About Courtney Expertise I am an Orthopaedic Physical Therapist with 8 years experience. I can answer questions re: orthopaedic injuries & rehabilitation. I treat patients with a variety of problems including back, neck, shoulder, hip, knee, & ankle injuries / surgeries. If you have questions about your elbow, wrist, or hand, you will most likely get better information / assistance from someone else on this website.
Experience I have been practicing in an orthopaedic setting for 8 years & have experience primarily with shoulder, neck, back, & lower extremity injuries.
Organizations American Physical Therapy Association (APTA)
Orthopaedic Section of APTA
Question Hi, and thank you for this generous service. I am living in Argentina as a dancer. A few weeks ago I was in a particularly intense week of dance. I felt my hip flexor grow tighter and tighter. Stretching offered no relief. At the very end of the week, it was pretty stiff. 2 days after I stopped the exercise, the pain became excruciating. I did not sleep the night. There was no position of relief. The pain spread throughout my hip socket area, and felt like anything holding it in place was torn. It did not feel like muscle pain, more like pain where the muscles connected to the hip.
I gave it several days of complete rest, and i was surprised how rapidly my healing progressed at first. By the end of the week I could do some minor stretching, and physical activity, even dancing, seemed to help.
But since then progress has been sporadic. I would go a week without dancing, and it would feel painful and stiff, and very resistant to stretching. Other days I would feel very very little pain. It doesn't feel like it is following any natural healing trajectory, and at the same time i don't feel I am pushing it in a way that would disrupt its healing.
Given the delayed symptoms at first, the awful pain, and the erratic sense of healing, could it be nerve damage? Also, because it is not tender to the touch, and the muscles themselves do not hurt to massage, could it be ligament or tendon issues?
Answer Charles--
Sorry to hear of your symptoms.
It sounds like you are trying all of the right things (rest, ice......) However, if it seems you are not making much progress, or if your symptoms return quickly, I would recommend you consult with an orthopaedic surgeon. He should be able to diagnose what is going on & give you some strategies to help with the healing process.
