[QUOTE=x-halt-salute;8309386]
You and Lady E are missing the point. Most of us engaged in the core of the conversation are – without your involvement – already asking all the questions, thinking critically about the options, seeking second opinions from a variety of sources, and aren’t simply mindlessly following “authority” in medicine, whether that authority rests with our own M.D.s or celeb docs like Hadler. If you read carefully, you’ll see that nobody here thinks that injections are the ultimate solution for degenerative hip problems, nobody is advocating surgery without careful consideration of whether non-surgical options are reasonable, nobody is blindly following the first recommendation they get from a doc. The problem with Lady E’s participation in this thread, and yours, is that you two are assuming that the rest of us don’t understand the medical decisions we are making, are naive w.r.t. the healthcare industry, and are not able to advocate for ourselves. This is not only wrong, it is insulting. If you care to get involved, ask questions before you make assumptions, and spare us the lame lectures.
I don’t owe any explanations to you, but maybe you and LE will back off if you consider the following: I’ve now discussed my case with four M.D.s, two of whom were orthopedists, one of whom is a surgeon in another specialty, and one of whom is in internal medicine. I’ve worked in clinical environments, including a rheumatology department. And I have lost a family member as a result of medical malpractice. I am intelligent enough to teach at a top research and teaching university, and I’m not about to blindly follow the first recommendation I receive, regardless of what you or anyone else thinks.
Now will you kindly get off my back and let this thread return to its regular programming? If you want to discuss the general state of health care in America or the general dilemma of diagnosing and treating back pain, rather than rider-specific perspectives on hip pain and associated treatments, an Off Topic thread can be arranged.[/QUOTE]
Amen, sister!
The first ortho I saw told me to take two Aleve am and pm, said “what have you taken that makes you feel better” and gave me a prescription for methocarbamol, and sent me to PT with a vague diagnosis. PT helped only insomuch as I stopped riding at the time - when I started riding again I was in pain again. Decided to go to a different ortho who is a hip specialist. Said the first dx of FAI isn’t really conclusive based on my xrays, although my conformation does predispose me to have impingement. Suggested a hip joint injection to see if that would help. I declined that as I don’t really think that’s the problem. Sought out a third MD, a spinal doctor (neurologist, actually) who did an xray of my back and saw and old compression fracture that is exactly where I complain of back pain and muscle spasms. Well, at least I know I’m not crazy. He thinks perhaps my hip pain is referred from my back. I still don’t think so - I think it is a discrete issue caused by strain from something specific I did. He’s ordered a bone scan just to see if anything else is going on, but that isn’t scheduled until October.
In the meantime, I’m trying to find things on my own that will help. I’ve been to a rolfer, and while I enjoy the work, it hasn’t fixed the problem. I’ve stopped riding until at least October, but it might have to be for the whole winter. I’ve started strength training (based on the first doctor and PT who think I need to strengthen my glutes), but found yesterday that the squats really exacerbate the problem. I’m going to a chiropractor/PT/massage therapist on Monday, as I’ve read that trigger point therapy is very helpful and I haven’t been to the chiro since I moved (I would go to my last one first if I was in any pain, and he really helped me).
Am I going down a bunch of rabbit holes? Yes. I have to be my own advocate and go with what I think is at least in the right direction. I don’t think throwing drugs at me or doing an injection willy-nilly (an injection indicated for joints when I feel the problem is soft-tissue related) is the right direction. What I find frustrating is that there seem to be these boxes that must be checked when dealing with insurance companies. Start with xrays. Then drugs. Then PT. Then another diagnostic. Then maybe more PT. Then maybe another diagnostic. It is really annoying.
Years ago I had a bump on my knee. I think I talked to my GP about it on two separate occasions, as well as another doctor. It was one of those “well we get various bumps and bruises as we age, blah blah blah” brush offs. As the bump grew bigger and started to hurt, I went to my husband’s sports medicine doctor who took xrays and said “I don’t know what it is but I know it isn’t supposed to be there” and ordered an MRI and based on the results sent me to a teaching hospital where they ordered surgery for me right away. I had a tumor on my tendon sheath and had to have an open surgery. I had complained of this for a couple years before I got someone to have a good look at it.
Pain really sucks. I don’t want to be inactive. I don’t want to have to stop riding. I don’t want to take drugs to mask the pain. I don’t want to sit on the couch and feel like I’m losing fitness. I don’t want to fidget in my chair at work during the day because I hurt. I don’t want to toss and turn all night long because I can’t get comfortable.
It really, really, really sucks.
I did buy an inversion table and my fingers are crossed that that might give me some relief!
Have you tried the inversion table?