2 days until my "experimental" hip procedure - hoping it works. I need to run!!!

So I've been fairly quiet on here b/c I haven't been able to run and reading all of your awesome adventures makes me green with envy.  I have been battling a hip problem since July of last year and I finally found a doctor who doesn't just toss off the "it's bursitis and IT band" answer b/c they don't have any other ideas.  He has actually been doing research in this area and works under the theory that it is actually a weak/torn gluteus medius and minimus that causes the kind of hip pain I am having.  To that end he is doing a procedure that they have been doing successfully on tennis elbow for several years and that he has been doing for the last few years on hips.

It is called percutaneous tenotomy and basically they take an needle under ultrasound guidance and poke teeny holes in the tendons, which causes them to bleed and then repair and grow tissue.  The idea behind it is that tendons don't get great blood flow to begin with so when they tear and fray they don't ever really build up better scar tissue and get stronger.  It's considered experimental by insurance but my doc seems to think it will work for me and at the very least in all the procedures he has done, nobody has gotten any worse.

Frankly, I'm desparate and if he told me standing on my head for three hours a day with my tongue sticking out would solve the problem, I would totally do it. 

I feel like such a slug right now and I can't wait to get running again, so here's crossing my fingers that it works! 

Rebecca

Best of luck , hope this fixes it.

That sounds interesting! I wish you the best of luck and a speedy recovery! Let us know how it goes!
Mary

 Do you think it is the running motion or the pounding that did it??

Probably the repititive running motion, wearing on tendons that were already fraying due to carrying around excess weight for so many years.  At least that's the theory anyway :)

 Thanks and good luck.

good luck, hope this works!

Best of luck!!!!  Hope you're feeling better in no time!!

Rebecca, 

I don't think a lot of docs really understand what living with a chronic condition is like - especially when it totally disrupts your lifestyle.

Best wishes to you that this helps.  From my understanding of physiology, it has a good chance of succeeding for you.  But... be sure you allow time to heal!

Linn

Thanks everybody for your well wishes.  Crossing my fingers!

Rebecca