Sports injury help

[Khorus]

I have had a nagging hamstring problem that has recently turned into a hip problem as well. I was hoping that if some of you have had the same type of injury, you can give me some advice. Basically, the problem started about a year or 1 1/2 years ago with just a minor pain/soreness in my butt (literally, not figuratively). Over the next several months, it developed into a tight hamstring that was sore after the game for a couple of days and stiff before the next game. In the last few months, it has carried over into the hips. Rotating the hips outward causes pain, as well as rotating it inward (as in when I have my knee in the air turning it across my body). The worst problem is that the sensitive area is right in the middle of my butt cheek, so when I am sitting down, it hurts sending pains down my leg all the way to the ankle, and guess what, I am in front of the computer 8 hours a day. Funny thing is that I can play football just fine and have no problems during the game, but I usually pay for it after the game and the next day. Also, the muscle that runs along the outside of my leg is sore, especially right at the hip joint where even a little pressure is painful. I have also had lower back pains for some time, so all in all, I am a bit of a mess right now, standing hurts my back, sitting hurt my leg, and sleeping hurts both, and I can't walk 24/7, so I am basically screwed!!

I am thinking about quitting for a few months and taking some low/no impact exercise like biking, or joining a gym and using the machines (wrong time of the year for swimming), hoping that it would heal the injury. Someone suggested Yoga to stretch out the body and balance things out. I love the game and I find it difficult to stay away, but with the rainy season coming in the next couple of months, it might be a good excuse to take 3-4 months off.

Any words of wisdom is greatly appreciated.

p.s. In case it matter, I am pushing 45, 5' 9" (175 CM) tall, and weight 165 lb. (75 Kg), and otherwise in good shape and health.

 

[yashar]

Brother,

You have lower back problem and not hip problem.
You lower back muscles are tight and therefore when moving they put pressure on you hip and leg and even it could go down all the way.

I recommend the following steps:
1-Get a memory foam mattress to sleep on

2-Swimming is great, just try to more stay on the water in a deep swiming pool where your feet cannot hit the bottom

3-Sterch your hips and legs

4- make your stomach muslces stronger, if you have extra weight helps to try to get rid of it

5- Search on google for lower back pain excersize and do those excersizes. it will take me for ever to write it down.

Thanks, Arman

 

[Arsenal]

What about seeing an Orthopod. I mean, seriously, how much is advice from the boards worth?

 

[Khorus]

Brother,

You have lower back problem and not hip problem.
You lower back muscles are tight and therefore when moving they put pressure on you hip and leg and even it could go down all the way.

I recommend the following steps:
1-Get a memory foam mattress to sleep on

2-Swimming is great, just try to more stay on the water in a deep swiming pool where your feet cannot hit the bottom

3-Sterch your hips and legs

4- make your stomach muslces stronger, if you have extra weight helps to try to get rid of it

5- Search on google for lower back pain excersize and do those excersizes. it will take me for ever to write it down.

Thanks, Arman

Thanks dude. I know the back and the hips/hamstring are all related. I have been doing stretching, and looking at some exercise routines to strengthen the back and the abs.

 

[Khorus]

What about seeing an Orthopod. I mean, seriously, how much is advice from the boards worth?

When I talk to my doctor, he basically says, give it some rest and take Ibuprophen!! I know advice from the board should be taken with a grain of salt, but I thought if others have had similar problems, it might give me more information. I did pressure point massage and stopped playing football for about a month and got a lot better, then after a few months of playing, I am back to where I started. I think I just need to stay away for a while and do some other type of exercise that is not as high impact, until I get completely better.

 

[raminio05]

When I talk to my doctor, he basically says, give it some rest and take Ibuprophen!! I know advice from the board should be taken with a grain of salt, but I thought if others have had similar problems, it might give me more information. I did pressure point massage and stopped playing football for about a month and got a lot better, then after a few months of playing, I am back to where I started. I think I just need to stay away for a while and do some other type of exercise that is not as high impact, until I get completely better.

Get a second opinion. My dad had and still has the same problem. The doctor told him it had to do with his lower back and gave him some stretching exercises, but he still cant play football. Take a break from football and start swimming. See if that helps. If not, go and get a second opinion, and an x-ray even if the doc sais its not necessary.

 

[Khorus]

Thank you. I have decided to take a couple of months off, do some strengthening exercises for my back and abdomen. Actually I have good abs, but maybe they are out of balance with the back and pulling things off. I think I have isolated the problem to a particular muscle that connects the lower verdebrae in my spine to the hip joint and is one of the main muscles responsible for hip rotation. Anyway, thanks everybody for your replies.

 

[mashtnaghi]

It may be your tailbone. Take a look at this:

http://www.coccyx.org/whatisit/symptoms.htm

 

[Khorus]

It may be your tailbone. Take a look at this:

http://www.coccyx.org/whatisit/symptoms.htm

Thank you, but I am certain it is not my coccyx. The symptoms don't quite match, and it is mainly one side of my body that has the problem. But, thanks for your concern.

