Right side thigh pain only when standing?

January 6, 2023 8:14 AM

Why does my hip/thigh hurt so much when I'm standing for more than 5 minutes? I've been to physio and had x-rays but still I'm aching.

I'm turning to you, hivemind, because I'm at my wits' end. The pain begins if I stand for about 5 minutes and it gets so bad I could cry. To alleviate it, I start walking around.

The x-rays show nothing is wrong. My physiotherapist gave me leg exercises to do but I'm seeing no change after 6 weeks of daily therapeutic exercise. I have no back pain, no knee pain and can walk for miles with no problems. I can't walk slowly because too much stopping will bring on the pain. The pain begins in the right outside hip and radiates downward with time.

I'm a professional driver so that means I use my right leg a lot for driving plus I'm sitting for many hours. However, I drove very little in the last 3 weeks and no change.

Has anyone seen something like this? I can dance, walk, run, do squats but standing brings on pain.

posted by Coffeetyme to Health & Fitness (12 answers total)

For a friend of mine this turned out to be a collapsed disc in his spine and a nerve being pinched. In theory this can be diagnosed with nerve conduction studies but what really made it clear was an MRI. There's simpler diagnostics first but I was surprised how none of the doctors he talked to at first even considered a spinal problem.
posted by Nelson at 8:23 AM on January 6, 2023 [3 favorites]

My dad had similar pain that he thought was related to his hip replacement needing an adjustment that turned out to be a pinched disc. He got physio exercises for his back and that fixed it.
posted by machine at 8:31 AM on January 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

I have come to give my standard answer with mystery muscle pain: do you take a statin? If so, try going without for a week and see if that makes a difference. Check with your doctor, of course, to make sure this is OK for you.
posted by agatha_magatha at 8:44 AM on January 6, 2023

Sciatica, perhaps?
posted by redfoxtail at 9:24 AM on January 6, 2023 [2 favorites]

Yes, I've had similar pain. I have lower back disc issues and hip issues. Sitting may very well be a culprit. Pinched nerves can cause terrible nerve pain such as sciatica that wouldn't show on x-rays. X-rays are unlikely to find anything in soft tissue, including other things like tendinitis or bursitis.

When do you go back to see your doctor? Tell them your pain persists and that it interferes with your daily activities including your paid work. Bring a log of info about exactly what makes it worse or improves it. Example, when you say it feels better when you walk, is that immediate? Or after a few minutes?
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 9:25 AM on January 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

I had these symptoms with a herniated lower disc (L5 S1).
posted by unreasonable at 9:55 AM on January 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

Have you been back to the physiotherapist for follow up? Have you done anything with the physiotherapist like stood until the pain comes and then they do an exam?
posted by bluedaisy at 10:25 AM on January 6, 2023

I had pain in a similar area from L4 disk protrusion. On occasion, pain from trochanteric bursitis may be exacerbated by standing, is felt in the same area and may also radiate down the outside of the thigh.
posted by sudogeek at 12:03 PM on January 6, 2023

Best answer: I'm betting they did, but if your physiotherapist didn't give you clamshells or other gluteus medius exercises to do I would suggest adding those in - I have similar pain and training my gluteus medius helps quite a bit.

Mine comes from standing too much with weight on one leg - a habit I got after I broke the other one. Side sleeping without a pillow between your legs also can cause issues. (Other exercises)

If you're already on it my apologies for the suggestion! I had physio after I broke my leg but it wasn't focused on this area and it took a while to sort out.
posted by warriorqueen at 12:58 PM on January 6, 2023 [2 favorites]

Burstitis? Inflamed jelly-filled-sac on your outer hip, upper thigh.
posted by Iteki at 1:41 PM on January 6, 2023

This might be a snowflake situation, but I have left hip (and thigh) pain from previously diagnosed osteoarthritis, and went to an orthopopedic specialist after months of experiencing increasingly limited walking distance before I was practically limping with pain. I assumed I needed a left hip replacement. I had an xray of both hips, and the doc said that it's really the right hip that has no cartilage - instead the burden has been transferred to the left hip, which still has some cartilage. This may have to do with the fact that my hips are not quite even; that is, one hipbone is slightly higher than the other, probably affecting my gait. He sent me to physiotherapy, which has been somewhat helpful but far from curative. I still have pain, but not all the time, and I can walk a bit farther without pain.

In my case it's a long-term chronic issue, since I am not a candidate for hip replacement on either side. The left is not damaged, and the right is not painful. This situation is unbelievably frustrating.

Did you have both hips xrayed? Or only the painful one? Because you, too, might be a snowflake.
posted by citygirl at 4:35 PM on January 6, 2023

I saw a chiropractor about pain in one hip. He asked me if I ever sit with one leg crossed over the other, I said I did, and he advised me to cross 'em the other way. Damned if it didn't work!
posted by bink at 11:57 PM on January 9, 2023