# My hips have started to feel sore after my morning walk.



## AaLF (Nov 7, 2017)

Early days but my hips are developing a slight after-walk soreness.  Mild only as it's new, about a month.  I walk 45 mins. most days during the DST months.   I'm a tad short of 65 yrs male.  Obese but determined to win the battle of the blob.   Doctors are useless nowadays.  
Could this be just a combo of overweight plus getting back into walking or an early warning sign that my hips are deteriorating?
What sort of professional people have knowledge about such things?


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## Cap'nSacto (Nov 7, 2017)

It could be pressure on a nerve in the lower back.

You'd want to see an orthopedist or a spine specialist.


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## Warrigal (Nov 7, 2017)

It could also be bursitis which is inflammation of the soft tissues around the joint.

A general practitioner would move your legs around in different ways to test which it might be. Then X rays and/or ultrasounds would confirm which one it is. If bursitis, cortisone injections might help. If osteoarthritis they would probably prescribe anti inflammatory drugs.

It sounds like the condition is not yet acute and you could just try rest for a couple of weeks. Ice packs after exercise could prevent  inflammation before it causes pain.


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## Pappy (Nov 7, 2017)

I’ve been considering acupuncture for my back and hips. I have had osteoarthritis for many years and is getting progressively worst. As Warri says, it could be bursitis and rest, heat and Tylenol can help.


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## Aunt Bea (Nov 7, 2017)

I have problems with hip soreness when I start walking again after a long winter break.  The soreness usually goes away after two or three weeks of daily walks.

Also check with your PCP or pharmacist about a supplement.







Good luck!!!


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## Smiling Jane (Nov 7, 2017)

One of my hips is fine, but an old injury to the other has given me some problems through the years. I used foam rollers a few years ago and found them very helpful. I have no idea why they work as well as they do, but they do. I subscribe to Ben Kim's newsletter. He often writes about foam rollers.

http://drbenkim.com/how-foam-roll-your-hip-abductors.htm


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## AaLF (Nov 15, 2017)

Cap'nSacto said:


> It could be pressure on a nerve in the lower back.
> 
> You'd want to see an orthopedist or a spine specialist.



Tried rest etc.  No response.  Even just going shopping ends in discomfort.   So I finally see a chiropractor tomorrow.   I'm hoping this is the answer.  Last year my left thigh muscle got so acutely painful it felt like needles and fire.  Visited a chiropractor a few times and woooo - pain gone.  lower back pinched nerve.

The hips are not painful.  just mildly sore.  but this is early days.  my concern is all those stories you hear & read about hip replacements.  no thanks.


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## Butterfly (Nov 16, 2017)

AaLF said:


> Tried rest etc.  No response.  Even just going shopping ends in discomfort.   So I finally see a chiropractor tomorrow.   I'm hoping this is the answer.  Last year my left thigh muscle got so acutely painful it felt like needles and fire.  Visited a chiropractor a few times and woooo - pain gone.  lower back pinched nerve.
> 
> The hips are not painful.  just mildly sore.  but this is early days.  my concern is all those stories you hear & read about hip replacements.  no thanks.




My hips both deteriorated from osteoarthritis until I could not get around without a cane or walker, and I was in constant pain.

I don't know what "stories" you've read about hip replacements, but I had both of mine replaced and could not be happier with the results.  It really isn't a big deal surgery (from the patient's standpoint) any more, and recovery is quite easy.  I was only in the hospital two nights for the first hip and three nights for the second one.  I had them done 30 days apart.  I live alone, went straight home from the hospital (no rehab facility -- my surgeon thinks you're more likely to get an infection in one of those) and was able to take care of myself, tho my grandson stayed with me one night with each hip, and I did have people who I could call if I needed help and who went and got groceries for me, etc., until I was allowed to drive again.  

I would do it again in a heartbeat.  I put it off WAY too long because I was scared of the surgery, and that was a big mistake and I spent many months in a lot of pain when I really didn't have to.  Having my hips replaced gave me my life back, literally.


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## rgp (Nov 28, 2017)

Butterfly said:


> My hips both deteriorated from osteoarthritis until I could not get around without a cane or walker, and I was in constant pain.
> 
> I don't know what "stories" you've read about hip replacements, but I had both of mine replaced and could not be happier with the results.  It really isn't a big deal surgery (from the patient's standpoint) any more, and recovery is quite easy.  I was only in the hospital two nights for the first hip and three nights for the second one.  I had them done 30 days apart.  I live alone, went straight home from the hospital (no rehab facility -- my surgeon thinks you're more likely to get an infection in one of those) and was able to take care of myself, tho my grandson stayed with me one night with each hip, and I did have people who I could call if I needed help and who went and got groceries for me, etc., until I was allowed to drive again.
> 
> I would do it again in a heartbeat.  I put it off WAY too long because I was scared of the surgery, and that was a big mistake and I spent many months in a lot of pain when I really didn't have to.  Having my hips replaced gave me my life back, literally.