 

[tyrant faZz]

Thank you. I have decided to take a couple of months off, do some strengthening exercises for my back and abdomen. Actually I have good abs, but maybe they are out of balance with the back and pulling things off. I think I have isolated the problem to a particular muscle that connects the lower verdebrae in my spine to the hip joint and is one of the main muscles responsible for hip rotation. Anyway, thanks everybody for your replies.

i'm actually a chiropractor my friend. from what i heard it doesn't sound too serious. its hard to be sure without actually seeing you but it sounds like you have a few trigger points in the muscles around your hip and pelvis. also sounds like you are having trouble with a chronic SI dysfunction which is probably responsible for the trigger points. i'm basing this on what you said about the muscle which attaches your lower vertebrae to the pelvis (assuming you are talking about quadratus lumbordum) and pain in a seated position which are characteristic of SI dysfunction. look up glut max, glut medius, glut minimus and quadratus lumbordus and find them on yourself, put deep pressure into the muscles to see if you can recreate your symptoms. but if i were you i'd find myself a good sports chiropractor who also does dry needling . this kind of injury is our bread and butter, see them on a daily basis. hope it helps.

 

[Khorus]

i'm actually a chiropractor my friend. from what i heard it doesn't sound too serious. its hard to be sure without actually seeing you but it sounds like you have a few trigger points in the muscles around your hip and pelvis. also sounds like you are having trouble with a chronic SI dysfunction which is probably responsible for the trigger points. i'm basing this on what you said about the muscle which attaches your lower vertebrae to the pelvis (assuming you are talking about quadratus lumbordum) and pain in a seated position which are characteristic of SI dysfunction. look up glut max, glut medius, glut minimus and quadratus lumbordus and find them on yourself, put deep pressure into the muscles to see if you can recreate your symptoms. but if i were you i'd find myself a good sports chiropractor who also does dry needling . this kind of injury is our bread and butter, see them on a daily basis. hope it helps.

Thanks for the reply. The muscle I was thinking of is the piriformis, because it is one of the ones responsible for the rotation movements that cause me the most pain and it is connected to both problem areas (at least from what I can tell from the anatomic diagrams I have seen). Funny thing is that the pain is mostly local to what I think is the tensor fasciae latae (the one that runs from the hip joint on the outside of the leg to the knee). The very bottom verdebrae in my back seem to fall out of alignment easily as rotating my torso results in pops in the bottom of the spine and even deep clunks. That part seems to hint to the SI dysfunction you are talking about, but I need to read up on that a little more. A few months ago, I had similar symptoms and I had some pressure point massage done, and after I was done crying from the pain, LOL, I took about 1 month off from soccer and I felt much better, probably 90%, but then after about 3 more months of playing soccer, I am back to the previous state.

To be honest, I am very skeptical about chiropractors in general, but my neighbor has one that he swears by, so I might pay him a visit. Unlike other chiros, this one says that if he can't fix the problem in 2-3 visits, then he doesn't know what he is doing, so I am encouraged by that. Most would want you to keep coming back on a regular basis for "maintenance", which usually means the "maintenance" of their pockets!!

I might also go back to my accupuncturist or do the pressure point massage again. I need to figure out for myself what the best course of action is. Regardless, soccer definitely aggrevates the injury and I need to stay off the field for a while, as painful as it might be to my psyche. Thank you for your advice, and if you think of anything else that is relevant, please let me know.

 

[sportsdoc]

Hey khorus,
sorry about your pains and aches, it seems though you are pretty educated about your condition. Sounds to me like you have a muscular problem that has led to bunch of other problems (very simply put). First step is going off any provoking activity so take a rest pal . Second, I would be open to the chiropractic treatment; however, I would recommend you look for a chiropractor that also does extensive muscle work, in particular one that is certified in a technique called ART (active release technique). Look it up and you should be able to find somebody near you. Your other choice is a good physio therapist with sports experience or a physiatrist or a sports medicine doctor.
As for my humble opinion... although I would like to see you before making any major decisions but it seems like the massage therapy helped allot. 90% improvement is a great indication there seems though there might be an underlying problem that makes your symptoms come back.... could be a bunch of things and again I would like to get more info. For example it could be a bio mechanical problem (ie foot etc). so you would have to have a good assessment by somebody that looks at you head to toe and takes everything into consideration (including lifestyle).
Try some of the things I said and I hope you get directed in the right direction. I have some experience with athletes :crutch: having been a chiropractor with a sports specialty and currently I'm working on becoming an orthopedist. I hope I could be of some help. good luck

 

[Khorus]

Agha kheili mamnoon. I think I will start with laying off football for a while, and getting the accupressure massage done again. I will give myself more time to heal this time, but if I don't see a significant improvement, then I will go see a chiropractor. Thanks for all the advice guys!

