Greater Trochanter Bursitits and Rest

[finner]

I've had on and off irriatation w. a bursitis over my left hip/thigh area for over a year now. Had corizone injection last year and have been on and off Vioxx. I've continued to do some running, Cathe step and lower body weights--all of which I think are not helping this damn thing to heal. The doc had told me in the summer to take some time off, but I only stopped running for a few weeks. I know in my heart that I need to drastically alter my routine for 4-6 weeks which I plan tomorrow to start doing. I'm looking for some tips, encouragement and general sympathy so that I might listen to my body and allow this nagging problem to heal. I'm not really looking for worst case scenarios as I'm already super anxious and a bit too keyed into my bodily ailments--if you know what I mean. Anyway, I'm pretty depressed about the whole thing and how long this has been a lower-mid range, but chronic problem. I feel like I'll never been 100% again.

 

[Aquajock]

RE: Tips, Encouragment, Sympathy . . . and Tough Love

Tips:

Vary your cardio routines a lot by incorporating kickbox, fitness walking, aerobic machines like stationary cycling and elliptical trainers if you have access to a gym, AND swimming / aqua jogging / shallow-water aqua aerobics if you have access to a pool. Go easy (in terms of intensity, duration and frequency) on your lower body strength training because hip action is usually intimately involved. Get a referral to a physical therapist to determine whether you can vary your lower body strength training with machines that utilize open-chain resisted motions as opposed to squat/lunge work, AND whether modes like yoga and Pilates might be of some value for endurance. Use this time to focus on core and upper body strength training.

Encouragement:

You CAN train out of an injury or a chronic problem, by keeping cross-training as a value, AND by avoiding overtraining. It takes time and persistence, but you can do it.

Sympathy:

I overdid something (not quite sure at what point last week) but I gave myself a nice little DOINGGGGGGG!!!!! in my left anterior delt last Sunday (up where it interdigitates with the upper head of the biceps muscle) and I'm still paying for it. NOT doing upper body lifting this past Monday was like torture and starvation. I know how it feels NOT to be able to do your preferred routine.

Tough love:

If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got. It's natural to want to go quickly back to your preferred routine, but if it's the root cause of your bursitis it's a pretty safe bet you'll be living with this chronic (and perhaps escalating) problem for years. Get good at a variety of modes so that overuse injuries don't have a chance to prevail. And remember your hip joints need to serve you the rest of your life - don't kill 'em off now.

A-Jock


;-)

 

[runathon]

RE: Tips, Encouragment, Sympathy . . . and Tough Love

Annette, that was AWESOME advice! Thank you!

Blessings from our home to yours...Runathon http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/lach.gif[/img]

 

[bethj]

RE: Tips, Encouragment, Sympathy . . . and Tough Love

I had the same thing (trochanteric bursisitis). After the cortisone injection and 48 hours of rest my doctor advised me to begin outer thigh strengthening. (I had not been doing much of that.) He said my lower body program was overdoing it with the squats and lunges and I need to balance out my muscles with more inner/outer thigh work. The exercises he suggested are found both in the Slim Series Firm It Up lower body tape, and Cathe's PS and PLB floorwork. Since doing those faithfully I have not had a recurrence. Hope this helps...
Beth