Hip pain

Dear All,

I once enjoyed the pleasure and satisfaction of long distance running for fitness, so much I started a personal training course with the hope I could share this joy with others.

Exactly one year ago now I experienced pain in my left hip joint during a 12k run. I failed to treat the pain and that night the inflammation was so severe I could not sleep.

Over the last year the initial injury has improved, but I have constant pain in the hip area, both sides. The area of pain is always rotating form side to side and through the different muscle groups with no noticable pattern.

I have seen numerous health professionals ranging from neurophysiotherapists, podiatrists, rheumatologists and massage therapists. I have had a ultrasound guided quartizone injection into my left hamstring tendon, a MRI scan and pathology tests to rule out muscular dystrophy and common inflammatory disorders. I am still without a diagnosis.

Not only has my ability to run been striped away from me, but I have been in constant pain for a year now and I am desperate for a break through. I have read the empathic and resourceful responses of others and hope that maybe someone out there may have some advice or experience which they can offer.

My experience of this predicament:

1. I started getting hip pain in my right hip after a run one evening, about 3 years ago. That stopped me running much and my weight zoomed up eventually, with the discomfort generally being there all the time.

2. Finally went to see my GP about the hip pain 14 months ago, who sent me for an x-ray, told me a week later that the x-ray didn't show anything up, shrugged and suggested I see a sports injury expert if it was stopping me from running.
(So much for my idea that I am paying for the NHS to deal with my ailments properly, and my other idea that my being a runner saves the NHS a fortune in what I would otherwise be laying at its door.)

3. Didn't bother seeing another expert. Just started running again, through the pain. (It's more discomfort than pain). The discomfort is still there - less so after I run a lot. I am now back up to running 40-50 miles a week and I just ignore any discomfort and run through it, and I have shed nearly 4 stone of the accumulated additional weight in the last 14 months. The discomfort has lessened as I have made more use of the various muscles around the hip by running, and the amount of discomfort varies from week to week, but there is still some underlying problem there which I never got to the bottom of.

I'm not suggesting that people just ignore the pain and run through it - probably that is foolish, but it seems to be working for me, anyway.

I'm surprised by the number of items in this forum that highlight hip pain as a runner problem.

Hips are central to movement - have a look at anatomy books or sites and you will see how closely connected the back, hip/pelvis quads and hamstrings are.

Running especially longer distances and on hard surfaces makes a lot of demands on the body and any imbalances or weaknesses can be exacerbated.


Find a good physio/podiatrist, get some gait analysis done, look at shoes, maybe even running style, surfaces or other reasons - like what position to you sit, sleep or even drive in (footballers have found that their cars have been contributing to injury problems) look at flexibilty and mobility - the body is a wonderful but complex thing!

sorry Linda that wasnt aimed at you as you have obviously had a lot of investigation - more ageneral reply to Oracles comment about hip pain!

Hopefully you will get some more specific input from others

good luck

Bune:

Thanks for your comments.

My GP wasn't particularly interested in doing more than fob me off to some other resource. I figured that if I ran on it, it would do one of three things: get worse, stay the same, or get better.

I am putting in a lot of miles and it's getting better, or seems to be, so I'll give the specialists a miss for now.

I also have hip problems but not when running! The worst times are sitting, lying in bed and when walking after a few miles. I have not run for the last few days and it's getting a bit better. I am 41 yrs old and been running since 16yrs old. Ex sprinter as a youth then onto road running in late adult years. I find it hard to stretch and twist nowadays due to hip pains. The pains move from one side to another over a period of time. I have had x-rays but nothing shows up thats wrong. So yes I want to know whats wrong with me too.

Dave

My problems are exactly the same as you Dave. I am 37 and female, I was very fit when this started but have had to give up running for six weeks it got that bad. My GP said it was muscular/ligament damage....recommended anti-inflammatries and rest. Also swimming,acupuncture and maybe a physio! I think he was trying to cover everything! I went back to training yesterday and will try a good physio if I start to experience any pain.
I hope all goes well for you.

