ONE OF MY LEGS IS LETTING ME DOWN!: I've run... - Couch to 5K

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ONE OF MY LEGS IS LETTING ME DOWN!

danzargo profile image
danzargoGraduate
42 Replies

I've run three times this week - a 5, a 7 and a 6.5K. I can't honestly say I arrived home full of the joys of spring because my bloody right leg is causing me grief. So much so that I've hailed Mr Physio Man to come and inspect said offending limb. I dunno what it is, but I keep getting uncomfortable muscle ache in the groin, then it shifts to my shin, then sometimes it's my knee. GRRRR!!!!! Bloody right leg is a pain in the ayaaasss!!! My left leg is as good as gold though. I never have problems with that.

I've got relatively newish shoes - and they're definitely not worn out yet. I've had my gait analysed a few times. I've seen a bloomin' podiatrist (ages ago) who levelled me up as I was kind of lop sided owing to one leg being shorter than the other. Only a few mill, but enough for her to go "Jaysus Christ! Yer all over the feckin' place wit yer walking! Git up on dat feckin' couch a wee minute" (she was Chinese. Nice lady.) That visit cost me a hefty £150! Unbelievable.

So what could it be? I'm hoping my chap can find out for me on Wednesday afternoon. I mean, I CAN run but am aware of the discomfort all the time and it's taking the gloss of my performance - if you know what I mean. Sometimes it's "WHOOOAHH!" painful, other times it's "Mmmmm....ooh!" So essentially I never know what kind of jip I'm gonna get when I venture outside.

On a good note though, I'm looking massively forward to the spring arriving. The air will be warmer and the smells of springtime will be filling the air. Cannee wait!

Mrs Dan is getting fed up with me moaning about it. But I am one of those people who prefers all to be well with everything! If I hear a noise from the car when I'm driving I'm all "Oooh! What's that banging noise?" Mrs Dan always puts my mind at rest. "It's your door keys rattling in your pocket, you great ****ker!" Or similar such words. But when I'm running I like to be 100% pain free otherwise I worry about doing damage.

So hopefully once Mr Physio gives me some deep tissue relief on my groin (Now now! Don't be disgusting please), I'm hoping that will be the end of my problems.

Hope you all had some super duper runs today. i was thinking about every single one of you. Honestly, I was!

More soon from,

yer pal

Dan.

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danzargo profile image
danzargo
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42 Replies
useitorloseit profile image
useitorloseitGraduate

I've had nearly 2 weeks off now. One of the reasons I'm on a break was because I just couldn't shift a couple of aches (well one ache and a pain actually) - my left calf and my right thigh. I've been a bit poorly so decided to give the whole thing a miss and see how my body feels after a break. I was doing absolutely brilliantly, but then I went off a bit like a mad thing post Christmas and just did too much too soon I think. It will be interesting to see if, when I start running again (which will be somewhat tentative to start with), the same problems arise. I was fine until I started running further and, worse, trying to run faster.

I hope your physio session comes up with something useful. There's nothing worse than being injured/poorly and not knowing why.

Good luck!

danzargo profile image
danzargoGraduate in reply touseitorloseit

Thank you. Yes it is incredibly annoying. I hope you ease back into it without incident...!!

useitorloseit profile image
useitorloseitGraduate in reply todanzargo

Well my legs are feeling very much better now. It took over a week for me not to grimace when going up and down stairs though. I was beginning to think that running was making me more of a crock than I was before, which was very annoying because for the first six months I felt fabulous. Hey ho.

aliboo70 profile image
aliboo70

Great post Dan, even when you're not on top form your writing always is!

God Dan, you and i are very similar with our worrying, that car quote could have come from me too. Boz is driven to distraction with it sometimes! :X

Hope you get your leg all sorted, sure the physio will pinpoint whats wrong and get you back to tip-top condition! (& enjoy your deep tissue relief! )

Happy weekend ! :)

danzargo profile image
danzargoGraduate in reply toaliboo70

Fanks ALi! My dad used to say - "Bejaysus son, if I didn't have anyting to worry about....I'd worry!"

aliboo70 profile image
aliboo70 in reply todanzargo

Your Dad was right ! i get mine from my mum! :)

carole01 profile image
carole01Graduate in reply todanzargo

Is your father Irish? Mine says that all the time! As well as after tasting my tea " be sure, Carole - like an angel dancing on the tip of my tongue!' ...Family gotta love em! Good luck with the Physio

danzargo profile image
danzargoGraduate in reply tocarole01

Thanks Carole. :-)

That sounds a right pain ( scuse the pun) hope you get to the bottom of it and return to pain and worry free running :D

Think spring is on hold again for a while, cold winds etc again .. fingers crossed though it is coming :D

danzargo profile image
danzargoGraduate in reply to

Cheers Rob.

