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Left hip extreme pain in outer ankle

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Posted 5/9/2016 10:01 PM (GMT 0)
Hello all, I'm new to this forum, although not to HW as my husband passed away from cancer late last year.
Sooo I am a very fit 64-year-old. For 10 years I have had a little discomfort in my left hip lasting maybe four days, once or twice a year following intense exercise. Three weeks ago, due to the stress of getting our house ready to sell, I decided to do Bollywood dance. Three or four days later, the hip flared up again and then turned into intense pain deep in the hip and at the outer edge of my ankle. It is worse when I sit and driving is a misery.

I am taking 400 mg Ibuprofen plus 15 mg codeine QID to control it. My doctor suspects arthritis but doesn't understand why this would also affect the ankle. I am thinking outer sciatic nerve. I had an xray today. Not getting much sleep as it hurts so much. Also, since my husband developed cancer, and was very fit, I have had this awful hypochondria which is making this extra frightening.

Anyone experienced hip arthritis with nerve pain in the ankle? Doc doesn't seem to think it could be bursitis, although that seems more likely to me.
Posted 5/10/2016 8:40 AM (GMT 0)
Hello Moon and welcome to CP and I don't mean the situation of merely the forum!!

Sorry for the loss of your husband and with such comes a certain amount of hypochondria and fear,understandable as well as when we age those thoughts tend to creep up on us more often.

Its possible you have some arthritis even likely given age,its just another one of the things that come with a 64 year use of a vessel. That's a good deal of usage for a joint to endure and at only a few years behind you theres days I feel every step I have taken in my 6+ decades. If the activities irritated the arthritic joint and caused some inflammation and that inflammation caused the sciatic nerve to become trapped or pressure applied to it at some point you would see the ankle involvement.

Unfortunately sciatica or nerve related pain is one of the most difficult and challenging types pain we suffer. Narcotics do little to nothing as you have experienced,anti-inflammatory meds are a good thing because its working its magic on the inflammation that could be responsible but thats not a quick fix or relief answer. It takes time for them to calm down and shrink the inflammatory process. There are some things you can do to help it along by trying to rest it as much as possible,avoid activities that will hinder the process or continue to irritate the joint,water therapy is a awesome tool if you have access to a spa or heated pool. Just easy movement of the hip while weightless in the pool is therapeutic in itself. Heat/ice therapy during a episode,some prefer heat,some ice,while others rotate between the two. Your Dr can give you some passive exercises to help relieve the pressure on the sciatic nerve temporarily.

If the symptoms continue without changing with treatment you should make an appointment with a good Neuro/ortho specializing in hips and get further testing done.

Good luck to you and please feel free to join us anytime
Posted 5/10/2016 4:42 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you Vickie. For the past two days the pain has shifted to the buttock area on that side - and the lower leg pain has increased. I still think bursitis but will hopefully find out tomorrow. Meanwhile, I am asking for a painkiller with proton pump inhibitor as my stomach feels very sore. I am taking alkaline salts for this.
The fact I am moving house very soon doesn't help! I have been doing exercises recommended by my chiro and those I've written about for hip problems in various magazines. Funny how "distant" they seemed when I was researching and writing, and how present they suddenly are! Thanks again for your help. Very much appreciated. Moon.

Post Edited (Moonlitnight) : 5/10/2016 12:48:30 PM (GMT-6)

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