Groin pain - hip flexor or surgery related?

[HowieF-16]

Hi all.  I am looking for some feedback from my fellow hippy's.  I am six weeks post op and am working hard to perform all my exercises and stretching and I seem to have found myself between a "rock and a hard place."  I am experiencing a fair amount of groin pain, but I am not sure if it is normal or perhaps I am overdoing my exercises.  One of the exercises is a hip flexor stretch.   It seems to help when I stretch my hip flexor, but within an hour of stretching it, I am sore again.  When I skip the stretching and just do the strengthening exercises, it seems OK, but then an hour later it is sore again. 

I can't decide if I am overworking/overstretching or if this is normal.  I am hoping that some of you may have had this problem and can share with me if this is normal.  If so, from your own experiences, is it better to stick with the stretching or the strengthening or take a break from both for a couple of days and see what happens? Thanks

[hernanu]

Hey Howie, I'd take a break from both. Let it rest for a couple of weeks, ice where it hurts and just walk. This is a marathon, not a sprint - your body may be telling you to slow down.

[obxpelican]

Dude!

Relax, you're 6 weeks post op and your body is still recovering from the trauma of a very intense surgery.

One of your comments that struck me was that you are "working hard"--- don't keep working hard if your body says no, take a short break, ice and walk if your doctor allows, it's one of the best exercises you will ever do.


Chuck

[oldsoccerplayer]

I can only echo what the others said. For now, if it hurts, just don't do it. When I first tried balancing and squatting on a bosu ball, it caused a pinching sensation in my lower back. I stopped doing it for a few weeks, and when I tried again, it was pain-free.

[chuckm]

Howie, the psoas tendon (part of the hip flexor group) before surgery used to run in front of the hip over the hip capsule and there was a lubricating bursa as well. After surgery that whole area is a mess and the tendon rubs against the device. That is why it is so painful to lift the leg after hip resurfacing. While it is all healing you can easily cause inflammation and also risk creating a chronic problem. Just gently stretch and don't do any leg lifting until there is no pain at all.
My PT wanted me to do leg lifts at 4 weeks and I refused. At about 6-8 weeks the pain when lifting the leg was gone and never returned. As far as getting it stretched for full range of motion, that is going to be a year-long thing if not longer. Be patient.

Chuckm

[whyme]

Hi Howie,
Hip flexion is something my surgeon advised not to force, surely for the first 6 weeks but also to be very careful in the months after. In his experience, problems in the groin are mostly because of overdoing.
I had discomfort / mild pain in my groin that creeped up around 3-4 months post op, he recommended to avoid hip flexion exercises and take anti-inflammatories for a couple of weeks, then go very gradually.
My physiotherapist found hip flexion was the area where the operated leg was weaker than the other, but agreed that I should not force and give it time, as 3-4 months it's still not much in the big scheme of things, and there are surgical reasons that explain why (someone posted about that already).

I was not totally convinced to be honest (we tend to over think the little pains) but followed the advice and now I don't have that discomfort. Still it's the weaker area but I'm doing the hip exercises well again and swimming is helping.

I'm almost 6 months post op and, in spite of feeling great already, I still see big gains to be made. So 6 weeks now seems very early days.

[HowieF-16]

I wish to thank everyone for their comments and insight. My natural tendencies are to be the most compliant patient as possible. When given a list of exercises and told to do them twice daily, then that's what I do.  I learned an important lesson. Thanks to all of your help, I now feel comfortable taking a break, resting, icing and walking when comfortable. I have already cancelled PT for the week and will see how I feel on the weekend.

This hip is different than my previous joint surgeries. When my shoulders were done, we worked right up to the pain and a little over to have the quickest rehab. I guess, I need to just slow down and temper my expectations. I agree, it is a marathon not a sprint.

I am hoping others who read this will still share their opinion.  Thanks again.

[HowieF-16]

Here's an update. I saw Dr. Raterman last week for my three month update and discussed persistent groin pain. I have been rehabbing with a lot of recumbent stationary biking and he recommended that I try the elliptical instead. Well, almost a week after the change, I can report that the groin pain has practically vanished. Although, there is some tightness in the groin, the pain is gone. Hopefully, some stretching over time will resolve the tightness. For all you hippy's out there with groin pain, try an elliptical.

[hernanu]

Glad it worked itself out, Howie - good pointer.

[Dannywayoflife]

Glad it worked out for you mate. I was experiencing a lot of groin pain post op and the single thing that really helped me the most was getting in the pool. I found that incredibly helpful!!!

[hiramr@xtra.co.nz]

Hi there, Ive got a question regarding the psoas tendon mentioned in chuckm's post. I am four years post op and playing regular sport. Mainly squash, (3 times a week) and playing competitively. My problem is, this tendon is uncomfortable, and it feels to me like a rubber band being stretched and moved over a corrugated surface. Have to say I'm a bit worried that I may be doing some long term damage. I would be interested if there are any other people with similar issues and any advice would be welcome. Regards, Hiram