Hip Pain

[Magicman]

For over a year I have had a progressively worsening situation with my right hip.  Last  August I had an appointment with the surgeon that replaced my knee who made X-rays and determined that I did not have a hip joint problem but rather a muscle problem.  I went to the PT who did various stretches, etc. but no real help.  Since then I have managed to keep going but the pain and use of my right leg has worsened.  At times by the end of the day I have been barely able to walk.  I was seriously wondering whether I could continue sawing.

Several days after my appendectomy I noticed that the hip pain was gone.  ??  So I am wondering whether my appendix was pressing on a nerve or something?  Well a week later after I started wearing my jeans the pain returned.  ??

So now enter the conversation in the Belt or Suspender LINK topic.  Since I have goneass and have been hitching my belt tighter to keep my jeans up I ordered the suspenders that @barbender uses.  I put them on and was able to loosen my belt two notches.  I am almost afraid to say it but the hip pain seems to be gone.  Maybe the tight belt was pressing on a nerve and causing the pain.  ??

So I DuckDuckGo  and find this:  Meralgia paresthetica LINK

There is an old saying that a "Doctor who Doctors on himself has a Fool for a Patient".  Well I ain't a Doctor and am not Doctoring, but in this instance, too many moons have aligned to ignore.  In my instance, I spent almost a week not wearing a tight belt and my pain noticeably disappeared.  When I went back to belted jeans it reappeared.  Added suspenders and loosened my belt and the pain again disappeared.

I am almost afraid to get excited, but a week with no pain is something to get excited about.

[beenthere]

Think you should keep a doin what you are a doin.

I use a random orbital sander (sans the sand paper) to "vibrate" above my knees every night for the last nearly two years. Ended the knee joint pain that kept me awake at night and no pain during the day.

Was scheduled for a total knee joint replacement a year and two months ago. Pre-op visit ahead of the surgery, I was asked how the pain was. I had to say "no pain". That led to their question "what are you doing here then? " Had to say it was because I was told after the initial X-rays that I had bone-on-bone and two choices.. new knee joint or put up with the pain. That was soon after I started to massage the knees with the random orbital sander. I treat each knee sitting down and for about 30 seconds per leg. No idea why it works for me. It just does, and hope it continues. 

[barbender]

That is really interesting, Magic. I have a knee that has been bugging me bad for months. I got it checked out, had an MRI done and the diagnosis was a torn meniscus. It wasn't bad enough that it required surgery, which I was happy for. I was just instructed to go easy on it. The problem is, the dang thing is just not coming around, and if I put in 5-6 hours of sawing and stacking, that knee is hurting bad enough that it sets me back the next day. I think there is a seperate muscle issue or something going on, and I may have to have it looked at again. All of that said, it would be great if it was just my belt!😊

[Don P]

It isn't as handy but I cannot wear bags anymore.

[beenthere]

Don P

I cannot wear bags anymore

"bags" are what?

[Magicman]

I realize that my entire episode was coincidental from every aspect, but the unexpected results from adding the suspenders and loosening my belt totally blew me away.  At that time I had not connected the dots about not wearing a belt.  It was only after a couple of days that I realized that my hip pain was again disappearing and the only thing missing was the tight belt.  I then did a search entering "belt and hip pain" and struck gold.

It's almost like I have gotten my life back.  Thank You Burt !!!  

[Don P]

Beenthere, a toolbelt. Keep one cinched up enough to hold up after the greater gluteus subsidence and it hurts your hips and the hammer handle swinging into the side of my knee for years hasn't helped my shining attitude either :D. 

[Dave Shepard]

I can only wear a full tool rig with suspenders.



I did something to my right hip years ago. My measure of how my day went is how easily I can throw my leg into the pickup at the end of the day. If I have to pick my leg up and place it in the truck, it was a rough day. I don't know if my belt is to blame, but I do keep it tight.

[Magicman]

 :P  My reason for posting this is not about myself but the possibility that someone else might be experiencing the same difficulty without realizing it. 

