Pain (once weight is lost)

bebhinn
bebhinn Posts: 198
edited September 26 in Health and Weight Loss
So, between November of 2009 and May of 2010, I lost about 77lbs using mfp. I didn't do a TON of exercising, just some light stuff.
I started noticing a terrible ache in my hips that happens when I sit and then stand up, or after I've been laying down. Now Its tough to get down the stairs some mornings my mobility is so low. I also have noticed a touch sensitivity in my lower joints (knees, ankles, hips)

I went to the doctor in August of 2009 about it, and she gave me a gait test, checked the balance of my pelvis and sent me for blood tests and xrays. Everything was normal. She gave me anti-inflammatories and told me it would pass.

Well, its still here, and its worse. I started noticing weird electric tingles across the tops of my thighs now and then, and a grind in my left hip. I can't lay down on my left side anymore and the morning is an excruciating time until I've been moving about for while.

heres my dilemma: When I was over 300lbs, I didn't have this problem. I had no pain whatsoever. I also had a brief period of reprieve when I gained back about 25lbs - and now that I've dropped 19lbs again, I have the pain back. I take my supplements, vitamins, glucosamine etc and I can't seem to kick this, in fact, its making being active quite a chore.

Has anyone else had this problem, and is it possible to have the be directly related to my weight loss? How is this possible.

Replies

  • jamielise2
    jamielise2 Posts: 432 Member
    Sounds like your joints are getting used to the new gait. I'm having more knee pain since I've lost 18 lbs too, and I'm just trusting that as I continue losing the weight my knees will adjust, or that if I do have to have something fixed it will be easier when I'm thinner.
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    I have bursitis (and had a stress fracture) in my right hip. It causes all kinds of aching, tingling and even numbness in my leg. I ended up with it from running on the treadmill and being too stubborn to stop when it hurt.

    I would call your doctor again and push more about the pain.
  • bebhinn
    bebhinn Posts: 198
    I have bursitis (and had a stress fracture) in my right hip. It causes all kinds of aching, tingling and even numbness in my leg. I ended up with it from running on the treadmill and being too stubborn to stop when it hurt.

    I would call your doctor again and push more about the pain.

    I am thinking I will have to. Ive been tested for arthritis and for bursitis and there was nothing there, but I can't ignore the fact that I don't sleep some nights for the pain. I just didn't think it would take almost a year to adjust to the loss - and I didn't expect an increase in pain as the time passed.
  • dlcam61
    dlcam61 Posts: 228 Member
    It sounds like it could be a pinched nerve. The sciatic nerve is common for inflammation or being compressed. It's a very large nerve that runs down through the hip joint and innervates the legs with many branches. This would cause pain, burning, tingling - pretty much everything you have mentioned. Go back to the dr and tell them again what is wrong, the treatment is not helping you and that you think it's weight loss related. Your weight loss is a great achievement, and I hope you can find some relief soon. :flowerforyou:
  • ambivalence11
    ambivalence11 Posts: 93 Member
    I had back surgery at 24 for a herniated disc, so I understand the misery of being in pain every moment. If your Dr. isn't helping, find someone else. It could be a lot of things, serious or not. I was told that for some reason my hip flexors are very tight and thats a big part of the residual pain I have. I have several really good stretches I do that help quite a bit when done daily 2x. Look up hip stretches on youtube and you'll find tons of videos.
  • Christine1110
    Christine1110 Posts: 1,786 Member
    Don't give up....find a new doctor if the one you have doesn't help you to find whats up. Good luck.
  • rachaelwendt
    rachaelwendt Posts: 4 Member
    Have you tried Chiropractic care? That may provide a solution. It's always good to try to find a non-medical treatment, just to avoid the use of those chemicals that give many side-effects.
  • Lorijo50
    Lorijo50 Posts: 20
    It does sound like sciatica, my husband has it. You need a new doctor. I have rheumatoid arthritis, I went to six doctors before I found a good one. It took six months to figure out what I had, the arthritis factor did not show in the blood tests to begin with.

