Hip joint pop and pain

Hello all. I started jogging/running only 3 weeks ago and I usually run about a mile. The first week I started c25k but I didn't have stop watch and I just couldn't be bothered with keeping track of intervals so I just ran. There were some side stitches but besides that no other problems whatsoever until the end of 2nd week. 

My left hip pops when I get about 5~7 min into running (I run about 12~13 min/mile). It's not loud enough that other people can hear it, if I at all. But I can feel the popping sensation when I have my fingers there. When I raise my left leg, that's when it hurt. It's not really a severe pain but I'm not that much of a runner to keep on running through it (I just stop running and walk the rest) and between the end of 2nd week and 3rd week, I've had 4~5 days of rest (okay, I was just lazy. but still) yet it still persists.

My hips always popped, through HS, through college. But I've never really experienced any pain until last week. Also, I don't have running shoes, I've not had any other joint or foot issues.

Is this something fixable if I was to go running specialty store and buy a legitimate running shoes? Or is it more you-have-to-visit-the-doctor kinda thing? If it is, what can they do about it??

Hiii, i'm a physiotherapy student, so i'm learning about this at the moment!

From what it sounds like, your ligaments that surround you hip joint ( ililofemoral, ischiofemoral and pubofemoral ligament - in particular pubofemoral ligament) are trapping small pockets of air which make the popping sound.

This is most likely due to a ligament sprain (pretty much like what your ankle can get) and hence can be very painful. the pain can also be produced when the ligament is taught - when you raise your leg to the front your putting that ligament under pressure to stretch - hence the pain.

I'd advice maybe taking a week or two off of running, i know this isn't such a great suggestion since you've only recently started, but resting the ligament will be the only way to allow it to heal.

There are no specific exercises or anything you can do to fix ligament sprains, especially those of the hip, although strengthening the muscles around the hip joint such as iliospoas ( connects torso to leg on the front) and all your gluteal muscles would certainly not hurt.

On the issue of running shoes - i would really really really advise buying a pair of proper runners- they don't need to be the most expensive but wearing bad running shoes will certainly increase the risk of other painful injuries in the future!!!

Hope that helps a little bit.

Original Post by love_live_dance:

On the issue of running shoes - i would really really really advise buying a pair of proper runners- they don't need to be the most expensive but wearing bad running shoes will certainly increase the risk of other painful injuries in the future!!!

 There isn't any real evidence that quality of running shoe has any affect on injury rates.

Really?!

Because we did a case study on it a few weeks ago, and a particular issue was that the man was running in dunlop volleys - not suitable shoes for running any sort of distance!

And having bad running shoes stops the forces exerted by the body when in motion being spread evenly through the feet and often results in the arches of a person's foot altering - hence playing a part in plantar fasciitis.

I'm nearly 100% sure that wearing runners ( i'm wearing $15 runners at the moment, but they're at least a little supported ) is beneficial for the body's biomechanics!

Original Post by love_live_dance:

I'm nearly 100% sure that wearing runners ( i'm wearing $15 runners at the moment, but they're at least a little supported ) is beneficial for the body's biomechanics!

 You're 100% sure that Nike/New Balance/etc have, in the last 30 years, improved on millions of years of evolution?  And after making these huge scientific breakthroughs didn't do one study to prove their results?

You might find this article pretty interesting...

okay okay chill, this not a necessary discussion if all you're here to do is tell me i'm wrong. However i'm a little confused to how you can say all this, when it is well advertised for people to wear support bandages and ankle braces etc when running - isn't it all to help support the foot when our structures can't take the forces we're exerting through them!?

I will not go "running" in barefeet in a million years because i'm being taught that it can cause problems. And i know you've produced a newspaper article to try and convince me otherwise, but i personally would prefer to believe the educated physiotherapists that are teaching my course!

Just to prove my point, Here is a medical journal article, which clearly explains that running shoes are created to aid the natural shapes of people's feet, as they support the foot in ways that our ligaments can't.

Butler, Robert J. Hamill, Joseph. Davis, Irene. 2007 "Effect of footwear on high and low arched runners' mechanics during a prolonged run." Gait & Posture. 26(2):219-25,

http://ovidsp.tx.ovid.com.ezproxy.lib.monash. edu.au/spa/ovidweb.cgi

*Sorry to the lovely person who made this discussion that we've hijacked, i hope the original information is somewhat helpful :) :) :)