The reason for this post....what does my hip "feel like" at this point? The bottom line is that it is normal, however, my definition of normal is not the same as it was four years ago.
I want to be careful here. I'll admit from the get-go that I've been very fortunate. (I also want to think that I was uber conservative in my healing, which I do believe contributed enormously to my recovery). Still...I'd be a fool if I didn't humbly accept my recovery for what it has been.
My "normal" is that I occasionally have an ache in the front of my hip, over the point (inside) where my illiopsoas tendon and/or hip flexor (one and the same?) resides. This soreness only occurs on the formerly injured side. It typically happens after ramping up the miles and/or after having sat (i.e. been seated) for an extended period of time (e.g., a long car ride). Why? Well, frankly I'll probably never know....but I think that the prolonged NWB period simply and profoundly changed my biomechanics. Perhaps the illiopsoas tendon shortened or changed the normal "groove" where it would otherwise glide. (Speculating here). The soreness is dull, very dull, and it NEVER throbs. Throbbing is bad, I'm to understand. My feeling is the same as when you have that slight soreness (almost a pressure feeling) in a joint (like a finger), and you know that you have to crack it...to relieve something.
I've gotten to the point that I can almost always do this gentle lift and rotation of my affected hip and "snap" the tendon across....whatever(?) - maybe some atypical place on the greater trochanter. Who knows? When it snaps...it's audible - mostly subtle, but sometimes it's a little loud - like a finger knuckle that cracks. Then.....pressure is relieved...and soreness dissipates. I've tried stretching and stretching and stretching to see if I can lengthen the tendon. This hasn't worked. I've simply learned to live with it.
A few of you have mentioned that your pain throbs. Again...I'm not a medical physician, so take my comments for what they are worth. My view is that throbbing is bad. My original fracture throbbed. Why? Not sure...perhaps the combination of inflammation and blood flow (pressure) in a combined attempt of my body to deal with the injury. If you are throbbing, it is likely one or the other or both! I'm not sure if a pinched tendon would do that (cause throbbing). Mine never did - but perhaps others have experience with this....feel free to comment, please!
