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Tendonitis in my Tensor fasciae latae

Hello, I have an issue and I need the advice of a doctor or anyone else who has been through this. For the last approximately 3 years I have been dealing with leg pain in my right leg. It seems to start at the knee and travels up to my hip on the right side. At first it was not too bad, it hurt but not to the point that it kept me from working or anything. Recently it has gotten much worse, to the point that the pain is excruciating. To make matters worse, I work overnights cleaning the floors in a huge department store. I walk no less than 14 miles per night at work. The last few nights at work I have barely been able to make it through the night, and the only way I have been able to make it through is by finding someplace to sit for awhile every half hour. It is not so bad when I am at home because I don't do nearly as much walking. I went to see my family doctor and he told me I have tendonitis of my tensor fasciae latae. He said there wasn't much I could do for it except maybe physical therapy which may not really help that much. He gave me a prescription for Naproxen 500mg, which i understand is just aleve at a higher dosage. He also sent me for an xray of my knee/leg just to make sure there wasn't a tumor in the bone and that came back negative for any issues. The problem I have is that I have tried ibuprofen and aleve for the pain and neither one really helps much with the pain, and if I want to make it help I have to take way over the recommended dosage, which I know is not good. I am afraid it will end up giving me a heart attack if I keep taking large amounts of aleve and ibuprofen. I cannot afford to switch jobs because I will not be able to find a less physically demanding job with less walking, and still make the kind of money I do now. I have a family to care for and need to work. I just need to know if anyone has any recommendations? I am calling the insurance company today to see what they will cover for physical therapy, and I will be hopefully starting that soon. But what can I do in the meantime to be able to atleast take most of the pain away while at work? Any other pain meds I can ask the doctor about? I can't take anything that will make me drowsy cause I have to be able to work. So I think muscle relaxers are out. I hope someone can help me! Thanks so much in advance to anyone who helps!
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Avatar universal
Hi there, I unfortunately don't have a solution, but rather I have a similar problem.  I somehow injured my TFL by over exercising.  Now I have the same symptoms as you did and I can't find answers or relief either. This post is pretty old now, but did you ever find something that works or figure out a solution?
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Avatar universal
If you haven't seen a PT it might be worth it.  We have to be clear on what's causing it? I know it's not usually the case, but in some patients, TFL pain may also be an indicator of a bulging disc in the back.
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