hip flexor strain vs. femoral neck stress fracture

be careful w/ this one. i was told it was a h.strain but it was a fnsf. w/ the fnsf it would even hurt when just sitting around doing nothing.

yeah im hoping mine is a strain. it seems to hurt pulling through as apposed to impact. Also it was really sore swimming when I was kicking. Anyone else have any thoughts?

i just got over a hip flexor strain...can't really tell you how to tell the difference, but i did realize that taking time off didn't really help much

going to physical therapy and seeing a chiropractor worked for me

i will say that i noticed the pain when my leg hit the ground though (and it wasn't from the impact, it was from pulling my leg backwards right as it was hitting the ground)

good luck

i would definitely get an mri....i went to physical therapy for 2.5 months getting treated for hip tendonitis and found out today that i have a stress fracture! i wish i wouldve opted to do the mri when the injury occured - maybe i couldve sped up the healing process! my physical therapist actually had me running 10 minutes 3 times a week! schedule your mri asap!! better be safe than sorry!

SFs tend to be painful even when you are sitting, painful to the touch (although the hip area is tricky because the femoral head is very deep in the hip tissue), and painful on impact.

A hip flexor strain will likely hurt when you "pull through." Another possibility to look into is iliopsoas syndrome or iliospoas tendonitis. Luckily, the treatment isn't too different. Can you point to a specific run or workout that seemed to precipitate it? If it came on gradually, it may not be a strain.

In any case, take NSAIDS and ice religiously. Once you can jog for a while without pain, you can start GENTLY stretching the hip flexor, quads, and gluteus (butt) muscles. Don't overstretch! And don't stretch too early. Give it a few days for the inflammation to calm down. Stretching can do more harm than good too early.

That being said, it is NEVER a bad idea to see a doctor. I think MRIs can identify tendon inflammation and muscle strains too. I have read that hip flexor issues can be caused by your pelvis being rotated, so a chiro or PT can help with that.

I've had both, and I thought that they felt very similar. To the point that I was sure that my first femoral stress fracture was really just a hip flexor strain.

Don't mess around with this, go to a doctor and get an MRI. It can see soft tissue as well as bone. Your recovery will determine on what injury you have.

Thanks for the input, i really hope its a strain, it doesn't hurt to jump on it, and i can jog on it pain free. The only thing that hurts it is bring my leg straight up in a "flexion" motion.

Is this another one of those threads everyone has been warned to look out for? You know where someone posts as a runner looking for information but they are really a coach or PT trying to find out what they should already know so they can continue to charge their clients for fees?

Do any of you with hip flexor strain notice more pain the next morning after a hard workout, especially when still lying in bed?

Get a bone scan, it will tell definitively if you have a stress fracture or not.

I have a femoral neck hip fracture and I also thought is was just a hip flexor strain untill I got an MRI. My groin would hurt when I ran and also when I walked. I limped a little bit. You should definitly get an MRI! An x-ray won't show it! Good luck! I really hope it's not a stress fracture!!!

Has anyone else had a Femoral neck stress fracture by chance? Mine's taking forever to heal!!

Hello everyone, I dont mean to revive an old thread but this has been the most informative after an hour and a half of searching. I too havesome pain in my hip and have become very concerned.

Everything ive read mentioned pain during training. I dont feel any discomfort during my run, bike or swim. The discomfort/pain occurs when im sitting at my desk or when im sitting in traffic with my foot constatly hovering around the gas pedal.

This discomfort first came for about a month in december then went away. I ran the phoenix marathon then it came back about a week or two later. Its been 2-3 weeks and the discomfort is still there and i am starting to worry.

I guess what im asking is; is the fact that the discomfort/pain dosent happen while im training more likely make it a strain? or is that just hopeful thinking.