Glad yours worked out as it did. I have the same thing, my surgeon said [because i live alone] no going home  30 days rehab agreement or no surgery. I also have two knees failing, that's 4 surgeries & 120 days total...No thanks...So I'm going to try stem-cell first. If that fails...lord i hope not !! Surgery is always there. 

Just to note:.....

I have done, 4 ortho's , one R/A , pain specialist, G/P, Chiro, & acupuncture. 
Cortisone, Gluco & Hyaluronic acid injections. ......point being,I'm not going off half cocked...but I'm running out of options. This is my last chance try before surgery.


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## NancyNGA (Nov 28, 2017)

I started walking about 2 miles a day back in 2009, and pain in one hip got progressively worse, until it became uncomfortable enough I was about to give it up.  Turns out I was walking with my feet too close together.  Practiced taking wider steps (sideways, not lengthwise) for a long time before it became anyway close to automatic.  The hip pain went away.  It comes back just a little when I forget. Sixty years of walking wrong is a hard habit to change.

I think that particular gait fault is more common in women, because their legs are generally set wider apart, and walking with your feet close together forms an angle that puts strain on your hip joints. Anyway, you might want to check your gait before you do anything drastic.  Just a thought...


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## Smiling Jane (Nov 28, 2017)

I did some corrective movement therapy, Nancy. I had no idea I walked with my toes slightly pointed in until I saw my footprints in sand. How I walked was affecting my entire lower body. What's weird is that I learned to walk like that by choice when I was very young. I had a relative who walked with his feet pointed out and I was determined I didn't want to walk like him.

I also do the Esmond Technique, which is a series of stretching exercises created by Miranda Esmond-White. She has a daily PBS show and also sells DVDs. I've become much stronger and have less pain and tension because of this.

The second thing I do every day is tai chi. It has done wonders for my flexibility and balance.


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## tnthomas (Nov 28, 2017)

Sometimes if an activity is causing discomfort, cutting back on the duration or intensity is the key.   In the past when lifting weights at the gym, if I got too "enthusiastic" and ended up with muscle or joint pain, I'd back-off for a while, lower amount of weights or reduce repetitions.

But yea, i think you know- excess weight,  so maybe moderate your physical activity as pain/injury are counter-productive.

Concentrate on the other side of the weight loss equation: food intake.  Think portion control.

I lost 50 pounds in 2013, exercise was important, but cutting salt, sugar and fat consumption was the key.


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## DanC (Nov 28, 2017)

Hello AaLF. Brand new member just this hour. I was a runner for many years then developed (1) plantar fasciitis and (2) bursitis of the hip. What you are describing does not sound like any spine, nor nerve, nor joint problem, nor bursitis, nor osteoarthritis. Try some stretching exercises, buy a book, use the exercises that stretch "away" from the hip. For instance, a tight i-t band can be a problem so use exercises that loosen that up. I would not stop walking. Keep it up, make sure you are loose but experiment with stretches _before_ you walk. Sometimes they can make your situation worse. I stretch in the morning after I get out of bed.


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## Butterfly (Nov 29, 2017)

I was having really bad trouble with a knee for a while several years ago and  come to find out it was caused by my flat feel causing my feet to roll inward (pronate) and pulling the knee inward, too.  Good arch support pretty much fixed that, though it does bother me from time to time.


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## RiverUp (Mar 4, 2018)

DanC said:


> Hello AaLF. Brand new member just this hour. I was a runner for many years then developed (1) plantar fasciitis and (2) bursitis of the hip. What you are describing does not sound like any spine, nor nerve, nor joint problem, nor bursitis, nor osteoarthritis. Try some stretching exercises, buy a book, use the exercises that stretch "away" from the hip. For instance, a tight i-t band can be a problem so use exercises that loosen that up. I would not stop walking. Keep it up, make sure you are loose but experiment with stretches _before_ you walk. Sometimes they can make your situation worse. I stretch in the morning after I get out of bed.



I see this was posted some time ago.  I agree with DanC; it sounds like you might have been having "normal soreness."  I was never one for the idea of Epsom salt baths, but have learned to do these.  Two handfuls of E. salts in the tub and a soak of 20 minutes or more.  Almost no soap at first, maybe 1/3 thimble of dish detergent in water.  I do stretching to keep my lower back in shape and I do gentle toe touchers every day.  Hope you post and tell how you are doing, AaLF>


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