The Pain Test

I had no idea what my doctor was talking about when he prescribed a “pain test.” Googling didn’t help either. They instructed me to bring a driver with me to the appointment. Gulp. It could have been a punch to the groin for all I knew.

As it turned out, my worries were unnecessary. The test portion of the procedure would come afterward. This was another injection, similar to the one I had a number of weeks ago. This time, however, he would be injecting into my Iliopsoas tendon rather than the joint.

This was another diagnostic tool. If the problem is with my tendons, and this helps alleviate the symptoms, then that is very good news. It would rule out any problems with the joint or the bone. The most likely diagnosis would be Iliopsoas Tendonitis and Snapping Hip Syndrome.

If it doesn’t work, then we’ll need to look into other measures. The “test” part is that I have to keep a diary of how it feels on a daily and weekly basis. If it improves, I pass.

The procedure itself was pretty cool. They had an x-ray above me, while the doctor used an ultrasound on the affected area. Various parts of my innards were shown on three monitors. The doctor would point out things he saw in my tendons, maybe half of which I understood. What made sense was encouraging. He pointed out a couple things awry with my tendons that could be the culprits. He was inquisitive about my injury and suggested a number of possibilities, many of which Dr. Guy had also mentioned. One possibility is that there is some bone residue around the labrum that rubs against the soft tissue every time the hip rotates. That would make sense given that the pain is exacerbated after a heavy day of cycling.

The shot was almost completely painless, by far the easiest of these that I’ve had. The toughest part was afterward, dealing with the numbness. Pretty much my entire leg fell asleep and stayed that way the rest of the day. It got to the point where I had to physically move my leg to adjust my position. I fell twice, once down a small flight of stairs, and the second time when trying to balance on the numb leg. I was fine both times.

Tomorrow we’re heading to the Parkway where I can spend the week relaxing while vicariously live through some strong riders. If things go to plan, I should be able to ride easily by the time I get back, and that will be the real test.