Think my hip bursitis in back ...

jcm

Cathlete
I know the routine pretty well: ice, rest, stretch the IT band. I now have a foam roller - would it be a good idea to roll that area couple times/day (while screaming in agony and my kids give me weird looks :) )
Jen
 
Jen,

I have had bursitis in my hips for the last five years, and all of the things you mentioned help to varying degrees. I have also had steriod shots which help for a while but then they wear off.

Two things I have found that seem to help the most -
1. Don't do the same kind of cardio every workout. I ended up with bursitis after years of only doing step. Now I do step once - maybe twice - a week, and do hi-lo the rest of the time.
2. Epsom salts! I just started using these and find that soaking for 15-20 minutes a few times a week really takes the soreness out. Don't have a clue how they work but they really do!

Hope these ideas will help!
 
Epsom salt - really? I actually have some because I bought it when STS came out - on Cathe's recommendation! Have an ice pack strapped to my hip right now and I can totally tell the Motrin is gone. I run for my cardio - haven't been able to stop since my half in the spring because I'm terrified of not being ready for my NEXT half in May! But maybe this is good. Just finished STS again (upper body only) and my plan was to spend December doing Boot Camp and Drill Max until another round of STS (including lower body) starting in January.

Thanks for the response. Darn it this hurts! I did 9 miles yesterday and I knew it was over.

Jen
 
I don't think foam rolling would be a good idea: it's great for conditions like tight muscles and working through trigger points, but bursitis (and any other -itis condition) is associated with inflammation, and foam rolling or massage of the area would just tend to aggravate it.

Stretching and putting ice on the area after working out can help. Backing off on your wokrout intensity (for that area) for now and bulding back up would also help.
 
My hip bursisits is caused by a tight IT band, so I find foam rolling the IT band to be very helpful. I wouldn't foam roll over the tender bursitis area however-start below it.
Sometimes you just need to get that steroid shot when nothing else works-I broke down and got one after 1 1/2 years of pain and was very glad I did-complete pain relief and cured after 72 hours. Now I keep it in check with the roller, but also not doing too much linear cardio (run, walk, elliptical). I do more lateral movements, especially kickboxing, and keep the hip abductor muscles strong. That really helps.
Beth
 
Thanks for the replies. And Beth - mine is definitely from tight IT band and logging running miles. Rolling that band HURTS!! Probably will cut back miles for a bit and add some Cathe kickboxing back into the routine.

Jen
 

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top