Hi John,
Hoping you can lend some expertise...9 years ago I injured my left hip dancing (ballet.) Back then, I had x-rays done that did not show any damage to my bones so physical therapy was ordered. I completed six weeks of physical therapy but continued to have severe pain in my entire hip area all the way down to my knee. I also continued dancing, so I figured the pain was continuing because of that. Soon after physical therapy my hip began to make a popping noise every time I lifted my leg in front or behind me, but never when I lifted my leg to the side of my body. I went back to an orthopedic doctor and he suggested more x-rays, but never a CT scan or an MRI. I went for the x-rays and when he took a look he said it looked like I had a tear in my cartilage and suggested more physical therapy. He said I would eventually need surgery but not immediately. I completed another six weeks of physical therapy and continued dancing. My hip continued to "pop" and the pain continued, but at that point I was used to it so I just lived with it.
Fast forward to now and I still have a lot of issues with this hip. The "popping" still occurs sometimes even when I am just walking. I constantly have pain that radiates all the way from the back of my body to the front and down my leg. I have been told that I need to strengthen the muscles around my hip bone to keep my hip in place so I have worked for years trying to do so. Nothing seems to be working. I constantly have to "pop" my hip back into place because it literally feels like it pops out of its socket and just gets stuck. I cannot sit for an extended period of time because the pain gets so severe. I know I probably need to go get a series of scans done to figure out what the actual problem is, but I'd greatly appreciate any ideas you may have about what is causing my hip pain.
Thanks so much!