Hip pain

[OakLeaf]

Okay, this has gone on long enough.

Honestly when it first started I thought it was a good thing - that my external rotators, chronically tight on the right, were loosening up as a result of my postural work, and twinging in the process.

Doesn't seem to be that way now.

The pain seems to be pretty much in the glute medius, only on the right. I can't feel any spasm when I palpate it, but it's tender to the touch and on movement ... the last few days, at rest.

Hip flexion brings a little irritation and ROM isn't what it normally is. ROM on pigeon pose or figure 4 stretch is markedly reduced, and those moves are quite painful.

In case you're wondering, it didn't start right after the marathon. It wasn't exactly acute onset at all, although I can kind of point to where it started. I did go for a couple of short runs without a problem after the marathon. The first week of June I taught a strength class with a lot of emphasis on the hips, and I had a good deal of soreness afterward that I took for DOMS. Three days later I went for a 10-miler and felt that my hips were still sore from that effort. My log says both hips.

After that I got an awful cold and was laid up for a few days, then on my next run which was June 21 I logged that I was "feeling a little pull in the right hip external rotators." I didn't log any problem on the 10-miler I did on the 25th, in fact I noted that it felt good.

July the 2nd, I did mile repeats. Then we went to a ball game that turned out to be SRO. So it was run hard, sit in the car for an hour, walk a mile from the parking lot and stand around on concrete for three hours. My hip hurt a lot that night. Ever since then, it hasn't felt right and it's been getting progressively worse. Now it hurts after any activity.

The last day or so it's been hurting even at rest. I seem to have a bit of nerve impingement now - very subtle sensory changes, intermittent warmth in the leg, a bit of pins and needles in the foot.

I haven't found anything that really relieves it. And I don't have a doctor I trust, or have any clue how to find one - I've had a LOT of bad experiences with medical care in this area, and no really good ones with any specialty other than mental health. Help. :(

[KnottedYet]

Does it hurt more to stand on the right foot?

Does it hurt going up stairs?

Are the first few steps after getting out of a chair tough?
(is it better in the chair than right after getting out of the chair)

[OakLeaf]

Climbing stairs hurts.

No to the other two.

[KnottedYet]

Stand in good posture.
Take a "snapshot" of how you feel and move.

Bend forward as though you were going to touch your toes, keeping legs pretty straight. (hip flexion and lumbar flexion) Go as far as you get, and do it 10 times.

After you've done 10, stand in good posture again. Take a snapshot. Are you now better, worse, or the same?

If better, do this (hip flex with lumbar flex) 10 times every 2 hours you are awake until you've been symptom free for a week.

If same, do this procedure again once or twice before giving up and going to next step.

If worse, go to next step....


.... Step 2
Stand in good posture.
Take a snapshot of how you feel and move.

Put hands in small of back, bend backwards as far as you go (hip and lumbar extension). Do 10 times.

Stand in good posture. Take a snapshot again.

Are you better, worse, or the same?

If better, do this (standing backbend) 10 times every 2 hours you are awake until you have been symptom free for a week.

If same, do this procedure once or twice more before giving up and going to step 3.

If worse, do step 3....

....Step 3

Run through the same process, only this time the movement you are testing is to put your sore side right hand on your sore side right hip and push your hips off to the left (so you are standing like a banana) 10 times.

Better, worse, or same?

If better, this is the move you do 10 times every 2 hours yadda yadda yadda

If same, try procedure once or twice more. Then if still the same, go to the doc.

If worse, you should really go to a doc.


All you're doing here is seeing if one of 3 basic "reset" moves the body employs normally (usually without you being aware of it) can help your symptoms. If one of them does, then you just have to do it more than normally (10 times every 2 hours) for a while until your body finishes fixing itself. Anything more interesting than can be addressed this basically in a chat thread really should be handled through a doc and in person.
BTW: if step 1 feels better, you do NOT go on to step 2 or step 3!!! If step 2 feels better, you do NOT go on to step 3!!!!

[OakLeaf]

(((((((Knot))))))) Thanks! You're the best. :)

Flexion didn't seem to do much one way or the other. Extension does seem to help. I'll keep up with that.

Should I just go to the end of my ROM and come back, or hold for a few seconds?

Should I avoid unnecessary flexion?

[KnottedYet]

End of ROM and return. Smoothly, at a dignified pace.

No need to hold, but don't go crazy-fast either.

Avoid flexion you don't really need to do, but you don't have to avoid it all together. After all, doing it 10 times to the end of your flexion range didn't really cause you any trouble just now.

But do try the hip and lumbar extension 10 times every couple hours. There are many variations on this theme, so let me know if the standing back bend version feels like it loses effectiveness.

[OakLeaf]

Anything more interesting than can be addressed this basically in a chat thread really should be handled through a doc and in person.

I DO get that, and I hugely appreciate your putting yourself out here and trusting that everyone here gets that. Thanks again.

[OakLeaf]

Noticeable improvement already. Thank You! :):):)


(and yes I'm still doing the foot exercises too :p)

[indysteel]

I DO get that, and I hugely appreciate your putting yourself out here and trusting that everyone here gets that. Thanks again.

I get this, too, Knotted, and really appreciate your help. As a lawyer, I certainly understand the danger in seeking or giving "advice" over the internet. For my own purposes, I just thought I'd see if there was anything glaring that jumped off the page as explaining what might be wrong with my hip/groin. I think it's likely just time for me to see a doctor. :(

[OakLeaf]

Continuing to improve with the stretches. Went for a little run this morning - just to wake my legs up one last time before the tri on Sunday, and continue trying to acclimate to this heat - and it didn't aggravate the hip at all. Woot!

[KnottedYet]

Hooray!

Keep doing them 10 times every couple hours, until you've had a whole week without symptoms.

Awesome!

[OakLeaf]

Things were kind of hitting a plateau - way better than it had been, but far from 100%.

Meanwhile, my classes had been kind of suffering. I like to bring them lots of balance and stabilization work - it's been great because I know they need it even more than I do, and as long as I give modifications and progressions, I can get my own workout too. But the last few weeks have made it hard to even demonstrate a lot of moves without feeling like I'm aggravating the hip.

On Thursday I thought I'd try a progression that winds up in half-moon pose. I did one at home, standing on the bad leg, to see if I could do it. Wow, that felt pretty good, opened up the hip without pain or excessive pulling. So I did it with them in class, too, once on each side. Even better.

Just that day made a huge improvement. So I'm now doing those once or twice a day, along with the extensions every couple of hours.

The weird thing is that it was ardha chandrasana that worked out the problem I was having with my obdurator in the other hip over the winter. And I'd been pretty much neglecting all my yoga before it got bad this time...

[KnottedYet]

Makes perfect sense!

Good job, Oak! :D