I am a 48 year old female who began running last April. I have suffered two
groin injuries over the past year. Can they be attributed to plyometric drills
that my trainer and I have been doing to get me faster? Or are they just
injuries that happen to runners in training? I am training for my first full
marathon - Disney, January,2000. I ran a half marathon last October in Atlantic
City, N.J. Any advice you may have for me would be appreciated!
Anita, groin injuries are tough. The groin muscles, made up of the adductor
muscles primarily, work in reciprocal fashion with the muscle sof the other leg.
It is not uncommon for one groin injury to lead to another, sometimes on the
same side, sometimes on the opposite side. The groin muscles are involved in
rotational motions of the femur during acceleration and deceleration of the
femur as it swings back and forth during the gait cycle. They also contribute to
the flexion and extension moments of the femur at the same time. Usually when
there are injuries of the adductors, the victim is not doing enough cross
training. EWspecially side to side movements, like roller blading, lunges, slide
board etc. Plyometrics should be OK as long as they include side to side jumps
and hops.
My advice, get a slide board.
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