Vice like hip and groin pain

by Angie
(UK )

Hello

In the last two weeks I have developed intense pain arising in my right hip, inguinal and groin on walking. It began 2 weeks ago whilst walking to a bus stop; it just came on.

I can now only limp very slowly around the house with significant difficulty, am in pain from the moment I move and physically can only walk  very very slowly up to about 100yds over the course of the day  max without it virtually seizing up.

It's as though I cannot make another step.  It feels  a combination of stabbing pain and like being in a vice and  moving in a deadening or weakening sensation down the top  front of  my leg and prickling across  my spine.  

I feel it is getting  a little worse each day not improving.

I have virtually no pain lying down. I can stand on it and weight bear to start with. The pain is predominantly when  I lift off and arising from moving, in a walking motion.  But swinging my leg when standing on the other is ok.

I can feel tweaks in my lumbar back  when lying down and sometimes standing or when lifting my legs.
 
I am now on maximum ibuprofen and paracetamol each day; normally I have none.  I have reached the end of any self management attempts and have booked with the general practitioners next week.

Previous Sept 2012, 18 months ago I tripped on some stairs and after a very mild LEFT sprained ankle, rice treatment, was left with an irritated and tight achilles for which I was doing a few stretches.

Just  before Xmas 2013 I got sudden onset    of moderate pain in my left buttock only. A bit like I imagine sciatica to be but not into my leg just the buttock.  Never had before. Bizarrely my tight  achilles was  suddenly ok.  Took painkillers, was in moderate pain walking and carried on.

After Xmas was staying with a friend and saw her osteopath who straightened me out saying my legs  were different lengths; and did various manipulations using a table. He also did TENs and another  machine that left bruises and he said was like  deep tissue physio. 3 days after this treatment of his, the  buttock pain went, and i was was walking freely of it.

24 hours later was hit with hip and groin problem above, though it was less severe than now. I rang the osteopath who saw me again; he  focused on my hip area  and said I  had a pulled muscle, and that it would improve in a couple of days. He seemed  genuinely surprised at my limping out and said there was nothing further he could do for me.  

Other background of interest is I normally walk 15000to 20,000 steps a day routinely; I have one of those counters given to me by work that i wore for a few weeks; and cycle once per  month for the day with  a couple  of short bike rides to and from work each week.

My job also involves travelling to various sites usually by train or bus as well as an office base. Before xmas I was knocking off 12 mile sections of the Thames  path, a river side walk each month. I am overweight but am actively dropping lbs.  Having seen your website am loving your just do it attitude and your advice, hummus, ginger recipes. Thank you!

Apologies for such a long email; I have never emailed a website before. Do you have any suggestions  about  what may be going on with my hip area  problem? I am going to see my GP and also seek out a chiropractor.   
With kind regards
Angela

Hello Angie,
It's good that your are going to your doctor. You urgently need a good examination including xrays to decide if this is a hip condition, or a nerve problem that is referred from your back.

Before any suggestion of treatment, you need a diagnosis. What's causing this pain. Until then, I wouldn't go for your long walks, but do start some gently back exercises.

Lie on your back, and pull your knee to your chest, then the opposite shoulder, rotate the hip. Is it sore, and if so where?

Sitting, run your thumb with oil down through the groin towards the inner thigh. Sore?

It sounds like you may have a femoral nerve lesion. The question is whether it's a slipped disc or a facet syndrome causing conditions like Maignes syndrome and Meralgia paresthetica.

Use the search function at chiropractic help for these terms.

After you get the xray results let us know, keeping to this same thread.

Dr B

Sent from my iPad

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