Well, not the poop chute, but buttocks.

I don’t do a lot of running, just 3-5k at between 12.5 and 15kmh, with the odd minute or two at 18kmh on the treadmill Saturday and again Sunday, but my buttocks ache for days after. Calves, thighs, knees are all ok.

I don’t really stretch before hand, but do warm up and cool down at a brisk walking pace. Should I be stretching and if so, how? Could be something to do with my running style I suppose – seems fine to me, but Mrs STR says I run funny.

might be that you are trying to use your lower back too much. I understand this is quite common for cyclists crossing over to running. make sure you kick your legs quite far back to make sure you are using the right muscles, ie try and kick yourself up the arse.

Hmm, maybe djg – its something I’d noticed that I kept my heels quite low and have been trying to concentrate on kicking up.

It’s your periformis, most likely, it’s a trapped nerve rather than a tear or strain so no real problem (except the associated pain) with running on it. Google ‘pigeon stretch’, do it a few times and let us know if it helps.

It should help immediately by the way.

Will do seanoc, does feel muscular though, but I do have occassional lower back problems, so maybe.

Hold on, both arse cheeks? Unlikely to be periformis…..which does feel like a muscular issue and, sometimes, can give you deferred pain down the leg and to your hamstrings.

Its, allegedly, been proven that stretching doesn’t help. But I know that if I don’t stretch I can’t run on consecutive days without developing a couple of niggles.

Yes, both cheeks the same

You new to this caper? Could just be muscle adaption.

Yeah, I hate running, but it makes a change from the tedium of the rowing machine

Its, allegedly, been proven that stretching doesn’t help

I am aware of studies that appear to show that runners who stretch experience more injuries than runners that dont. I read the study some years ago and it was referred to in “the lore of running” if you want to look it up.

i am not a fan of stretching but it sells magazines! if you do want to do I wouldnt recommend doing it before exercise but after.

I am aware of studies that appear to show that runners who stretch experience more injuries than runners that dont.

Maybe the runners who stretch are prone to injuries and then start stretching in an effort to try and prevent it. No causal link there… 🙂

I stretch after, mostly, but I’ve found that some kind of ‘limbering up’ works nicely for me beforehand, rather than formal stretching. So swinging my legs about, jumping around, that kind of thing, and also the traditional automatic, like you do when you get up. That’s surprisingly effective I find.. seems to do something fundamental. I guess that’s why animals do it.

running uses your bum muscles quite a lot artist 😀

seanoc knows his stuff though. I always pay attention to his advice. if he thinks it’s muscle adaption, it probably is.

Edit: oh and surfer too, listen to what his says as well. (didn’t see your post, sorry surfer.)

Could be that your arse is a bit flabby, not fat, but “loose” if you like. Could be your buttocks oscillating (I think thats what its called) but it might improve the more toned your bumcheeks become. You could maybe try compression undershorts too, like Nikepro or UnderArmor.
I found I was getting a sore back after not running for a few months, and everything felt flabby and loose. After a couple of weeks the flabbiness feeling disappeared, along with the lower back pain. 😀

I’ll go with the muscle adaptation – the only thing that puts me off that slightly is the fact that it didn’t seem to do it as much at first (8 months ago) as it does now.

Neil F – buns of steel here mate and no flab, or looseness anywhere I don’t think (6ft – 11.5st)

I’ll go with the muscle adaptation – the only thing that puts me off that slightly is the fact that it didn’t seem to do it as much at first (8 months ago) as it does now.

That bit is a bit funny. Have you changed your shoes recently, or do you know how far you’ve covered in your present ones? The reason I ask is only that the cushioning breaks down on shoes and it’s not uncommon that the first sign of wear is picking up this sort of niggle. They may seem alright under a visual inspection but if they’ve covered more than, say, 300-400 miles then it may be a good idea to swap them out.

Try stretching your arse first though, that’s cheaper.

Huh, quite ironic that the first few weeks I ran in totally unsuitable shoes – adidas flat soled tennis/basketball type things – my feet hurt. I then bought some Nike running trainers and for a while my feet still hurt.

The foot pain stopped and now the arse ache. I’m totally fine whilst running, it’s the next day.

It’s nothing I can’t cope with, but it’s compounded by a Monday morning 3hr drive – I get out of my pick-up at a service station, or my destination and walk like I’ve crapped myself for 5/10 minutes. It gets better through the day, but is then still there for a couple or three days.

That’s running for you – it generally causes things to hurt.

Maybe the runners who stretch are prone to injuries and then start stretching in an effort to try and prevent it. No causal link there…

I suspect the study considered this

Sounds like muscle adaption to me.