Vastus Lateralis

[Taylor]

I am 40 years old. I'm not sure if vastus lateralis is the correct area I'm identifying pain in but when I look at human anatomy diagrams, it seems to be exactly where I feel pain. This pain has been going on for several years and only seems to get worse. I have always been very active and flexible so it worried me several years ago when I could no longer sit cross-legged due to pain near the hip flexor, the hips, and down my legs. If I walk for more than 20 minutes I begin limping due to the pain which will then last for a couple of days, it will then also hurt to sit. This is so troublesome because I love hiking and long walks. If I stand cooking in the kitchen for more than 15-20 minutes it begins to swell up and become painful. It oftentimes hurts to lay on my sides due to pressure on the outer part of my hips and sharp pains that radiate down legs. When I say hurt, I mean it hurts such much that I wake constantly with the pain shooting through my legs. I mention the vastus lateralis muscles because it's exactly where that muscle begins (the top area of the femur) that it seems the pain and swelling begins, it then travels down to my knees (where the vastus lateralis ends) and sometimes even into my feet. It may actually be the socket where the top femur is plugged in that the pain is -- I'm not a doctor so I'm taking a stab in the dark here.

A friend who is a physical therapist looked at me and said it was a "false positive" for sciatica and he said that my hips were out of alignment due to childbirth. He told me to hang upside down for a few minutes each day. After looking like an overgrow monkey in the park and not getting any results after a year I consulted my doctor. The doctor said the physical therapist was absurd; the doctor moved my legs around a bit and thought it might be due to leg presses and told me to take lots of ibuprofen. Well I've been doing body pump classes for 7 years and these classes involve lots of leg presses and lunges... could these have damaged my legs? I'm stubborn and quitting physical exercise is not an option for me....

Does this pain seem like something due to my workouts, or something else entirely? I already do yoga and perform stretches for that area (not really helping though). Is there anything else I can do?

Any input is greatly appreciated, and thank you.

[Taylor]

Want to add that I have always, since in my early 20's, had a strong and loud "clicking" or "snapping" when moving my legs up and down in cerain positions (for example, lying down). I mentioned this to my doctor and could hear his eyes rolling in his head, so maybe it's irrelevant but who knows.

[Heidi]

Hi
I think from the wide ranging areas where you feel your symptoms and that you haven't mentioned any sudden trauma at all, that the pain is being referred. This basically means that the issue may not be in the area you feel the pain and is probably somewhere higher up, such as your lower back/pelvis. This is quite common and can be related to childbirth, altho I don't know that just hanging upsidedown is the solution!
I would go to a reputable physical therapist, or even a chiropractor to get a full assessment. You may find that you have a misalignment around the lower back or pelvis which is impinging on the nerves running down the leg.
Where is the clicking you refer to?

[Taylor]

I read about the "snapping hip" on this website and it describes exactly the clicking I feel. I feel it particularly when trying to do any hip flexor exercises, such as side leg lifts dancers do to strengthen the hip flexor. Not sure if it's connected to the pain or not. My physician performed some lower back presses to see if I had pain there, but I didn't, thus he felt it was (perhaps) due to leg presses. Funny thing is, though I've been working out this last year -- for two years before that I was unable to work out due to a heavy job load and the pain in my legs was actually worse then.

Thankyou for responding... I do have another friend who is a PT and I can ask her where to go for good PT work. I sort of lost my confidence in pts because my doctor said he didn't believe in them... but, he really hasn't done much to help my pain either. Can I do long lasting damage to my legs if I continue my workouts?

thanks for your time.

[Heidi]

I don't think leg presses is a feasible cause! Don't always 100% trust your Doctor on these things unless they are a specialist in musculoskeletal or neural injuries! A physical therapist is more qualified in this area than many Doctors are.

http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/back/buttocks/piriformis.htm

Have a look at this page. Impingement of the nerve by thyis muscle is a common problem and wouldn't cause any back pain. The pain from this injury can radiate alll the way down the leg and often around the front too.

[Taylor]

My friend said the same thing about the doctor. She recommended a chiropractor whom I'm scheduling with today. He'll also do an x-ray. Thank you for the link, very interesting and seems to be an area where I feel the pain begin. I really appreciate your taking the time to respond Heidi.

[Taylor]

Saw a chiropractor who took x-rays. Seems there is a lower vertebra that's twisted which has caused my pelvic bones to go out of alignment; one side is much higher than the other... thus some nerves are also getting pinched. Maybe from a back injury that hospitalized me when I was about 8? Anyway, hopefully seeing this doctor will help; thanks for recommending I go.