PFD - Into hips and leg?

[samandmichelle]

Since the IC and PFD symptoms started - I've had pain in my hips and left leg. Current uro (who's on the way out) says there's no way they're connected, but reading some of these posts indicates she might be wrong. Any ideas?

-Michelle

[Bessie]

I do experience pain that radiates down my right leg. It sometimes will even hurt all the way to the bottom of my right foot. It does not happen all the time but when it does it is painful.

[mbe]

I have had the same problem where the pain radiates down the front of my legs and really tight hips...

Are you using an IUD?

[samandmichelle]

It also goes into my lower back.

No IUD - Nuvaring.

[leelee88]

This also could be your sciatic nerve, which I have problems with. When my PFD is flaring, so does my sciatic nerve and it radiates from my hip down my leg..

[mbe]

Dear Samandmichelle,

I was having the same problem until I had the doctor take out my IUD and then my lower back/leg pain improved..that's why I asked.

IC flares I sometimes have the back/hip/leg problem but not as bad as it was.:)

[mlzippy7]

I have pain in my hips and legs all the time to the point it is hard for me to walk. One doctor blames it on the endo. One blames in on the IC. The next blames in on the Fibro, then the other on bursitis. WHO KNOWS!!! I wish they would agree!!

[Cadyfatcat]

I highly recommend any of you with symptoms like leg and hip pain to consult a physical therapist. After three years of undiagnosed IC, I suffered from chronically tight muscles and nerve entrapments that ranged from my chest to my calves. All the muscles in your body are connected to some degree of separation, and within all muscle lies nerves.

Leg pain in the back of the leg is sciatic nerve pain, hamstring stretches will help this, also you could try having your significant other give you a deep tissue leg massage in the back of the leg. If you try to touch your toes, do yo have pain in the legs? if so then it is from the sciatic nerve. There is also a technique called "flossing the nerve" which helps free inflamed sciatic nerve from tight musculature. You just prop one leg up at a time, a good way is to lie in a dorrway and put one leg up onto one side, then right at the threshold of nerve pain, point your toes and foot up and down intermittently, you should feel the nerve pain come and go as you move your foot.

Pain on the inner thighs could be from the femoral nerve which becomes entrapped by adductor's and pectinus muscles, massage these out and find some stretches to do. Also, find stretches for the quadriceps femoris (quads), these also aid front leg pain.

[GriffsMommy]

I would also suggest that a referral to a PT could really help you. I have severe PFD and my PT said that my hip and thigh problems as well as my lower back problems were all part of the PFD. I actually stopped going because I really can't afford any more sessions though I am supposed to schedule one more appointmet where she can show my husband how to do internal trigger point release so he can do it at home.

[Katrina]

You seem right and doctor wrong to me.
http://icandme.9.forumer.com/index.php?showtopic=6 pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) learning to relax the muscles treatment options symptoms of PFD and more

Besides PFD and because you said left leg and that when my IC was very bad I had many spasms throughout my pelvis including around my bowels but it would just feel like a big pelvis spasm....that from the spasming gas had collected and would cause some of the left side pain.
I also agree with leelee about looking into the scatia nerve.
Good luck! :grouphug:

[Briza]

I also get achy sore legs...inner upper thighs..not especially painful but more like an ache and a very tired feeling. I also have lower back ache/pain...whenever bladder is acting up so does the back pain. For me I'm certain it is referred pain originating in the bladder and one of my hardest symptoms to control. I also get crampy thighs. :( Best wishes :grouphug:

[glassd18]

I have extreme pain in my right hip, and lower back which is definitely worse while I'm flaring. My ortho doctor definitely thought they were connected after doing MRI's, x-rays, etc...and finding nothing. I am going for an PT evaluation on Thursday, but I wonder if it will do any good. However my uro disagreed and said that back problems (nerves) can also cause bladder problems. What came first the chicken or the egg. I have been dealing with this dilemma as well for a long time.

