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Health & Exercise
Pulled something?
I usually frequent the working moms board and 2 under 2, but thought this might be a better board for my question. The background - I have a 22 month od and a 3 month old (both c-sections). A few Months befor DS's 1st birthday I set a goal to run a 5k (hadn't run a mile since (hs -15yrs). I was up to 1/2 mile intervals before I found out I was pregnant with my second and stopped (although I swam my entire pregnancy). Now I'm back to my goal if a 5k and just started a couple weeks ago. Starting out slow, only a total of 10 minute of running in 40 minutes, but I feel like I pulled something in my crotch area. I'm having a hard time walking b/c anytime I move my legs I have soreness. Has this happened to anyone else? Any suggestions? Stretches?
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Re: Pulled something?
1. Try not to stretch it! If it is truly pulled, you'll only make it worse.
2. This is really common-- groin pulls happen often in new runners, generally because of other tight muscles (especially the muscles in your butt and thighs). The best way to address this, besides giving it time to heal, is to start stretching out the muscles around it. One of the safest ways to do this is to perform self-myofascial release (it's like giving yourself a deep-tissue massage) with a foam roller, which is a hard, tube-shaped foam core. You can buy a good one for about $30-40. There are many youtube videos and tutorials about how to do this, but basically it amounts to lying on the foam roller and slowly rolling your muscles over it, and pausing whenever you encounter tightness or tension (pain), to allow that spot to relax and soften. You'll also probably need a good hard massage ball, tennis ball, or medicine ball in order to roll out your glutes. (Same thing: sit with one cheek on the ball, and roll around until you hit something that hurts, and then stay there 20-30 seconds.)
The muscles you'll want to foam roll are your quads, your adductors (inner thighs-- where your pull is-- but the roller is safe for this), abductors (IT band), and glutes.
3. Make sure that when you're running again, you warm up for a good solid 20 minutes before your begin to run. You can perform light stretches (again, not the groin area until it heals-- or only VERY gently) after this warm up.
Let me know if you need more information. I'm 39 weeks pregnant, and still running 5-6 miles every day... and I'm a sports-rehab personal trainer (on maternity leave, so I have time!).