Total Groin, Hamstring & Buttock Shut Down

[Steven Snickers]

Please can anybody help me...training for my first-ever London Marathon, I ran 13 miles (my furthest distance) without problem in mid-December 2010.

I did some shorter runs in the interim - without any after affects.

On 2 January, I ran 13 miles again and apart from some late strain in my groins (which prompted me to stop for fear of aggravating anything) I was fine afterwards.

But a couple of days later, I felt a dull pain in my right hamstring, while my right groin felt like bone on bone crunching. This got progressively worse and I also got a similar pain in my left groin, too.

I could not turn over on my side in bed it felt like bone crunching and, curiously, the pain moved around - e.g. one minute the left groin felt fine while the right really hurt and then the pain came back. Vice-versa on right groin, too.

I was pretty immobile and stairs etc were a major challenge.

Forcibly rested from exercise, the pain fortunately went and on 23 January I did an easy five-mile (one hour) jog without any problem. Lots of stretching before and afterwards.

On 26 January I did an easy eight mile run but upon feeling some of that late strain in my groins I stopped. Lots of stretching before and afterwards and no immediate discomfort.

Again, a couple of days later, I felt a dull pain in my right hamstring, while my right groin felt like bone on bone crunching. This got progressively worse and I also got a similar pain in my left groin, too.

But this time there is no sign of the pain subsiding. I have a dull pain in my lower back and can feel a little tightness in my hamstring. But my lower buttocks are aching and I have that crunching sensation in both groins.

That's as low as the pain goes.

I can just about turn over in bed this time around and have tried some stretching exercises but there is no sign of the pain disappearing like it did in mid-January? The groins are agony.

Could this be sciatica?

Do you think I have any chance of doing the Marathon on April 17th?

All help greatly appreciated.

Steven

[Heidi]

Hi
It may be scaitic related but I think you should go to a physio/sports therapist for an assessment.
As I'm sure you can appreciate the area is very complex and so the cause of it could be a number of things, or indeed a combination.
In the meantime, try to keep everything mobile by stetching regularly on a daily basis and avoid running.

[Steven Snickers]

Thanks, Heidi...you're so right, it is complex. Today the only pain I have is in my right groin and nowhere else. Yesterday it was everywhere. I'm going to make an appointment as you suggest. Thanks again. Steven.