Terrible Hip Joint Pain

[Anabbytree]

Hi Everyone.

This question comes on behalf of my mother. My mom went 100% raw about a month and a half ago. I think that this is awesome and she's really inspirational, going raw was a total lifestyle upheaval for her, and she's done a smashingly good job. She's losing weight (she is slightly overweight, not obese) and looks so vibrant and healthy.

Unfortunately, since going raw she has developed severe pain in her upper leg (the joint where the leg meets the hip). It has been bothering her to no end for the last two weeks.

It is worse when she is lying down and sitting than when she is standing.

She doesn't want to take pain killers because she really believes that the diet can heal her, and she wants to get through it without medicine. She has sustained no injury that would be the cause of the pain, it just seems to have presented in her hip since she began eating raw.

Does this sound like detox? Is there old gunk that can become loose when you go raw that's in her joints? Is there perhaps something keeping her joints from being properly lubricated? What can she do to help loosen these joints?

I (in my limited experience) recommended that she start each day with a green smoothie with msm and ground flax. She has been doing this for a week but has seen no results. Maybe with some more time these things would start to help? Is there any other course of action anyone would recommend?

She is normally active, she tries to take a mile walk every day, but has not been able to do that since the pain started.

It makes her (and me) sad because she's doing such a great thing for herself and can hardly walk around to enjoy herself.

I will be more than happy to answer any further questions about it anyone may have.

I appreciate all advice and suggestions so very much.
Thank you everyone-
Abby

[Veganforlife]

Hey Abby - Hot water bottles are amazing soothing items to use. Also Tiger Balm is a wonderful healing pain reliever. Dead sea salt baths are soothing too...all of these can be used in conjunction with each other and as many times as need be.
The Tiger Balm I've gotten at "drug" stores. Dead sea salts my LHFS carries them, but Epsom salts will work in a pinch. And every home should have a hot water bottle. They really sooth aches and pains.
I'm sure others will pitch in w/some advice too.
Also - yes, encourage her to stick w/raw - and to please give it more time then a week to see results.
Good luck!

[Bobbie]

I've been raw for 2 years and recently have had painful bones - moving makes them hurt more and if I jolt or jar in any way its excrutiating. I've no idea whats causing it, and I've been worrying I've got osteoporosis or similar from not eating enough greens but its probably not that serious. I'm sorry you mother has been in such pain, although you've comforted me with your story as her pain can't be due to deficiency after only a month and a half.
It might be that there was something wrong with her hip joint and her body was too busy coping with cooked food etc to heal it. Now your bodys setting to work to heal everything thats wrong with it. Has she ever had an injury to her hip/leg? Even if it was when she was a child, its possible her body is going back to it now. When your body is healing, it tends to bring back old pains/injuries/symptoms while it heals them for good.
Pain isnt there for the sake of it, to make us suffer, its to let us know theres something wrong and to keep us in the position best for healing. So tell her to try stay in the positions that cause the least pain.
Of the oils people eat for fatty acids, I find hemp oil makes the biggest difference to me, but any oil in large quantities will help joints. Flax, Starflower, Evening Primrose....or Udo's Oil, which is a blend of several oils. Dr Budwig used 6 tbs Flax Oil per day to heal cancer and other diseases. Cold pressed Oils in that quantity can really make a difference.

The most healing food I've experienced, is Anne Wigmores energy soup -
6 cups sunflower greens/other 5-8 day old green sprouts
2 cups bean sprouts
2 tbs dulse
1/2 avocado
1 apple/1/2 papaya
other greens/herbs/weeds
optional other sprouts
Water of rejuvelac

I have to add more fruit to make it edible, usually banana, and it causes unpleasant detox symptoms, but definately works.

With green smoothies I find weeds much more effective than shop-bought greens although they taste awful!! So I usually use just 1 cup of weeds, with lots of milder greens and herbs, and then add as much lettuce as possible to dilute the weed-taste even more.

[Bobbie]

Oh also a session in a floatation tank would help - its about £30 per hour and the effects would wear off, but it would provide temporary relief.

[Raw Mom]

I'm guessing it's her right leg. Am I right? I had a little more pain come out after going raw. I'm a yoga teacher and postural restoration teacher. Try accupuncture, yoga, chiropractor.....my best to her.....

[Anabbytree]

Heya Lucy-

I'll definately tell her about the tiger balm and sea salts, thanks!

