Hip Arthritis...

[Catrin]

I hear you Indy, and my saddle height is much better than it once was. I am not changing it again, however, until I can start riding a little more frequently.

My physical therapist thinks that the hip not opening fully in the pedal stroke may have contributed to the hamstring injury (especially once I started clipping in), but not the quad injuries. He isn't recommending any changes to what I am doing - he is comfortable with what my trainer has me doing and he isn't concerned that I am being too lazy I haven't ridden in three weeks due to the weather and work so at least I know that my riding position isn't contributing to anything just now

What is odd to me is that I get assorted leg pain when my legs are at rest - for example today when my PT was checking out my hip flexibility he was pushing on the outside of my hip and it hurt in my groin area. Or I wake up in the night with my hip aching (whichever side I am lying on) but so is a portion of my calf below my knee. I know it is just referred pain, and I do have some neurotension in my calves, but it is just odd. At least he does not think that my back is part of this at all, for which I am thankful.

So I will keep doing his stretches and exercises, keep listening to my trainer, and keep putting one foot in front of the other.

[indysteel]

The worst of my hip pain was when I was sitting or sleeping. Interestingly, riding my bike didn't really hurt.

I don't begin to understand it all. I just know that our bodies compensate for weakness, injury and the like in some really intersting ways, some of which lead to pain. That's what made me think that your saddle being too low (if I remember your last mention of the subject, it was still an inch too low--which is a lot) might be a contributing factor as you're limiting your leg and hip's natural range of motion. Something within you might be overcompensating for that.

With that, I totally and otherwise defer to whatever Knotted may have to say!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

When I stop doing my 3-5 mile brisk fitness walk once or twice a week, I slowly begin to get achiness in my hip joints back again, regardless of whether I'm biking a lot or not. I start to feel creaky and achy in the mornings, especially in my hip joints. (I'm 56)
When you are biking, your leg never really gets flexed back behind you, like it does when you walk vigorously. Biking just doesn't do for my hips what regular brisk walking (with long strides) does. Once I start regular fitness walks again, my hip joint aches go away again.
Just something to consider.

[Catrin]

The worst of my hip pain was when I was sitting or sleeping. Interestingly, riding my bike didn't really hurt.

I don't begin to understand it all. I just know that our bodies compensate for weakness, injury and the like in some really intersting ways, some of which lead to pain. That's what made me think that your saddle being too low (if I remember your last mention of the subject, it was still an inch too low--which is a lot) might be a contributing factor as you're limiting your leg and hip's natural range of motion. Something within you might be overcompensating for that.

With that, I totally and otherwise defer to whatever Knotted may have to say!

This certainly could be contributing, though I've been able to ride so rarely since early October that I wonder how much of a factor this could be currently. My PT thinks it may well have contributed to the original hamstring injury in September, but not the quad injury. It has been almost 3 weeks since my last ride Now that I feel well enough to ride, the weather is conspiring against me - or at least it feels that way sometimes. I can't remember how low my saddle still is, but I do think that it is less than an inch now.

When I stop doing my 3-5 mile brisk fitness walk once or twice a week, I slowly begin to get achiness in my hip joints back again, regardless of whether I'm biking a lot or not. I start to feel creaky and achy in the mornings, especially in my hip joints. (I'm 56)
When you are biking, your leg never really gets flexed back behind you, like it does when you walk vigorously. Biking just doesn't do for my hips what regular brisk walking (with long strides) does. Once I start regular fitness walks again, my hip joint aches go away again.
Just something to consider.

Hmmm, good point. I have no stiffness, and while my right leg is less flexible than the other, my flexibility is pretty good. I just get these strange pains, some of which is quite obviously in my hip. It isn't very bad though. just enough for me to notice. Your point about the range of motion involved in brisk walking is a good one.

Back when I was not allowed to do any cardio work at all - all I COULD do was walking, so have developed the habit of a 20-30 minute walk around the track prior to all training sessions or spinning class to help my legs warm up. I will keep this in mind and expand it to see how a good fitness walk once or twice a week might help me. Running is out of the question, so this might be a good alternative.

I do hope that Knotted reads this and gives her perspective I think it is a good sign that my physical therapist thinks that I've improved enough to stop seeing him - outside of a couple of sessions in January in case we want to try a couple of medication applications to the sole quad tendon that hasn't yet healed - I forget what it is called but the medication is applied directly to the skin via a patch ... iontophoresis? Something like that.

[KnottedYet]

I do hope that Knotted reads this and gives her perspective

I still think it's your lumbar/sacrum.

Women often have no back pain with a low back derangement. Often it's in the hip and groin, and radiates down the leg. The hip pain disappears when the back (which didn't hurt) gets "fixed".

Everyone over the age of 20 has some sort of arthritis in their hips. Imaging does not indicate causation.

I assume you saw this: http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=40880
That's what I'm talking about.

[Catrin]

I still think it's your lumbar/sacrum.

Women often have no back pain with a low back derangement. Often it's in the hip and groin, and radiates down the leg. The hip pain disappears when the back (which didn't hurt) gets "fixed".

Everyone over the age of 20 has some sort of arthritis in their hips. Imaging does not indicate causation.

I assume you saw this: http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=40880
That's what I'm talking about.

Yes, I saw this. If a simple x-ray would show a lumbar sacrum problem then it sounds like something pretty easily ruled out. The hamstring itself is healed, the sole remaining issue is with the quad tendon that attaches at the top of the thigh and/or the sartorial? hip flexor. There is still just a little tendinitis in one of the hamstring tendons.

My PT yesterday had me in a couple of positions with my back to see if that would affect the hamstring and it didn't. He is pretty confident that it isn't an issue, but my symptoms - for anything - are rarely as expected and he is perplexed about where some of my pain comes from.

I will talk to my doctor's office next week and request a lower back x-ray to rule it out, hopefully we won't be ruling it in...

[Deborajen]

My back and hip x-rays were normal. It took an MRI to find that I had a herniated disc - and it's a big one. I almost refused to have an MRI, I was so convinced it wasn't my back.--

You've tried a lot of things, but an x-ray won't rule out a back problem. Keep thinking positive on recovery. Even if it does turn out to be a back problem, there are plenty of threads and posts from people who have gotten through it. I'll be thinking of you.