Pelvic / abdomin pain turns out to be hip flexor strain...

[indigoiis]

I see the doc once a year.
Any complaints? Okay, here goes... I tell her about the abdomin pain for the past month, month and a half, that seems like appendicities without the being sick part. She sends me down for an ultrasound, and I spent the weekend thinking about the possiblities of ovarian cancer, ovarian cysts, aliens...

I get a call yesterday, the ultrasound was clear. The doc says, I think you have hip flexor strain from riding your bicycle.

*SIGH.* I am glad it is only that, although the good doc recommends staying off the bike til the pain goes away. I guess that's smart, but I have "not been ridin'" guilt.

When I get back on, I'm going to work on that upstroke.

Thankful in RI
Indy

[crazycanuck]

Indy,

I'm glad you didn't have an alien!

So, do you do lots of stretching from here then? What about swimming??

[Zen]

That doesn't sound right to me.
I don't see how a hip flexor stain would affect the abdomen. It should be more in the groin area, I dunno...

How about seeing a PT?

[Miranda]

Glad it's ok and nothing major. I've had my womanly pelvis worked on more ways than I ever care to think about. Plus, the impending doom of what else it needs. Bleah.

Besides the hip flexor, there is some fashia, ligament, somethin somethin (sorry, I know that's not really techical) that runs from that area and down.

Last time I was in PT for some stuff, the lady worked on "releasing" this somethin somethin, and OMG did it hurt while she did it, but SO much better.

It was affecting the entire mechanics of my pedal stroke. Amazing how pain in one area can snowball itself into others.

The PT gave me some hip flexor stretches that were things I would have never thought to do myself. And I do have my standard stretches I do/did before her instruction. One was a deeper stretch that I raised my quad up and laid it on an elevated surface (bed, low countertop in kitchen, at PT it was a low mat). Somehow you then lean forward with the rest of your body into the isolated area. That was another OMG targeted attack. But WOW, it really got to exactly what I needed.

Maybe the doc can give you some more help on the stretches? Or one trip to a PT could help as well. Mine had technically "healed" from seeing the reg doc. But not really. This fashia somethin somethin was still too tight and stuck (read months/year post injury). But, the old stuff got worked out.

On the guilt factor, just keep this saying in your mind... "I'd rather ride than rehab". You are doing what you have to protect that investment. No guilt there. Hope it gets better soon.

[indigoiis]

Everyone says I should see a PT, but I'm like, feh, me? sports injury? It's kind of, I don't know, it seems so... indulgent or not necessary or something.

But what it really boils down to is fear.

Ya know? Like, they're gonna find something, and then I'm going to have to fix it. I mean, that's why it took me a month to go to my gp.

I was actually shocked that my ultrasound was clear.

I just don't want it to snowball into a lifetime of dr. visits. I guess.

An alien would be so much easier.

[Tuckervill]

Yeah, I've been having knee pain for more than 5 years. I knew I had no right to complain if I wasn't going to exercise or keep my weight down--they just hurt and I hadn't injured them, and I knew they would just say take some NSAIDs or something.

When they were still hurting after losing 50 lbs and exercising religiously for a year, I started to consider whether I should go. Even though I knew they would say it's arthritis and to take NSAIDs.

I went on Tuesday. They took xrays and then said, "It's wear-and-tear arthritis. Take NSAIDs." :-/ But, at least I have a baseline xray for if they get intolerable, and I can prove that they have gotten worse. In the meantime, I'm informed, and I can choose not to do the knee damaging activities at boot camp with good reason!

Karen

[redrhodie]

You should definitely go to a PT. The sooner you fix the problem, the sooner you'll be riding.

Get better soon, but take it easy (without guilt) until then!

[arielmoon]

Yeah, I've been having knee pain for more than 5 years. I knew I had no right to complain if I wasn't going to exercise or keep my weight down--they just hurt and I hadn't injured them, and I knew they would just say take some NSAIDs or something.

When they were still hurting after losing 50 lbs and exercising religiously for a year, I started to consider whether I should go. Even though I knew they would say it's arthritis and to take NSAIDs.

I went on Tuesday. They took xrays and then said, "It's wear-and-tear arthritis. Take NSAIDs." :-/ But, at least I have a baseline xray for if they get intolerable, and I can prove that they have gotten worse. In the meantime, I'm informed, and I can choose not to do the knee damaging activities at boot camp with good reason!

Karen

My apologies to to OP, but Karen, I started taking 200mg of Hyaluronic Acid for my everyday arthritis knee pain and after 2 days I felt a huge improvement and within a week I was feeling no more pain. Now, I do have some riding pain/ issues with my bike, so it may not be as effective for severe problems but I have been recommending it like crazy!

[cycling_sarah]

Take care of yourself and rest! I hope you feel better soon so you can get back to riding.

[michelem]

LBTC posted this to me last summer when I was having troubles with "intestinal distress." Perhaps this is what your doc is referring to?

The illeo muscle (yes, I very likely spelled that wrong), otherwise known as the hip flexor, crosses over the front of the hip bones at the bottom end, and at the top end connects to the psoas muscle, which, at its other end, is attached to the back of the abdominal cavity.

In order for the muscle group to go from the back of the area to the front of the area, the muscles wind between the folds of the intestines, and are fascially attached to them. In a fully healthy individual, actively using the ilieopsoas is, I'm sure, normal and without any adverse effects (I'm actually wondering if it even contributes to better function of the intestines by stimulating them); but, if there is a difficulty, like inflammation or the like, with either the muscles or the organs, aggravating one is likely to aggravate the other.

[Tuckervill]

My apologies to to OP, but Karen, I started taking 200mg of Hyaluronic Acid for my everyday arthritis knee pain and after 2 days I felt a huge improvement and within a week I was feeling no more pain. Now, I do have some riding pain/ issues with my bike, so it may not be as effective for severe problems but I have been recommending it like crazy!

I'll look that up! Thanks!

Karen

[Zen]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iliopsoas

It appears to me that the main attachment points are on bones with some smaller vascular insertions on the intestines.

[indigoiis]

You guys are like, wickit smaht.

Which is why I posted here. Thank you.

The pain is sometimes around the kidney, sometimes closer to the pelvis, sometimes groin area. They checked the entire area with ultrasound. All clear.

You know it is funny because on the Dolce, I was complaining (I always complain about the Dolce, and I probably just need to get a new bike - again) that it felt like I was not getting a powerful stroke, that my legs were not going up and down in a core centric way but in front of my core, and that the right leg was working harder.

I do not feel this kind of stress on the Giant cross bike (which has smaller cranks, but a different geometry - in fact, top tube is LONGER.)

I guess the ONLY answer is to go and get a proper paid-for fitting.

[Zen]

The pain is sometimes around the kidney, sometimes closer to the pelvis, sometimes groin area. They checked the entire area with ultrasound. All clear.

Hmmm...http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/spra...piriformis.htm

[Crankin]

Wow, despite my diagnosis of Fibromyalgia, I think Piriformis syndrome sounds exactly like what I have... You don't get Fibromyalgia on one side, even though when I say this, it's ignored. They just don't know what's wrong with me.
I've had every test in the world, just as you, Indi. and it's all clear. And cycling is definitely making it worse. I've had fittings, new bike (s), PT, but it's still here.
The PT did the most help, but I was released in July. Looks like i might have to go back.