a different fashion.
While that might be the case, I like the theory earlier in this thread that attributed the pain to increase kick needed in the choppy water.