 

[General Parsaian]

I have had a nagging hamstring problem that has recently turned into a hip problem as well. I was hoping that if some of you have had the same type of injury, you can give me some advice. Basically, the problem started about a year or 1 1/2 years ago with just a minor pain/soreness in my butt (literally, not figuratively). Over the next several months, it developed into a tight hamstring that was sore after the game for a couple of days and stiff before the next game. In the last few months, it has carried over into the hips. Rotating the hips outward causes pain, as well as rotating it inward (as in when I have my knee in the air turning it across my body). The worst problem is that the sensitive area is right in the middle of my butt cheek, so when I am sitting down, it hurts sending pains down my leg all the way to the ankle, and guess what, I am in front of the computer 8 hours a day. Funny thing is that I can play football just fine and have no problems during the game, but I usually pay for it after the game and the next day. Also, the muscle that runs along the outside of my leg is sore, especially right at the hip joint where even a little pressure is painful. I have also had lower back pains for some time, so all in all, I am a bit of a mess right now, standing hurts my back, sitting hurt my leg, and sleeping hurts both, and I can't walk 24/7, so I am basically screwed!!

I am thinking about quitting for a few months and taking some low/no impact exercise like biking, or joining a gym and using the machines (wrong time of the year for swimming), hoping that it would heal the injury. Someone suggested Yoga to stretch out the body and balance things out. I love the game and I find it difficult to stay away, but with the rainy season coming in the next couple of months, it might be a good excuse to take 3-4 months off.

Any words of wisdom is greatly appreciated.

p.s. In case it matter, I am pushing 45, 5' 9" (175 CM) tall, and weight 165 lb. (75 Kg), and otherwise in good shape and health.

I give you one advice and do it daily
Go to any sweming pool and walk just walk not sweem for 20 minutes evry day (offcoure the water must be till your chest)

 

[PJ]

I am no back doctor and hats off to the doctors who responded. But I have one guess:
Maybe this pain is FWS (Fat Wallet Syndrome) if you don't know what that is, watch some old episodes of Sienfeld and look for the episode that George Castanza has back pain.
Simply remove the wallet from your back pocket and the pain will go away after a while. The Chyropractor or Sports medicine doctors are indirect alternatives. As it will take them a few sessions to empty the pocket but the result is the same.
:cheers: :devil-smi

 

[tyrant faZz]

Thanks for the reply. The muscle I was thinking of is the piriformis, because it is one of the ones responsible for the rotation movements that cause me the most pain and it is connected to both problem areas (at least from what I can tell from the anatomic diagrams I have seen). Funny thing is that the pain is mostly local to what I think is the tensor fasciae latae (the one that runs from the hip joint on the outside of the leg to the knee). The very bottom verdebrae in my back seem to fall out of alignment easily as rotating my torso results in pops in the bottom of the spine and even deep clunks. That part seems to hint to the SI dysfunction you are talking about, but I need to read up on that a little more. A few months ago, I had similar symptoms and I had some pressure point massage done, and after I was done crying from the pain, LOL, I took about 1 month off from soccer and I felt much better, probably 90%, but then after about 3 more months of playing soccer, I am back to the previous state.

To be honest, I am very skeptical about chiropractors in general, but my neighbor has one that he swears by, so I might pay him a visit. Unlike other chiros, this one says that if he can't fix the problem in 2-3 visits, then he doesn't know what he is doing, so I am encouraged by that. Most would want you to keep coming back on a regular basis for "maintenance", which usually means the "maintenance" of their pockets!!

I might also go back to my accupuncturist or do the pressure point massage again. I need to figure out for myself what the best course of action is. Regardless, soccer definitely aggrevates the injury and I need to stay off the field for a while, as painful as it might be to my psyche. Thank you for your advice, and if you think of anything else that is relevant, please let me know.

piriformis anf TFL have a shared innervation at L5-S1 so you may have nerve interference from that spinal level. piriformis is the main muscle responsible for external rotation and TFL is one of the main muscles responsible for internal rotation of the hip. so it might be that you are having problems with your hip joint since both the internal and external rotators are playing up.

piriformis and QL usually start to play up when you have SI joint problems so it could still be SI. its hard to say what it is without actually seeing you. but what you can do is look up stretches for piriformis and TFL and do them every day. as one of the guys said walking backwards and forwards in the pool can also be helpful but these things wont help you much if the problem is from your spine.

 

[parham3]

Is chiropractic a good job?

I'm doing my first year in it, and DAMN it's hard!

 

[tyrant faZz]

Of course it's the best. I know it's quite boring and fulfilling when you are in 1st and 2nd year as you mainly do the science subjects but it gets better as you go on and you get into the practical side of things. if the passion is there then it gets a lot easier so make sure you go and observe a few chiros at work and see what you are getting yourself into if you don't know much about the profession. what country are you in?