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Hi All!

I've been working hard to try to get ready for Indoor Nationals in two weeks, I just want to do better than I did last year. But in my training I have inflamed an old PV injury from my high school days.

I was wondering if anyone else has suffered this injury, what it is and what can be done to fix it.

When I used to jump in HS my only plant thought was to drive my lead knee as hard as I could up and out. What I wound up with was a severe pain right at the back of thigh right where my femur hooks into my hip. Someone told my it was the cyatic nerve. I don't know but it never really got better. It would get inflamed and make it hard to run or walk because that whole area would feel almost numb. It would cool down and then I could run again but it would flame up pretty quickly. It feels very similar to the tendinitis I used to have in my elbow in that way.

Well in working to extend my trail leg back at the takeoff to set up the swing I have felt this inflammation again. It literally felt like my hip was coming out of the socket. I had to sit for awhile till it died down and then I felt pretty good but I didn't jump again for fear of doing some serious damage and then not being able to compete.

So has anyone experienced this injury or heard of this? Anyone know what it is? I don't thin it's bad enough (yet) to go see the doc, but if it keeps acting up then maybe I will. I just want to keep jumping, I'm sure you all get that!

The jump was probably the best of my life by the way. I wish I could have kept practicing it!

Thanks for your help, Kris.

From what you have stated, it sounds like Hamstring Tendonitis. I would take a couple weeks off or as long as it takes for there to be no pain when doing moderate activity, ie biking, jogging etc. Then begin doing negative hamstring exercises like negative curls, negative stiff leg deadlifts and negative straight leg cable pull backs. Every other day.

You will probably have some pain doing these, if so it should be mild and deminish over a few weeks. If it does deminish, start adding some striders to your training and keep progressing as it gets better untill you can sprint and vault.

Probably want to relax that knee drive a bit too, bro.

Also, the inflammation may have made the attachment sight week and you DO NOT want that tendon yanking off your ass-bone. Don't do any max sprint work to the point of fatigue or sprint work when you have any reason to believe your electrolyte balance could be off. No hamstring cramps allowed.

Holy crap Jumpinback! Those things are my entire workout!

I have been doing some max effort sprint training.

I understand about taking time off, but indoor nationals are in less then two weeks!

Heh, now I get why us masters competitors wait till the last second to enter these meets.

Any advice on the knee drive? I wasn't trying to drive my knee, only to extend/finish the takeoff with a long trail leg. It worked, I got the best swing of my life, but can I do it without driving the knee? I don't know enough about the model, but a lot of you do. Please help.

Thank you Jumpinback, good advice!

Since you're going to do this meet I would suggest not doing any sprint work until then, just run striders. You may be slightly slower for doing so but at least you will be out their competing.

Regarding the knee drive. I'm no technical expert so probably not qualified to make a suggestion. However, with my vaulting, I have come to the conclusion that I may have to do things different from ideal to avoid injury.

Squats, I had the same injury for 4 years went to many doctors and sports trainers (experts) ha. I think it boils down to excentric contractions. squat fairly heavy (safely) all the way down mind your knees. You should be real sore for 7 to 10 days when I get that knawing feeling deep at the insertion of the hamstrings I get in the gym. Also stretch the pirformis. I stumbled on this by accident. I haven't had the problem for 2 yrs.

Thanks for the info, I'll give it a try. But I don't want to be sore for 10 days! What I really need to be able to do is run and vault, and I can't do either right now!

What you guys are describing sounds like we are talking about the same thing. If I went to see my ortho I know what she'd say, "Let's hit it with a cortisone shot!" and I don't want to do that. Number one I know how bad they hurt, and getting one THERE would be, well, bad. Number two I know all the bad things about cortisone, although I have had my share of shots and they do work... for awhile.

Thank you very much for your input. It means a lot.