Pain in left hip

[Fifelad]

Frustrating pain after cycling on my winter/commuter that previously I did not have any problem with, at first I put it down to going out and doing 52 miles after doing mainly indoor training involving RPM classes over the bad weather spells, so that the body was not used to such a sudden amount of miles on the bike, but I have been doing more and more and its still there. After talking to fellow cycling mates and doing the usual research saddle height could be an issue,I have lowered it about 0.5mm to see if that helps, but no obvious improvement, I am loathed to tinker as it was not a problem previously. And no I am not paying £150 for a "professiona"l bike fit either ! Opinions please.

 

[cyberknight]

could be over tight hip flexor or psoas muscle, i have the exact same issue atm but i am off the bike completely atm as it was painful to even pedal .I have been trying to commute on my rigid mtb at the same speed as my roadie and i think i have overdone it

 

[vickster]

Do you stretch fully after your turbo or spin sessions? Start doing so, hip flexors down. Plenty of stretching guides, e.g. For cyclists on t'interweb

If it doesn't improve, pay £40-50 to see a sports physio

 

[S-Express]

I'd be asking for an Xray to start, you may have arthritis and need a hip replacement in due course.You dont have to be elderly to need one.

Yeah, let's look on the bright side, eh.

Alternatively, it may be nothing to do with your cycling whatsoever. You clearly seem to have over-reached or over-stressed something. So if riding aggravates it, then riding is probably not the best thing to be doing right now. Allow it to recover for a few days (ie stay off the bike) and re-assess.

 

[kingrollo]

Id re think that £150 for a bike fit - It might be money well spent.
Things do change with regards to your body - and I reckon a good stretching regime may help here.....and its free....

 

[S-Express]

Id re think that £150 for a bike fit - It might be money well spent.

Not if he'd previously been absolutely fine with an identical position. More likely to be money wasted.

 

[kingrollo]

Not if he'd previously been absolutely fine with an identical position. More likely to be money wasted.

I d rode any bike, with any saddle tweaked the position myself and been fine for years. Then just couldn't get pain free on anything in any position. as it turns out I did have an underlying issue - but the bike I have had the fit on is the one I now feel the most comfy on. Sure there are other factors - but I wouldn't rule about a bike fit ....IME

 

[Cubist]

Yeah, let's look on the bright side, eh.

It's part of the process of elimination. I had a congenital Acetabular Impingement, no history of arthritis, but the cartilage was ground out of my right hip. It was diagnosed when I was 48, and otherwise fit and well.

@Fifelad Hip pain is a bit vague. Whereabouts in your hip do you feel the pain? E.g. in the crest, the buttocks, the groin, deep in the joint? What aggravates it? What makes it feel better?

 

[Cubist]

[QUOTE 4722967, member: 9609"]where did you get your pain ? I was convinced I had a hip problem but the doctors etc said there was nowt wrong with hip and in any case hip pain usually presents as groin pain. My hip pain as described above is almost certainly spinal, MRIs show a squashed nerve that can give pretend pain there.[/QUOTE]
Initially it was a sharp pain deep in the joint which showed every time swung my leg over the bike. Eventually it showed at the crest and in the groin. It referred down to my knee if I overdid it.

 

[cyberknight]

Yeah, let's look on the bright side, eh.

Alternatively, it may be nothing to do with your cycling whatsoever. You clearly seem to have over-reached or over-stressed something. So if riding aggravates it, then riding is probably not the best thing to be doing right now. Allow it to recover for a few days (ie stay off the bike) and re-assess.

Could be the same for me , cycling normally is ok no matter how hard i push it , could be a combination of work , lumping a load of 140Llb slabs about the other week that has pulled something the cycling stresses .
Still worth having a look at the stretches as i am feeling a lot better today , vague aching now so i am thinking bike to work or another days rest ?

 

[Fifelad]

I think I need to go with stretches for now and religiously do them, and re-assess

 

[Fifelad]

It's part of the process of elimination. I had a congenital Acetabular Impingement, no history of arthritis, but the cartilage was ground out of my right hip. It was diagnosed when I was 48, and otherwise fit and well.

@Fifelad Hip pain is a bit vague. Whereabouts in your hip do you feel the pain? E.g. in the crest, the buttocks, the groin, deep in the joint? What aggravates it? What makes it feel better?

Its sort of around the front of the hip area seems to be more of a problem getting out of bed in the morning after pedalling the day before

 

[Cubist]

Its sort of around the front of the hip area seems to be more of a problem getting out of bed in the morning after pedalling the day before

I'd be tempted to speak with your GP with a view to a referral.

 

[Katherine]

I suffered with intermittent hip pain for years, often waking up with pain at night, and always thought it was joint problems until eventually I had x rays which were clear so I was referred for physio. I had a great physiotherapist who spent a long time putting me through various exercises and manipulation.

She diagnosed strained hip flexors and gave me lots of exercises to do at home and especially said that I must stretch before and after cycling. As long as I continue to stretch my hips, I am mostly pain free. But I know how to massage the muscles if I have a problem.
My Pilates teacher has also realised that the muscles are harder to switch off when doing other exercises that you should really be doing with the inner thighs or bottom. So it's about being aware of which muscles you are working.

Good luck, I hope you get to the bottom of the problem.

 

[kingrollo]

I suffered with intermittent hip pain for years, often waking up with pain at night, and always thought it was joint problems until eventually I had x rays which were clear so I was referred for physio. I had a great physiotherapist who spent a long time putting me through various exercises and manipulation.

She diagnosed strained hip flexors and gave me lots of exercises to do at home and especially said that I must stretch before and after cycling. As long as I continue to stretch my hips, I am mostly pain free. But I know how to massage the muscles if I have a problem.
My Pilates teacher has also realised that the muscles are harder to switch off when doing other exercises that you should really be doing with the inner thighs or bottom. So it's about being aware of which muscles you are working.

Good luck, I hope you get to the bottom of the problem.

It amazing what you can do with PT - I was borderline for some hip surgery - but worked around it with stretching and strengthening exercises in the gym. Sure I had the odd twinge but on the whole doesn't bother me now. It does take a while for the work to kick in though and it can be very frustrating...