GettingFitter profile image
GettingFitterGraduate

Now stop it Dan this IC is just too crowded. Got to say my calf/ankle started that way and when I finally gave in the Physio was less than complementary about my trying to run through pain. Make sure you get it all sorted as you don't want to be out for any longer than necessary. Now my right leg is good as gold, the left however is my problem so between us we could just about win a 3 legged race ;-)

Hope it's nothing serious and you're running is more oooohhh , nnnnnnnice!

danzargo profile image
danzargoGraduate in reply toGettingFitter

You are so right. That bloody injury couch is a bit crowded at the mo!

ancientrunner profile image
ancientrunnerGraduate

Think you're right to worry when it hurts to run. Good luck with the physio - no doubt they'll be Oirish!!

danzargo profile image
danzargoGraduate in reply toancientrunner

Haha! Thanks AR.

Northernspirit profile image
NorthernspiritGraduate

Damn body just won't do what you want it to...running I mean! I reckon you've got to pay attention to the pain, it's here for a reason, last thing you want it a banning order. Good luck!

danzargo profile image
danzargoGraduate in reply toNorthernspirit

thank you.

AncientMum profile image
AncientMumGraduate

One of your legs is letting you down??? Me too ! ;) Seriously though, really sorry to hear you've still got leg troubles. Hope your physio can sort you out without too much delay, pain or indeed expense.

danzargo profile image
danzargoGraduate in reply toAncientMum

Thanks AM. I'm getting thoroughly peed off with it all. Here's to Mr Pysio Man sorting it out in as few sessions as possible!

dottiemay profile image
dottiemayGraduate

Anyone mentioned piriformis syndrome, Dan which is what I believe I suffered last year (or was it the year before - seriously losing track of time...!) I know you've tried a few different things but what sorted it for me is this exercise:

youtube.com/watch?v=2qZ517R...

Several weeks of so much pain I could hardly walk at one point, sorted in just a few days.

Whatever the problem, I hope you get it sorted out very soon - and without too much pain in the bank account!

danzargo profile image
danzargoGraduate in reply todottiemay

Thanks DM. That's really kind of you to post that vid.

poppypug profile image
poppypugGraduate

Oh Dan, good to see theres nowt wrong with your sense of humour, thats for sure ! :-)

Yes you are absolutely right in getting this checked out, sooner you get it seen to and diagnosed , the quicker you can work on your recovery plan.

Good Luck, and hope you get sorted quickly :-) xxx

danzargo profile image
danzargoGraduate in reply topoppypug

Thanks PP. I do hope your hip is beginning to respond to rest and treatment?

poppypug profile image
poppypugGraduate in reply todanzargo

Cheers Dan, Bloody hip ! Pah ! :-D

Yep, definitely feels a bit better , thanks xxx

TurboTortoise profile image
TurboTortoiseGraduate

Oh dear Dan, there is a lot of this around at the moment isn't there... not good. Interestingly all the running aches, large and small, that I've had have all been confined to one leg - in the other, not even a twinge. If you have a bit of a groin strain then it figures you'll be compensating somehow and putting strain on your knee, calf etc. Kind of don't want to admit this in public but while I was sorting out my hip pain I also developed a slightly twangy achilles (sorry Poppypug, this may be not what you want to hear at the moment...) But it seems to be OK at the moment. For me (and your experience may differ, obvs) it was strengthening exercises for my weak right glutes that sorted me out. So you need to get an expert to run some diagnostics on you... Oh and I have one leg longer than the other too, so said a physio many years ago. I can't remember which one though!

danzargo profile image
danzargoGraduate in reply toTurboTortoise

Thanks Em. I think you're right about my "bad" leg compensating for some sort of imbalance. Do you remember when we bought my current shoes and I had the gait analysis done how we both thought that it was my LEFT leg which looked all skew whiff when running? Yet I always get problems with my RIGHT leg. Odd....Perhaps it is a weak glute. I'm sure Diagnostics Man will sort me out. He'd better. He's 50 squid an hour!!!

misswobble profile image
misswobbleGraduate

Dan that really made me howl!

Sorry to hear you're less that ticketty-boo. Perhaps you need a rest From running. Outrageous i know but it might come to that. Physios seem a bit risk averse to me, so that's a distinct possibility

I hope not but prepare for a bit of pottering or swimming, basket weaving .....

danzargo profile image
danzargoGraduate in reply tomisswobble

I think you're probably right. It could be time to do some "Power Crocheting" or "Turbo Knitting" to accompany my basket weaving!! I'll see what the dude says on Wednesday.

