My coach is officially stumped by my injury. I am much improved and can do everything I want to do (and don’t want to do, like pool run) except run for more than 90 seconds. So next week I embark on seeking more outside help, from expensive people who I’m sure don’t take my insurance.
We both have several ideas about what’s wrong with my ass. Maybe you do too! To make the process of diagnosis a little more fun (actually, let’s face it: it’s not fun in any regard), I’m holding a “Guess My Injury!” contest.
It’s easy to play. Here’s how:
- Leave a comment below describing in simple terms (i.e., “Piriformis Syndrome,” “Illiotibial Band Syndrome,” “Brain Cancer”) what you think my injury is.
- From the correct answers I will randomly pick a name out of a sauce pan (as I own no suitable hats) and the winner will receive, by email, a Barnes&Noble.com gift card/pin number good for $25 in online purchases. Or at least I think they’re still good.
The contest deadline is whenever I get a fucking diagnosis.
Races Like a Girl 
Let me just say up front that I hate this game. I would much rather speculate on your marathon time in Houston than diagnose your injury.
However, from the onset of your injury, I have had this sinking feeling that it was a stress fracture somewhere high on your leg or in your pelvis. Why? Because I had that injury in my early 20s, and it behaved similarly in that it came on quite suddenly and catastrophically without much warning. The pain was in my hip/butt though the stress fracture was in my femur. The diagnostic tool that confirmed it was a bone scan. X-rays, CT scans, MRIs were not very useful particularly when they were aimed at my hip, which was not the source of the problem. The bone scan showed that there was a buttload of calcium being taken up in a specific area in my femur. After about 4-6 weeks, the fracture finally showed up in an x-ray. They like to hide in the early stages.
That’s my two cents. I hope you get an answer soon.
Thanks, Jaymee. I’ll share this with Coach Sandra and whomever she’s sending me to next week.
Sacroiliac something or other? That’s my guess.
I can’t win a prize for agreeing with others who guessed before me, but I am jumping on the SFx bandwagon. I think your glutes are freaking out to protect a fracture somewhere in your hip.
Actually, let’s do this. I will guess you have a hairline fracture in your sacrum. And I am really sorry if it turns out I am right. However, it will heal in time, and you’ll be back even stronger, based on your capacity for cross training.
You are the toughest, most stubborn son of a bitch I have come across in the running world. I mean that in the nicest way possible. Good luck.
Thanks for saying that. It was the perfect day for me to read that.
I was seriously considering giving up entirely this morning as I pondered the time and effort I’ve put into running with no return in terms of racing progress since Steamtown in Oct 2008. The logo on that racing shirt is actually starting to disintegrate. It’s a sad reminder indeed.
Too much more of this and I’ll probably cross the line from stubborn to stupid. If I haven’t already.
I really hope I am wrong but I agree with Jaymee. It could be a stress injury, or fracture of your femor, femoral neck/head. Can you hop on that leg and does it hurt to carry a heavy bag of laundry close to your chest? Hopping would hurt like heck, when I carried a heavy bag it compressed my body and caused a nagging pain.
I am just getting back to running after having this happen to me in March, diagnosed in May when no amount of acupuncture, massage, chiro could keep the pain away when I tried to run. It super sucks. It started as pain in my ass and moved around to my side.
I read once that Dathan Ritzenhein said, if it doesn’t get better as you run, it is probably a bone.
Wishing you well Julie, I hope it gets figured out.
Thanks, Hilary. I can hop on it (I could not two weeks ago). It really only bothers me when I try to run — and in the hours afterwards.
What I don’t get is how I could have managed to have gotten a fracture while running under 50mpw after 18 months of 70-95 mile weeks. Early menopause? Kill me now.
Not copying Jaymee, but I’ll go with stress fracture of the pelvis. I remember Lee Troop having one of those.
I also agree. That has been my thought from day one. I hope it is not the case, but if it is then you know, you rest, you cross train and it heals. You’re in excellent shape and will heal quickly and be on your way. We’ve all had em, no matter the mileage or intensity. That would explain the muscle tightness, your muscles are protecting some sort of injury. Heck, it may not even show up on a scan because you’ve been resting and it is probably starting to heal already. Hang in there, dammit.
I think you have a labral tear or impingment (sp) injury. We have access to a really good ART guy who has helped my significant other with this … Have you had an MRI of your hip or pelvis yet? An arthrogram of your hip joint would be the gold standard for labral tear.
[…] of you mentioned this likelihood as well — and don’t think I forgot about that exciting reader contest. If in a month I can actually run without pain, I’m going to declare that diagnosis sound […]
[…] fracture of the pelvis. A random drawing among the three (talk about good odds) revealed Jaymee as my contest‘s winner. The prize? A whopping $25 in BarnesandNoble.com loot! Your codes are on the […]