Hip Pain – anyone?

This may or may not be linked to my bike. I recently had surgery on the Achilles, was in a walking boot for a few months and then re-did the surgery as Surgeon 1 made a pigs ear of it.

I now have hip pain… which is a worry. It’s come on, gone, then come on again. It could well be damage caused from being misaligned for best part of a year.  The only other factor is a new bike with a relatively steep seat angle. That I have been riding a lot.

The pain is more around the outside of the hip and it feels like I am sitting on something at times, like a more pronounced sit bone…or sitting on my phone.  Yet there are no obvious lumps or bumps. (Even got my arse out for the doctor to have a look)

I cannot seem to shift it and am on the cusp of going to see a specialist and getting imaging. But in terms of cause…. has anyone had anything similar? Would seat angle aggravate this (or even bar height)

The seat too high is a known cause of hip pain no?

Are you sure that your legs remain at least very slightly bent throughout the pedal stroke and that your hips don’t have to compensate for the seat being too high?

ITB issue maybe? Especially if you have been using a boot

Hip pain can sometimes be connected with a kidney infection.

Periformis trouble? Gave me agony for several weeks in ’17 iirc, as I began riding a lot more on a road bike after a few years on hybrids or MTBs.

Do you have full range of movement off the bike? Like can you sit cross legged? I can’t. Apparently that means the joint is knackered

Stretching particular hip abductors helps loads

When you say it feels like you are sitting on something, does it feel like something wants to pop into a different place? I’ve had snapping hip syndrome, where the Iliotibial (IT) band pops or clicks as you walk or move the joint, in my case caused by different leg lengths but also tight piriformis and psoas. Either way, worth going to a good sports physio and describing it, may very well be because of the boot and you need to build muscle back up or do some specific stretches.

I don’t think it’s saddle too high. All very comfortable riding and I’m not reaching at the bottom of the pedal stroke.

Kind of feels like sitting on a seam or sometimes like I have left a phone in my pocket. Which I have not.

I have full ROM, although definitely tighter on that side.

am on the cusp of going to see a specialist and getting imaging. But in terms of cause…. has anyone had anything similar?

A good physio probably doesn’t need imaging for that.  I’ve had roughly the sort of pain you describe following a foot injury which made me hobble for a while.

@poly – what was the diagnoses and how did you resolve? (or still resolving?)

I’ve had hip pain flare up out of nowhere recently. I’ve kind of been expecting a problem in that hip for years – a same-side foot injury years ago has left me with bad arthritis in my big toe and a subsequent gait change. But in my mind, arthritis wouldn’t just appear, you’d feel it coming, and this hip became suddenly painful maybe a month ago.
Anyway, made worse by sitting and driving, thats not to rule out the repetitive nature of cycling not exacerbating it.
I’ll need to try and get a docs appointment for it soon.