Jason666 profile image
Jason666Graduate

Try walking one of your routes, if you are in pain walking 5 or 7k something needs investigating. The energy burnt walking 5k is the same as running 5k, because you've done it faster running is the reason muscles ache etc, but the net result is the same

danzargo profile image
danzargoGraduate in reply toJason666

Good point there Jason. I know that walking is always pain free so it must be the the extra force on the muscles which is causing it to twinge.

Zev1963 profile image
Zev1963Graduate in reply toJason666

Sorry, more energy burnt running the same distance. I know Force x Distance Moved and all that, but it is more complicated than that. The running gait is totally different from walking because you are continually hopping from one foot to the other when you are running. This hopping movement uses much more energy than walking the same distance.

Zev1963 profile image
Zev1963Graduate in reply toZev1963

naturalhealthmag.com/expert...

danzargo profile image
danzargoGraduate in reply toZev1963

cheers Zev. Nice one.

no-excuse profile image
no-excuseGraduate

Really sorry you are getting trouble and I hope you get some sort of diagnosis on weds. Fingers crossed you can carry on strutting your stuff! Good luck x :-)

danzargo profile image
danzargoGraduate in reply tono-excuse

Cheers N-e. I'm always up for strutting my stuff!

AdamB profile image
AdamBGraduate

It's probably because of my age and the large number of knocks and bumps I've picked up over the years by doing things I shouldn't have (spending 2 hours with my knee wedged solid in a crack when rock climbing, sleeping underground in wet kit overnight when caving, baling out of a kayak and swimming through rapids more times than I care to remember etc.), but I'm invariably running with a niggle somewhere. I find I have to "manage" them. After parkrun this morning I was feeling a slight pull in my right groin. Now however, I feel right as rain again.

My all-in-one cure for aches and pains of this sort is to get down to the swimming baths and put a few lengths in. There's something about exercising in water that relieves all those little ouches. After a swim this afternoon I'm left wondering what the fuss was all about.

danzargo profile image
danzargoGraduate in reply toAdamB

YOU ARE SUPERMAN! Caving? Kayaking? I couldn't do those activities. I'd spill my martini.

I know what you mean about swimming. Only trouble is, I am a SH**E swimmer and have next to no confidence in water so I always avoid swimming pools - unless there's a pool bar and I can just sit, holding onto something!

AdamB profile image
AdamBGraduate in reply todanzargo

No-one is sh..e swimmer. Just you prefer to swim vertically in the pool rather than horizontally ;) You like to keep the lifeguards on their toes.

As for climbing, caving etc. it's just the sign off a misspent youth. I can't do half those things these days. It does give me the advantage of being able to go to a crowded pub in the Lake District or North Wales and be one of the old codgers who sits in the corner saying "In my day..." If things were a bit crowded before you start, you can guarantee that by the end of the third word there will be a nice clear area all round you. There are certain benefits.

hilbean profile image
hilbeanGraduate

Oh dear! Hopefully the physio will sort you out and you'll be out running in no time :) (Or at the very least a PB ;) )

danzargo profile image
danzargoGraduate in reply tohilbean

Let's hope so hilbean!

flossieflyblow profile image
flossieflyblowGraduate

Dan, you'll have to be content with the suggestions of walking and swimming for a little while. It's one twinge after another, isn't it?!! Am sure that you've tracked down a good physio so have to see what he says. Either that or us girls will be sending you patterns for crocheting tea cosies or knitting scarves. Aaaaagghhh! Horrors!!

danzargo profile image
danzargoGraduate

I bloomin' hope so KK!!

ADR2009 profile image
ADR2009Graduate

I'm so with you danzargo - I could have written your post but for me it is the left leg! can't quite work out what the pain is as it seems to enjoy travelling around :)

I tried sports massage last week (the word "massage" was misleading as far as I'm concerned - "torture" would have been more appropriate!) - painful and it did help but I got a bit ahead of myself and I then tried a 4 mile and then a 6 mile over the last couple of days. Ended up walking home from the 6 mile with a face like a wet Sunday, chuntering quietly at anyone who ran past me!

Hubby is getting very fed up of me being miserable - and probably of all the questions I keep asking him about what his advice would be, what he thinks I've done to myself, what could I do differently - as if he should know (he works in IT so he might be useful if I was a robot but he's just taking the wise route of saying very little and nodding a lot in agreement!)

I'm supposed to be doing Reading half marathon in 3 weeks as well...

Good luck with the physio - hope they have magic fingers and can get you back to full fitness in no time!

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