tight hip, pain

[cailifo]

I have a problem. Can someone help me please!!

I don't know how or when but at some point I must have injured my right hip. When I do a right leg sidekick it's nice, high and strong. But when I do a left leg sidekick or roundhouse it can't go very high because the right hip on the outside, the joint, starts to pull or get tight not allowing the left leg to raise very high. It also hurts.

When I do this stance pictured below with my right leg bent and left leg out straight it's good. I can go very low with it. But when I do the other side with my left leg bent and right leg out the right hip hurts and pulls tight so I can't drop down. Or if I do it's awkward and hurts a lot more from the pulling or tightening feeling of the right hip.

When I do the side split stretch with my chest leaning forward and toes pointing forward the right hip hurts but not unbearably. It feels tight like the joint needs to pop. When the joint does pop I can easily slide down another 6 inches into the stretch and the pain decreases significantly and I can feel the stretch. But it still hurts.

I don't know how this happened but it annoys the heck out of me. I can't kick very high with my left sidekick or roundhouse and can't really do my forms that have a left leg bent stance.

I took a couple weeks off stretching hard and only trained lightly. The pain was not as bad when I started back but it still hurts and I can't do these things. i have to get really warmed up into my workout to be able to have the pain and tightness subside a little. but i still feel it and it restricts a little still.

What do you think is the problem? What can I do to fix it?

By the way, it doesn't hurt elsewise. Only during these things and there is no tenderness. Only tightness and pain of the right hip when I try these things.

Please Help!

[Thomas Kurz]

Have you seen a competent physician about your problem? Have you asked your teacher? Is he/she also a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine, as are many really good kung-fu teachers?

In any case, read my best advice on injuries at:

http://www.stadion.com/question_injuries.html

as well as the following threads on this forum:

http://www.stadion.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=749

http://www.stadion.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=44

http://www.stadion.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=43

http://www.stadion.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=62

[cailifo]

no, i havent seen a physician about it. i dont know where to find a good one or how much a session would cost me. but i'll look into it. thanks for the links.

also, i havent been able to talk to my teacher about it. my teacher is from china while i'm in the usa. but i will be travelling there this may. i may be able to discuss it then. and yes, i'm pretty sure he knows tcm.

the thing is, it causes me no problems and is not sore or tender. it is only tight and kind of painful when i stretch it, like doing sidekicks, the hip of the base leg tightens. or that stance or side splits. so i'm not sure what it is.

[gpremo]

On the more western side of treatment and diagnosis, I would suggest seeing an Athletic Trainer, Orthopedist/Osteopath, or the best would be a Physiatrist. A relatively minor problem may be a busitis around your hip somewhere (greater trochanteric), but if you have a labral tear, that can be a bigger problem. The problem with the latter is, it leads to instability with greater trauma if it is "let go," and/or abnormal wear in the joint leading to early onset arthritis or worse. I am not trying to scare you or diagnose your problem, just letting you know options. Hope this helps.

[taichigirl]

Sadly, an MRI found a labral tear extending 3.5 cm over the anterosuperior margin with mild separation noted...whatever the heck that means in medical mumbo jumbo terms. I'll see a Sports Med Dr. in about a month to find out more. But all I care about is whether or not I can continue my strengthening and stretching routine with my goal of being able to do the splits... kicking harder and jumping higher... or do I have to give in and rest. I do not have any pain at the moment. Serrapeptase has done wonders. What do you athletes have to say about that? No pain, no problem?

[Thomas Kurz]

See a good hip surgeon about fixing the tear pronto. Remember that torn cartilage doesn't heal or reattach itself. Damaged cartilage doesn't hurt so lack of pain doesn't mean all is well. Eventually you may get pain when the detached carilage irritates other tissues, such as the joint capsule. I think that if you keep on exercising, in a short time you will have your hip joint inflamed, with ensuing damage to articular cartilage and possible atrophy of hip stabilizers, and eventually advanced osteoarthritis. If you live in Canada, keep in mind that your national insurance doesn't care whether you are fit enough to do your sport--but rather if you can keep on paying taxes. If by delaying the surgery the bureaucrats leave you too crippled to work out, it will be fine with them as long as you can work. After all, they won't limp.

[taichigirl]

Dear Mr. Kurz:

Thank you so much for your reply. It is very insightful and I will take your advice.
I hope it helps others as well. Before writing in this forum I searched the internet and there is very little on the subject for this type of hip issue. Since I now teach, it is going to be very hard to take a break and deal with the time for rehab...but I guess it is what I need to do. You said what I needed to hear.

I have worked very hard to get stronger over the past few years. Your program of exercises, forum, DVD's and info on the web has really helped motivate me to work out smart and come back from some devastating injuries suffered in an MVA. I hope that after this next test of my spirit I'll be able to resume working towards my dream of doing the splits. Thank you Mr. Kurz for continuing to be such an inspiration.

[dodz]

In doing martial arts, it's normal to have pain in our body, or fracture, I know we can recover that soon. What weapon do you use normally in doing martial arts?

[taichigirl]

Thanks for asking. I train with a taiji sword.
Since it has been quite some time that I reported the hip pain, I am pleased to say that with time, patience, proper stretching, and a great physio, my situation has resolved (the pain anyways). If the tear is still there then it is not giving me too much of a problem. I am hoping that I can slowly return to training towards splits - that would be a dream come true!