uneven muscle tightness

Question
Hi John,

Thanks for the quick reply.  I am 27 years old, never have had kids.  I am 1.72 meters tall and 171 kilos.  I have been working out for between 4 to 6 times a week since I was 15.  I jumped horses competitivly for 15 years, starting at age 10.  I never had a really bad fall, but my right foot has been once by being stepped on by a horse (age 13) and once while skipping (don't ask =) at age 18.  

I am training on a treadmill with a 1.5% incline because I live in a city in Mexico with almost no flat surfaces and very few sidewalks.  

Would you suggest pilates as a way to get in the strength and stretching you reccomend below?  

Thanks so much.  

Christine

Thanks a lot   
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Followup To

Question -
I started training for a half marathon a couple months ago and I am currently running about 30 kilometers a week.  I have always felt like my right side and hip were more tight than my left, but since I started training, the stiffness has increase in my ride side and I feel very unbalanced when I run.  I try to keep good form equally on both sides, but it feels like my right leg is crooked to to outside or something.  Is this common?  It is driving me crazy, especially on longer runs and hill training.  What can I do about it?

Answer -
Hi Christine
No it is not comon,but this is something that can crop up from time to time.It part of being a runner.You have to allways keep ahead of everything.Things you can do are ab work.back extentions,light streching all body parts,lateral leg rasies,wall sits,push ups.Your running route could have a lot of camber in it.It is not easy to stay ahead of everyting Christine.You could of had this for a long time,but when you uped your training for the half it stood out more pronounce.You can trace everything if you look back carefully what you have done that might have happened to you like a fall,running on the same side of the road with high camber,etc.etc.Have you ever had kids?I don't no anything about you or your fitness background,so it is hard to get a feel.I hope this give you some food for thought Christine.

To a successfull recovery

John

Answer
Hi Christine
Now i can see by tracking back....your horse jumping i'm sure has had an effect in your situation.Pilates would be  excellent program for you to get involved in to get you realigned and correct those imbalances.Just make sure you get the proper instruction from a certified source.I would also ad some stationary biking to strengthen quads and retrack the knee so it slides smoothly.Don't forget the ab work and don't do the incline all the time.A couple of times a week is fine.This is the other thing that had an effect on your situation.Now you have a great tool to be your own doctor...Tracking back.I think we hit it on the head Christine.Let me know how it is going down the road or get in touch if you have anything else.

The very best

John