OK OK I know I shouldn’t be bombing around stupid rocky jeep roads in Southern Utah on a rental mountain bike 4 weeks before Roth, but life is too short when you get near 50. Anyway, of course, on the last day of a mountain bike trip (kudos to RimTours by the way for a great adventure) I take a nasty high speed crash on my right hip, just about dead center on the trochanter. Now, two weeks later, it still hurts when I walk and it’s too painful to run with. Taking lots of vitamin Motrin, ice treatments, and doing some bike riding (which doesn’t really hurt as long as I don’t mash it). The hip just feels like there’s a big solid mass on the outside of my trochanter, and from what I can read on the web, it’s just a really bad hip pointer. X-rays didn’t show any fractures.
For you sports med experts out there, any idea of the best way to recover? Do I need to see a PT so I don’t end up with chronic problem? Is it time to go see an ortho surgeon because of the lingering pain? Really don’t want to do anything stupid which gives me a long term problem – I had a friend who ignored hip pain for a long time and 4 years later he is the proud owner of an artificial hip joint at the ripe age of 41…
A true hip pointer is pain usually located over the anterior iliac crest (the “hip-bone” that you feel in the front of your “hip”). If your pain is truly over the trochanter you may be looking more at trochanteric bursitis especially since you have had an x-ray to rule out fracture. Although now that it has been 4 weeks you may want to consider a second x-ray, sometimes acute fractures can be small enough to not show up on initial x-rays (aka hairline fractures).
If it’s truly a hip pointer, not a lot you can do other than ice, light stretching and modified activity until it gets better. Hip pointers can be pretty nasty, extremely painful and take several weeks to recover from.
Trochanteric bursitis can be tough to deal with. Definitely recommend lots and lots 'o ice and some light stretching. 2 weeks is a bit early to be rushing to an orthopod. I would get yourself to physical therapy, maybe go back to your primary care doc for a repeat x-ray.
Have you tried to run? Good luck with Roth, hope that works out for you.
Well I’m on week 5 of recovery from the same sort of crash. landed on and slid 10 feet on my trochanter. Took 3 weeks to heal the gouge. I only managed to run (barely) last friday and still can’t sleep on that side. On a positive note, I actually have an excuse for using the pull buoy now.
Thanks for the advice! It’s only been 2 weeks and 2 days since the injury and no, it is too painful to run. Roth is looking pretty grim this year… I’m going to have to give this some rest and try to get better for some races in the fall. And I will go see a PT sports specialist this week too.
By the way, if you know Dr Welling at Balboa, say hi for me – former NROTC middie classmate and roomate.