Bobby-

I don't believe she's ever had a hip or leg injury, but I'll ask her to think really hard about it! And up her oil intake to more like 6 Tbs. a day, thank you for your advice.

Raw Mom-

I think it is actually getting to be in both now. I'll pass along your suggestions, and I'd love to hear any more you may think of!

Thanks!
Abby

[Raw Mom]

Hey Abby. See if there is a physical therapist in your area or massage therapist that specializes in postural restoration. Or a network chiropractor. I suffered from repetitive motion stress in my body, which was what brought me to PR. It sounds like it's tight hips. But I'm not a doctor. Walking will make it worse. Tell her to stand up tall, with shoulders back and chest out when walking or sitting. Takes the strain off the hips, helps open them. And stretch.........:)

[Anabbytree]

Bumping up for more ideas!

[sport]

I have been raw for over 2 years and in the past 6 months have developed some joint problems.
I am currently trying out a detox program to see if it will fix it and also intend to try glucosamine. I got some vegan glucosamine a few days ago and will start it as soon as I have completed the detox program.
I suspect that mine is caused by liver toxicity.
I am affected in some of my knuckles, both knees and one hip.

[lafsalot]

MSM has helped me ~ Cathy

[isabelephant]

Does the pain by chance radiate down her legs?

[Anabbytree]

isabelephant-

yes, it does, she says it radiates about halfway down her thigh

[isabelephant]

thats what I thought...
your mother may have sciatica, or most likely "false" sciatica, where the tight hip muscles are impinging on the sciatic nerve. It sounds worse than it is although the pain can be quite irritating to pretty unbearable. It can happen in one or both hips.
The best things I have found to treat it are, ice on over the hip, massage, stretching and this movement which I will try and explain. The goal should be to loosen up the muscles, gently, without working them so much that they rebound and become more tight. So, staying totally still and walking too much can both aggravate it. The stretch: Laying on her back, knees bent, bring one knee up to the chest, turn the knee out, and place the ankle on the other knee. gently press the knee away with the hand. Hold for a minute and breath... then do the other side. Do this throughout the day, but do not overstretch to prevent more tightness. This can also be done sitting in a chair and placing one ankle over the other knee. (This is a good stretch to do to prevent this from happeneing again.)
The movement:
lay on your side on the floor, knees bent at 45 degree angle. Very gently and slowly move the top leg and hip 1 inch forward and then back, so it goes past the bottom knee just a little bit. This is a tiny isolated movement. Do it four times and rest. Then do four times more. Then turn over and do the other side. I have found that this can take the pain away for an extended period of time, if not completely within a couple of minutes. It seems like you are not doing anything but very simply it rewires the pain communication from your hip to your brain. Please let me know if I need to explain this better.
Good luck!
:)

[Anabbytree]

wow, thanks for the information isabelephant!

How does a person get sciatica? Is there a root cause? Is there anything to be done to avoid it flaring up again?

[isabelephant]

"False" sciatica, which is most likely what your mom has is caused by tight muscles. Detox could definately bring it on. Doing regular hip stretches and strengthening the many little hip and glute muscles would help prevent it in the future (think yoga), as well as a good diet low in inflammatory foods (raw), lots of water, minimal stress...think of it like tight shoulder muscles that cause headaches. What brings on tight shoulders? tension, stess, overworking them, lack of muscle tone, dehydration, doing new exercises or stretches...all the same things can happen in the hips and glutes. You can carry just as much tension there. Ongoing massage would help a lot as well as just tuning in to that area and noticing when you start clenching or holding tension, try to breath and relax those muscles...So, as you can see this has nothing to do with the actual joint or the structure of the joint, where in that case MSM or glucosamine might help.

[Anabbytree]

Thanks so much for your responses, hopefully something here will be true for her and will help! Fortunately, she is patient and has the self discipline to give her body time to adjust to the new diet, but with these suggestions maybe she can help ease these symptoms she's experiencing.

[JulesRules]

My dad (who isn't raw...oh my gosh he isn't raw...) started experiencing hip pain. He walked the dog every day, but got to the point where he couldn't anymore...

He went to a "Foot" store where they fitted him with special insoles of his shoes....It was amazing...as long as he wears his insoles he has no more pain...I think it took him a few days before the inflammation went away, but since then no more pain.


Hope this help...