I have had left sided hip pain for 10 months, it was painful when sitting and then standing again, it was also painful in bed when lying on that side. I was running about 25 miles a week at the onset but this was not an increase or change in pattern, no trauma had occurred, the pain just began when out on a normal easy run it gradually got worse whenever I tried running so I stopped. I saw an NHS physio which made no difference, they cannot dedicate the time and resources to this type of chronic injury. I went to a sports injury clinic where they diagnosed ITB syndrome, there I had intense physio, acupuncture, deep massage and interferential treatment. I do a full stretching and exercise session most days to build core strength and ease any tension. All this helped to relieve the worst discomfort and ease all the surrounding muscle tension but did not enable me to run. I have had an MRI which was normal, the sports doc tried a cortisol injection that didn't help. BUT finally I saw the chiropracter who said that my hips were out of alignment and my lower spine had one immobile area, who knows what caused it, however after the first session I could feel things were noticeably better and after a couple more I tried a 1 mile run - no pain!! I slowly built up to 6 miles, bliss I was running again. Unfortunately as warned things started to slip back so after another session with the chiro I have to keep the mileage down but the good news is that I know I can continue to be a runner but I won't be racing for a while yet! There is hope - just try everything, eventually some or all of it helps.

I started running (again) at the beg. of the year, increasing my distance gradually, did 2 1/2 marathons and then started to pick up a dull hip ache in my left hip.
It starts when I've been running for about 45 mins, is worse on downhills, but I don't feel it at all walking or climing stairs.
I've carried on running and concentrating on hip stretches and it hasn't got better, but not worse either.
I saw a podiatrist who thought it was ITBS related and I got orthotics (which have helped the knee/shin niggles, but not hip).
I saw a GP who wasn't interested and said I should see a sports physician.
Now I've found a remedial sports therapist whom I'm seeing next week. She said it sounds like 'runners hip' (hip form of runners knee!) and seemed to think that she could get to the bottom of it and sort it out with massage, stretching and exercises. I'm hoping so .....

I am 64 and have been running for 24 years. 2 years ago I had a fall down the stairs at home causing my shin to swell to an enormous size. After this had disappeared, I re-commenced running but found I had terrific pain in the buttock area. To cut a long story short, I was eventually diagnosed with osteo-arthritis in my left hip. By this time I had been running again, the pain eased , and I started racing again for about six months doing 17 races and almost back to my form of 2 years previously, until the pain returned again. I struggled through this month's FLM about 30 mins slower than my time of 2006. It has been suggested/offered a hip replacement operation, but I do not feel ready to take such a big step if it means I have to stop running.

My question is, is there anyone out there who has had a hip replacement and is running again and indeed racing over distances up to marathon?

it all depends what hip replacement they're offering you.

 If its a "resurfacing" - go for it. 

Theres plenty of competitive and even some world class athletes who have hip resurfacings.  They're designed for young and active patients.  It's bone conserving, so if it all goes wrong you've got a total hip replacement (THR) to fall back on.  A resurfacing shouldn't stop you doing anything at all, and its a really quick recovery from surgery.  If they want to give you a total hip replacement theres alot more things that could affect your running, and thats something you should look at more carefully. (I work for a hip replacement company analysing all the hips that have failed).

 I've recently started getting hip pain when sitting or laying in bed.  I get cracking when I flex or extend my hips.  Including doing situps.  They're not ususally painful whilst doing exerise - mostly at night or when I've stopped doing something.  Got really really terrible pain if an area at the side/back of my hips/bum if its even gently poked.  I think that might be some sort of bursitis?

i have been running for over a year and recently developed a hip problem,, it has started to happen more frequenlty because of the weather i have been running on treadmill,, ive checked out my trainers,, and found that for the last 2 months the ones i were running in were completely flat sole so maybe that has done it..

i would like to know if it treatable ,, it feels like it is popping or like its gonna give way on my left hip ?? any ideas ??

thanks

donna

Louise,
Thanks for your comments, I have been told recently that 're-surfacing' is the preferred initial treatment. I have not run since early November which proved to be extremely painful for over 60 minutes. Since then I have re-started cycling ,(which had been my sport up until I started running) which is extremely non-painful in the hip area. I will have to see my GP again to see if I can be referred to a consultant who will approve a re-surfacing operation.

