MRI for the Ongoing Hip Problem

Ongoing hip problems forced me to slow down a bit and see a specialist; an MRI was the only way to really learn what was going on deep inside my hip joint. Asked to relax and stay still, they quickly whipped out a roll of medical tape and made numerous wraps around my feet. Once my feet and legs were immobilized, they tied me to the platform and slid me into a giant MRI machine. WOW that thing was loud!

With the photos in hand, I went to see my Orthopedic Surgeon. Turns out that a chronic case of bursitis in my hip was swelling against a major nerve, essentially taking me out of any serious training. But the good news is that surgery is not needed.

I can no longer do my high-speed track workouts at an all-out pace. Nor can I continue with Fartlek, high tempo runs or running down hills. I need to throttle-back and stay focused on a slower pace which will result in far less jarring. We will try this approach for thirty-days and see if there is improvement.

I am going to be using Voltaren twice a day to try and keep the swelling down. In the worst case, I do have the option of Cortisone shots, but only if this hip pain returns.

I have been completely cleared to continue all training activities, but must eliminate all speed work until further notice.

Long, slow distance with walking intervals is now the key workout. Using the Galloway running method, I will likely be running 5 – 7 minutes, then walking exactly 1 minute, then repeating this process with all long runs.