constant undiagnosed hip/groin pain...HELP!!

[aimyaimy]

i'm a 19 yr old female and have been in CONSTANT hip pain for 5 months now.

it first started back in june when for no apparent reason i felt a huge pain in my groin and was taken to hospital where it was thought that i had dislocated my right hip. it was later believed that it was a tight ileotibial band which was causing my discomfort so i endured hours of extremely painful physio. I was also signed off sick from work for 3 months! Any rotation, movement or pressure from examination etc is unbearable and am often bruised. i did suffer from bursitis in my right hip when i was approx. 8yrs old but have had no further problems until now. I do not participate in any sports and exercise occasionally so it isnt a sports related problem

my symptoms include limited movement, deep groin pain, tingling occasionally which runs to my knee, instability and muscle wastage in my buttocks.

My Physio has now discharged me due to the fact that they cannot help and i have subsequently seen a consultant who has no idea what my problem is!! i have had numerous x-rays which show some narrowing of my acetabulum but apparently "this is insignificant as i would have been born with it so would have felt discomfort long before now", blood tests which came back clear for bone infections and i am currently waiting for an mri and arthrogram.

I have been prescribed many anti-inflammatories and painkillers but all just dull the pain instead of curing it! Help!!! this is making my life a misery!!! has anyone had any similar problems?

thanks

[smithm0205]

your symptoms sound a lot like mine. I have just found out after two grueling years and two needless surgeries that I have a torn right labrum in my hip. I have read it is one of the most misdiagnosed injuries. I had a doctor (after seeing around 10 over the past two years) talk to me for 5 to 10 minutes and look at my X-rays and diagnosed me immediately. The MRI arthrogram following and confirmed the diagnosis. I have my surgery consultation tomorrow.

My pain hurts worse in the front groin area when I walk for long periods of time and my back hurts terribly when I have to sit for very long. I am constantly adjusting myself, putting my foot under me, at home I either lean back or I lay down or I am standing. I went to physical therapy for seven months until I finally asked my PT if it was even feasible to think I would EVER sit flat and get rid of this pain. So she sent me to the specialist that gets the patients no one else can figure out. My pain levels are a 7 to 8 on a scale from 1 to 10 everyday of my life! Much worse in the mornings. The side of my hips are burning when I wake up. It take 30 minutes in the morning for me to wait for my medication to start working so I can get up and around. It is HORRIBLE!!!! I can't wait to be better again. I have felt a little crazy because no one could diagnose me. Well, I was diagnosed with a ton of things everything from fibromyalgia to interstistial cystitis to IBS. I have no symptoms of those things.

Keep us posted on your progress.

[Hipster]

Hi aimyaimy

Your symptoms sound awful, and your current management has definitely not helped. Sounds like you have some sort of internal hip pathology. Acetabular narrowing on x-ray is not insignificant, it can be a sign for dysplasia. It's good that you are finally getting the MRI scan but you also need to have a practitioner you trust, and who knows what they are doing, to have a look at it.

Where abouts are you located? I'm sure someone on the forum can recommend a local specialist who can diagnose your problems. Remember it is false economy to go wandering from doctor to doctor before finally seeing the best. Not all medical professionals are created equal.

Best of Luck
Hipster

[aimyaimy]

im actually in england so i dont think you guys would be able to recommend any specialists but thanks all the same. im so fed up of it all...i can really sympathise with you all though...never knew what pain was until this!! hopefully it will all be sorted soon as my consultant is wondering if i have a torn labrum (i think!) so fingers crossed this signifies the end. thanks for the replies tho...just knowing others understand is a big comfort!

xxx

[rselig]

Sounds to me you have a torn illospsoas tendon. Do not have it detached between the femur and hip as I did 5 years ago. It will only cause you chronic back pain. Undergo a 3D cat scan and MRI with dye contrast if you haven't already to rule out dysplasia and a reversed acetabelum. And by no means no more cortisone shots.

[doug30]

Hi. I wanted to share my story. i also wanted to wish all of you good luck in getting back to good health.

It took almost 7 years and countless Dr's to get a diagnosis of my awful hip/groin pain. I'll write here what the MRI report said. Within the superior labrum, there is a tiny 2 mm focal abnormality along it's lateral margin where there is both increased T2 signal and a tiny bit of gadolinium imbibition. This may represent a tiny labral perforation. The labrum is otherwise unremarkable. Morphology of left femoral head unremarkable.

