My first running injury was a groin strain.

I was running alongside teammates, getting into the miles of the actual workout and I felt it.

A sharp, aggressive stabbing pain in my groin and into my upper inner thigh. I tried to slow down, run it off, speed back up.

But nope. Wasn't happening.

I gently stretched it, trying to coax it back into cooperating. Bad idea. That only hurt more.

So off to physical therapy I went for 3 or 4 weeks. Sometimes I could even see my teammates run by during practice through the clinic windows.

And you know the darndest thing was about my PT then: I don't think they gave me ONE specific adductor/inner thigh exercise.

No wonder the following track season, it happened again.

So if you're a runner whose had a hamstring or groin pull in the past or maybe you're even fighting with one now, it'd be nice to have a road map, right?

So let me give you the 4 Rules of Muscle Strains that I wish a physical therapist had laid out for me during my first running injury:

1. Do NOT stretch it. It may feel good for a time, but if you over stretch or stretch too aggressively (stretching into pain), you'll actually cause more damage.
2. Start with gentle exercises that require you to weight-bear and stay steady on the injured leg. More specifically, concentric exercises.
3. Then, once things start to hurt less and feel better, move on to exercises that require the pulled muscle's tissue to get loooong and to control load further away from your body. These are eccentric exercises.
4. And final rule: introduce plyometrics- the bouncy exercises that help prepare that tissue to get back to the high impact load of running.

Obviously I have an example circuit for you all this week.

I centered it around groin strains since I've had a couple runners reach out about them on instagram and I'm working 1-on-1 with another runner (whose doing fantastic by the way- keep up the good job, Chris!).

This way, you have a fall back, a fool proof way to strengthen your adductors (inner thigh muscles) because they get neglected even more than hamstrings do.

Because let me tell you from experience, you can't run fast with super weak adductors.

If you want to check that circuit out, tappity tap below!

Dare to Train Differently,

Marie Whitt, PT, DPT //@dr.whitt.fit

P.S. something big is coming soon ;) Keep an eye on your inbox.

Looking for MORE ways to work together?

• NEW! RUNNING RESCUE CALL: Save your run and your race at the first sign of an ache, niggle, or repeat running injury. Let's work together 1-on-1 with these coaching calls to create a personalized exercise program that gets you out of pain, keeps you running, and helps prepare you for your next race day!
• Grab one of my FREE Strength resources for runners: FREE STRONGER RUNNER 14 DAY Strength Challenge: done-for-you FREE 14 days of programmed strength exercises specifically for runners! (all in one, easy-access app!) or my FREE Strength Guide for Runners (a low tech, pdf download you can get started with immediately!)
• GET ON THE WAITLIST for RACE READY: my one-on-one 16 week strength coaching program designed for marathon runners and personalized around your training plan. Run better, longer, stronger, faster, & injury-free!
• ​STRONGER FEET WORKSHOP: Losing the battle to plantar fasciitis, posterior tib pain, or reoccurring Achilles tendonitis? Not with this workshop ;)

Did that blog post or YouTube video knock your compression socks off? Consider leaving a tip so I can keep delivering awesome-socks content! Never expected; always appreciated.

© 2020- 2024 All Rights Reserved. You are receiving this message because you purchased a product from @dr.whitt.fit and/or signed up to receive content. This message is for informational purposes only and does not create a health care provider-patient relationship between you and Marie Whitt, and nothing you receive or view from Marie Whitt or @dr.whitt.fit, should be construed as medical advice.