Groin pull/strain

[PatrickL]

Let me give some background info on this...

Jan/Feb - Quickly hiked/jogged about 9 miles on two hikes and had a lot of soreness around my hip/groin. Best way to describe it is that it hurt to lift my leg when getting into a car (I was thought it was my hip flexor at the time). It went away with a few days of rest, and I was hiking again without an issue. A few more days and I did another quick hike/jog, which resulted in a lot of soreness once again, so I took it easy, doing a couple "easy" hikes, and eventually taking three consecutive months off.

Late May - Hiked one mile quickly, and jogged another. A little discomfort during the first couple minutes of the jog, but it went away and I felt great until about 24 hours later. The pain was strictly in the groin region - nothing around the front of my hip anymore.

It's been 2-3 weeks since then, and today I'm feeling "something" in the affected area just from walking around on the sidewalk - minor soreness that lets me know something's still not right, if you will. I tried a light stretch a couple days ago, which might be why there's been discomfort lately. Also felt something on Saturday while moving boxes at work.

I'm on my feet for 8 hours a day at work, which I suspect is slowing the healing process. Generally any sort of stretch in that area causes tenderness that sticks around for a day or two depending on how much the muscle was stretched. My question is, is it normal for a groin pull/strain to take this long to heal? I figured I'd check in with HAZ before throwing down cash to have a doctor tell me to stay off of it and take ibuprofen. :tt:

[joebartels]

sorry to hear Patrick

hernia?

probably best to see a doctor if it's been that long

[PatrickL]

I've considered the possibility of a hernia. Only reason I discredited it was because I was told, "If you had a hernia, you'd know it." It's weird to explain the feeling. Calling it pain seems like an overreaction - soreness/tenderness/discomfort seem to describe it best. Is that common in hernias?

[big_load]

It could also be bursitis or tendonitis in your hip joint.

[----]

I'll show your description to my wife and see if she can suggest anything; she's a doctor.

[CannondaleKid]

Is there a doctor in the HAZ?

HAZ may be fantastic for a lot of information, especially hiking in Arizona, but medical advice for a self-diagnosed ongoing condition?? Well.... knowing how some injuries incurred when I was 21 have come back to haunt me 42 years later, I would strongly urge you to visit a professional health practitioner soon.

Oh yeah... my latest example was a hip injury while biking late summer of 2010, ending up requiring knee surgery in May of 2011. If I had visited a competent health professional within the first few weeks to a month the change in gait due to the hip being out-of-place, I would not have required the knee surgery. While the knee surgery was considered a success that doesn't change the fact it will never be the same as prior to surgery.

While I understand the wish to avoid kicking out the cash (especially if without health insurance... I had none for a number of injuries), I still urge you to see the appropriate health professional, and soon.
Good luck!

[kingsnake]

And, if you are a student at a university -- an actual one, as opposed to a for profit -- they should have a free on campus clinic. Even if they can't treat it, they should be able to at least provide a diagnosis.

[azbackpackr]

NAU's campus clinic sure isn't free.

[PatrickL]

Seeing a doctor is definitely the right thing to do, and I would have already if it wasn't for lack of insurance (not a student, either). I've been thinking about it all day today, and I think I'll give one a call in the coming days. The pros of fixing a serious, oncoming injury outweigh the cons of being "ripped off."

[azbackpackr]

Depending upon your income level, there are various clinics that provide services on a sliding fee scale. You have to apply in advance to qualify, of course. I pay $30 to see a nurse practitioner, and $25 for lab work at North Country Health Center. The state has a list:
http://www.azdhs.gov/hsd/sliding-fees/

[nonot]

When I've pulled a groin, it healed over weeks, but didn't last more than a month. I was a lot younger then though. Hurts more at first and goes away gradually.

However, you can pull it again before it completely heals and then it resets the healing time. So if you are only waiting 2 weeks before doing heavy activity again you might be reinjuring it and resetting the healing process.

Hope you figure it out.

[PatrickL]

It's the three months of downtime that made me realize something wasn't right. There was no pain or discomfort for a good portion of that, but I still took it easy (other than work) for some extra time to make sure it was good to go. Evidently it wasn't.

Depending upon your income level, there are various clinics that provide services on a sliding fee scale. You have to apply in advance to qualify, of course. I pay $30 to see a nurse practitioner, and $25 for lab work at North Country Health Center. The state has a list:
http://www.azdhs.gov/hsd/sliding-fees/

Thanks, I'll look into this.

[John9L]

In reading your symptoms, hernia is a possibility. I had inguinal hernia a year and a half ago and the pain/discomfort came and went. I had to go to my doctor multiple times before he was able to pinpoint the issue. It was very frustrating and I feel like I wasted a month or two figuring it out. Like you I knew something was wrong but felt fine most of the time. That's because the hernia does not push through at all times. Hopefully your doctor can figure out whats going on. Good luck.

[SpiderLegs]

Had something similar and a doctor confirmed that it was a very slight hernia. Nothing to worry about, but really need to keep an eye on it and plan for the possibility of surgery later on down the road in a decade or two.

I'm no doctor, but what helped me was doing lots of joint mobility, started taking fish oil, avoid foods that are inflammatory (cut back on wheat & sugar) plus got a foam roller. For my glutes a foam roller did not do the job after a while so I started using a PVC pipe to really dig in there. I also do kettlebell swings on a regular basis, keeps that part of my body strong and flexible.

[kingsnake]

Depending upon your income level, there are various clinics that provide services on a sliding fee scale. You have to apply in advance to qualify, of course. I pay $30 to see a nurse practitioner, and $25 for lab work at North Country Health Center. The state has a list:
http://www.azdhs.gov/hsd/sliding-fees/

Must have changed. When I was there in the 80s, I took my broke ribs there ...

[----]

@Patrick L
My wife says it could likely be a labral tear and you should consider seeing an orthopedist, or try physical therapy at home by stretching and whatever (google on it):
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hip-la ... ar/DS00920

If you don't have insurance, you can try a clinic where my wife works on certain days. They charge based on income, and it shouldn't be much. If you want, PM me, and Liz will help you work out an appointment.
http://www.insiderpages.com/practices/H ... ice-Center

[PatrickL]

I got an appointment scheduled earlier today. Seeing the doc on Friday. It would be nice to be hiking by summer's end - fingers crossed.

I appreciate the feedback from everyone.

[----]

@Patrick L
If you don't mind, post the results. Could be informative for everyone.

[PatrickL]

It's a small, nothing-you-can-do-about-it hernia. Had a glorious few days of feeling negative about it, but I'm ready to hike again.
Still not sure what to do about stretching the area beforehand. The few times I have, it's been sore. It's frustrating because that's typically the area that hurts when I've forgotten to stretch in the past. Damned if I do, damned if I don't.

[Jabberwalker]

@Patrick L
Just saw your avatar and clicked on it. Nice taste in music Patrick, Mock Orange is amazing. In the 11 years I've been listening to them they've only come through AZ twice though and I missed them both times.