texasmama Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 Since baby #4 was born, my right hip hurts when I walk - not always but sometimes. If I sit in one position too long, it hurts. I have a high pain tolerance and am known to ignore my physical pain so I don't really pay attention to it until it gets really bad. I am 44. I've birthed 4 babies. My bone density is great. I went to a chiropractor for about a year after baby #4 was born. I've not suffered an injury. I refuse to take meds for this. It is not disabling at all, just annoying. Is this because I have had four babies? Because I am middle aged? Does anyone else have hip pain which is not really related to anything specific? In other words, how weird am I?;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 I had hip pain for years. No problems showed up in any MRI or xray and physical therapy didn't help. I went on a canoe camping trip that involved paddling a couple hours a day. By midweek, the hip pain I had lived with for more than five years was GONE. Literally gone. It turns out my hip pain was actually caused by weakness and misalignment above my hips, in my trunk. The action of paddling exercised exactly the right set of muscles and fixed the problem. You can replicate the paddling action by sitting on an exercise ball in front of a door. Wrap a stretchy-pulley-exercise-thingey around the knob. Start with hands extended in front, holding the stretchy-thingey comfortably just below shoulder level. Pull with both hands towards the side, to your hip. Your trunk and shoulders should twist to the side with this motion. Let hands return to position in front of you in a controlled way. Repeat on other side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momof3littles Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 (edited) Hip pain can be sort of a nebulous term. Is it kind of in your low back on one side? Sacroiliac joint dysfunction is quite common in women because of relaxin (hormone that increases during certain times in our menstrual cycle and during pregnancy). That makes your ligaments lax and allows things to move out of place. You might try searching for those terms and see if your pain is in the sacroiliac joint region. If so, I would work with a physical therapist. They can show you self-mobilization techniques to help get it into place when it goes "out". After 4 babies you may also have some core strength issues and/or diastasis recti. Those things can make SI joint dysfunction even more common. Your pelvis has two halves and one half can rotate forward or backward on the other half if the ligaments are loose and your core strength is lacking (both very common, especially after multiple pregnancies). It may actually be your hip too, but IME many times when women complain of "hip" pain they really are experiencing SI joint pain. But both are definitely possibilities. Hip pain itself could be from a variety of things. Osteoarthritis, etc. Edited September 13, 2011 by Momof3littles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 I had hip pain for years. No problems showed up in any MRI or xray and physical therapy didn't help. I went on a canoe camping trip that involved paddling a couple hours a day. By midweek, the hip pain I had lived with for more than five years was GONE. Literally gone. It turns out my hip pain was actually caused by weakness and misalignment above my hips, in my trunk. The action of paddling exercised exactly the right set of muscles and fixed the problem. You can replicate the paddling action by sitting on an exercise ball in front of a door. Wrap a stretchy-pulley-exercise-thingey around the knob. Start with hands extended in front, holding the stretchy-thingey comfortably just below shoulder level. Pull with both hands towards the side, to your hip. Your trunk and shoulders should twist to the side with this motion. Let hands return to position in front of you in a controlled way. Repeat on other side. A similar thing happened to me, except I bowled the pain away. lol. After three weeks of bowling on a league, through the pain, the pain disappeared and never returned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlmiraGulch Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 Oh. My. Gosh. I swear I was just logging onto this board to create a post called "My hip hurts." I'm not kidding. For me, it's the left. I've had low back pain and hip pain for years and nothing has helped. Lately it's become much worse. My hip (and it is my hip, on the left side of my leg) hurts so much it keeps me from getting comfortable enough to fall asleep. Like you, I have a high tolerance for pain. This is just ridiculous. And chronic. And frustrating. I think maybe I'll try some exercises similar to what Strider posted, since I know I have misalignment in my sacrum. Maybe it's related to my hip issues. If so, Strider, and these exercises work, I'm going to kiss you!!! (virtually, of course) Good luck with your issue, texasmama. Maybe both of us can get over our hip stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crafty Mathy Mom Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 I've had the same type of pain since my last child was born. It feels like something is out of place. It hurts for a day or sometimes only a few hours. Then it's gone for weeks until the something goes out of place again. Thanks for some hope that some exercises will work. All the doctor said was to start saving for a hip replacement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leanna Tomlinson Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 http://www.amazon.com/Pain-Free-Revolutionary-Stopping-Chronic/dp/0553379887 This book helped me. I had annoying hip pain almost all the time after my 7th. Another mother of 7 told me about this book. Like another poster said, it's really about alignment and weakness. This book will show you positions that can relieve your pain and build your strength. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted September 13, 2011 Author Share Posted September 13, 2011 Thank you all for the suggestions of exercises and books. I don't have arthritis, and it is definitely my hip, not my back. I googled the sacroiliac joint, and that is not it. When it is hurting, I can push in the place it hurts (on my right side hip area) and it is tender to the touch. If it is really hurting, it slightly affects the way I walk. I always had a lot of hip pain during my pgs, and since my youngest was born, I have had to sleep with a pillow between my knees in order to be comfortable, just as I did when I was pg. The pain seems limited to my right hip. I've had pubis symphasis dysfunction during pg (and it was successfully treated by a chiropractor), and I have also had pretty severe nerve pain (can't recall the name of the nerves that run from the mid buttocks area down your legs) during my pgs, but that all resolved after I gave birth. This has not. I'm quite certain that I have core strength issues, and I could probably benefit from the strengthening exercises mentioned. It is good to know I am not alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linguistmama Posted September 13, 2011 Share Posted September 13, 2011 I'm glad the op asked this question! I have right hip pain during my pregnancies and that book looks like it may be very helpful. It had over 200 reviews, most positive. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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