After a leg injury five months back, I cannot fully rotate the left leg without pain. Why?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a 60-year-old male, my height is 5.9 feet, and my weight is 213.8 pounds . I have no underlying health conditions or take medication. I play indoor sports, and five months back, just before the covid lockdown measures, I jarred my left leg on the squash court during play. The pain near the groin was very intense and sharp. I ceased playing and returned home. Now, after five months have elapsed, the pain is still there (though not as bad). I can run, walk and cycle with no difficulty. However, I cannot fully rotate the left leg outwards or inwards without pain, I can get a sharp pain if I get in and out of my car or in and out of bed, crossing my legs or squatting on the floor to interreact with my 3-year-old grandson and move the leg into the wrong painful position. I feel something like a tear may have happened, and I am very worried that if I return to the indoor sport, I am likely to aggravate the problem again.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

In my opinion, you might have a muscle injury that is not recovered properly. So there is inhibition in your hip muscles that is still protecting the joint by getting stiffer to limit the movement of the joint. There is nothing to worry about. The first thing is to get it properly diagnosed. So get your injury appropriately evaluated by a physiotherapist. He can help you with mobilization and reach you with self-mobilization exercises and recruitment exercises to help you get back to the pre-injury level. If you can give me some additional details, I can suggest certain self-mobilization and stretching techniques. As of now, I recommend you to keep icing the painful area frequently, and it will help you get better with daily life activities. Gently massage over the butt and groin area will help you relax and allows your muscle to recover faster. Kindly revert to me if you wish to have any further advice.