Where should I start?

Imaging will tell the true tale. Have you had x-rays or MRI? No definitive diagnosis can be made without imaging.

I had bone-on-bone in my hip necessitating a total hip replacement. I can tell you that the pain was all in my hip joint.

time for a second opinion with an orthopedist who will take X-rays, and scans and find out exactly what is going on....... go now not later......

sending you hugs and prayers on the wind...... I hope you will share a better update on this discussion soon!

I wou ld say hip or pirformis muscle issues, both can cause issues with the same area of pain. Sounds like he thinks it is sciatica but sciatica often travels to the foot.

I am currently suffering the same area of pain but have eased symptoms if i swing my leg out to the side. I believe my issue, after two rounds of sterioid therapy is bursitis of the hip in the greater trochanter (sp?)

I did go for a second opinion. Xrays show no arthritis. The Dr thinks bursitis or tendonitis. I was given an injection of lidocaine for diagnostic purposes. I'm not sure how it was supposed to go, but the pain was way worse with the injection, no relief at all and the new pain was almost instant. I have been going to PT. I'm not sure if it's any better or not. It's not worse. I go back to the Dr in a month.

I had an MRA that was clear. Injected with steroid this morning. Not better, worse. Told to wait 24 hours and then call if not improved from original pain. He said if this doesn't work he'll do a scope but really doesn't want to do one.

Well, after having the x-ray and MRA come back clear the Dr did hip arthroscopy. He told me that imaging on a hip is not all that reliable. I ended up having a torn tendon, torn labrum and cartilage damage down to the bone. Don't give up. If you know something is wrong keep looking for answers. One three hour surgery later, still on crutches but hopeful. The tendon was repaired, the labrum was repaired and I had micro-fracturing done to hopefully repair the cartilage.

Did you also have a bursectomy with IT band release? How is your pain level? And if you don't mind my asking how badly torn was the tendon? Can you do any weight bearing as yet, I'd imagine its partial weight only for 6-8 weeks. Good luck and keep us posted.

Thanks Victoria...you really went through a lot! That is a pretty extensive amount of work....and how interesting he said that about hip imaging. Lots of people have said the same thing....MRI unremarkable, x-ray unremarkable, for the most part, then the intra-operative inspection found all sorts of things such as torn glut tendons, etc. which they can repair of course. Long recovery for that type of surgery...non weight bearing for many weeks as opposed to a bursectomy and IT Band lenghtening.

I'm facing a trochanteric bursectomy very soon...yahoo can't wait. I think. Just have to meet with a doctor in colorado who has offered to do it via scope. If not someone else has, reluctantly as your surgeon was at first, to do it as an open procedure. Hips are so sneaky... but thank goodness you didn't give up. These things will not resolve on their own once they reach a certain point..its so much better to be on the healing side of things rather than the hurting side.

I suppose you probably aren't walking outside yet or driving? Keep us posted and good thoughts coming your way for a complete resolution of the pain and problems with walking perhaps. The dead give away for a torn tendon, often one of the gluts or abductor tendons of the hip, is pain on lateral abduction. Take care and good luck.