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Why Have I Been Having Pain In Both Hips For More Than Five Weeks After Traveling?
Question: I have been having pain in both hips. It began after traveling by car on a long trip and I thought it was just soreness from sitting so long but that was 5 weeks ago and the pain has never gone away. The pain does not affect my legs and there is no numbness or tingling just a constant ache in my hips. I have used Tylenol and heating pad but nothing helps very much. What could cause this kind of pain?
Brief Answer:
Several possibilities as follows.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
There could be several causes for the pain you describe. Most common one would be osteoarthritis of the hip joints. Of course it is something which is due to degenerative changes with age over the years, but it can flare up after prolonged periods of seating.
A similar possibility would be sacroilitis which has similar origin but involving the joint between the sacrum and iliac bone in the pelvis, also can flare up after prolonged periods of seating.
Another cause to be considered would be that of muscle damage. I see between your medications Lipitor which can at times have muscle damage as a side effect.
Polymyalgia rheumatica is an inflammatory condition which may manifest with bilateral pain in that area, however usually involves also the shoulders and the neck so less likely.
So I would speak to your physician about the possibility of ordering some simple cheap tests to screen for the above conditions like a pelvic x-ray to check for osteoarthritis and blood tests for inflammation markers and creatine kinase an enzyme which is raised in muscle damage. In the meanwhile ibuprofen (Advil) may be more effective that Tylenol to alleviate the symptoms.
I remain at your disposal for other questions.
Regards
Several possibilities as follows.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
There could be several causes for the pain you describe. Most common one would be osteoarthritis of the hip joints. Of course it is something which is due to degenerative changes with age over the years, but it can flare up after prolonged periods of seating.
A similar possibility would be sacroilitis which has similar origin but involving the joint between the sacrum and iliac bone in the pelvis, also can flare up after prolonged periods of seating.
Another cause to be considered would be that of muscle damage. I see between your medications Lipitor which can at times have muscle damage as a side effect.
Polymyalgia rheumatica is an inflammatory condition which may manifest with bilateral pain in that area, however usually involves also the shoulders and the neck so less likely.
So I would speak to your physician about the possibility of ordering some simple cheap tests to screen for the above conditions like a pelvic x-ray to check for osteoarthritis and blood tests for inflammation markers and creatine kinase an enzyme which is raised in muscle damage. In the meanwhile ibuprofen (Advil) may be more effective that Tylenol to alleviate the symptoms.
I remain at your disposal for other questions.
Regards
Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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