Posted: January 22, 2005

Science of Sport: "Ask Owen" Weekly Feature

Ask Owen Q and A Index

Visitors are invited to submit training questions for exercise physiologist Owen Anderson, Ph. D. to answer in a weekly column.

Owen currently writes a weekly column for the Runner's Web.

Questions can be emailed to: Ask Owen.

Each week, Owen will pick the most interesting question(s) and publish his answer(s) on the Runner's Web.

Question::

I actually have two questions for you, and I am hoping that you could answer them for me.

I started running in a running group, walk/run 5k three months after I had my baby. After the third week when we started increasing time and distance, I noticed my left hip has an annoying pain. Would this be because my hips are not back in place. I still have it after 10 weeks and have moved on to the 5k maintenance. Can you advise if I should stop as I do not want to do any damage to my body.

2nd question.

Since I started running I noticed that my periods have gone from 5 days to less than one day. Should I consult my physician, as is this normal for runners.

Thank you

Lynn

Answer:

Hi Lynn,

Thank you very much for your questions; they are greatly appreciated. Congratulations on joining your running group; I'm confident that participation in the group's workouts will lead to much enjoyment - and increased fitness - in the future.

It's possible that your pregnancy produced a strain in your pelvic girdle which has led to your current hip pain. In effect, your training might have "unmasked" the small problem which was left over from your pregnancy.

However, it is also possible that the increased training you carried out was the primary culprit, exposing a slight, inherent weakness in your left-hip area. Either way, the problem is not likely to be long-lasting. Please pay a visit to your sports-medicine physician or orthopod to make sure everything is OK structurally, and then - once your symptoms have subsided - begin a progressive, running-specific strength program, with exertions such as one-leg squats, high-bench step-ups, one-leg hops in place, and partial squats, to shore up strength in both the hip area and the entire leg (work on both hips and legs, of course). Reduce your training volume for awhile, replacing the running/walking with the carefully progressive strength training. Start with just a few reps of each exercise, and add reps in a reasonable way. In a few weeks, you should be able to gradually increase your mileage again.

It is normal for a regular running program to reduce period duration. However, just to be on the safe side, consult with your ob/gyn specialist just to make sure nothing aside from regular exercise is producing the change.

Very kindest regards,

Owen Anderson, Ph. D.

www.RRNews.com

About Owen Anderson
Owen Anderson, Ph.D., is the editor and founder of Running Research News and the author of the books Lactate Lift-Off (http://www.rrnews.com) and Great Workouts for Popular Races (http://www.runningresearchnews.com). An exercise physiologist and training expert, Anderson coaches and offers training camps for runners. He's based in Lansing, Michigan. To learn more about Owen and his work, please visit www.rrnews.com

Running Research News is a monthly newsletter which keeps sports-active people up-to-date on the latest information about training, sports nutrition, and sports medicine. RRN publishes practical, timely new material which improves workouts, prevents injuries, and heightens overall fitness.