Its a pain in the...upper thigh!

R

rick_s

0
Hi, im new here and this is my first post!

Well, i enjoy running (usually do at least about 2-3 miles every day) however, i find that after running about 2miles i get quite a severe pain sensation starting to kick in on my upper thigh (front muscle - cant remember what its called). I dont think its anything to do with my running style as I think my technique is pretty good.

I think it may have something to do with the way my (right) foot lands on the ground i.e. normally its generally the toe area that I land on, and i was wondering whether or not I should be running more 'flat footed', so landing on more of my foot!? Does that make any sense? or am I just waffling? :confused:

Thanks, Rick
 
Thigh

it might be a torn ligament
or one of your muscles might have got pulled
does it happen everyday and does the pain persist everyday
take some pain killers and see when the pain goes
if the pain persists consult your doctor or gym instructor
 
I was always told that when you run you should land on your heel and end up on your toe.... i dont know if that makes any sense at all but like... for the most part you shouldnt hear your feet hitting the ground and if you do it should be really quiet.. im no expert so maybe you should get good advice on your running form because if you are running wrong it may cause certain pains in different places. You should also make sure you warm up, stretch, do your full run, then do like a 5 min cool down followed by more stretching and that might help your pain. If it continues i would go see a doctor.
 
That's like jogging, I think...running and especially sprinting should be on your toes. Your heels shouldn't touch the ground.
 
Could you describe the pain a little better? On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate it? 10 being emergency room, 1 being a little sore. The other thing is, what kind of pain, dull, sharp, continuous?
 
The pain varies from day to day. Somedays its only a 2 but other days its more like a 5 or 6. Its not a continuous pain either, I can only feel it when I stand on my right leg, so its more of a sharp pain.

I've now started to run every other day instead of every day, to see if it makes any difference. As always I fully stretch and always start by doing say a 2/3 minute brisk walk about 6kmph, then i build my speed up so from 6k to peak at about 14, then come back down and walk for 2/3 minute or so at the end.
 
You may want to go to a screening for that, because I don't think it's a pulled muscle. Get professional advice, they will probably send you to a physical therapist.
 
You've got rocks in your head. If you injure your leg... why are you still running?

And I thought I was stupid for running with shin splits... wait... that still makes me stupid, doesn't it.

Anyway, I would instinctively say it is a pulled muscle. That area of the leg- you can't really do much to other than pull or strain... You could rupture your quad tendon but thats a serious injury usually resulting from sort of serious accident and I doubt you'd be moving your leg without pain. Even if it was only tendonitis, you'd feel pain around your knee as well. If the pain was on the other side (the hamstring) then I'd be more worried.

If its upper quad I'd bet on a nasty strain or pull. Rest it and strengthen it. Squats, etc and stretch before and after running. Since you say its re-occuring consulting a doctor does sound like a good idea. I've gotten some pretty bad pulls in my quads and calves but even after re-aggrivating them unnecessarily, they're usually gone or almost gone after a few days.

Stay off it for 2-3 days, (running). Let it heal and stretch periodically.


In reference to your technique: running toe first will really stress your knees and quads. Toes are the weekest area of the foot- never contact with your toes. Sprinters connect with the "ball" of the foot. That flat middle portion behind your toes. (Your probably really hitting this than your toes but some people actually do make contact and push off with only their toes). But even when sprinters learn ball form, its ball-heel-ball. They contact with ball, heel comes down right after and they push off from the ball again. Running on just the balls of the feet will also stress your knees and quads because when you shift your weight to push off your not using your hamstring as much. Instead of shifting with heel/ball, you eliminate the heel and the hamstring.

Heel-Toe contact is also a common running style for joggers or slow running and it might take a lot of stress of your knees and quads. But might also cause injuries to your ankle and shin area- and possibly your knee from the shock.

I believe flat footed running is used to describe heel-toe contact since its almost instantaneous... when running its pretty impossible to land on a flat foot with legs extended. You'd have to be shuffling or hopping or something..
 
surreal said:
You've got rocks in your head. If you injure your leg... why are you still running?
Click to expand...
Because I really enjoy running! sounds stupid I know but Im gonna take it easy for a couple of weeks, see if the situation gets any better and then make a trip to see my physiotherapist, see if she can recommend anything as well.

Also, thanks for the advice regarding the technique I think I am adopting the ball-heel-ball technique but after a 'quick' run yesterday I noticed Im landing on my right leg harder than the left, which may have caused some strain to my right quad.

Anyways, Im taking it easy from now on!...for now at least! :rolleyes: thanks for all the replies/input.

Rick. :)
 
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