The pain in the hip started when seeing the other physical therapist. My new therapist thinks it is from the weak muscles - and apparently one of the stretches the first one was having me do was not helping and may have actually made things worse It WAS hurting a lot more at night, but that has greatly improved over the past few weeks.

Last night I wanted to put some time in on the Arc Trainer after meeting with my trainer - and my hip only tolerated 15 minutes before it started hurting

Thankfully it doesn't seem to matter how long or how hard I work it on the spinning bike - no pain at all - which bodes well for that bike deposit I am putting down tomorrow. It is also true that I've no discomfort when I am strength training - if we do an exercise that causes the hip to complain, it stops immediately upon completion of the exercise (assuming it was an exercise focusing on my hips - if not the exercise stops as soon as pain presents itself).

Oakleaf and IndySteel, thank you for your comments on the classes. The point of Pilates, at least for me, is core work. I've been told that my lower abdominal muscles are weak as well - though the upper ab. muscles are fine - and my lower back where everything attaches is also weak. Would the mat Pilates class help with any of that?

I've heard good things about the 90 minute "power" yoga class - but I don't know if those reporting know yoga outside of that class... They do tend to give creative names to classes at my club. Just to be safe, I will avoid the yoga class and focus on the exercises given by PT and trainer.

Knotted - thank you for your thoughts, I will take your suggestions to my PT when I see him tomorrow. I have asked him why this is all turning up now, when my over-use injuries are healed. He thinks at least part of the weakness came from the protracted healing period - while it is true that I went from REALLY working my lower body to only doing upper body work for almost 4 months, is that really long enough to create such weakness?

While I have been active for the last 1.5 years, it is also true that most of my life has been quite sedentary and I was much larger than currently.

Enough rambling, thanks!