Hi all,
just a short update! I have put physiotherapy on the back burner for now and started some sessions with a personal trainer who specialises in people with movement issues. He thinks problem is from my adductors doing all the work and being very weak in outer hips. He asked me not to ride for a couple of weeks while I do the exercises he prescribed and really to give my adductors a break. I am due to situp again at the weekend will be interesting if there is an improvement.
I’m assuming that you are in Britain. Please give Bowen Therapy a try. I know that it sounds like woo, but it works extremely well for issues such as this. It is like hitting the body’s reset button to get he muscles back into balance. You probably have an unlevel pelvis and unequal leg length as well which are contributing to your issues. Such issues can be related to the fall or could be more longstanding. The nice thing about Bowen is that most issues are resolved in 3-8 weekly sessions then just tune-ups as required. Bowen also works a treat on horses 
I have struggled with pelvic rotation and very tight left adductor muscles that started out as a groin pull from running years ago. It does affect the position and effectiveness of the leg when I ride. I have been able to improve it a lot, mostly with things I have done off the horse. I have tried tons of things over time to make it better including stretching, acupuncture, chiropractic and PT. These things didn’t make a significant improvement.
The things that have helped me the most are prolotherapy injections and self-trigger point massage to the entire hip area: adductors, glutes IT band, etc. For trigger point massage I use a “thera-cane” tool and learned what to do from “The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook.” The nice thing about working on yourself is that you can do it everyday, which is recommended. I was really surprised with how much this helped me. The tool and book are inexpensive, so it’s worth a try. My personal experience was that the muscles and fascia can cause a lot of pain, tightness and dysfunction, but this approach will address that.
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I was/am having issues with hip pain, the doc thought it was bursitis but sent me for PT first. My legs were uneven and my hips were out of alignment. With proper stretching, balancing and strengthening, the hips are getting better. Find a good pt, preferably one who understands what happens when you ride and see if they can help you. (I lucked out because my PT has a sister who rides. Turns out she has the same problem I have and so he knew what to look for and how to treat it.)
Unless your personal trainer is able to provide you with muscle/fascial release techniques, you are not addressing the whole picture. Joints are a slave to muscle tension. Muscles can certainly be weak and tight or tight and strong, however those fibers that are tight don’t generally release 100% with stretching or exercises. Manual therapy is indicated, sadly it’s usually a team approach too. For certain, the theracane approach, IMS acupuncture, rolfing are all helpful.
A Rolfing series to loosen facia and a stand up Varidesk have been incredibly helpful for my hip issues. The Rolfing addresses other parts of your body where you may have been compensating, in addition to the hips.
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I’ve tried Somatic yoga for muscle release. Very gentle movement that releases and realigns. Found a practitioner who is also a registered massage therapist (three year degree in Canada). You learn relaxation and release exercises you can do at home, which is so helpful, so one can do daily. My problem is severe arthritis in both hips and am waiting on THR in September. The somatic yoga really helps in the meantime. Still can’t ride but can maintain a level of comfort until surgery date.
Can you sit on your saddle on a stand to stretch? Maybe even take it to work and jump on a couple of times a day? Maybe that would help things stay loose, or at least allow you to stretch back out more often and become more comfortable getting on. Thant’s gotta be rough!
I second the Rolfing. I am, for the most part, pretty flexible but I had problems from a crushed pelvis I suffered as a teen. Essentially because I received no PT after the pelvic injury my left leg was 3/8" shorter than my right. The rolfing loosened the fascia so now my legs are equal length. My Rolfer pushed me to get involved in yoga which I did. WHEN I actually keep up with my yoga I stay flexible. Note the caps I used for “when.” Now if I could get my elbows replaced …
My hips tend to be super tight - nothing like what you are describing but for the longest time I felt like I could not control my right leg/hip … it would just creep up and there was nothing I could do about it! What changed for me is three things … regular workouts with my trainer, a physical therapist who works with riders, and sitting on a yoga ball every single day to help me stretch out my hips and leg muscles. While the workouts and PT have helped, what I seem to have noticed is that the ball work has made a huge difference. I always stretch on the ball for at least 5 minutes before riding. Heaps better!!!
I’m guessing you’re in Canada - where specifically? I might be able to provide you with aome
physio recommendations. Since you do seem to warm up out of the issue once you’ve been in the saddle for a period of time, what happens if you stretch and warm up for 10 minutes on the ground before mounting? Is here any difference?