I understand that getting an MRI is the best way to determine and will but i would like to get some of your opinions. (and possibly, hopefully rule out a fracture :/ )

Thanx,

Jonathan

typically you will find that with any kind of muscle strain it will only hurt during active motion. pulling your leg through flexing your hip etc... if it's going to be a stress fracture the above was true. Pain with sitting and what not. The muscle is fairly relaxed (although in a shortened position) but pain persists because of pressure put down on the bone.

Michelle, I haven't dealt directly with a FNSF but I would assume that it will take awhile to heal as the hip while sturdy is constantly moving and supporting weight regardless of the position.

Jon it sounds like you have some kind of Tendinosis (we've actually learned tendonitis it an incorrect and overused term) in your hip where once you warm up it feels decent but afterwards it hurts like hell I've been through that myself... hopefully the additional insight of a PT grad student helps

I was diagnosed with a FNSF on Jan. 7, and am still healing. After being on crutches for 6 weeks, I was allowed to bike and swim, (and was even cleared to do the elliptical) AND return to work, but only every other day. (I'm a waitress, so there's lots of walking!)

The pain in my groin used to be horrible, but is now practically non-existent, and I'm walking without a limp most of the time. The only pain I still have, is in my hamstring when I try to lift my leg backwards in the air. The bone also hurts when I push on it. This pain has been constant since I had the injury. Has never gotten worse, but hasn't gotten better either. My Dr. said this pain isn't really normal this far into recovery, but still said it's fine to bike, swim, and work, and said the pain should be gone by the next time he sees me (another 5 weeks from now).

Has anyone else out there experienced this pain with their FNSF? I'm just hoping it goes away eventually.

It took me a total of 8 months to recover from a FNSF. That is, I could not run for 8 months from the point when the pain first inhibited me. The reasons it took so to long heal were:

A) originally misdiagnosed as a strain, which led to...

B) increased activity before healing, which entailed...

C) my own personal stubbornness and stupidity, and finally...

D) (though more or less out of my control) a lack of superior training advice/access and healing technology

Part D really means that the recovery process can be rapidly expedited if you have one of those anti-gravity treadmills (to reduce stress impact of running injuries---they look like you are attached to a snow mobile) or access to aqua-training. I had neither, and combined with parts A, B, and C, the recovery process was very long and frustrating for me. On a positive note, I am currently the strongest I've been since the injury (about 18 months ago), though not quite where I was at my height of ability before. I also learned to take into account the importance of core/abdominal training and certain stretching methods since, and I feel they make a big difference in injury prevention. Though any good coach would tell you that as well.

I went through the same thing. I kept trying to tell myself it was a hip flexor strain while i got worse and worse and worse. What i noticed was that if i stood on that leg for more than say 5 seconds, the hip would give me this sharp pain as i unweighted it. Hopping on that leg would be really painful as well.

The key factor for me though was that i took about 2 weeks off completely, tried to start running, and the pain was back within the first 2 minutes of the run.

I went on crutches for 8 weeks and it took me about 6 months just to run about 35 miles a week or so. The good news is that if you catch it fast and rehab properly, you will have no ill effects. I think Ritz had the same thing in both hips at different times.

HELP!

I started feeling pain on Nov 12th (yes I know the date) and on the 13th the doc told me it was a hip flexor strain, 9 week of physical therapy later an MRI showed it is, in fact, a stress fracture in the medial margin of my hip. Being 23 they sent me to have a bone density test which showed that i have Osteoperosis. Doc suggested crutches but didnt require them so I ignored it, now 2 weeks later Im in more pain and have been on crutches for 5 days - but i have pain when i sit! Is there a certain way to sit? any exercizes I can do for abs in the mean time? How long till the pain goes away? and could the misdiagnosis have things worse? ANY info is appreciated!

How long did it take you to recover from your strain?

You HAVE to be on the crutches non weight-bearing. That is the key to healing that thing up. I was pain free after less than 2 days on the crutches, but stuck with it for 8 weeks just to be sure. You're 23 years old. In the long scheme of things 8 weeks of annoyance is worth being able to run later in life. The alternative to a non-healing femoral neck fracture is not great. Be smart and stay off it.