We think it's muscular...(which means it's not cancer!)

That's the verdict. I have a bunch of muscles on my right side that have decided a great way to be is in knots. The other possibility is that the membrane that lines the hip socket, the labrum, has a small tear in it. Can't see that with an x-ray only with an MRI. The fix for that is an orthoscopic surgery to trim out the tear. Since an MRI is quite expensive and the doctor is leaning toward the muscular explanation, I am going to Physical Therapy twice a week for the next month to exaust the muscles so they will calm down and stop being so irritated. I'm also taking 600 mg of ibuprofen 3x per day. AND NO RUNNING. I need to cross train. I hate cross training because I like to run. But I probably injured myself from running too much so I know this is the right thing to do but no other exercise appeals to me that much. I could go to the YMCA and do the eliptical or the bike. Or I could swim. I could get the tires fixed on my bike and bike around my neighborhood (that's more appealing than going to the Y.) I could rollerblade, which I really like but honestly it scares me a bit because if you wipe out on blades the concrete is going to end up with a significant portion of your skin. I don't know about walking. Anyway, after 4 weeks of PT if I'm doing better we go with the muscular explanation. If I'm not better we do the MRI and look for that tear. I'm very very hopeful that the PT folks think that massage is a vital portion of my recovery. (Fingers crossed!) By the way, that's not my hip up there just a google image. Although my hip looked pretty similar to that one!