How long is a hip pointer supposed to last anyway?

[StuntCok]

I had a pretty bad crash to my hip over three months ago and, after 3 months of physio and 2 aspirations, I still have a big swollen hematoma on my hip. Is this normal (I would ask my doctor but I have little faith in Japanese doctors, as demonstrated by willingness to trust an internet forum before them)

[smmokan]

Well, it ended Bo Jackson's career, so I'm guessing they can get pretty bad.

[StuntCok]

Well, it ended Bo Jackson's career, so I'm guessing they can get pretty bad.

I just checked, it looks like he had a "hip subluxation" where the the socket is pulled way out of joint. Sounds a bit more serious than my situation (thank god)

[snowdreamer]

My 13 year old daughter suffers from something similar to hip pointer. The pain in her hip is caused by growth spurts. She has been in physical therapy for over 3 months. It hasn't helped. She can't do any activities that involve running or jumping. Even walking for long periods of time causes great pain.
There have been times she needs to use crutches to allow the swelling to go down.

Since you live in Tokyo I'm going to assume you do a lot of walking. If that's the case can that be the reason the hematoma hasn't healed? Have you at least discussed this with your physical therapist?

Good luck...

[DJSapp]

It wasn't a hip pointer, but the big swollen lump on my left hip/upper thigh is almost gone. I wrecked over some rocks about four years ago, but didn't seek medical attention (I skied on it for three hours after the wreck, probably very unsmart). At the end of the day, my hip looked like I had a soccer ball growing out of it, but it started to subside and then harden. I wore the softball size lump for years as a reminder to set my edges when over exposure. If there's no fluid left to drain from the area, you're SOL my friend.

[Big Blue]

^^^^
Did you look into getting a cortizone injection? I would think that would take it right down. I had bad calcium deposits on my feet from ill-fitting ski boots. A localized shot of cort and a couple months later they were gone.

[DJSapp]

^^^^
Did you look into getting a cortizone injection? I would think that would take it right down. I had bad calcium deposits on my feet from ill-fitting ski boots. A localized shot of cort and a couple months later they were gone.

No, when I finally went to the doc about 2 or 3 months after the wreck, he said that because of the size there wasn't anything that could be done short of going under the knife. I guess the cort would work for small things like your feet, but this mother was 4" x 6" and stuck out 2-3"

[K-Stormchaser]

My 13 year old daughter suffers from something similar to hip pointer. The pain in her hip is caused by growth spurts. She has been in physical therapy for over 3 months. It hasn't helped. She can't do any activities that involve running or jumping. Even walking for long periods of time causes great pain.
There have been times she needs to use crutches to allow the swelling to go down.

Since you live in Tokyo I'm going to assume you do a lot of walking. If that's the case can that be the reason the hematoma hasn't healed? Have you at least discussed this with your physical therapist?

Good luck...

I had the same problem growing up in my heels. Had them both casted for 2 months cuz any movement was excrutiating. Lasted about 3 years in high school.

[Steven S. Dallas]

Well, it ended Bo Jackson's career, so I'm guessing they can get pretty bad.

Didn't he have some kind of necrotic condition? I don't think it was a simple hip pointer.. I hip-pointed one time, getting my legs taken out from under me going up for a frisbee and landing right on the crest of my pelvis. It was the worst injury I have ever had (and I've had a few). I couldn't move for a week, and even after that I couldn't really do anything for a month- even getting into bed took 10 minutes because I had to move so slowly.

[iceman]

Didn't he have some kind of necrotic condition? I don't think it was a simple hip pointer..

Bo did have hip necrosis but the cause was impact and very similar to what would cause a hip pointer. At this point you would be well advised to see a Doc and get some x-rays taken at a minimum.

[yentna]

Over a year after a hip pointer, I still have half my thigh numb. Damaged the nerves running over the bone.

Anyway, pointless 'cause it doesn't help. Sorry dood, and good luck.

[StuntCok]

Thanks guys. most of these experiences sound worse than mine. I just had 355ml (exaclty a beer can's worth) of liquid aspirated from my hip but I have no strength issues, just swelling and small pain issues. Best of luck to the rest of you.

[Vinman]

Bo Jackson suffered from Avascular Necosos of the head of the hemur (ball that fits into the hip socket, very similar to Floy Landis's current hip problems) Bo had a hip replacement and then tried to come back... we all know how that ended.

A hip pointer is a contusion to the rim of the pelvis (illiac crest) Lots of muscles attach there for tboth the abdomen and lower extremity. Hence the reson they can be so painful.

Personally I have never seen a hip pointer have to be drianed but I guess it is possible. If the contusion ruptured the muscle fascia , it could basically bleed between the muscles and the skin and result in the collection of fluid you describe.

Aside from the aspiration, you should be compressing it with an ace wrap after having it drained to try and prevent it from returning. I have seen similar situations with quad contusions that bleed between the muscle and skin. For the particular athlete I'm remembering it took 3 aspirations over about 2-3 weeks for it to resolve. Total time for the contusion was about 4 weeks.