Running can burn upward of 1,000 calories an hour, tunes up your heart and lungs, and tones your lower body's muscles. Accruing these benefits, however, exacts a toll on your joints, bones and connective tissues. The impact of hitting the ground some 1,500 times per mile affects not only your feet, ankles and knees, but also your hips and lower back.
Piriformis Syndrome
Inflammation or tightening of the piriformis, a small muscle beneath the gluteals, causes piriformis syndrome. With this condition, the piriformis muscle presses on the sciatic nerve as it passes through the area. Tightening, swelling and pain in the hip usually are localized to one side. The pain may extend to the lower back or down the leg. This problem is usually seen in seasoned runners who log several miles. Rest, massage, physical therapy and anti-inflammatory drugs are the usual components of treatment.
Trochanteric Bursitis
Numerous joints in your body include bursae -- fluid-filled sacs that reduce friction between the articulating bones. According to the Sports Injury Clinic, the hip's bursa, called the trochanteric bursa, is the body's most commonly inflamed bursa. Trochanteric bursitis results from repetitive sliding of muscles and tendons over the bursa, which eventually loses its capacity to reduce friction -- producing an overuse injury. Treatment includes taking a break from running and icing the affected areas. When you can begin running comfortably again, stick to flat surfaces until inflammation is gone.
Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction
The sacroiliac, or SI, joint connects the bones of the sacrum -- the lowermost part of the spinal column -- to the bones of the pelvis. The joint doesn't allow much free movement. Injury to the joint may be traumatic, but in runners often develops over time. Weak trunk or core muscles may contribute to SI joint problems. Pain is most severe in the hips, lower back and buttocks. Healing usually takes weeks or even months, and treatment includes icing affected areas and taking anti-inflammatory drugs.
Iliotibial Band Syndrome
The iliotibial band, or ITB, is an expanse of tissue on the outside of your leg that connects the hipbone to the knee and aids the quadriceps in extending the lower leg. Pain is usually of a shooting nature and comes on suddenly, but the injury itself -- a result of repeated rubbing of the ITB against the structures beneath, including the hipbones -- stems from chronic damage. Pain is especially prevalent in runners who take to the hills frequently or run in tight circles in the same direction. To treat this injury, ice the area and avoid hills or repetitive loops.
