hip pain

lisadj

I have had hip pain since October of 2016. In December I had an ultrasound that showed bursitis. I also had xrays and all ok. I had a bilateral mastectomy 9/1/16, so wondered if the tamoxifen - which I started in October cause the hip pain. I have tried everything - PT, chiropractor 2 different ones, ice, pain relievers, massage therapy, with no relief. I am currently off tamoxifen to see if the pain goes away. I have been off 4 weeks and so far pain is the same. Anyone have any suggestions of what to do next?

ChiSandy

Get another ultrasound of your hip to see if you still have bursitis—mine took three months to go away completely. You said x-rays were “all ok,” but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t an identifiable cause—ask if the x-ray showed “degenerative changes” in the hip joint. (If so, welcome to the osteoarthritis club, and ask whether you are a candidate yet for hip replacement). Another explanation might be a slipped ligament, tendon or IT band. Maybe try an MRI for a clearer picture of the state of the cartilage in your hip joint, or hidden soft tissue injury. My bursitis turned out to be a defensive reaction to protect a tear of my gluteus medius (which I got from shoveling snow and then walking 1/2 mi. on uneven snowdrifty sidewalks the next day), which is why it took so long to resolve. Lidocaine patches, sprays & roll-ons are all OTC now (and cheaper than topical NSAIDs like Voltaren gel or Flector patches, and unlike pain reliever pills are easier on your gut, kidneys & liver). Even menthol roll-ons and arnica gel (Traumeel or Boiron) helped a bit.

lisadj

Thank you! I definitely will be pursuing further tests.