Recovering from a pulled glute, what say you?

[Scruffy]

Too bad it's winter and he can't go out and swim in poison ivy - get a Prednisone scrip.

#2birdsonestone

As someone how had seriously suffered from poison ivy as a kid, and has had many of steroidal injections to quell the bloated, itchy, burning mass of ooze...

 

[cantunamunch]

As someone how had seriously suffered from poison ivy as a kid, and has had many of steroidal injections to quell the bloated, itchy, burning mass of ooze...

Now imagine doing that to your self deliberately no fewer than four times because your ortho is perfectly fine with 5 year recovery times even if you aren't.

 

[Noodler]

Just writing to vent about how difficult it is to get a specialist doctor in the U.S. (or at least in CO). I did a bunch of research over the weekend looking for a new hip doctor. I had 3 doctors picked out. I called to get an appointment with the first only to find out that the schedulers did not have access to his schedule. I have to wait for a call back. Same for the 2nd choice. The 3rd choice was at least in the scheduling system, but I decided to hold off and wait for the call backs before making a decision to book with the 3rd choice. It will probably also be weeks, if not months, before I actually have the appointment. Just so frustrating.

 

[cantunamunch]

Just writing to vent about how difficult it is to get a specialist doctor in the U.S. (or at least in CO). I did a bunch of research over the weekend looking for a new hip doctor. I had 3 doctors picked out. I called to get an appointment with the first only to find out that the schedulers did not have access to his schedule. I have to wait for a call back. Same for the 2nd choice. The 3rd choice was at least in the scheduling system, but I decided to hold off and wait for the call backs before making a decision to book with the 3rd choice. It will probably also be weeks, if not months, before I actually have the appointment. Just so frustrating.

Can you get your GP to call in with an emergency referral?

 

[Noodler]

Can you get your GP to call in with an emergency referral?

That's an interesting thought, but of course that would mean I need to get in for an office visit with him first. I am due though, I am overdue for my annual physical.

 

[Prosper]

That's an interesting thought, but of course that would mean I need to get in for an office visit with him first. I am due though, I am overdue for my annual physical.

If your PCP is relatively reasonable he or she might be willing to refer you to PT without seeing you. If you can, send your PCP an email or call to talk with a nurse from the office. Explain your situation and ask if you can get a referral to PT without being seen. The worst that can happen is you're told no.

 

[FlyingAce]

Try to see a NP or PA in your PCP office. They can send referrals or request imaging too.

 

[Noodler]

An update... I have an appointment scheduled finally with my first choice for a new ortho, but it's not until March 4th. I decided I am willing to wait to get to see the doctor I want.

 

[Tony S]

Notice how this thread is less about care than about playing the care acquisition game.

 

[Tom K.]

Notice how this thread is less about care than about playing the care acquisition game.

Sad but true. Hence my approach of once you have an appointment, just show up during his next scheduled office day and claim suffering.

Limping in helps.

 

[Mike King]

An update... I have an appointment scheduled finally with my first choice for a new ortho, but it's not until March 4th. I decided I am willing to wait to get to see the doctor I want.

Are you getting PT in the meantime? I strongly recommend that. If you find the process of getting a prescription for PT too confining, many PT's accept self pay. I see my PT regularly for maintenance and fixing the stuff I do to my body...

 

[cantunamunch]

Notice how this thread is less about care than about playing the care acquisition game.

*shrug* I've written about TENS and electrostim yes enough on this forum already.

There's nothing else I could write that won't be superseded in the first half hour of his practitioner visit.

 

[Noodler]

*shrug* I've written about TENS and electrostim yes enough on this forum already.

There's nothing else I could write that won't be superseded in the first half hour of his practitioner visit.

I have an IFC/TENS system from my previous leg injury. I used that initially when the hip pain started getting worse and I found that I did get some temporary relief, but it wasn't helping me get back to skiing pain-free.

 

[Tony S]

*shrug* I've written about TENS and electrostim yes enough on this forum already.

There's nothing else I could write that won't be superseded in the first half hour of his practitioner visit.

