Back when I was a runner, I dealt with some hip issues.  My right hip flexor getting over worked because my right side isn’t as strong as my left side.  For some reason, I do most things on my left side which causes my right side to become lazy.

My right hip flexor would be very sore after my runs to the point that I couldn’t even run a mile with out my hip hurting afterwards.  I did PT for a while and slowly got back on target. (If you want more nitty gritty, you can read about this hip issue, here, here, here, here, and here.)

Then we moved here, I stopped running because I was having difficulty with the elevation which caused depression which caused me to spiral down into a blob.  I finally picked running back up last year but had to stop because my right hip was being an issue again.

Instead I put running on the back burner and started doing CrossFit.  I fell in love with my gym and the workouts and didn’t give running a second thought until now.  Sometimes runs are part of our workout and I want to be able to do them.

I would like to be able to add in running to my routine however this stupid hip issue is back but a little more intense. Now it hurts during runs (as opposed to just after a run) and lasts for a long time.  I tried running 800m when my hip flexor tightened up, swelled, and then was painful for about a week and a half afterwards.

Ouch and GRRRR

So I’m going through PT again so that I can get back to being healthy and using both sides of my body equally.

My current therapist has been the most thorough person so far!  She spent an hour with me during my first visit and had me do a bunch of different moves and exercises to determine just how weak my right side is.

Turns out it’s crazy weak.  I knew that but was surprised by just how weak it is!  After that visit, I started paying more attention to how I sit, walk, stand, and handle myself.  It’s a little mind blowing to see how much I favor my left side over my right.  And yes, I am right handed.  I basically don’t use my right side unless I have to and am making an effort to use it.

WHAT? I don’t even know how I started doing that and why I do it.  I always thought my left side was my weaker side just because it’s non-dominate but nope. My right side just cruises through life.

I can also feel it during squats, as the weight gets heavier, I can tell that I’m relying on my left side to get me up and out of the squat.

So it’s time to focus on getting balanced so I can run and continue with heavy lifting.