Hi all, I have been having persistent hip pain in roughly the circled spot for a few months now. I want to do something about it before it gets worse but I don’t know how. It feels very tight and unpleasant when stretching and I also get pins and needles very quickly when sitting on my sit bones or a hard chair.
Another clue to the location of the discomfort: the stretch that feels best is sitting crisscross with my right foot on bottom and leaning away from my hip with my leg grounded to the floor.
I can feel my body compensating and stiffness is slowly starting to travel up my lower back.
Pins and needles implies an issue with the lateral femoral nerve, which passes along the anterior hip. Tight muscles that attach to the ilium/iliac crest can press on the nerve, causing pins and needles.
Pins and needles can be caused by impeded blood supply (lack of oxygen) or pressure on a nerve. You can differentiate by how fast it occurs/dissipates. Nerve impingement numbness is fast, blood supply is slow.
The circled area is around the greater trochanter, the IT band/TFL (tensor-fascia-latae) act as a band across there, with a bursa underneath. Tight IT band/TFL muscle cause all sorts of issues around there. Is your IT band tight, sensitive, or feel grainy/washboard texture when you slide your fingers down it?
Try rolling the IT band on a foam roller - the level of discomfort is a good indicator of tightness of the band/tfl. (Foam rolling is probably the top technique for dealing with IT band tightness).
Also, Glute Medius and Minimus are right there, often problematic because of sitting, and most exercise they don’t engage much because squats use heavy weight. Exercises like the Monster Walk (exercise band round ankles, side-stepping), engages the smaller muscles.
Take a look at the apps 3D Human, and 3D Bones and Organs. They’re on both iOS and Android, both free.
^This sounds reasonable.
It’s a stretch but a bone spur on the hip or perhaps a disc issue (hernia/pinching, etc)
Regardless, the kind of issue I’d see a medical professional for and rather quickly. Depending on insurance, there may be a lot of hoops to go through and that could mean prolonging the issue/pain.
Yes, get checked by a pro
aaaaaahhhhhhhh this is a WONDERFUL recommendation, thank you so much!!
My husband has been struggling with a back injury since early March, and trying to find good anatomical diagrams to help him understand what he’s feeling where is often a challenge. This will be so helpful!!