Question for the PTs

[kelownagirl]

I am not going to see my PT again until the end of the week and I have a question maybe someone here can answer. Along with this annoying hip bursitis, I have been dealing with shin/calf pain on the same leg which my PT believes it is caused by my hip troubles. It's still hurting quite a bit and I want to walk 2k with the kids at school on Tuesday so I've been trying a little self-massage. The pain is right along the inside of the shin bone, fairly deep. I have noticed that if I rub my fingers down that area, I can feel knots in the muscle, one in particular is quite big and painful to push on. The other leg, which does not hurt, feels normal with no lumps.

Is it ok to keep massaging these lumps to try to make them go away or will I make the worse?

[KnottedYet]

I'd think massage would be good.

[Zen]

What about flexion/extension stretching and maybe something like "the stick"? Or maybe the stick would be a little hard...
They should have gone away by now, at least that's been my experience.

[kelownagirl]

I don't think the stick could get into that spot. I have been doing stretching exercises as well, and continuing to massage the area as well (can't wait until my massage therapist is back from Italy!). There is one spot that I can barely touch though - yowza!

I had to cancel my PT appt because of a meeting so I decided I will chat with my doctor tomorrow first before I go back to the PT. I think maybe it's time to get some xrays because the hip stuff has been on and off for a few years. I had forgotten that I even went to acupuncture about 3-4 years ago for the same darn thing. Looks like I'll be walking 2km with the school running club again tomorrow...

[Wahine]

KG - I don't have much time right now but I'll pipe up and say that while your local lower leg symptoms are likely a shin splint type of scenario and could be treated locally with ice, massage, taping. The hip and lower leg thing together makes me think that you could have a problem with you back that is a component of all this. If the PT hasn't checked out your back at all than you might want to ask about it. Is this a manual therapist?

I don't think it's a serious problem, nothing to worry excessively about, I'd just want to look into it to make sure you're covering all the bases.