    It could be something as simple as the body not being used to your new size, its not being pulled into the old shape.
  • RyonsLions2
    RyonsLions2 Posts: 350 Member
    Chiropractic, let them x ray and adjust if they say they can. Give it a try and then go from there! It helps in so many ways you wouldn't believe it!
  • ericapledger
    ericapledger Posts: 32 Member
    Try getting massages... your muscles could be really tight. When the muscles are tight they pull on the bones they can also pinch nerves. Try icing as well.
  • jb_2011
    jb_2011 Posts: 1,029 Member
    Sorry to hear you're in pain. I've had all the same things for the last couple of years, and it's definitely not because I'd lost weight. Matter of fact I was heaviest I had ever been. Anyway, I started digging in to what was happening. Doctors told me I had a sacral strain, and although I had sciatica-like symptoms, it turns out I didn't have true sciatica. Pain in hips, buttocks, legs and knees...I'm certain it was the pinching of the sciatic nerve. Part of it, anyway.

    Long story short, I found out about a book called "Pain Free" by Pete Egoscue (pronounced ee-GOS-cue). His whole deal is that our musculoskeletal systems have broken down to the point that we no longer have strong enough muscles to support ourselves properly, thus we have pain.

    I've spent the last 4 months faithfully practicing the exercises in the book for about 45 minutes daily, and have seen excellent results. I'm not pain free yet but sooooooo much better than I was, I can't even begin to tell you. I worked in the "hips" section first, then started with a few other exercises in the feet, ankles, knee and shoulder sections. It's all about strengthening up the areas that have atrophied from non-use or wrong-use. In my case it was sitting, leaning to the right for 15 years while teaching music, and slumped over a guitar for most of my life....poor posture, with the hips tilted backwards and shoulders forward.

    Please get a copy of the book and read the first three chapters. the exercises follow, but it's important to read what he says about why we hurt. He is completely right on.

    Online, you can look for the Egoscue Method of Pain Relief. It's all about movement, and I don't mean on the treadmill. Long, slow stretches. Dedicate an hour a day to your body, you'll be so glad you did.
  • tamanella
    tamanella Posts: 500 Member
    I struggle with hip, back and neck pain because of my weight as well as sciatica and it took a couple doctors before they treated my pain in a fashion that relieved it. I'd keep checking doctor's until you find one that will help you solve this problem. I've never heard of this happening before, you're body needing to readjust to your new weight. Very interesting! Good luck hon!
  • TahanyE
    TahanyE Posts: 83
    I would try chiropractic care as well. I plan to see a chiro because lately Ive been having major hip pain. If I lay on my side my whole leg will go numb. Im hoping an adjustment or two will take care of the issue.
  • peabody18
    peabody18 Posts: 20
    Hi, I hope you will feel better soon.

    I also recommend the book Pain Free by Peter Egoscue. To me, it sounds like you have tight groin muscles. Could be psoas or thigh, something in that area. Try the foot and hip exercises in the book. I am totally amazed by what this book has done for me so far. The exercises are simple but must be done exactly as presented. Some look too simple. Some look simple, then you go to do it and realize how much you need to strengthen and realign yourself.

    Pain from my tight psoas was driving my crazy. It is made worse by sitting. It can make you feel weak, like you cannot lift your leg or climb stairs or walk fast enough. You may begin to limp and favor one side, or develop bad posture, which can lead to other problems.

    Egoscue addresses alignment. I dismissed comments and recommendations about alignment for years, maybe because this term is overused by chiropractors. But the way Egoscue talks about it makes so much sense. And what is even better is how GOOD I feel after doing the exercises.

    Relief for my tight psoas began a month ago when I stretched them in the hot tub at to Y. They were so tight, I could feel them as hard-as-wood cords at the top of my thighs. My legs became too weak to swim a mile, as I was just weeks before. Now they are soft and do not hurt. The Pain Free exercises are showing me a way to release the tightness in a simpler way, at home, and how to isolate and strengthen the groin muscles.

    Be aware that I am assuming that you have tight psoas muscles, but the thing is, the exercises in the book may be able to help you whether that's it or not.

    I haven't gone to a doctor about such things in years because in the past, I go to a doc and he/she simply does not address the issue. You can spend so much money, getting tests and such, they give you pain relievers which don't cure the problem, you can be damaged by cortisone shots, and then they suggest surgery, when the solution is in how you move. Not do you work out, but how you move throughout the day.

    There are also doctors who address alignment issues. Perhaps you should go to a sports doctor. But do try Pain Free also.
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