QuestionHi Jeremy,
Thanks so much for taking the time to respond to my situation. I'll try to be succinct but thorough in describing my symptoms... sorry if I'm too long-winded.
First of all, I'm a 33 year old female athlete who has dabbled in all kinds of sports over the years from track and field to running to surfing, etc, etc. Throughout last Fall I started experiencing very mild pain deep in my right buttock (occasional) and began noticing reduced flexibility on the right side of my groin while doing the butterfly stretch and other groin stretches. This also started after a surfing incident that resulted in pelvic pain and difficulty urinating (thought these symptoms went away within a couple of weeks).
Then around Thanksgiving I spent a week traveling a lot (in the back of a car) and hunched over a computer and by the end of the week my entire right side was horribly "cramped" (for lack of a better expression) all the way from my right ankle/foot up to the right side of my neck). It wasn't so much "painful" as just tense and uncomfortable. I stopped exercising through December and the symptoms gradually abated, but in January I decided to see if exercise would help and ran, did ab-work and swam for three weeks. By the end of that month my hip ached horribly and the intense tightness had returned.
So since the beginning of February I've stopped running and working out and I've been seeing a massage therapist. The symptoms have gradually reduced to the burning/pain/tingling in the right buttock, a "strange" feeling in the bottom of my right foot (morphing from just a feeling like the foot is "bumpy" to tingling to discomfort), extreme tightness in almost all the muscles of my hip, upper back pain, and extremely tight external oblique muscles across my front right side.
All these symptoms vary depending on the time/day but I don't really notice any variation based on anything specific I do (sitting, standing, etc). They do seem to be worse when I first get up, and then relax a bit once I get moving. Cold, of course, makes things worse. My massage therapist can get the muscles (psoas, and other muscles of the groin/hip) to release temporarily, but the tightness comes back within 24 hours.
My therapists have offered possibilities, but no solution has surfaced. One theory is that my right kidney might have shifted down (based on onset in the car) and is applying pressure to my nerve? Is this possible? I'm also concerned about possible disc issues in the spine?
In any case, thanks so much for your time. I'd love any information on next steps to take in either solving the problem or promoting healing.
Thanks again,
Autumn.
AnswerHi Autumn,
Hope you are 'fine'.
I'm sure your symptoms are causing you a great deal of concern. Being 33 and unable to do the things you have done in the past will be a determining factor on the outcome of your healing process. So lets keep things cautiously positive.
Our body does not like changes in its routine of exercising. Funnily enough I have discovered that athlethes suffer from more muscle pains than sedentary clients.(when its supposed to be the other way round) Its easier for athletes to be erratic in their exercise regime than sedentary patients.
Lets go to your question.
Was difficulty in urinating (micturation) related to your pelvic pains or an episode of cystitis? (No need to answer)
I should think that the 'possibility' of having the right kidney shifting downwards could be part of the problem.
This could be eliminated by an ultrasound/xray of the area.(Its merely a test to eliminate the theory).
One xray is taken when you are supine (face downwards) and another standing. The position of the kidney could then be compared to see if it has shifted in the process. A floating kidney (nephroptosis) as it is called has lost attachment due to no reason at all or extreme inertia/injury.
It can also be found most commonly in young women with long waist areas. When symptoms emerge, they can be very uncomfortable and include pain in the flank, chills, nausea, and elevated blood pressure. When this happens, and the kidney descends, a kink in the urethra can occur causing a difficulty in urination as you have mentioned. So its first better to eliminate this theory before jumping to anything else. It can be corrected with laparoscopic surgery where tiny holes and an instrument is inserted to re-attach the kidney thus eliminating discomfort. This will first have to be discussed with a urologist/nephrologist. (Because they might be called any of these in the States and as I am from Malta Europe,the terminology might be different.
Since you do get relief from your massage therapist (although for a few hours) it seems as your muscles are filling up with lactic acid. This could be caused by a postural problem. It would be indicated to see a chiropractic for any spinal adjustments. Taking an xray with you will be very helpful in determining the course of action he/she would take depending if there is narrowing of discs or not so save the money for a repeat visit and take xrays of the spine with you. Cervical spine in both views and thoracic in both views.
When you get up in the morning, the stiffness you mention is due to the accumulation of lactic acid during the night which loosens up during the day. Do you have a good mattress? Extra hard 'orthopaedic' mattresses could actually cause more problems than relief in my opinion. A mattress should be made specifically for your body weight. I you sit on the side of your mattress with the back of your knees tucked towards the bed. Sit in all the way. The mattress should sink 2 inches. If it does not, the mattress is too hard.
The pain in your upper body/back and legs (right side) are independent of one another. Consider the upper part of the body to be related to a group of nerves which emerge from the spinal process and the leg pain related to a nerve emerging from the Lumbar Spine area.
Do you suffer from scoliosis? (Spine curvature) or lordosis (protruding bum) or Kyphosis (Hunched upper back) Because if do have any of these, than your treatment options need to take a different root. A spinal Xray (Cervical, Thoracic and Lumbar) would be helpful to diagnose/exclude any narrowing in the discs.
I suggest you speak to your doctor who will guide you through the next course of investigations.
Finally and equally if you are going through a rough psychological time in your life, be it in relationships, financial or other, try some stress relieving massage. Go and get a nice hairdo...do something good for yourself and feel happy about it. Clean your 'drawer' that has been piling up for years. Browse through the joy of your past photos when you felt physically good.
The least you think about your pains, the quicker they will go away.
God bless you and take care!
Jeremy