[Old Greenhorn]

It's interesting how we sometimes cause our own problems, isn't it? I don't leave myself out of that thought either, I've done it too in some ways.
 But I want to mention another thing for MM and BB and others who may read here. Don't underestimate the value of a good chiropractor. My guy has changed my life in a huge way and that is no exaggeration. Several year ago I was virtually crippled and documented that here in the fourums someplace. I was using two canes to walk. I asked friends for a recommendation and found "THE Guy" for me. I now go just once every month or 6 weeks for a tune-up where he fixes or relieves all the dumb stuff I did in past weeks and keeps me from getting in a bad way.
 But the big key here is finding the 'right guy/gal' and I would begin by asking around to other folks you know who use that service and do heavy work like construction, logging, and things like that. Somebody will likely have a guy they really like and for good reason. My guy used to work construction before he became disabled and then started to learn how to help himself over the injuries eventually working through various levels and now has his own practice. The point being he knows the kind of work I do and he knows I HAVE to keep doing it. I don't get the lectures about taking it easy and relaxing all the time. He gets it and teaches me things to help me minimize the damage. He has indeed changed my life for the better and keeps me working.

 Oh, and one other thought on heavy work belts. I have this issue with my felling belt, with wedge pouch, tools, ax, tape, and sheath, it weighs a bunch and making it tight enough to stay up was getting crazy and it would still shift and sag. I got a pair of clip on suspenders just for the belt but of the non-stretch type, they are rigid with no give. That made a big difference, using separate suspenders just on the tool belt that doesn't stretch. I don't have much of a butt either and tend to tighten the belt UNLESS I have braces or suspenders on.

[Magicman]

If your problem is a maladjusted joint a Chiropractor may be in order. 

My problem appeared to be a muscle being compromised by an external constriction/pressure.  My surgeon told me in August that the X-ray did not indicate a joint problem but rather a muscle problem.  My subsequent journey was finding that a constriction was causing the muscle problem.

[Old Greenhorn]

Yes, I understand and that's why I made the comment, my chiro guy moves and adjusts muscles on almost every visit I have with him. That's what he does. Things get out of balance and the muscles move to compensate, then sometimes they stay where they shouldn't be and it becomes a chronic problem.

[beenthere]

Whatever works. 

[Magicman]

My measure of how my day went is how easily I can throw my leg into the pickup at the end of the day. If I have to pick my leg up and place it in the truck, it was a rough day.

That sounds eerily similar/familiar.  You have nothing to loose to find out whether it's being caused by belt constriction.

[JJ]

about 10 years ago I ditched my wallet for i-phone case just holding a bank card and id.   The wallet just held folded money, about 5 credit and bank cards, id's, and about a dozen business cards.

This wallet was always in right rear pocket, and after abandoning it my persistent lower back pain went away ;D..  Never thought much about it but the absence of the pain was remarkable, guess sitting 8+ hours daily on a 2" thick brick under my right cheek wasn't helpful for the lower spine alignment :
       smiley_old_guy

[rjwoelk]

I did farrier work for years, and back pain was always a problem after the 3rd horse.  Mentioned this to a lady farrier, she looked at me and said remove your belt, undo the top button to get the pants loose. I had trimmed 14 horses at this point, did 4 more and no more pain. So that is how I do it now.
She wore spandex pants with chaps. Since then I have gone to stretchy blue jeans has helped a lot. With bent over your back muscles have no were to push out, pants too tight, so it pushes in on your nerves. 

[Magicman]

I suppose that tight pants would be the same as a tight belt.

All of my jeans are size labeled 33W, but some are tighter than others.  I'll either have to quit wearing them or leave the top button loose.  Whatever, I'm not wearing anything tight around my waist again.

[Don P]

Yup, its a slippery slope to the colony from there  :D

[realzed]

about 10 years ago I ditched my wallet for i-phone case just holding a bank card and id.   The wallet just held folded money, about 5 credit and bank cards, id's, and about a dozen business cards.

This wallet was always in right rear pocket, and after abandoning it my persistent lower back pain went away ;D..  Never thought much about it but the absence of the pain was remarkable, guess sitting 8+ hours daily on a 2" thick brick under my right cheek wasn't helpful for the lower spine alignment :
      smiley_old_guy

Wish I could say my wallet was so thick.. at least from the "folded money" aspect of it!   

[petefrom bearswamp]

Moved my wallet to my left side pocket a good number of years ago, presto no sciatic pain