[samandmichelle]

I think we're going to get a second opinion from another uro - and go from there. Even Michelle's gastroenterologist noticed pelvic floor spasms! PT has helped in the past - when they thought it was in her back - but I bet they help more if it it's directed to PFD!

[geobun]

I get pain in the area of my right hip and right leg. The muscles and tissue in that area are pretty tight and painful, but physical therapy and stretching have made it better. And in turn, less i.c. pain.

I just had physical therapy last night and when the therapist worked the tissue surrounding my urethra, I could feel the pain shoot up between my right hip and pubic bone. Ouch!

I guess I should add that I have herniated a disc in the L5/S1 area and have recurrent plantar fasciitis. In a nutshell, I have some really tight muscles on the lower part of my body.

[geobun]

Opps! Forgot to say that the therapist has noted that I also have a lot of pain associated with the pudenal nerve.

[glassd18]

I went to my PT evaluation last night, and the therapist told me that she really didn't find anything wrong with me except for some weakness in my right hip. I told her it was chronic, all the time, pain, and I also told her about IC, but she thought there wasn't much she could do for me, and was going to call the Woman's Clinic for PFD because she thought I'd benefit more from that then from physio. She gave me a couple of exercises, and told me she would call me back after shed called over to the woman's PFD clinic. Man will anyone ever figure out why my lower back and right hip is killing me? Now I wonder if insurance will cover it also seeing as she says she didn't find anything significantly wrong. Is there a scan that see's nerves down there? I've had x rays, and a pelvic MRI, and both came back negative. Grrrrrrrr!!!!

[glassd18]

I forgot to add that my pain doesn't hurt when you press on it. It is more of an internal pain that's just there all the time.

[geobun]

My p.t. person is certified, I am not certain that this is the precise term, for pfd treatment. I am not an expert, but I have found that you need someone with expertise in pfd to really determine if there is a connection between the hip and leg pain and your pfd pain.

In my case, there is nerve,muscle, and tissue causing my pain. As an example, I was doing either abductor or adductor exercises for my legs (you know where you lay on your side and lift the top leg in air) and that exercise caused me to have a flare. At my next p.t. appointment, when they worked the muscles and tissues, it just radiated out to my right hip. I don't think my tissue, nerve, or muscle issues will show up on an mri, etc.

About the insurance, yeah, that can be a nightmare. But can your doctor refer you to a p.t. person specialized in pfd? Let them do a diagnostic on you. Don't know about you, but I have learned that some experts just aren't well-versed in i.c. or pfd. My first urologist didn't think I had pfd, but found out that he wasn't as familiar with pfd or i.c.

[glassd18]

I got a call back this afternoon, and I'm setting up an appointment with the Woman's PFD specialist...yeah!!!! They said that they will probably do an internal exam. Hopefully I can get this thing figured out. If it was only my bladder bugging me that would be one thing, but the hip and back pain on top of it is a real killer.

[sami4]

The Piriformus muscles in PF are often the source for pain in hips or down back of the legs or both. Gluteus (all three) can also refer pain down the legs.
A lot of us carry our tension not in the neck but in the butt. Over time this causes a constant contraction of the pelvic floor. Try to notice when your butt is tight and try to relax it and see if helps? If not it could be the pirformus on the pelvic floor.
Best bet see a PT that understands pelvic floor and referred pain.
Sammi

[justice4j]

Hi,

I completely agree that PFD pain radiates to other areas. I have pain in the piriformis muscles and sometimes near the sciatic area. During periods, that pain radiates down the fronts of my legs.

We are all " super highway of nerves and nerve bundles" and that wiring can differ highly from person to person.

An interseting fact I learned as an ER nurse. Sometimes toddlers, with immature neurological development complain of sore throats and it can turn out they have appendicitis.

Nerves are weird wiring and I think those of us with Chronic Pelvic Pain or other chronic pain issues .....well.....our nerve's get their panties or boxers in an uproar and go amok.

Alex gave some great advice on stretching. I need to do more of it.

[crkshnks79]

When I flare I get horrible pain in my hips and front of my thighs , more so on the left , but still on both sides . It gets bad enough where I cant walk .