Groin pain-unable to lift leg

[jlwanderer]

I am an avid hiker, biker kayaker etc.  For four months I've been unable to lift my leg without pain. Example, getting into a car. I have to lift my right leg.  To cross my legs when sitting I have to lift my leg.  It is undiagnosed but my GP sent me to Physical Therapy.  They have no idea, but have me doing pilates style exercises.  Nothing is changing. I'm worried, frustrated and miss my life the way it was. Any ideas what this might be, what type of Dr. I should see?  Help

[skelebor]

when you went to physical therapy, did they have a physiatrist?he's a doctor who specializes in rehabilitation medicine and he should make a good assessment of your case..some physiatrists are the heads of PT centers...good luck..

[live4fitness]

you need to see another dr maybe get a cat scan or mri

good luck

[GrayRunner]

I have a similar problem which was diagnosed as a Groin Pull or Pulled Groin. I am a 56 year old runner. After 3 months I think I am finally getting better. Is lifting your leg while lying down painful? Are situps painful? Do you have any pain in your testicles? Do you have pain in the area just above your genitals which presents when you lift your leg when lying down? If so then you probably have a groin pull. After seeing my primary care physician who sent me to a surgeon to check for a hernia I was advised rest, ice, and anti-inflammatory medication (Advil, Mobic). The surgeon warned me that it would take a long time. It has.
There has been much discussion elsewhere about a condition called a Sports Hernia or Gilmore's Groin. You may also want to read about Athletic Pubalgia . letsrun.com has a long thread on Sports Hernia.

[abbey124]

I relate to jlwanderer; I’m also an avid hiker and climber (love outdoors). For more than a year now I’m having the same problem; not able to lift my leg or getting into a car without pain.  Also start to have a tightness in my hamstring (don’t know if it’s related).  My right leg is significantly weaker than the left.  My performance has also decreased and I’m not able to do the most of the activity I enjoyed without pain.  Went to doctors and  had physical therapy without relief  

Please post back if you know what’s going on.  I’m also so frustrated and  want my outdoor activity back!.  

[arrplayr]

jlwanderer, I have the same exact symptoms as you do.  Does the pain radiate down to your front thigh?  I also feel a slight pain in my groin and the lower part of my thigh (simultaniously) when I lie suppine for over 20-25 minutes and keep my left leg fully extended (example, while I was taking a CT scan).  If I flex my hip when I have this problem the pain goes away immediately.  My CT result was calcification at (or close to) iliac muscle.  I have gone undiagnosed for 5 months.
Have you seen any other doctor?

[Masters]

Have had to stop running for a few weeks as I am having hip problems. Done no excercise but woke up with hip pain. Very sore on impact and needs a helping hand to lift (e.g. getting into a car) Any ideas. Getting a bit downhearted

[Hawley]

I had this problem for a year and a half and i kind of learned to live with it. I still did every sport i used to so that may be why it never healed.

But one day, while playing hockey, my right leg went too far back (while pushing, skating motion) and something snapped. The pain was very intense but i would disappear when the area was relaxed. This was very frustrating as i had sever pain anytime that muscle would contract. I could walk in a very awkward and extremely slow way and the muscle would often contract randomly which was so painful.

I don't remember how long it took, but it eventually healed properly and got rid of the problem i had for 1 and a half year.

4 years later, the problem is back. Is the only way to get rid of it to hurt myself seriously again? That can't be right. I'm clueless.

[aerfsdi]

Im 16 and halfway through a soccer game i started having a bad pain in my right groin area whenever that leg went too far back. There was no snap or significant pain, it just sorta started. The night after the game i noticed a variety of problems.

I find it hurts very bad when i lift either leg while standing up, but while lying down only the right one hurts significantly. When im walking, I have to limp slightly because if i step too far forward with my left foot my right leg gets drawn too far back and my groin hurts. The pain slowly gets more bearable until i do something like play another game, and it comes back. Also, right after exercise, when the pain is fresh, my right nut feels like i've been ball tapped.

I have had trouble with rolling over in bed, walking, changing directions too fast, getting in the car, kicking, doing situps, washing my legs in the shower, crossing my legs, and just about anything that needs me to move.

I've had these problems for three weeks and just by reading everyone else's stories i'm not too excited about this year long healing process. Super annoying i just want things to go back to what they were and I have no idea how to treat this except by resting it, but I don't see how i can do that when i use leg lifting motions all the time. This blows.

[missy515]

hi get your doctor to check for hip labral tear-  its similar to snapping hip syndrome  but can be missed  and its not always check for  i had the same symptoms for five years and still get it it can be operated on but will tear again in time  

[zorbo52]

Regarding this snapping hip problem. That is what it sounds like when I
roll over in bed. It snaps continually till I settle. I have had this groin pull for 5 mos now, I cannot lift my left leg from a lying position. My right leg is fine. I have been to my doctor twice about this and twice it has been go to physio, I have been 8 times. It is not helping. They think I am not using my ta's which are weak on left side. But tighting these core muscles does not make it easier to lift that leg. I end up lifting it with my arms. I am a walker. Please explain this snapping hip.. Do you know why this is happening and what I can do to stop it.

[ivyagogo]

I've had a groin pull problem for about 15 years.  It was so stupid.  I was cleaning my apartment and decided to slide across the floor like Tom Cruise in Risky Business.  One leg slid, the other didn't and ...rip!  It was unbearable for a few days but it eventually healed to the point where it didn't hurt every day.  Now, it doesn't hurt except when I really work it.  I took a gymnastics class yesterday and it is killing me today.  Yes, after 15 years.

What you describe however, sounds like sciatica to me.  I had that too for a while.  I had to lift my leg with my hands to get in and out of the car.  If I sat for too long, my butt cheek and my leg would hurt like the dickens.  My leg was really tight, almost impossible to lift, and stretching was pretty much out of the question.  This took about 5 months to heal with the help of chiropractic.

[Dr Vinod]

Do get yourself examined of the groin pain problem. If there is some ligament problem which is not cured can give rise to arthritis in the future. Taking an appointment near an orthopaedician for a routine examination is good for you!

(Snapping hip may be due to dislocation of the hip, posterior dislocation is common)

Take care