Pain in my hip

Hunter · 10-21-2009, 11:18 AM

Following the recommended format of posting here:

1. When did the pain begin? About 6 months ago.
2. What were you doing at the time? Or did the pain come on gradually over time? The pain came on gradually - I don't know what triggered it. It seemed to coincide with golf season (I play 1 or 2 rounds a week), but it hasn't affected my ability to play and doesn't hurt when I swing. I took about 3 weeks off at one point, and the pain didn't relent.
3. Where, anatomically, is the pain? I initially felt the pain in my hip flexors on the right side, but now I feel it deep in my hip joint. More often I feel it on the front of my hip, but sometimes it radiates and I feel it more on my back side. Other times it is just a dull ache throughout the joint.
4. What does the pain feel like? Sharp? Dull? Aching? Stabbing? Shooting? It's never a sharp or stabbing pain. Tends to be a dull ache, but at times it is rather intense.
5. Is the pain constant, or intermittent, or only on certain motions? I feel it mostly at night, so it's affecting my ability to sleep.
6. What motions make your pain worse? None. As I said above, it's at its worst at night. I have to sleep on my back with my legs laying perfectly flat or the pain starts. I can't sleep on either side, or even if I'm laying with my hip slightly open, the pain grows.
7. What, if anything, makes your pain better? If I roll to my side or move my right leg to a position that is not directly straight, the pain will grow to the point that it wakes me up. I have to get up and walk around the house and take some ibuprofen, and it takes about 10 minutes for the pain to subside before I can get to sleep again.
8. Does your pain radiate to any other part of your body? No
9. What things could you do before, that you cannot do now because of your injury? It hasn't affected my ability to work out - I can still squat and deadlift - but I'm getting tired of living with the pain.
10. What is your main concern regarding the pain and its consequences? I'm tired of and from not sleeping well.
11. Have you ever injured that part of your body before? If so, how? No
12. Is your pain getting worse over time? And if so, how much worse over what time period? It hasn't really gotten worse over time, but it has changed (as I mentioned earlier), and some days and nights are worse than others.

One other thing I've noticed when doing squats: I do overhead squats with a light weight as a mobility drill, and I'm still doing squats in my workout. I've noticed that when I get to the bottom (I go slightly below parallel) and start the upward push, my hips float to the right (the side with the pain). Not sure what this means?

Thanks for your help!

graemeteague · 10-21-2009, 07:24 PM

Hi Hunter

Have you tried stretching the hip flexors - the pain you describe could be a simple tightening of those. Because they help to keep the curve in your lower spine as they tighten they will also throw your pelvis out fo balance. Then the hip will start to tighten also.

It is usually a minor issue and stretching the hip flexors should help.

I would also check for trigger points in the hip flexor and quadriceps - both muscles have trigger points in the top of your thigh - just below the leg crease in your groin. They will feel like tight knots and can be tender to compress. Latent trigger points won't refer pain, active ones will - the latent trigger points can tighten the joint in teh area though.

To release them, just place pressur eon them for 20 seconds, release and take a deep breath in and out and repeat 2 more times. Do this to see if it helps.

Take care
Graeme Teague

The Back Pain Advisor

Hunter · 10-22-2009, 01:44 PM

Thanks Graeme.

I stretch my flexors as part of my pre-workout warmups and before I golf. I also foam roll a couple times a week. The pain that I feel is much deeper inside the hip joint than what I can reach with stretches and the roller.