Expert: Dr. Paul Newhart - 9/18/2009

Question
Hello.

In June of this year I was boulder-hopping with a friend and 10 minutes after we quit and arrived back home I felt my right hip pop.  There was no pain until 18 hours later when I experienced intense and constant pain down the lateral aspect of my leg.  The pain initially occurred constantly, but soon it would only happen while I was moving, especially while sitting, standing, bending over, kneeling, etc. (I work on a farm, so my job is very physical).

I was also diagnosed with Fibromyalgia 5 years ago, so I'm use to feeling pain that doctors cannot treat with any efficacy.  I thought this would turn out to be a similar problem and since I also have very little income, I did not see a doctor.  This Wednesday I finally decided to see a chiropractor because he is slightly cheaper than my local doctors and because I've had greater success with chiropractors than doctors.  

After examining me he explained that what he thought I had was a tear at the origin of my iliotibial band and that I had not allowed to heal.  I've had two appointments with him already and the pain has increased significantly (he mentioned that it might, but I'm having trouble even sleeping).  I can't find any information on iliotibial band tears so  I'm wondering how long it could take for healing to begin.  Also, is this maybe an issue for a medical doctor rather than a chiropractor?  

Thank you for your time.

Answer
If it is truly a tear at the origin of the IT band, it is out of the hands of a chiropractor.  Your next step should be diagnostic imaging to determine this.  If it is just a sprain/strain, a chiropractor can definitely help.  He would need to approach the soft tissue aspect, as well as the joint to make sure there is no misalignment.