Hip Update: Post-Cortisone Workouts

by - Tuesday, October 24, 2017

If you recall from my last hip update, my orthopedic surgeon sent me home with a second cortisone shot for bursitis and instructions to try to get back to some of my favorite workouts to see how things were going.

After the soreness of the second cortisone shot wore off, I took his advice and cautiously tried some runs and yoga classes.

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As scene on my run, some embassies decorated for Halloween.

The results have been mixed, and I've had some really good days, but also some really frustrating moments.

On the positive side, I've been able to do a handful of runs relatively pain free. I started with a couple of slow three milers that were probably more walking than running. They seemed to go pretty well during the run, but I had some pretty intense soreness in the hours and day or so following the workout.

I gradually increased the time on my feet to see how things went. This week I've done two four milers. Again there was plenty of walking mixed-in, especially on some of the big uphills. But the actually act of running was fairly pain free. I was still getting that soreness afterward though, so I've been spending a lot of time icing my hip after runs.

I've also done a couple of different yoga classes to see how my hip would do there. Some of the poses in yoga are still pretty uncomfortable/painful for me to do, which definitely leads me to believe the cortisone is doing a nice job managing my pain, but it's clearly not a long term fix here.

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The poses that cause the most pain in yoga are child's pose because being hinged over at the hip like that causes a painful pinching sensation in the joint.

The other pose that causes some pain and discomfort is pigeon. This makes me so sad because pigeon is one of my favorite yoga poses because it's such a great stretch.

Most other poses in yoga are pretty OK. Pain in child's pose and pigeon pose make me nervous though because they are very similar motions to what my doctor has been using to test for a torn labrum.

I go back to the doctor next week to evaluate where things are and determine next steps. My plan for this week is to keep experimenting with workouts to see what continues to cause pain and what feels OK. The more detail I can give my doctor, the more likely we are to be able to pinpoint exactly what's going on and hopefully find a long term solution for the pain.

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2 comments

  1. Anonymous7:22 PM

    Why not try 3x 2 milers? The thing is, you said that you hadn't really been running that much beforehand, so why do 3 and 4 milers? It's just stupid, honestly.

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  2. Could it possibly be a problem with the piriformis? I've had a problem for months that apparently started with the piriformis (it's finally getting better); I do child's pose and pigeon in particular now to stretch the area, because I definitely feel it in those poses. This has been my most chronic, pesky running injury ever, and since your hip pain has also lasted so long, just wondering if it could be the same thing ... ?

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