IRONMAN
Interstate visitor Client D came in two days before the Melbourne Ironman. Despite treatment interstate he had persisting leg soreness which had stopped him running for a week and had serious doubts on finishing, let alone doing well enough to earn him what he entered for: a qualifying position in the Hawaiian Ironman.
He had some back joint stiffness and lateral hamstring trigger point muscle spasm and after loosening these up he felt better. However running a full marathon after the 3.8 kilometre swim and 180 kilometre cycle would be a massive test!
The news post race was that he had got though the event and even with a puncture on the cycle grabbed a spot in Hawaii!
Well done to him! (And a bit to me too!)
Pain on the side of the hip from bursitis or gluteal tendon inflammation is an annoying problem often more so at night because lying on it frequently disturbs people’s sleep. It is a reasonably common problem for me to see. Tendons and bursae degenerate as we age and weakness in hip musculature can be a cause. But it can happen to anyone. Guided steroid injections can help, but most people respond well to soft tissue manipulation. The lower back should definitely be assessed and (usually) treated manually as related spinal joint stiffness frequently contributes to the issue. The hip joint should also be assessed and treated if necessary. Exercises can be helpful but need to match the pathology so an Ultrasound image might be needed give a diagnosis.
There are many good studies which indicate glucosamine is more effective than a placebo in decreasing pain and / or increasing function for people with chronic joint conditions. (See Research) In my experience it does not work for everyone but it is worth trying. My advice is to give your sore area a score out of 10 every day for a week before you you start taking Glucosamine. Hide the scores! Commence the recommended dose for three months and then repeat the scoring process. Most people know if Glucosamine is helping but sometimes the average score is lowered surprisingly. If there is no change in your scores then you may as well not buy it. Good luck!