Yea... I hurt myself. I'm been exercising for almost two months now. But I started with beginner cardio because I found that even though I took years of dance as a kid.. I have no coordination... and all of my Yoga DVD's were too advanced for me at this weight and flexibility.

Anyway.. I moved on and really like my weighted ball routine.. and I just purchased a peanut ab ball... primarily because the DVD that came with it was by the instructor who does my weighted ball DVD. Love her! But...When trying it out yesterday, I seemed to have strained my inner thigh and hip muscles.

Today I didn't feel much like exercising.. but I did. Not as much as I would normally do, because I was really feeling the strain on the muscles that I hurt the day before.

So my question is... If you have hurt yourself, do you exercise at normal capacity, do you exercise but keep it on the light side.. or do you skip it all together?

I don't want to skip because then I find it hard to get the motivation up to exercise the next day... But I don't want to be in pain, nor do I want to seriously aggravate or hurt anything. Any help would be appreciated!

LR

if you can, definitely do a light workout. really keeps my consistency going. i'm terrible at consistently exercising. so if you're like me, go easy. don't work the parts that hurt. work your arms or other parts that aren't injured. don't quit!

It is a sharp pain, or did you feel anything strain at the time you were doing them? If not it may be normal muscle soreness (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) -- it does sound like it given that you are feeling it only later. Don't worry, this kind of muscle soreness is normal when you do a new activity, especially with certain exercises like squats and lunges. I get it every year when I start with the winter hikes, going downhill really gives it to you. I usually feel a little better if I do some mild exercise, because it relieves the stiffness a bit, but otherwise there's not much you can do except wait. It usually disappears by the third or fourth day after the exercise. Don't let it discourage you!

Pain in muscles is good -- move them lightly and work other muscle groups more heavily. Soon your body will acclimate to the movements and the soreness will go away -- and you can do more intense/different exercises that make it come back and continue to improve your body.

Pain in joints, ligaments, & tendons is bad. That's real injury and shouldn't be taken lightly. I've been reducing my workouts due to a sprained ankle and I try to do slightly more low-impact activity with my ankle every day, working toward 100% in the future -- hopefully within a week or so.

Test out your soreness -- is it a deeper, wide, muscley soreness or is it a sharp pain that only happens in a specific movement? The first is fine (keep at it!), the second you want to be much more careful with.

Well, the pain in my thighs is basically soreness.. and that is starting to lessen. I don't mind the soreness too much. But the pain in my hip is not. I injured this hip last summer... doing god knows what... It took WEEKS to heal.

Looks like I've aggravated it again... it's not as bad as the original injury.... but all the same.. I can't stop exercising for weeks for it to heal.

I do think I identified the move that caused the aggravation though.. so I'll be avoiding that move now. We'll see I guess. Thanks!

LR

Eek careful with hip injuries! I have a hip injury/deformation that can only be fully corrected with surgery but I'm supposed to manage it until then. The hip socket doesn't have blood flow to it so it doesn't heal like injuries to the knee, ankle, or other joints. My physical therapist has told me several other reasons why the hip is more sensitive than other joints... I can't remember them right now but the take home message is that you don't want to push the hip when it's in pain.

If you can see a physical therapist I'd highly recommend it. Usually they are fully or mostly covered by insurance. You may only need to go once or twice to get it checked out and get a routine prescribed for you to do at home. He or she can give you exercises and other methods to strengthen the hip and help it heal. Ice and other therapy may also be recommended.

You know, the hip injury doesn't bother me constantly throughout the day. It's only certain positions or situations.

This hips has bothered me in general for maybe a year or two now. It started with general stiffness after sitting for a long period of time (like my commute) and would go away after a few steps. This hip also always pops alot, and I've noticed it more after having my daughter, turning around and reaching into the back seat of my car to give her something or adjust whatever. I always assumed it was weight related. That it would get better once I got the weight off.

When I injured it this past summer, the hip was almost not weight baring anymore. I had to walk funny for weeks (Like Igor!) and it affected my back. I had to stop walking for exercise because it would just flat out give. After two or three weeks I was able to walk normal again.. and after about 3 or 4 months, it stopped giving out on me randomly.

I think I'm going to give it some time to heal and make sure I stretch it before exercising (and not do that move that originally aggravated it!) before running to my doctor about it. I've got a couple of other health issues on my plate that are a little more pressing. Gotta get them sorted out first. But if this hip keeps acting annoyed I'll eventually inquire about it.

Thanks for the advice!

LR

Mine has always popped ever since I was a kid, and about two years ago it started hurting when I sat for long periods of time (such as at work) and after I would run. It got progressively worse, with stretching or rest not helping. I finally after 8 months went to the orthopedic surgeon who did a battery of x-rays and MRIs. After several months and several doctors I was finally tentatively diagnosed me with hip impingement, also called FAI, a not-well-known condition among even orthopedic surgeons, and which gets worse unless surgery is undertaken. Now my hip pops almost constantly- when I get up from a chair, when I turn around, etc. Not just a pop but a crackle. I really need to get it fixed, but I am living outside the country and can't. Still, I know I shouldn't go too much longer before treating it.

Not saying this is what you have by any means, just sharing my story to encourage hip injuries to be taken care of quickly. I didn't when I should have (as a kid, when it was popping frequently) and now I'm paying for it. It's on your radar now as something to keep an eye on, so I wish you the best of luck with that and your weight loss journey