Where it all began... |
My first semester of PT school was almost in the books. Talk about a whirlwind! School was crazy. Life was crazy. But I was loving it... everything except for my hip of course. I have had chronic hip pain for so long, I wouldn't even be able to guess when it all started. All I know is that it's always just kind of been there. Somedays it would radiate up into my back, somedays it would be in my groin. Somedays it would be really awful... and somedays it would be hardly noticeable. I never really thought much of it though (even on those really bad days) because I was an athlete--and I was taught that being tough was part of the job description. I was a competitive figure skater training anywhere between 15 and 20 hours a week on ice in addition to 10 hours a week off ice. Of course my body hurt. If your body didn't hurt, you weren't pushing yourself hard enough. |
A lot of my early symptoms while I was skating involved the front of my hip. I had hip flexor tendonitis on a recurring basis, which I attributed to overuse. It would get so bad that the muscle would just turn off and I would hardly be able to lift my leg. I sought physical therapy for this with each episode, but only continued with rehab until it got better just enough so that I could skate again. Oh, if only my PT-self could go back in time and smack some sense into me!
This had been the pattern of my hip problem for years, until one morning I woke up and was unable to abduct or externally rotate my hip without severe pain. This pain was different pain--this pain was sharp and intense, located right in the groin. Before, it had just been a vague nagging pain that I couldn't quite put my finger on. This time, however, I could point to the exact source of my pain. I had also slowly been developing some strange pelvic floor dysfunction and I knew that I could no longer ignore it. |
Symptoms
1. Hip Flexor Tenditis: recurring problem for the past 10 years (at least!)
2. Pelvic Floor Dysfunction: slowly progressing from the beginning of 2013, but became extremely bad during the summer
-Burning sensation during urination
-Pain in same area while wearing jeans or when sitting for a long time
3. Decreased hip range of motion
4. Decreased tolerance for sitting and standing
5. Clicking/popping of the joint during activity
6. Instability: difficulty with cutting or pivoting actions
2. Pelvic Floor Dysfunction: slowly progressing from the beginning of 2013, but became extremely bad during the summer
-Burning sensation during urination
-Pain in same area while wearing jeans or when sitting for a long time
3. Decreased hip range of motion
4. Decreased tolerance for sitting and standing
5. Clicking/popping of the joint during activity
6. Instability: difficulty with cutting or pivoting actions
First course of action
Although the new symptoms of hip pain were much worse than I had ever experienced, the more alarming of my symptoms were those associated with Pelvic Floor Dysfunction. As such, the first healthcare provider I saw was an OB/GYN.
OB/GYN was unable to find the source of my pain and ruled out things like endometriosis and cervical cancer. During her exam, she felt what she "thought" could be tight muscles. She had just gotten back from a course taught by a Women's Health Specialist in Physical Therapy and thought that I may benefit from pelvic floor rehabilitation.
I was in pelvic floor rehab for about 2 months with an amazing physical therapist, who made an emotionally difficult process not seem so scary. Although we were making some progress, it wasn't a lot. As such, she referred me out to an Orthopedic Specialist under suspicion of a labral tear.
OB/GYN was unable to find the source of my pain and ruled out things like endometriosis and cervical cancer. During her exam, she felt what she "thought" could be tight muscles. She had just gotten back from a course taught by a Women's Health Specialist in Physical Therapy and thought that I may benefit from pelvic floor rehabilitation.
I was in pelvic floor rehab for about 2 months with an amazing physical therapist, who made an emotionally difficult process not seem so scary. Although we were making some progress, it wasn't a lot. As such, she referred me out to an Orthopedic Specialist under suspicion of a labral tear.
Orthopedic evaluation
In February 2014, I met with Dr. Mei-Dan, a hip specialist in the Denver area. He performed a physical exam and ordered X-rays, MRI and arthrogram studies.
Radiographs from X-ray showed that I had:
-Femoroacetabular Impingement (FAI) with CAM lesion to the femoral neck
-Borderline hip dysplasia
MRI revealed a severe anterior labral tear, which was coupled with a positive arthrogram study to verify that my pain was indeed coming from within the joint. Surgery was then scheduled for August 13, 2014 for CAM osteotomy and labral repair/reconstruction.
Radiographs from X-ray showed that I had:
-Femoroacetabular Impingement (FAI) with CAM lesion to the femoral neck
-Borderline hip dysplasia
MRI revealed a severe anterior labral tear, which was coupled with a positive arthrogram study to verify that my pain was indeed coming from within the joint. Surgery was then scheduled for August 13, 2014 for CAM osteotomy and labral repair/reconstruction.