I am able to control the pain now that I know what I'm dealing with but I have no power in my hip. Forget about getting on an eliptical machine let alone trying to play ice hockey or swim. I am having arthroscopic surgery in March to have this corrected. I live near Toronto Canada and Dr Ginty is performing the surgery. I was not aware that they have to apply traction to get the camera and tools in there. I'm wondering if this can lead to complications.

For such a tiny tear or perforation of the labrum, this has been the worst injury in my 35 years.

[Surfchick]

PLEASE,PLEASE read posts on acetabular labrum tear forum on this site - over 200 replies - really helps!

Aimyaimy - I am in England, UK - I can give you some advise if you still need it?

Email me -

croydesurfchick@yahoo.co.uk

I can email you my mobile number - I will be happy to talk to you!

Hang in there

Surfchick - age 30 on 1st Jan!

[josh h]

i have been experiencing terrible pain in my right hip/groin area for 7 years. During this time i have seen three ortho specialists, had a x-ray, ct scan, bone scan, mri ( without the ink injection) leg length test and blood tests for asrthritis. It has taken me this long to go through all these steps because of waiting lists. None of the tests showed anything and the specialists said it was soft tissue problems.
I work in an auto plant and am on my feet for 10hrs a day. sometimes i can hardly stand and feel like falling over. i was on viox for 2 years and countless other meds but they just somewhat numbed the pain. I experience clicking, snapping and crunching deep in my right hip area. I also have muscle wasting in my buttocks. I also have really bad lower back pain. Does anyone else have the lower back pain? The pain often travels down the inside of my leg and is very tight and painful. I started to see a physio a year ago as well as an osteopath. They both suggested a labrum or tendon tear. This is the first time in 7 years that this was even mentioned to me as a possibility. I was reffered to a hip spec in London ontario Canada and after viewing new xrays, reading my history and examining me he thinks i have a labrum and/or tendon tear. Im now awaiting a proper MRI and based on what he has told me a hip scope.
This has been a very long and frustrating process. I hope there is some light at the end of the tunnel. Has anyone experienced the same thing as me?
Can someone tell me how they are feeling after their surgery?

Help

[aimyaimy]

well just to update, went for my MRI and arthrogram just before xmas which i hate to say was EXTREMELY painful!! both came back as normal (?!) although it did show up an abnormality in my pelvis which the consult ruled out as also being insignificant. the only solution was to inject a steroid into the muscle and hope that settles something. during my wait for the appointment i have since been sent an appointment for another arthrogram instead. apparently the doctor who carried out the last one believes it neccessary to carry out another one instead of the steriod injection and informed my consultant. im so confused. it seems like i'm no closer to finding out whats really going on and can't honestly believe that a muscle would still be inflamed 6 months later? i really don't want to repeat the arthrogram if it is only going to come back as normal again. i'm stuck in a dead end by the sound of it!!!


argggggh!!

[kjwilkin]

well just to update, went for my MRI and arthrogram just before xmas which i hate to say was EXTREMELY painful!! both came back as normal (?!) although it did show up an abnormality in my pelvis which the consult ruled out as also being insignificant. the only solution was to inject a steroid into the muscle and hope that settles something. during my wait for the appointment i have since been sent an appointment for another arthrogram instead. apparently the doctor who carried out the last one believes it neccessary to carry out another one instead of the steriod injection and informed my consultant. im so confused. it seems like i'm no closer to finding out whats really going on and can't honestly believe that a muscle would still be inflamed 6 months later? i really don't want to repeat the arthrogram if it is only going to come back as normal again. i'm stuck in a dead end by the sound of it!!!


argggggh!!

Hi there,

It sounds like you are in a rock and hard place.

Have you thought about seeing a sports physician ? They often have other non-operative ideas that your OS or GP may not have thought of. There is a great sports medicine clinic in London called Pure Sports Medicine. Their website is www.puresportsmed.com The phone number is 0870 2000 878. They are based in Wimbledon and Kensington.

I have had problems with hip and lower back. Sometimes it gets extremely painful. I do pilates twice a week with a physio and has made a huge difference to me. As long as I do it regularly together with the gym I'm fine. It's when I stop exercising that my hip and lower back get really bad.

Good luck and let us know how you go.