My point was not that we amateurs were falling down on the job, much less that forum participants who are care professionals were. (Obviously they can't be dispensing advice to unseen non-patients in a public setting.)

I was just shaking my head at the state things have come to.

On my recent trip to Europe, I did not interact with any health care systems, happily. I did notice immediately that they don't seem to have the pervasive staffing issues we've had here at least since Covid. Nor did employees in the service sector seem as disaffected. Over ten days I remember only one case where a restaurant seemed too slammed to deal with our party. The only other time I had a service issue* was when Ikon Pass suddenly stopped working ... for everyone, as it turned out. Even then, the help I got from the local Italian ticketing staff was better than what I got from Ikon (zilch zip nada niente squat nothing).

*not counting airlines

 

[Prosper]

My hip injury creates instability for my leg and unfortunately about 2 weeks ago I had a minor slip on snow while getting my skis from the rack and I pulled my right upper glute. I felt a sharp pain at the time and it radiated up my back. That night I stiffened up to a level I've never experienced before and I've been dealing with a higher level of pain that surprises me. My entire hip complex is really messed up (torn labrum, strained flexors) and I have also developed pain in the distal end of my right quad.

If you lay on you back and someone lifts up your straightened R leg from the ankle past about 45 degrees does it cause any shooting pain down your leg? How about if you sit on a bench or the edge of your bed with your right leg extended, left leg hanging down and you slump forward at the waist, do you feel any shooting pain down your leg? If either of those cause shooting pain down the leg it could be nerve root impingement at the spinal column and you should probably seek sooner rather than later evaluation. If you have a good PCP, he or she should be able to go a thorough evaluation and determine if it is nerve impingement or more myofascial pain.

The stiffening up that occurred that night sounds most like muscle spasm.

 

[stevo]

Noodler I have gone through numerous years of problems in my hip area, glutes, periformas, etc and every specialist you can imagine and a lot of pt. I am sorry to hear this happened to you. I think you should also strongly consider that you may have herniated a disc. And get to a Dr sooner then later. I had such extreme problems that did not manifest as back pain at all, but sciatica and very chronic tightness and pains in my hip, glute, periformis, etc and it went on for years I would see my pt who would massage the hell out of the area for some temporary relief but actually I ended up disc surgery which had to be redone 18 months later and ever since that problem is almost entirely gone now. That is exactly the kind of slip they can result in a herniated disc and sometimes it can be rectified with pt and no surgery but get on it.

 

[LiquidFeet]

Um if he's still in massive pain 2weeks after the incident, that is evidence regular healing path is not working and he's stuck in an inflammation cycle, which needs to be broken.
That was what happened to me, except it was months of hip pain due to inflammation, not just weeks and what worked for me under doctors orders..

If you have some new-age method to break the cycle, go for it.

Can you say more about an "inflammation cycle"? I've never heard of this.

 

[Noodler]

Just another quick update...

I spent much of last night in the ER. I got off the plane yesterday and drove straight to the ER because the pain in my hip had become very acute (really radiating up my back). They hit me with a toradol injection, prescription strength Tylenol, and a lidocaine patch. That brought my pain level down to about a 5 out of 10. They took an x-ray and confirmed that the hip joint was not dislocated/sublaxated at all, and that my right hip is showing moderate degeneration (while my left is mild degeneration). They sent me home with some prescriptions and said that I should consult with my ortho.

Their suspicion is that my activity level (skiing) has inflamed the hip labrum and that I also have some muscle strains/tears in the hip complex. I will need a new MRI in a couple weeks and I hope that the consultation with my new ortho finds a path to having a healthier hip. Living on pain meds is not my idea of a solution...

 

[cantunamunch]

Can you say more about an "inflammation cycle"? I've never heard of this.

The more inflamed the body is, the more it gets sensitized to whatever component of motion/impact caused the inflammation, causing yet more inflammatory response.

Sort of similar to runaway poison ivy, where you have to wash everything you're in contact with every day because your skin doesn't know the difference between cloth and urushiol cloth anymore.

 

[cantunamunch]

I hope that the consultation with my new ortho finds a path to having a healthier hip.

Best of luck bruv.