Thanks for your interest
Colin

I've mentioned this to a few people that have complained of hip problems like yours.

Have anyone mentioned the possibility that you may have a labrum tear (damaged cartliage inside the hip joint)?

I saw 2 physios, a doctor, 2 consultants, had 2 Xrays and an MRI scan. The full details of the problem were only really bottomed out when I had a hip arthroscopy.

Its pretty difficult to diagnose as it's hard to pinpoint the pain. Sometimes it's just tightness at the front of the hip, sometimes pain inside, sometimes groin or outer hip. Running is painful even when its just very light.

I am due to have a hip arthroscopy for a labral tear which has taken about two years to diagnose - I think it is a fairly new and difficult to diagnose injury where other possibilities such as muscle tears and hernias have to be ruled out first and have similar symptoms.. I am really apprehensive about it as I am desperate to get back to running, having been out for the majority of the last two years and finding swimming just not satisfying!  .. I wondered if anyone has had a hip arthroscopy ( I am 31) and whether they've been able to get back to competitive running/what the recovery period is..? 

 Can anyone help..?

I had a hip arthroscopy performed last July and I was initially happy with the results.

Can I run competively at the moment - no, I've just had injury after injury since. Mainly its ITBS and I think it's due to either an imbalance or weakness in the right hip (obviously difficult to tell).

I have not been able to do a great deal of running miles since the operation so have kept in shape with cycling. The problem is, I was not a bad runner for a 44 year old (37 min 10k region) and I'm now a pretty ordinary cyclist.

I was on crutches for 2 days, cycling in 2 weeks and running in about 6 weeks (tentatively).

Where are you having the operation performed? 

I'm reading this thread with interest as my hip pain (on one side) has come back now that I'm resuming training after the enforced snow break.

In my case, it originally came on, out of the blue as a severe case of inflammation (I was so hot I couldn't sleep!) after a very hilly training run. I was recovering from ITB on the same side at the time and assumed it was related, but the physio I consulted said that my sacro-iliac joint was very tight on that side, due to sitting down (work and commute related!) and it was most likely referred pain.

I think I shall be going back to the physio to see if that's still the diagnosis. I do lots of stretching and lots of core work via some very focussed Pilates which is supposed to be helping me avoid getting ITB again...but this is a frustrating niggle I don't seem to be getting rid of long term.

It actually doesn't stop me from running or particularly hurt when running, it's after running that I feel sore. Ho hum. If only I could stop having to sit down. It did pretty much disappear over Christmas - but then I was neither sedentary nor running so it's hard to tell which change had the effect.

Johnny T's comments have struck a chord with me. Even with the arthritis in my hip, I was able to run and compete reasonably successfully in my age group. Late February last year things changed after a very hilly 10k in West Yorkshire. My 'hip' pain seemed to move to my groin/abdomen area. I assumed that this was a movement of the arthritis pain and I continued running, completing another four races before the pain in my stomach became unbearable at even the slowest pace. Having researched 'hip labral tear', I realise that I have the symptoms of this ailment. I tried to explain this to my GP a few months ago without success. I hope that now,armed with this information, I may be able to convey the complete story to my GP and be able to progress with treatment.

johnny, thanks for your help.
Colin

No problem Colin, I really hope that it speeds up the process for you. I was so frustrated that I simply could not find out what on earth was wrong.

Johnny, I read your notes and feel sad! It sounds like you've been stopped in your tracks by injury.. I wondered whether although you have had ITBS, the actual repair of the labral tear was a success and if it wasn't for the ITBS you'd be ok running? Being a 1.21 half marathoner, I'm desperate to get back out there but actually just running will be enough, not too worried about the races right now.. How is cycling? Is that ok? And, have you tried swimming?

Wondering whether to turn myself into a pro-cyclist (!!!!!) or at least a cyclist!

Thanks heaps

Colin - just do go and get it looked at as soon as possible, mine is nearing the two year mark just because GPs do not know much about the injuries and referrals have to rule out all sorts (hernias etc..) before they'll go for a hip arthroscopy.. good luck..