Brittany: Location and onset of pain can help determine cause. If the pain is limiting you and not just felt with running (stairs, sitting for a long time, etc), we recommend seeing a clinician. We have physicians who specialize in the treatment of runners. We also have physical therapists that can see patients for 30 days without needing a script from a physician. If the pain is not limiting, the key stretches to complete for runners include hamstring, hip flexor/quadriceps, and IT band. If you have a foam roller, that can help with all three but particularly your IT band.
For hamstrings: Lie on your back, keep one leg straight on the ground, raise the other leg straight up in the air with a strap; be sure to keep the raised leg straight. In this position, you can also pull the leg gently across your body to stretch your IT band.
For hip flexor/quad: Lie on your stomach and a strap/towel around your ankle; place a rolled up towel under your thigh; keep your hips and chest square against the floor and gently pull the strap to bend your knee; the towel puts your hip into a little extension to stretch your hip flexors and the bend of your knee will focus on your quadriceps. When you stretch, it should be a comfortable, tolerable stretch. You don’t want to stretch into pain.
It’s recommended to hold the stretches for approximately 30 seconds at a time and perform three times. Allow yourself to ease into the stretches. This allows for a better stretch and more tolerance for the stretching routine. People often get discouraged if they want to see immediate gains in flexibility. Slow and gradual is the way to go.