Severe hip pain when moving leg

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Background: I am recovering from flat foot reconstruction surgery. I had surgery on Dec. 28. For the first 6 weeks of recovery, I waited for the insurance to send me a knee scooter.

Cause of Hip Pain: While I waited for the knee scooter, I borrowed someone's walker. It is the kind that has a seat. I used it as a knee scooter which was very bad on my hip because putting my knee on the seat meant that my whole leg was jacked up higher than it should be. And I did that for 6 weeks. After the 6 weeks, I received my real knee scooter which was fitted for my height and my leg was no longer being harmed.

Knee Scooter Did Not Change my pain level: However, my pain has not changed or lessened. I have now had hip pain for 12 weeks.

My Doctor's Appt yesterday: I went to a new doctor yesterday, a Doctor of Osteopathy. I told him TWICE about the 6 weeks of using the ill-fitting walker and hiking my leg up all that time and said that this was the cause of my pain. He refused to listen and kept insisting that the pain is due to my current gait, because I am in a walking boot now. However I have only just begun walking 2 weeks ago. My hip pain started long before that - when I was using that walker as a knee scooter. This doctor did not perform a full physical, take my pain/joint history, ask me any questions, or use any diagnostic tools or tests such as an x-ray, mri, or ct scan. He just moved my leg til it hurt, and then cracked my back, which I did not want him to do!! I have hypermobile joints and canNOT be stretched or manipulated. He did not watch me walk in order to substantiate his claim that my hips must be uneven when I walk. He just made that up and walked around his office to show me how he thinks I walk....umm... So after not listening or investigating, the doctor prescribed Mobic and asked to see me in 10 days to see if I feel any better and said if I'm not, we might do an x-ray because maybe it's bursitis.

My Thoughts on that Dr: Why and how can he just presribe random anti-inflammatories when he doesn't even know if that's the problem? I think I have something really wrong here and I don't feel heard at all. I feel dismissed and ignored.

Mobic: I took my first dose of Mobic last night and got a stomach ache that lasted til this late morning. Additionally, I felt anxiety this morning. I believe these are side effects and don't think I will continue the drug.

My Therapist for my Foot: I asked my therapist this morning if my hips are uneven when I walk. She said no, my hips ARE even.

More about the Hip Pain: When I am at rest - sitting still and with my legs facing ahead of me, I feel a light ache in my hip joint. When I move my leg/hip to either side, it's a very sharp, piercing pain in the hip joint that causes me to yell/cry out. It doesn't take much movement either. Most of the time, I hurt myself by accident. E.g.: The other day, I was on the toilet and realized I wasn't as centered on the bowl as I wanted to be, so I slightly moved like maybe a centimeter and somehow that hit my hip joint in a way that made me yell.

My own treatments:

-Ice: When I try to ice the hip joint, the ice ends up getting my stomach or my thigh cold, but not the actual place where it hurts.

-Heat: Didn't see much good in this either.

-Advil/Tylenol: No effect.

Basically, I try to keep my leg still and straight and be mindful of how I'm moving. I'll usually put my hand over the joint when I'm getting ready to move to remind myself to be in tune and to be careful.

Any ideas on what this could be? Does anyone have a similar experience? I wasn't sure where to put this topic.

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • Posted

    Sarah, if it were me, I'd go to see a different doctor (orthopedist or osteopath), one who would listen to all of your concerns, give you a thorough physical exam and watch you walk, as a start. You want a precise diagnosis and an effective treatment plan. That might include diagnostic scans of some sort. Mobic is an NSAID that is an anti-inflammatory used for pain from osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. I would want to know why he is prescribing that.

    It doesn't sound like you have much confidence in this osteopath, so why not see someone else?

    • Posted

      He prescribed it because he thinks it's tendonitis, possibly bursitis. To me, it's obviously not bursitis because I can press on the joint without any pain. Yes, I just made an appt for a different doctor, an orthopedist at at a big orthopedic practice, an hour away. It's next week. Thanks!

  • Posted

    Sooo update is that I go for an MRI next monday!
    • Posted

      Good news, Sarah! So it is a hip MRI? You had reconstruction work done in your foot, but you don't have any metal implants in your hip, right?

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