Please help. I am so disappointed with my medical treatment and non treatment and have been suffering for so long.

by Lisa
(San Dimas, CA, USA)

In late 20s I experienced strange numbness in outer thighs both sides that have never gone away. I am now 51. At 30 I began experiencing groin pain off and on. One day I was digging in the garden, lifting and twisting, with no pain and by end of day the groin pain grew so bad that I could not bare it and had to lie down. When my husband took my hand to lift me up off the floor later I fainted from pain. At the time I was unable to have xrays because I was in first trimester of pregnancy.

For the next several years and ever since I have had pain that moved around in buttocks to lower back and less in the groin. Doctors could not find anything, but just randomly added words like sciatica and fibromyalgia to my records, which I never felt were correct. I was never truly diagnosed with any degree of accuracy. Only xrays were done and revealed nothing, then a catscan which revealed nothing. All appeared normal.

In my late 40s my pain morphed into burning, aching and numbness, which never goes away. It came on coincidently when my hormone levels were dropping in extreme near the onset of menopause. I started extreme hot flashes at the same time and I asked my doctors if there could be some correlation. Both my primary care physician and gynocologist said absolutely not. I was given an mri of pelvis, and low back. All appeared normal, except for what they said is average DDD in my lumbar region.

My right leg with the pain is about 1/2" longer than my left. Over time I realize I am constantly standing with my weight shifted to my left leg. Now I am 51 and My leg feels like a Barbie Doll leg that came off and was put on wrong. I am not obese or unfit in other ways. I have done Jazzercise Dance for the past nine years and have always been active and spright. Because I am so flexible, my doctors haven't picked up on too much lack of movement compared to others my age. I am 5'2", 105 lbs. Just this year, for the first time, I am having hip pain and again my doctor took an xray which revealed nothing out of ordinary and told me I likely have bursitis. I asked for an MRI since my younger sister was diagnosed with hip dysplasia later in life and needed a hip replacement in her 30s. In fact both our parents and parentt's mothers all experienced severe osteoarthritis in hip and had to have hip replacements. My doctor did not want to give me the okay for mri of hip even though and said hip dysplasia and my parent's hip problems were totally unrelated.

When I go to bed, you think my leg would feel better, but it often keeps me up half the night, the hip pain and leg burning and aching are increased. In the morning I don't have problems with stiffness really. I had been diagnosed with Freiburg's Disease in a left toe joint about 5 years ago and told that my bone was dying. I'm so scared that this may be what is happening to my hip joint. What should I do?





Hello Lisa,
What follows is pure speculation, you understand. Hip dysplasia is inheritable and has a much higher incidence of hip arthritis. But so does a short leg, and half an inch is quite a lot. Get a simple insert from the drug store and wear in the short leg. Start with about 3mm.

Lying in your back, pull your knee to your chest. Compare with the other hip. Now pull to the opposite shoulder, and then rotate your knee. Pain in the groin or side of the hip?

Hip dysplasia is so easily diagnosed on X-ray. Can you take a photograph with your camera and send it to me? One of the whole pelvis, and a close up of the offending hip, with flash off. Save on desktop and then attach here. Or send to Contact.

Then go to Search this site, and type in Slump test. Let me know what you feel. I am uncertain from what you describe, whether this is a hip condition causing back pain, or a back condition causing leg pain.

But clearly something is amiss. You've stuck it out with Medicine for far too long, Lisa. They are obviously at sea. Start a hunt for a competent, experienced chiropractor in your area. Take all your scans and X-rays.

Meantime, start the simple lower back exercises at C-H. They take only one minute BEFORE getting out of bed in the morning.

Let me see that X-ray.

Hope this has contributed.

Dr b


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