Hip and thigh pain since taking up hardbooting

[morganmachen]

I recently started wearing ski boots on my Rossi R159 and since then I have had pain in the I.T. band and hip flexor of my front leg. I do some moderate stretching before and after riding but it doesn't seem to be helping. Has anyone else experienced this?

[Hilux]

Not too sure if the boots are doing this to you or it's unrelated.

I have that pain fairly consistently but varying degrees but was also due to a previous injury but do a few things to keep it at bay...keep reading. For me it was partially setup too where I had too much forward lean and heel lift (I have UPZ's too) that was contracting my muscles too much for too long. That helped a bit but I was still getting similar pain you are describing.

Anyway, I was initially just having acute knee pain with peripheral hip flexor tightness. Went to an amazing sports physio and he said my IT was super tight, giving me the knee pain and as a result was tightening up muscles in hip flexors and lower back, pelvis (transverse abdominis muscles). Told me to get a foam roller for my IT and to "roll it out". You essentially do a sideways plank (but not really) and you roll on the side of your leg. It was soooo painful at first for about a week, but I got over that hump and was golden. I made it a habit to do it in the mornings and at night and bam, knee pain gone, hip flexor pain reduced and associated back muscles and glut relaxed. Don't skimp, get the high density one (not the pool noodle quality one) if you are going this route approx $40. The trick is to really relax your leg while doing this and let your body weight and roller do the work. I'm not kidding that this has been the most effective exercise aside from regular stretching before and after carving. I won't bother going out if I can't get on the roller beforehand, I always come back in rough shape.

I would suggest if this persists to go to a physio and figure out what's up. I went to a few sessions so they could work on the affected areas and that helps speed up the process. Hope this helps a litle.

Edited March 23, 2014 by Hilux

[morganmachen]

Thank very much Hilux. I really appreciate you taking the time to help a brother out. I have had intermittent pains like I'm having now and intended to get a foam roller. When I found out what they cost I balked and instead bought a ten dollar soccer ball. The pressure is fairly low so it's not to difficult to balance on. I've only used it a few times, maybe because it's too soft and not effective. I guess I'll break down and buy a roller. I have a very basic old set-up. My bindings are moderately canted, i think, Snowpro's. I just bought some Raichle 415's from a guy on this forum, and ridden in them only twice so far. I don't know much about forward lean or heel lift.

[CMC]

I recently started wearing ski boots on my Rossi R159 and since then I have had pain in the I.T. band and hip flexor of my front leg. I do some moderate stretching before and after riding but it doesn't seem to be helping. Has anyone else experienced this?

Keep stretching. Probably have very tight hip flexors.

[morganmachen]

Got it. Thanks!

[Momsboard2]

Thank very much Hilux. I really appreciate you taking the time to help a brother out. I have had intermittent pains like I'm having now and intended to get a foam roller. When I found out what they cost I balked and instead bought a ten dollar soccer ball. The pressure is fairly low so it's not to difficult to balance on. I've only used it a few times, maybe because it's too soft and not effective. I guess I'll break down and buy a roller. I have a very basic old set-up. My bindings are moderately canted, i think, Snowpro's. I just bought some Raichle 415's from a guy on this forum, and ridden in them only twice so far. I don't know much about forward lean or heel lift.

Foam rolling (mayofascial release) in and of itself will not fix the problem, it will help temporarily, but in the long term it will be a detriment. If you do not strengthen the muscles that are compromised (those opposing the muscles that are causing the pain due to overcompensation) and causing this problem in the first place, you are laying the groundwork for future, chronic, misalignment-which could ultimately lead to knee (or hip) replacement. I would see if you can find a MAT (muscle activation technique) specialist in your are. Very spendy, but WELL worth the cost for finding out exactly which muscles are not functioning properly and keeping you out of the o.r. (And, more importantly, off the slopes!!!).

-a personal trainer that specializes in corrective exercise

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Didn't you just take a high speed icy pitch "road rash" type sliding fall? Just checking if that would have anything to do with PAIN?

[morganmachen]

Good question, thanks. Actually I was going fairly slow when my board started chattering. My tail then washed out and instead doing a hip pointer I went directly onto my back.

[morganmachen]

Wow, thanks for the valuable advice 'mom'. Now that I think about it I've had similar pain after carving on my skateboards. I figured that carving would eventually bring all the associated muscles into some kind of equilibrium. I recently bought a basic used rebounder, or mini trampoline, and since the flare up from carving it seems to be exacerbated by the bouncing. But, like a dummy I don't stop bouncing because it's so soothing to my brain :-/

[Donek]

I'd say a major suspect is the ski boots.

For me thigh pain was a huge problem for years until my stance was fixed. Narrowing things up made all the difference in the world. Pay attention to any other things your body is telling you while riding and change your stance to make them go away. Comfort and flexibility will go a very long way to helping you become a better rider.

[Dave ESPI]

Absolutely agree with Seans advice about stance. I had a lot of issues with hip and shin bang and pains also. I'm a tall thin guy with "big bones", and my femur/ hip is very angular. I tried and tried and tried to get as low as a lot of the guys in the pictures and rotate the hips around on the heelside turn, but all our body's mechanics differ from person to person. You really need to just devlop your own comfortable ride style and stance using canting and plate alignment on the board. Here is where it gets funky, Every board is different. What works and is comfortable on one, isn't on another. I have seven boards. Everyone is set up uniquely to how it's feel and ride is. Play with your stance, angles, and set up. My personal rule of thumb; Heels and toes to the edge minus 3 degrees. Occasionaly that changes depending on the application and board's width. I'm also cursed with very big boots (mondo 32) so I have to often ride "moving sidewalks" for anything under 55 degree angles. I was at ECES and threw myself to the ground a lot trying out the eurocarve Pureboarding decks (SUPER FUN!) and took a lot of pain/learning from it. Boots make a big difference in how the legs were able to move and also the flex of them in particular bindings. The IBEX bindings were far more flexible and forgiving (albeit a tad sloppy) feeling, but worked better for range of motion versus the TD2's I have that I also tried. Dan was very helpfull with feedback and adjustments to where my posture and angulation was off causing the blowouts on heelside turns, but I was just unable to get to where I needed to be with the limitations of the HEAD boots. He was amazingly good and looked natural on the board and I tried to replicate his body motion with my gear and set up on the same board as him, but was unsuccessful in 3 hours of trying to get where I wanted on the heelside turn. So, I re-set the board to a stance and angles I previously tried that was more comfortable (with the back boot angle higher than the front) and then just rode it in a BX style it it absolutely ripped and I loved it. While I was not anywhere close to "heelside -Eurocarving it" It felt 100% better and more stable than before, and I was no longer "falling" by pushing too hard agains what my natural biomechanics would allow.

In short for the TL ; DR version: try different stuff and there is a point where it clicks.... We all have a jump shot, but we can't be Michael Jordan "Air" from the free throw line no matter how hard we try ;)

Edited March 23, 2014 by Dave ESPI

[Beckmann AG]

Sounds like you have insufficient support under the head of your first metatarsal (base of big toe) and you are constantly adducting that leg to compensate, leading to an 'overuse' injury.

If you have inward cant on your front binding, that isn't helping.