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What Causes Constant Left-sided Pain In The Hip During Activity?

Posted on Thu, 27 Jul 2017

Question: I had severe constant pain in my left hip area after the following activity. - I lifted a full 5 # gas can and held it at waist level to fill a tractor. I started having pain. I took 3 Ibuprofen and applied Ben-Gay & spent about 45 min cutting grass on a tractor. When finished, I took a bath. While stepping out of the tub, I turned to the left and felt a SEVERE 'shooting' pain. It DID NOT stop! I went to the ER. an X-R showed no fracture, just arthritis & degeneration ( I am 79 y/o with a hx. of arthritis, osteoarthritis, MVP, & am otherwise a healthy person.)RX- Vicodin 5-325 & Tizanidine 2mg. I was given no other suggestions other than visiting a website (received an 'error' in their address). I also have been using Ben-Gay frequently. The pain is somewhat relieved, but I slept very little due to the pain. I also have numbness on the skin on my outer left thigh. ( is this from so much Ben- XXXXXXX or another symptom of the initial one?), Should I exercise or not? What else should I do to stop having this pain? I do not have pain in the joint or with walking. Sitting feels better than lying. I have a treadmill. Should I use it- would it help or hurt? I was given no other instructions at the ER. -- a Pretty poor excuse for a health facility, don't you think? Hope you can help me.

Answered by Dr. Lekshmi Rita Venugopal (3 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Management of lumbar strain

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thank you for trusting HealthcareMagic

Your symptoms are suggestive of lumbar muscle strain(especially since X ray have ruled out fracture) following heavy lifting.
Lumbar muscle strain can cause pain down the hips.

Please be advised to take adequate rest for at least 1 week. Do not use the thread mill or do strenuous activity during this time.
Apply ice on the back and hip area for first 2-3 days. After 3 days you can start applying heat therapy, if the pain and swelling have decreased.
If you do not notice decrease pain/swelling after 3 days continue ice therapy only.

Continue pain medications and XXXXXXX XXXXXXX
The numbness you are noticing is due to Bengay.It is not be worried about.
You can also take over the counter advil 400 mg up to 4 times daily to reduce pain and inflammation.

After 1 week, you can start your daily activities and using the tgreadmill if the pain has decreased. Try avoid heavy lifting or strenuous activities for 2-3 weeks, so that your muscles get adequate time to heal.

If you do not notice a decrease in pain in 1 week or worsening pain, please be advised to follow up with your primary care provider. CT/MRI scan of lumbar spine is recommended at that point to rule out fracture/disc prolapse which may not have been picked by Xray.

Hope this answers your question
Please address further questions here
Regards
Dr.Lekshmi

Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad