Groin/Hip Strain/Sprain

October 3, 2008 10:11 PM

YANMD: Self-diagnosed high-groin sprain. Chronic for more than six weeks, further aggravated when I tripped in the airport today. It seems that the negative stress of catching myself completely tweaked it. 39yo Caucasian male

When in a seated position I can’t lift my foot off the ground. The pain extends into front, even outside of my hip. I can extend the lower leg. The pain seems to go down my leg, especially the inside. With my feet in front of me it is painful if I try to bring my knees together or apart. Lifting my leg with my hand and moving it is not as painful but neither is it pain-free.

I am not in a po$ition to see a physician and after similarly exacerbating this lingering injury last week it felt significantly better after a third day of rest. I’m not sure what a physician could do for me. But, this feels worse than last week.

Although I ride my bike as a sole means of transportation <40 miles a week I don't believe it is a 'sports' injury.

Would heat or ice help?
To what degree might I be danger of permanent damage?
What type of exam would could best diagnose the problem?

Email at [e-mail]

Thank you.

posted by anonymous to Health & Fitness (5 answers total)

I am not in a po$ition to see a physician

I take it that this statement means you have no health insurance and/or savings... look, your injury sounds severe. You can't raise your leg while sitting? Dude, that's bad. Six weeks you've been dealing with this?

Please. Go to the doctor - they can diagnose the problem better than strangers on the internet. The doctor will be able to figure out if the problem is soft tissue (strain etc) or something more severe (nerve damage.) A consultation shouldn't cost much - maybe a hundred dollars or so. Yeah, maybe you can't afford costly testing or physical therapy, but seeing a doctor will at least let you know what you're dealing with.

Check around in your community - there maybe health care options for low income or non-insured people that you can take advantage of...
posted by wfrgms at 12:30 AM on October 4, 2008 [1 favorite]

I second wfrgms advice. See a professional.
posted by philip-random at 12:42 AM on October 4, 2008

An injury like that generally shouldn't take that long to calm down, aggravated or not.

You haven't detailed how the original injury occurred nor what caused you to diagnose it as that type of strain, so that's definitely conjecture on my part...but as someone who hasn't had many good medical experiences and feels your pain on the $ part, I still think you should go to a doctor.

All kinds of really icky stuff could hide under symptoms like those. You could be risking impact on your future mobility (or even general health). Best to see a doc.
posted by batmonkey at 2:07 AM on October 4, 2008

It might not be just soft tissue. There's an injury where a tendon attaching the femur and pelvis separates, pulling a chip of bone off the pelvis. (I've just googled a bit and can't find the term for it, sorry.) A cousin got during soccer season--as I recall she had to sit out of most exercise for a while, did physical therapy, and was okay to play by the time basketball season rolled around.

...so that's total speculation, but another vote for the doctor. Sorry.
posted by hippugeek at 2:22 AM on October 4, 2008

I am a physical therapist. I am not your physical therapist. But if you were to walk into my office with these symptoms, I would insist that you see an MD. I hope what you have is a severe muscle strain, but among the things that it could be is avascular necrosis, which is something you need imaging to rule out.

Often pain from inside the hip joint is referred directly to the groin.
posted by jennyjenny at 4:51 PM on October 7, 2008