Muscles in high hip and across buttocks freeze when I walk

The only thing that comes to mind from experience, could be<br />
muscle wasting, due to depletion of protein intake to help the<br />
muscle growth and maintainance. Often due to kidney disorders,<br />
like Chronic Kidney Disease often able to be analyzed by<br />
Urologist or Oncologist if related to cancer.<br />
<br />
Kay<br />

I was suffering badly with muscle pain in my left hip and buttock. Walking more than a few yards was painful. I had a total knee replacement on the opposit side six months before. The orthopaedic surgeon who did my knee showed little interest in my pain as in his opinion my new knee was perfect! I was prescribed stronger painkillers and physiotherapy neither of which helped. I happened to mention how I was suffering to my podiatrist on a routine visit. He simply measured the length of both legs and discovered a discrepancy in their length. He placed a wedge under the insole of of my left shoes.....that small change in my gait cured my pain! Sometimes we look for complicated treatments when something simple is the answer! Hope this is helpful!

Muscles in high hip and across buttocks freeze up when I walk very far - maybe half a block then I cannot go any further. Have to wait about 1 minute then can go again but not quite a half-block. Wait again - distance gets shorter each time. What might be causing this? I have read up on intermittent claudication which symptoms seem to most closely fit.

Kay - wouldn't that affect all my muscles? Or show up in basic lab work<br />
over the past ten years? <br />
<br />

Your basic lab work which can be extensive indicates all the componants of<br />
your blood and their normal or abnormal values. Example Red Blood Cell can<br />
show larger size than average--doesn't seem like much, but this shows that<br />
the red blood cell due to its size is apt to carry less oxygen in it than<br />
normal. And of course other items can often be seen with other levels.<br />
<br />
Kay<br />

@kmintx, I see that you posted your query again in a quest for answers. I moved your second post to the original thread to keep the conversation in one place and attract more input from members who may have experienced something similar.

Thank you @irvkay312 and @glenloig for helping to troubleshoot. @glenloig I love that the solution to your pain turned out to be a simple one discovered almost by accident with your podiatrist. What a relief it must have been to resolve the issue without medication. Welcome to Connect.

Back to @kmintx - here's some info about claudication http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/claudication/basics/definition/con-20033581 If your doctors don't believe it is claudication and is not peripheral artery disease or a bone issue either, what explanation do they offer? Clearly the sensation of freezing up and associated pain and immobility is real, and limits your quality of life. What tests or next steps do they offer? Do you see a physical therapist?

Thank you for your help. I don't think my problem is cancer related because I've had it so long, but I will definitely consider seeing an urologist. I appreciate your taking the time to write me.

Actually, the doctors all seem to have no real answer. Or saying spinal stenosis can cause this - and I have had spinal stenosis - however, I've had a lumbar 360 - followed 2 yrs. later by surgery on the L3-L4 ---- (during which they removed some of the pedicle screws from first surgery.) I have had sonograms of my legs with the diagnosis of venous insufficiency in left leg. It retains a lot of fluid. But I feel they are only doing the sonograms on my legs and my pain is up in the buttocks areas. How, rather where would they test for claudication affecting the buttocks? Yes, I've been to several physical therapists over the ten years but none of them have been able to help me. It's not just tight muscles as one doctor recently suggested - as I've had therapists to put me through so many stretching exercises without any help. I do have a recent RX for stretching those muscles again - and doing water aerobics - probably due to my spinal surgery still being fairly new. (3 months) Thank you for helping me with this. Your words make me wonder about my blood not carrying enough oxygen to the buttocks area. How would they check that? By the way, I have an appt. with a rheumatologist next month.

So glad you found the answer to be something so simple. I've tried that but it didn't really work. I was hairdresser for 25 years standing on my feet all day - 8 hour days - but I noticed many times customers ears were never at the identical level either. Sometimes they'd say I cut one side burn shorter than the other but if matched left to right , head-on - they were even. I so appreciate your taking the time to share your story with me. I'm down in the dumps now after so many years with no answer at all. Just in hopes some nice person like you replies and said "oh, I had the same thing - it was only......" My prayers would be answered.

I am a young 69 year old female, and I have the very same problem. I had back surgery two years ago and knee surgery 4 months ago. I had this issue right after back surgery, but after physical therapy, it got better. I have tried to walk recently, and the issues have returned. I could not walk during the summer due to the horrible weather. I have put on weight, and I wonder if that is the problem? This is totally new to me, and I have been physically active all my life.