MBST Treatment For Chronic Groin And Hip Pain

When I first consulted Ann Clare I was depressed and in despair. I had been suffering after the sudden onset of groin/hip pain about 6 months beforehand. This pain had prevented me from doing most of the activities I enjoyed, in particular working in my garden and practising Tai Chi. I was unable to walk any distance and driving was difficult and painful (I could not lift my left leg on and off the clutch without moving it manually!). This was a serious problem as I live in remote area miles from public transport.

As time went on the pain got worse, and I developed severe pain in my leg and knee, which made sleeping difficult or impossible without more medication and my husband did not get much sleep either! I consulted my GP and after a long wait was seen by a NHS Consultant and later a specialist NHS physiotherapist. I was prescribed pain killers and anti-inflammatory medication and told I would need to keep taking it.

Their main message was the problem was due to my age, despite being an active 62 year old without any serious physical problems beforehand. I was told to keep moving as much as possible but that it would get worse as time went on. I was advised that specific muscle strengthening exercises would not be worth trying and that Tai Chi would make things worse. I still did not feel anyone had offered me an understandable explanation of what the problem was or how it had started. The only way forward I was offered was to have CT scan with a painful injection into my hip joint with a view to possible surgery

I was contemplating this offer when I decided to have a look and see if another physiotherapist could help. I found Ann Clare in the phone book and saw that she offered MBST. I researched this treatment and found a lot of people in similar circumstances to mine had been helped. One thing was clear, it was painless and even if it did not help, it did no harm.

When I had my first consultation with Ann the first thing she attended to was my depression. She told me there was no reason why I my hip/groin problems were inevitable at my age. She was the first practitioner to notice that my left knee was turned outwards and that my thigh muscle was weak, probably because I had been limping and not using my leg fully because of the pain. She thought the original injury was probably a groin strain and which had not been treated appropriately, therefore causing further problems. She gave me gentle and simple exercises to rebuild the muscle, which in turn would support my knee and relieve my knee pain. She encouraged me to break the habit of limping and dragging my leg and walk with normal gait.

My hip was not flexing fully and I was also given exercises to help this. We also discussed me having a course of MBST to help the process of rehabilitation and healing. She also encouraged me to get on with activities that I enjoyed, as much as possible. More than anything else I came away from that consultation with hope for my future, rather than despair.

I had a course of MBST 1 hour per day for 5 consecutive days. The treatment was very simple. I just had to lie down, whilst the machine whirred and rumbled away. The first week, during the treatment, my leg was a bit more painful as if I had been working it hard but then it seemed to improve very slowly. Towards the end of the third week after treatment there was a marked improvement and that has continued since.

Six months after the MBST treatment I am able to function as well as I did before the problem with my hip/groin started, plus some, as I now have a bicycle, which I ride most days. I no longer have a limp and can walk considerable distances. I drive without difficulty and I am back to my Tai Chi class and able to do my gardening without the pain I used to experience.

Before I met Ann Clare I had been feeling like a hopeless old crumbly, who could only expect to get worse in the future. Thanks to Ann’s encouragement, the exercises she gave me and the MBST, I have got the rest of my life back.

To contact Ann regarding possible treatment please fill in the form below. Please note that we can only reply to people who would be able to travel to our practice for treatment.