Hip pain- go private to get diagnosis?

[DirtyDancing]

I've had medium hip pain after light running or a lot of walking on and off for years. It comes and goes, eg if I run for 20 mins it's painful for a few days afterwards. I don't run a lot, only 4/5km once a fortnight at the most.

My question is: is it worth getting a private hip scan to get a diagnosis? Will my NHS doctor read it and refer me for treatment?

I have been to a physio in the past & seen my doctor twice. Neither knew what it was and said to stretch, put ice on it & sort of fobbed me off a bit. It's getting worse.

I went for a run this weekend and after 5 mins I had to stop. Chronic pain in my hip. I'm limping 3 days later. It's not right & I'm only in in my early 40s but can't get to the bottom of the issue.

Will your GP not refer you. I had similar and had an X-ray very quickly then diagnosed with FAI, I was referred to a physio but he said pointless treating and sent a letter to gp to recommend surgery. I’ve had keyhole surgery for both hips and so much better now.

Pre covid. I developed issues with one knee in my forties, it took over a year to get a referral from GP to a specialist. In the end I womaned up (thank you MN for your support at the time) and just demanded it. GP flung pen across desk in exasperation but said 'FINE but I think you'll be wasting their time, they don't do joint replacements for under sixties'.

The specialist when I finally got there looked at an old xray and the new xray for comparison, done that morning. I had the new knee joint fitted two months later, on NHS, age 49. The other knee was done age 51. While we were at it, we checked hips. They'll go eventually, but should make it a few more years. By this time my GP was busy pretending that it had actually been her idea to send me off to the orthopaedic surgeon, I humoured her as she's really good at menopause stuff.

Anyway, stop being British and polite and demand a second opinion.

It could stem from your pelvis. I had the same thing. Limping etc after running. Excellent chiropractor sorted it. But chiropractors do vary. Look for one who specialises in SOT. Not saying it isn’t your hip, I’m no doctor, but I thought it was with me - had various treatments, including osteopathy and chiropractic for my ‘hip’ and ‘neck’ (both were painful but actually related to my wonky pelvis).

I have suffered lumbar disc problems for a few years now and the pain has always been in my hip. I've never had any pain in my back. Might be worth checking that out.

Might also be worth seeing a podiatrist and having your gait checked.

Find a physio that specialises in sports injury. They can organise diagnostic tests privately if needed. Look up your local professional crkcket/ football/ rugby clubs and see who they use.

I would suggest a sports physio too, they're a whole different breed in my experience.

yes to sports physio.
I have a 'niggly' hip and I need to keep my glutes strong and hips flexible to help with the pain.
but if it doesn't improve (and it sounds like you have tried a lot) you need a referral to orthopadic.

May also be worth going to a proper running shoe specialist and getting your gait checked and advice on the best running shoe for you.

@steppingcarefully

I have suffered lumbar disc problems for a few years now and the pain has always been in my hip. I've never had any pain in my back. Might be worth checking that out.

Same here - my hip pain was a spinal issue. I see a chiropractor - some do X rays and are pretty good at identifying the cause of problems and talking to NHS.

A friend of mine had this and it turned out she was doing too many weighted squats.

I'd give those up before paying for extra help!

Thank you all so much. This gave me a lot of to think about. I called my GP and he has now referred me to a private clinic and I am having a scan in the next week or two. I am going to see what conclusions that brings and then look at options for sports physio and chiropractor. I need to get to the bottom of this. In the meantime going to find some other sports I can do that don't wreck my hip every time.. will have to dust off my swimsuit I suspect.