Hip Arthritis...

[indysteel]

During our sessions, my PT manipulates my right leg a lot to get some movement back in the joint. I typically lay prone on my back on his examination table while he works the leg into a variety of positions. It hurts at times--quite a bit, in fact. But I almost always feel great afterwards. It's kind of like intensive massage. From there, we have worked on glutes. I typcially do a series of "fire hydrants," bridges and leg lifts while laying on my stomach. I don't know if my weak glutes had anything to do with my hip pain , but I do think my lower body is working more normally. Now I just need to keep working on all of it on my own.

[Catrin]

During our sessions, my PT manipulates my right leg a lot to get some movement back in the joint. I typically lay prone on my back on his examination table while he works the leg into a variety of positions...

It sounds like he was able to do some good work. My pulled hamstring and quads meant that my own PT was afraid of doing too much to my leg...

[Catrin]

Someone has advised me to sleep with a little pillow between my knees to prevent the hip pain at night - does this make sense? Something about how it opens the joint up. I do not pretend to understand but am certainly willing to try it!

[KnottedYet]

Someone has advised me to sleep with a little pillow between my knees to prevent the hip pain at night - does this make sense? Something about how it opens the joint up. I do not pretend to understand but am certainly willing to try it!

Keeps your spine and hips in neutral during sidelying so the weight of your top leg doesn't pull you into rotation.

Give it a try.

[Catrin]

Keeps your spine and hips in neutral during sidelying so the weight of your top leg doesn't pull you into rotation.

Give it a try.

Thanks, I did give it a little try last night, but don't think the pillow was quite the right size. Less pain though More hip pain/aches today darn it...why is the hip flexor on the OTHER leg firing up - and cold feelings in the OTHER hamstring?

Be interesting to see what that series of back x-rays show, and will experiment with another pillow tonight.

[KnottedYet]

Thanks, I did give it a little try last night, but don't think the pillow was quite the right size. Less pain though More hip pain/aches today darn it...why is the hip flexor on the OTHER leg firing up - and cold feelings in the OTHER hamstring?

Because you have a soft tissue pressing into the nerves. (disc, spasming muscle, or something). Spinal level symptoms that don't always make sense.

And soft tissue doesn't show up on xrays.

[Catrin]

Because you have a soft tissue pressing into the nerves. (disc, spasming muscle, or something). Spinal level symptoms that don't always make sense.

And soft tissue doesn't show up on xrays.

This is the only thing that makes sense...and sadly I have to pay 30% of MRI or CT scans, and I just can't afford that. Bummer.

Knotted - are scans the only way of finding such a thing? Would a good PT or chiropractor be able to chase down the problem?

[KnottedYet]

Several studies have shown that a mechanically trained PT is nearly as accurate as an MRI when it comes to diagnosing spine and joint issues. The MDT physical therapist is about $200 in billable units for an evaluation, as opposed to $5,000 for an MRI; which is why a lot of docs will send someone for PT before going after the MRI.

But it's got to be a mechanically trained PT, or you'll end up with a lot of vague stretching and strengthening crap. An MDT PT would never let you continue beyond the 3rd visit unless you were showing significant improvement.

There are chiros who are MDT trained, but not many.

I don't know what to tell you. Your symptoms are clear and definitive. Find someone near you who knows mechanical diagnosis and self treatment. Under their care you should be massively improved within a few visits, or they should be able to clearly state what aspects are non-responsive and refer you back to your physician with clear information about what is NOT going on.

[OakLeaf]

McKenzie Institute has a certified therapist locator on their web page.

http://www.mckenziemdt.org/index_us.cfm

[KnottedYet]

It sounds like he was able to do some good work. My pulled hamstring and quads meant that my own PT was afraid of doing too much to my leg...

BTW: it is impossible to "pull" both agonist and antagonist muscles of the same limb without massive trauma.

[Catrin]

My current PT has simply been giving me hip flexor strengthening stretches and seems perplexed over much of my symptoms. I will look around for a mechanically trained PT in the area that my insurance will hopefully cover, my doctor would be happy to refer me to someone else. I get the sense that he isn't happy with what my PT is doing either - not that he isn't doing all that he can but he doesn't seem able to really help me much.

I will see what I can find, thanks for the link.

I suspect the only muscle that was actually pulled was my quad, and the tendinitis in the hamstring seemed clear. I can point to the minute that I messed the quad up, but while I had the symptoms of a pulled hamstring muscle - warmth and definitive pain right in the middle of the thing - I couldn't say when it happened. That always had me wondering, the tendinitis seems to be about gone.

Thankfully I am feeling better enough to ramp up the exercise gently - but when symptoms moving to the OTHER leg now, it is time to do something different. Thank you for the information, it is greatly appreciated.

[Catrin]

McKenzie Institute has a certified therapist locator on their web page.

http://www.mckenziemdt.org/index_us.cfm

They have someone locally in my medical network - thank you!