Pelvic groin lumbar hip fingers painfully stiff

by Deborah
(Australia)


Fell down 4 steps at school aged 13. Landed heavily on coccyx impact with steel grid at step's base.

Rigid spine for months. Numb glute muscles for years after during and after prolonged sitting.
Today at 58 I have limited mobility of hips. Unable to sit cross legged on floor or legs straightened. The latter doesn't allow my hips/pelvis to be at right angles to legs. Work as a cook 8 hour shifts. After sitting (breaks) I'm stiff to stand and often have pain as I stand in groin of right leg. It stops me from standing so I bend a little wiggle my leg and slowly stand or it goes 'SNAP' with tremendous pain. Where do I stop!
Personal stuff here, I am unable to perform the missionary position as my groin will not allow me to spread my thighs/legs. I started noticing difficulty 8 to 10 years ago. The ligament/tendon or what ever it is maybe the psoas muscle is like a metal cable down the centre of both inner thighs. I can pinch it with thumb and fore finger with no pain yet to try and spread my knees with them up and soles of feet on the floor sends massive pains and twangs up through that cable, deep into my groin on both sides and to the outside of my hips. More severe on the right side. Both hips have the same moderate degeneration of joints. The physio says the right side of my pelvis has no movement and has seized in an inappropriate position. She can't tell me why the right side feels worse. I ride a push bike to and from work.
I could go on and on. Maybe to much information maybe to little.
Time will tell.
Thank you in advance if you can give me some clues.
I don't know how else to explain it except as I have.
Hope it's not gobble-di-gook!

Hello Deborah,
Do you have a family history of hip disease? Did your mother, aunt, brother or grandfather have a hip replacement?

It's possible that it's because of the injury when you were 13, but in case it's fixed in concrete; of academic interest only.

Certainly what you describe is fairly typical of progressive hip arthritis; if you pull your knee to the chest, to the opposite shoulder and drop it into the lotus position I suspect it will be painful and stiff; typically in the groin but sometimes on the side or back of the hip.

What then frequently happens is that one of the sacroiliac joints locks up and everything becomes miserable.

I'm guessing of course, but even if I'm wrong it would do no harm every morning before getting out of bed to gently pull your knee to the chest and then rotate it; you'll feel it of course, but don't provoke pain. You can do it sitting in a chair as well; several times a day.

The adductor magnus in the inner thigh typically becomes very tight and painful; talk to the PT about that.

I'm not sure what techniques physios use to mobilise the sacroiliac joint but, if you decide to go to a chiropractor, ask if they have a Thompson drop table; that works best and doesn't stress the hip joint.

Then you will need to exercise and mobilise those hips for the rest of your life.

I hope this helps. If you are able send a copy of the x-ray to Contact.

Dr B

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