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constant hip, groin and back pain.

Hi

I have been suffering from an undiagnosed injury since October. there was not one single incident that seemed to cause the injury. Gone from training every day to now doing nothing and really starting to get very depressed about it all.

Have pain in my hips constantly - on the parts at the side that protrude and the two parts at the base of the spine that protrude and the bottom of the hips. Have burning pain, numbness as wel in legs.

Sports physio has told me it must be neuroligal and linked to nerves as I initially felt tingling in my legs. She can't explain cause of problem.

Have since had X ray and MRI scans which reveal nothing. Back specialist not sure as to what problem may be either. She can only rule out things as scans don';t show disc problmes/joint problmes etc..

Doctor has given me diazepam which only makes me drowzy and sleepy. hardly helps to cure probelm

Have seen on other posts that tight hamstrings may in some way contribute. Just wondered whether anybody outhere had something similar/any suggestions as to how I can actually start exercising again.

Comments

  • Have they rulled out A nerve impingment ?

    Where is your pain originating ? I know this is difficult to pinpoint.

    Any "hot patches" that you can feel ?

    What makes it worse or better ?

    Time of day, type of activity ?

    Sounds like refered pain to me ( pain generally follows nerve pathways) with a lumbar issue.

    This could be an imbalance in muscle groups, a neurological issue - I'd g back to your GP and ask for a referal. This cant and shouldnt be left to go untreated.
  • In response to your questions:
    It seems to me that when sedentary - I.e. lying on the floor as that is more comfortable than sitting - the pain comes from the two parts of lower back/hip that protrude in the centre/base of back and hips. (if you run your fingers down your spine, when you get to the bottom of it, spread them out and you hit two bumps. this is where pain is most of time.
    When I start moving or doing exercise, i have a more intense pain on the side of my hips in the two prominent parts of my hips (if you stand to attention, as they do in army, with hands on your side, and lift your hands straight up a bit, you find bony parts of the hip. this is where pain is worst. Also my inside groin muscle and front quad muscles often feel hot and tingle.
    When it first happened, although not even sure when that was, doing nothing and lying on the floor on my back seems to give me the most relief. not even comfortable to sit on couch. 3 months later, i can sit on couch ok now and can go for walks. However, would not dare go for run or cycle as weight bearing activity would surely aggravate it.
    I am currently seeing an orthopaedic triage back specialist. that was how I got the scans doen. Although as it turns out, she sends me for a scan, a radiologist inteprets the scan, and she reads the results to me over the phone. basically they have come up clear and she said she was lloking for pinching of nerves/discs/joints out of place. About 6 years ago I had a knee problem and the NHS were completely inept and slow in diagnosing and treating problem. I eventually had to pay for private treatment and have been trying to avoid doing that again as I am sure hip and back problems can be expensive! however, it is likely to be the only way that this will get sorted.
    thank you 4 replying, it is nice to know that you have taken the time to think about my problem and suggest help
  • Sounds like sciatacia to me but then again Im not an expert in this.

    The only thing I can suggest is keep your chin up and keep on at those you are seeing and dont settle for anything less than being pain free.

    Regarding analgesia - what have they offered you ?

    You ca take paracetomol and ibuprofen together so load yourself up. Make sure you do this after eating. There are various forms of anti inflam drugs than can be given. Make sure you eat before you take them ( they can cause GI bleeds if taken often on an empty stomach)

    Keep plodding away and good luck. Id be interested to know the diagnosis - this is what the experts should be working towards.
  • BmanBman Posts: 442
    Hi, hip and lower back pain seems to be a strange mishmash of cause and effect in my experience. I recently got an MRI dignosis on similar type of pain, turned out to be referred pain from inflammed iliopsoas tendon passing through the hip. So you may be experienceing some other type of referred pain, although MRI should pick up inflammation.

    Id say certainly stretching all the major muscles might help if hip flexion like sitting is causing pain. I think if its not a fall you took, then general over- or mis-use of muscle groups can be to blame. A common one (myself included) is for cyclists to use the wrong muscles and overload others. An example is you may have been using your quads too much while cycling due to bad form or poor position on the bike, which allows your glutes (which are supposed to do most of the work) to get lazy and you end up losing hip stabilisation. This means your legs dont end up working in a straight line and your other joints up or down from the hip can get messed up too. Lower back and knee ones are common, as I'm still experiencing.

    You could try retraining your hip flexors and glutes (glute medius especially) to fire properly. Exercises like the clam and dirty dog were the only things that helped me control the hip pain (in same place as yours on the side) temporarily while I continued medical examinations. I realised immediately how weak one side of glute medius muscles was compared to the other. Expect results very quickly (days) as the stabilising muscles start doing their job.

    Not sure if this will help, but why not give it a go...
  • It does sound like the problem seems to be originating from the back. You mention the sports physio thought it was neurological in nature. Did they find anything which was able to change your pain for the better? I deal with backs daily and if it is a mechanical problem (muscle/joint/tendon/fascia) you will normally find a movement in their back they like to do and movements that make it worse. For example, a typical back pain due to a bulging disc likes extension (leaning backwards) and dislikes flexion (leaning forward) as flexion increases the bulge which places more pressure on the nerve.

    If the physio did not have a decent hypothesis what may be going on then i suggest seeking a second opinion from another physio. In my experience the Orthopaedic teams tend to lose interest when all scans are clear.

    A few more details would be helpful:
    Movement preference? (forward/backwards/neither)
    Anything changes the pain?
    Any numbness in the legs? One leg or both?

    Huw
  • If they have ruled out mechanical problems with a CT and MRI, you have to think about overuse or underuse of certain group of muscles or inflammatory conditions.. Having said that, this is going on since October according to you. If you had rested all along overuse or underuse problem should have settled by now.
    Get some physio to rectify this.
    You need to go back to your GP and request screening for inflammatory conditions(usually doesn't show up on imaging earlier in the course). Suggest, FBC, U and Es, ESR, CRP, autoimmune screen to rule out rheumatological causes like sacroilitis. Insist on a referral to a Rheumatologist(specialist in non surgical problems of the bone, joints and muscles)
    Good luck
  • BlurredgirlBlurredgirl Posts: 292
    I had/have a problem very similar to this, also all back etc tests came back clear. A very astute osteopath suggested that it was a psoas muscle problem, basically my psoas muscle was in spasm constantly. I had physio specific for the psoas and other core muscles, which helped hugely, plus some strong anti-inflammatories. Since the improvement I have stopped all core muscle exercises (swiss ball, sit ups etc) and am no longer troubled.

    Google psoas and see what you think. I'd also recommend finding yourself an osteopath and suggesting psoas when you see them.

    Good luck!

    BG
  • Why don't you try a sort of exercise or something for hip and knee. I was also struggling with Patellar Tendonitis, doctor suggested me an exercise that really worked. In this you have to kneel down on the mat and pull our abdominal in while dropping your tailbone to the floor and then extend your right leg directly out to the side, with your toe on the floor; drop your left hand to the floor directly under your shoulder, leaving your arm straight; place your right hand on your hip; lengthen your right leg away from you and lift up to hip height and then swing your leg to the front. Repeat this thing twice or thrice a day.

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