Hip pain

[Allfurcoatandnoknickers]

I'm going through the menopause, which seems to be never ending.... I'm 47 and on low dose hrt patch (reduced after having migraines) and have mirena coil for progesterone.
I've had low back pain and stiffness for a few years and also left hip pain. This has got worse, and a physio suspected bursitis and gave me some exercises. I've had two lots of acupuncture which have made zero difference, and tried so many other physios, osteos etc. I'm trying ice packs but am reluctant to use ibroprofen as it makes me feel a bit out of it. Does anyone have any natural anti inflammatories recommendations, or know of anything that may help?
I'm also hypermobile in my hips which seems to be making things worse. Great.

I am not an expert on this but I think the ladies on the back pain thread would say go back to the dr and ask for more help. If nothing they have done so far is helping it is worth going back. There may be some other anti inflammatory they can offer, other painkillers may help your pain. You may even be able to get them to give you a scan to see exactly what is wrong.
Have you tried a heat pad? Heat can be soothing although it does not reduce inflammation, it is good for aches and pains and also cramps.

I had terrible problems with my RH hip last year and after numerous referrals to osteos, physios etc, it turned out to be a tight iliotibial band (IB) which is a band of muscle that runs down the outside of your thigh. That, combined with hopeless glutes (!) and a fairly rubbish core made the whole thing worse. In the end, acupuncture, specific exercise who strenghtened my glutes and core, stretching exercises for my glutes and hips, plus using a foam roller on the outside of my leg (painful!!!) really helped and I haven't had any problems since. If you google it, it is a common problem for runners and atheletes (I don't fall into either of those categories), but I think it can be an issue for those of us who are weak in certain areas, and various parts of our body will oivercompensate as a result..... Good luck with getting it sorted!

using the foam roller

Yes I know my core strength is rubbish. I go to yoga and some older people are better at most exercises than I am which is fairly depressing...
I will go back to docs, and have heard of the foam roller which I might give a go. I think the danger is that when things settle for a period of time you become complacent then it flares up again!
I think hormones and hypermobility are making things much worse.

It's like walking on a bad tooth when you have hip pain, isn't it? I do find core strength and trying to keep in the neutral spine position helps. Have you looked into your mattress? Some people swear by memory foam ones

At age 40 I had what I thought was a groin strain. Couldn't think why...I don't do a huge amount of exercise, but quite a lot of walking. Am not overweight....it got worse and worse. The physio had 3 sessions with me and referred me to a hip specialist. To cut a long story short, I had severe osteo arthritis in one hip and ended up having a replacement. 18 months down the line I feel great! And I felt that way about 8 weeks after the op.

I would go back to the Dr and ask to see a specialist. I was lucky as had private health insurance.

I'm hypermobile and in my 40's. I had many years of joint pain (many joints including hips, elbow, fingers, small bones of the feet).

I assumed this was due to the hypermobility, but it wasn't- I made significant dietary changes a couple of years ago (gluten free/grain free paleo). This had a big impact on a lot of health issues, with the joints, they just gradually got better (overall), which allowed me to notice "flare ups" (which I'd describe as awful tooth ache in the joint iykwim!) when I had certain foods chillies, potato with skin on, sweet peppers... I now limit all the nightshade family of plants (can have a little with no problems), and no more flare-ups.

Obviously that's not going to be a cause for everyone, but it could be worth trying something like a "whole30" exclusion diet for a month, and see what happens .

I, too had a sore hip which I did get investigated. I had a history of hip dysplasia which was a bit of a red herring. In fact I then went on to suffer a disc prolapse. I now think that the disc was bulging and producing the buttock and hip pain.

I view of the low back pain, it's possible that the hip pain could be from nerve pressure in your lower back.

Or of course it could be many other things.

Anyway, it's worth mentioning and asking for both to be investigated. Since you have had physio and osteo, I'd be pressing your GP for MRIs of both areas. If you are lucky enough to have private insurance you could get these quickly. If not ask your GP ASAP and join the queue.

In the meantime do discuss analgesia with your doctor. If you are advised anti inflammatories do ask for enteric coated and a stomach protecting medicine like Omeprazole .

Good luck.

I had a sore hip which turned out to be a 7cm ovarian cyst. Removed in December and no pain now. I'm 27.

My sore hip turned out to be a hip impingement. It's caused a hairline fracture and the start of osteo arthritis but it's a lot better after general exercise, and specifically aqua aerobics, have strengthened the muscles supporting it all. You can also have painkilling injections.

They can be hard to diagnose and need an MRI, so do go back to your doctor.