Hip / Back Pain. 22 year old male
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Hello I am a 22 year old male division 1 athlete. Last year I had surgery on my torn labrum in my right hip. After surgery, I began feeling some pain on my other side, which had never happened before. Now, the pain on my surgical side is completely gone, but I have pain on my non surgical side that is causing some concern. The pain is constant throguht the day. I am unable to lie on my left side without pain. Sleeping is very difficult. Some days the pain is in the front of my hip (Hip Flexor area), some days it is on the side, some days it is in the back. At its worst, the pain is a 9/10. At its best it is 4/10.
Some things I have tried:
Rest,
Physical Therapy (4 weeks, no improvement)
Ibuprofin,
Ice,
Heat,
I have been told that it could be many different things such as pelvic tilt, sciatica, pinched nerve, hip impingement, bursitis, tendonitis, and disk herneation.
If anyone has any reccomendaitons on what I could be dealing with please share!
Thanks,
David
0 likes, 3 replies
AnnieK davidp1919
Posted
I assume you are seeing an orthopedist. Has the doctor done all the imaging tests, such as x-ray, MRI, and diagnostic ultrasound that can help him diagnose your problem? Or is he just guessing and giving you the suggestions you list above? You are in a significant amount of pain, and you should be able to get a definitive diagnosis from a decent doctor.
I had a torn gluteus medius immediately after my total hip replacement over a year ago. It was torn (we don't know how) so badly that it has never healed. My original orthopedic surgeon only finally ordered an MRI at my insistence, and neither he nor the radiologist saw the tear. I went for a second opinion to an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in gluteus medius/minimus repair, and he immediately saw the severe tear on the MRI. I'll have surgery to repair it. My point in telling you this is that if you are not getting answers from one doctor, then perhaps a second opinion from someone in a different practice is in order.
Best of luck, David!
davidp1919 AnnieK
Posted
AnnieK davidp1919
Posted
David, after the right THR I was never able to balance on my surgical leg alone. Still can't 13 months later. When I tried to stand on just my right leg, lifting up my left (good) leg, I would have to immediately drop my left leg, my left hip would drop and my right leg would give way. I always have pain in my right buttock and on the right side of my hip in the greater trochanter area. And I have a severe limp that I just can't get rid of.
22 out-patient physical therapy sessions post-op did not help, another reason I was sure I had a tear.
Mine was diagnosed with a MARS hip MRI. I needed the MARS (metal artifact reduction sequence) because I have titanium implants. The weakness and fatty inclusions were clearly visible in the right gluteus medius (which had been torn), and the tear was visible, too. But, as I warned above, unless the radiologist and/or orthopedist knows what to look for, they might miss it. If you have a pelvic/hip MRI, then all of your glutes (medius, minimus and maximus) and all the other muscles in the area will be visible from a lots of different angles. I've become quite proficient at reading those MRI images. You get a CD after the MRI with your scans and you can put them on your computer, download a program (Osirix) to allow you to look at them, and then you can compare yours with images of healthy tissues online. You can also compare the images from your "good" side with your "bad" side and see the differences.
I have been waiting so long for resolution that I have had lots of time to do this research. I recently had a compression fracture of one of my vertebra, so I am looking at my MRI scans of my spine now!