Chronic hip and leg pain

Hello @strokemyoak,

First, welcome to Connect. You are using the site correctly. This is a public member-to-member site where members share experiences and help learn from one-another and to help cope with or handle similar diagnoses.

As a fellow younger person (albeit going on 32) who also enjoys playing video games but balances that with a strict workout routine, I can understand your frustrations. I also suffer from a rare bleeding disorder that has left me with a fused left ankle and a total right knee replacement, so I can sympathize with being active, sustaining an injury, and not being able to figure out how to get back to a normal routine. It sounds like you have tried a lot of various therapies without success.

While we wait for some other members to join in, if you are comfortable sharing, what did your images reveal and what did your provider have to say about your pain?

Hey @JustinMcClanahan

That's exactly how I feel as well, just wanting to get back to normal life and stop thinking about that every moment of the day. Wow, that sounds like quite the ordeal you went through, how long did that take them to diagnosis a disorder like that?

Nothing came from the imaging. Everything appears to be fine. Both Physiotherapists and doctors have had multiple different theories such as pinched nerves, irritated or inflamed muscles, mechanical issue, tight hip flexors, and weak muscles (such as core or glutes). No definitive answers really :/

ME too! I got some relief from corto-whatever shots in my S1 and L5 along with some shots in the tush to stimulate a release response. I used to lift, cycle, yoga, tai chi..Now I can do light yoga. It doesn't help the pain, but at least I feel like I'm doing something. My lower back is hyper-mobile, and I can tell at the point of the day where it goes out. Got the shots in August and now the pain is there every day to great me. I've had the pain for almost twenty years. You might try different doctors - I found going to a Pain Clinic where the Doc deal with this stuff all the time was most effective. My next move is going to be stem cell/plasma injections. I've read a lot of good stuff about it, but I've only met one person who has had it done, and she says it relieves her pain for up to a year at a time. The S1 nerve runs down your hips and legs. That where some kind of impingement is occurring and it is the most common debilitating back pain. Just don't give up. I gained 20 pounds (I've not very tall) so I feel like a whale and am committed to get it off before I look like my sister who has let her back pain and inactivity be an excuse to weigh 300 lbs at 5'1". Try everything! Sometimes, you just have to let things settle down before you continue to exercise, but that is a slippery slope. Good Luck! Robbinr

@strokemyoak. I can relate to the type of pain you are experiencing. I've had multiple joint replacements,(knees and shoulders) but within the last year began having a sharp pain in the lumbar area going down my right leg and to my outer calf. I had an MRI and was diagnosed with spondylolisthesis where one vertebra has slipped out of alignment. I used to be very active but that sharp pain keeps me from doing much. I get the pain especially when I walk. I go to PT and follow the exercises to strengthen my core. So far, the only thing I have found that works is bilateral cortisone injections at the facets of L5 and S1. I can have 3/year. The last one gave me 90% relief for a month then gradually less relief until now at 3 months I'm scheduled for more injections. To @robbinr, I didn't know you could have stem cell/plasma injections for vertebral pain. Could you tell me more about where one would go to try this? I find insurance is a real stickler when it comes to even the cortisone injections. Would this be considered experimental? Thanks

Hi, Insurance will not cover the procedure yet. I am still looking into whether this will work for the back, but places like Regenexx (I'm not advertising this place because I've only read their own claims) cite success for this area.

Hello @robbinr,

I am not sure if I provided this information in this discussion yet and I apologize if you have already seen this information from me before. Here is some information on the Regenerative Medicine Consult Service at Mayo Clinic. The following is the process should you choose to call the number regarding stem cell therapies at Mayo Clinic. They may be able to better answer questions about what treatments are out there for different areas of the body:

Transplant Call-in Center
844-276-2003

What to expect when you call the number:
- An employee will answer and ask the nature of why you are calling
- Say you are interested to stem cells for osteoarthritis or whichever joint ails you
- The employee will funnel your call to the appropriate coordinators from there
- For joint issues, you will be transferred to PMR (Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation)
- Appointment coordinators will ask more specific questions (inclusion and exclusion criteria)

If you meet the criteria:

- You will be asked to send in your records and a doctor will look at it in a case-by-case basis

Important Notes to be Aware of:

- PMR is a busy practice, so wait times may exist but answers will be given
- If a treatment exists in the clinic for a diagnosis (i.e. Leukemia) stem cells are not offered
- Price is out of pocket
- Types of stem cell treatments offered are Bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) injections and Platelet rich plasma (PRP) injections. You can find more specific information on these types of injections here, http://mayocl.in/2AUIoAn.

@robinr. Thank you for giving me the kind of hope I need. I can't imagine living with this pain for the rest of my life. I have hope in stem cell. I have hope in anything that has helped. It seems like stem cell is the next big step in medicine.

Jon Kabbat-Zenn has a book on Pain where he suggests that pain is a sensation, that, if you can't beat it - join with it. Reminding yourself that it's just pain. That used to make me so mad, but I have found, over the years, some comfort in that reminder. robbinr

Phob, I've also been diagnosed with spondylolisthesis. I was told you either accept living with severe pain unless sitting or lying in bed, or have surgery to hopefully repair it. This will be my fifth spine surgery but I've had great surgeons and all four went well, so I'm going to do it. I'm seventy five but I can't imagine losing my independence without a fight!

I have had similar pain for several years. After visiting many top-notch doctors,MRIs, acupuncture, PT, epidurals everywhere, I still have no concrete diagnosis. Read up on greater trochanteric pain syndrome. I was told that I have a classic case of the syndrome. I can only sit for a few minutes. Keeps me thin:)