Mystery hip flexor/groin/quad pain- please help!

Sorry guys, but what exactly is FAI?

I've heard of the labral tear before and looked into it a little more just now. It does seem like it could be a possibitlity; hopefully I'll do some more thorough research on it soon.

I do seem to be getting close to being completely pain free now, so maybe I'm just about over it. I'll just have to wait and see if the pain returns upon starting to run again like it did before.

Just google 'fai labral tear'

Labral tear: a rip through the cartilage that surrounds the outside of the hip joint.

FAI: Bony protuberance on either the socket or the ball of the hip (or both) causing a crush or tear of the labrum.

Hip arthroscopy: Method of doing surgery, where a camera and small instruments are placed inside of the hip to perform surgery and fix problems.

Had a very similar problem last fall. After my Dr. suspected it was a bulging disc on L4 o4 L5 I tried a course of prednisone to shrink the disc and the pain disappeared. Worth a try.

some good news from me - I have had similar symptoms as you, and I've had some pain relief this week from treating it as a case of piriformis syndrome. sort of.

A day or two ago the pain got so bad I had to stop running and take a taxi home - so I dug around the web, looking for info on FAI and labral tears. I came across info on piriformis and thought some of my rear end pain could be piriformis.

So I rolled my rear end around on a baseball and just for the heck of it, rolled the top of my quad on the baseball also.

Two days later, I am virtually pain free. Which is hard to explain, but you should try it front and back. I've heard some people have success with tennis, baseball and lacrosse balls.

http://www.bodyworkrevolution.com/images/press/Burlington.pdf

To use the tennis ball technique, you should lie down on your back with your knees slightly bent (in a 30

to 45-degree angle) with you're feet planted comfortably on the floor. Next, place the tennis ball under your

buttock area slightly on the inside of your outer hipbone. Gently relax into the tennis ball remembering to

take deep relaxing breaths. You should experience mild to moderate discomfort, which is a sign that you are

doing it correctly.

I have good potentially good news for you! Your injury and pain description sounds exactly like mine, which came about in the same way, after taking it easy, doing a lot more yoga, running shorter distances. The pain would come about 2 miles in, and it it was sharp, but would go away with walking, and start up again into the run. I would rest a couple days, pain was gone, and would come back after a 2 mile run. Went to my physical therapist, who explained that I over hyperextended my hipflexor. That, paired with a new job that causes me to sit longer each day, I was causing trauma to the hipflexor. He game me some exercises and adjustments, and says I'm on my way to recovery. No running for another week, but through his active reflex exercises, he sure did find the pain. Don't resort to surgery if you don't need to! And it might not be a tear! Just cramped and confused muscles that can easily be retaught. Good luck!

Perhaps it's one of these more serious problems others have mentioned, but it sounds like it could be what I've had, weakness in the hip flexors (ilispsoas) and transverse abdominals. I recommend doing an exercise my PT taught me, lie on the floor with your legs hanging off the top of some stairs. Put your hands under the small of your back and keep a steady pressure on your hands throughout the exercise by flattening your back. Lift your R leg assisted by your L leg. Then drop the R leg fairly quickly to below ground level while keeping the pressure on your hands. This eccentrically works the transverse abs; the dropping part is the exercise. Repeat this as long as your form holds, then do a set with the other leg.

Also, always a good idea to do hip abductor exercises if your hip isn't holding steady during your gate.

XC runner girl... did you ever figure this out?

I am having the same issues for almost 3 weeks, and hope you might have a solution now that it's two years on...

Thanks

Susie

Hi Susie & XC runner girl,

I seem to have the same issue as you two and I was wondering what worked for both of you. I hope you are both recovered by now, as your posts were some time back.

Thanks in advance,

G.

Psychotherapy? This isn't holistic pseudoscience friends this is LetsRun. Next you'll suggest a series of Homeopathy followed by a rain dance with a girl called Moonchild in order to cleanse the evil hip demons. Real world help only please

This is one of the worst injury threads on letsrun. Everyone is convinced it's the worst thing possible. OP probably just had tight quads or IT band syndrome. Good grief. Stop running for 11 months? Assume it's a labral hip tear with no evidence of it? Yeah, that's useful advice.

I found this thread searching for advice on sore quads. Femoral stress fracture? Yeah right.