Jogging and arthritis

[Cat-a-Tonic]

I work out a fair amount, but I mostly lift weights and do yoga. I know I need more cardio, so I've been making an effort to jog more. But my arthritis (right hip) is getting in the way. I can jog for about 1/2 mile with no issues. But when I get up to about 3/4ths of a mile, my hip starts hurting and I haven't been able to run a full mile yet without stopping and walking due to the hip pain. If I stop and walk, my hip aches less, but it still aches. And if I go for a long walk with my dog my hip sometimes aches too, so it seems neither walking nor jogging is very good for my hip.

Anybody have any suggestions as to how to get around this or work through it? I don't think I can just jog through the pain, as it steadily gets worse the longer I jog. Plus, the worse my hip feels, the weaker it feels too, so if I push through I am afraid my leg might just give out from under me and I'd fall and injure myself, and I obviously don't want that. Should I just give up on jogging and ride my bike for cardio exercise instead as that doesn't cause pain? Or should I be content with the fact that I can only run 1/2 mile at a time without pain and not try running any longer than that? Or something else?

 

[rygon]

Have youthought about HIT (high intensity training). something like 20secs all out followed by 10secs rest (repeat 8 times) I do it on a bike and also when jogging and its supposed to be really good for cardio

 

[shmo]

You may already do this but just in case, make sure you stretch. A lot. also pushing yourself too hard can do more damage I find. It's okay to push yourself a little, but your body obviously needs to rest too, and when you have bad arthritis, you can only get better a little at a time

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

Thanks Rygon and Shmo.

Rygon, interval training is something I've been meaning to do more of. I will give it a try, thanks for the suggestion.

Shmo, I do already stretch a lot so I don't think that's the cause of the issue. And I felt like I was only pushing myself a little, not a lot - I can jog for 1/2 mile (which has been my usual warm-up before lifting weights) without any pain whatsoever. It's when I get up to about 3/4ths of a mile that I start to feel pain. I don't know, I guess I felt like jogging for one mile shouldn't be a big deal so it wouldn't hurt as much as it did, and I'm trying to wrap my head around the fact that it did indeed hurt.

It's frustrating because I've been exercising regularly (minimum 3x per week) for over a year now, ever since my IBD got into remission, but I still feel like my health is holding me back. At the risk of sounding like a total crybaby, it's just not fair. All I want to do is make my body as healthy as it can be, but it's my body that's preventing me from doing just that. Ugh. It's been what, 4 days since I ran the mile and caused myself this arthritis pain? And my hip is still achey, although not as bad as it was a few days ago. It just feels like the punishment doesn't fit the crime, you know? I can run 1/2 mile with no pain, but when I go for 1 mile (and not jogging the whole time but taking breaks here and there to walk), I end up in pain for days. I guess I'm just trying to figure that one out! And for now I'm switching to riding my bike instead, because I know I can ride for miles/hours without arthritis pain. Ugh, it's just frustrating though. I'm stubborn and I really want to jog!

 

[rygon]

Have you thought about getting some minimal (barefoot) trainers like "New Balance MR10 Minimus Road" (ones I got)

I found the shock of running with my heels hitting the ground really hurt my knees and shins. Ever since buying these and learning to run on my balls of my feet (took a while to learn and really build up your calves) Ive had no problems with pain at all. I actually enjoy jogging now

Im sure you could buy any flat shoes and it would be fine as there is no ankle support not much cushioning at all, but they are really light weight and have a lot of space for your toes (good as im a wide fit and have always struggled to get trainers to fit properly)

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

Those shoes you're talking about, are those the ones with like individual toes? They look really weird? I've seen those, my brother has a pair, but I'm just not sure.

Okay, I just googled the name of the shoes you posted, and those aren't the toe shoes. Still, I'm intrigued by the toe shoes. Anyway, my knees & shins aren't really the problem - my right hip is where the arthritis is. When I jog, I never notice pain anywhere besides ocassional LRQ gut pain, and the hip pain. So I don't know if new shoes would make a difference or not. Could new shoes affect my hip?