The Ol' Football Injury.....

[phoenix]

Well, not really. I have an old skating injury from probably 8 years ago, caused by a really bad fall when I stepped on the ice w/ my guards on. At the time, I wondered if I had broken my hip. Luckily I didn't, but the damage done to the soft tissue all through that area has stayed with me. I had a PT work on it--for almost a year, to get it to the point where I wasn't in pain w/ almost every movement. After that as long as I stayed active & made sure to stretch, it stayed pretty good. When I started doing some weight lifting, it got even better as it got stronger from that.

SO--fast forward to now. I've been off the ice for about a year, for various reasons. For other various reasons the last 6 months have been the least active of my life. I maybe took a short walk once or twice a week, and that was about it. Of course, I gained a lot of weight, and am very out of shape.

Have now decided I will NOT live like this! I re-joined a gym & have been swimming laps, and am skating once or twice a week. The hip is in BAD shape! I feel it when I swim if I kick a certain way, and it can't support back 3-turns when I skate. Today I went to the gym to lift weights for the first time, & did all lower body machines. When I got to the leg curls (one leg at a time), I gasped loudly at the pain it caused! WOW!! Figuring I'm targeting the weakest spot, I didn't back down & went ahead & did all my reps, although on the 2nd circuit I dropped the weight down.

So I'm wondering--is it good to push through the pain like this, figuring it will be getting stronger? My PT told me a lot of the pain was caused by scar tissue that gets matted together if it's not regularly stretched/pushed etc. This pain may be some of that ripping apart--which if anyone has experienced that they know the agony!

I know I should go back to see him again, but have been stalling due to finances.

[irenar5]

Have you ever had any imaging  and diagnosis done on the hip?   What is the scar tissue from?  It you know for a fact that you are not damaging anything by exercise, then I would definitely persevere through pain and increase intensity gradually.  I would not assume though that what was true 8 yrs ago is still the case.  I would have it checked out first before embarking on painful activities.   

[VAsk8r]

Welcome back to the ice! However, I've always heard discomfort is fine when exercising, pain is not, and you should stop if you feel pain.

I would definitely get this checked out before going any further. You don't want to do further damage that will require surgery or create constant pain again. If you can't see a doctor right now, you can still improve your fitness by taking longer walks every day and only skating elements that don't hurt. Just stroking around the rink will build up your legs and burn a ton of calories.

[icedancer]

Oh phoenix I am so sorry - I didn't realize that you had been off the ice - and for so long and for a hip problem - arrgghh!!

I used to have a problem with hip pain - I am sure you will not find this helpful, but my PT fixed it with some manual therapy that he did.  Two treatments and I have never had another problem... ever.

Hope you get it resolved.

[Skittl1321]

I'm so sorry    I know how crappy it feels to be sidelined by an injury.

I would say, pain is not a good thing.  No pain, no gain is really only a mantra for the elite- willing to sacrifice their bodies for an ultimate goal.  Think of all the skaters with hip replacements as young adults...

I would take it easy until you are able to be evaluated as to whether the pain is something you can work through, or if it is something you need to stop in response to.   Also- if massage helps you, I highly recommend "The Stick"- I've had so much less pain in my hips and knees since I got one and have been really able to work through my IT band, quads and glutes.  However, this was already a massage provided by the PT.  I don't use it where I have scar tissue problems, as that is right by a bone, so I'm not sure if it helps with that.

[sarahspins]

My PT told me a lot of the pain was caused by scar tissue that gets matted together if it's not regularly stretched/pushed etc. This pain may be some of that ripping apart--which if anyone has experienced that they know the agony!

Hmm... well pain from adhesions following an injury or surgery (which is what is being described) is "different" than other soft tissue pain.. it's hard to explain but it's more of a pulling/stretching and occasionally searing pain, but in only certain positions, which is eased eventually with increased ROM and stretching.. it can come and go but generally gets better with time.  Something that gets worse or just doesn't get better or hurts most of the time is NOT likely to be from that.  I would also strongly encourage you to have an MRI done to investigate what kind of injury you have rather than guessing... all the PT in the world won't help if the diagnosis isn't correct to start with, and a lot of joint issues can have very ambiguous or misleading symptoms. 

[FigureSpins]

I went for my first PT appointment and was surprised at what she found.  Here I thought my ankle pain was from my ankle being weak.  It's tendonitis, as the GP suspected, but it's caused by my weak hip/knee muscles.  Because they're weak, I'm not balanced over the left side properly and my ankle is compensating.  She used an iPad to video my walking gait - my weight never really gets on top of the left foot and that's making the foot/ankle bend inward.

What also surprised me was her assessment of my posture.  I have a long torso and short legs; I'm not even 5'4" tall.  She says I have poor posture because I more-or-less hyperextend my upper body, leaning forward too much and arching my back to compensate.  I can't hit a "neutral" upright sitting posture in comfort.  I feel hunched.  Very odd - I've never had any take issue with my posture before, lol. 

It's going to take several months of therapy and exercise, but it looks like the tendonitis was caught before it got any worse.  My insoles appear to be correct but might need adjustment later.  My blades are currently moved inward, but as the muscular issues are resolved, I can probably have them remounted and salvage the equipment.  Patience is a virtue.