Pain at Top Corner of Pelvis, Hip Flexors, and Lower Back

by Sarah
(Indianapolis, IN)

Pain in my hip area began about 8 weeks ago. I'm a runner, so I stopped running, as the pain was getting progressively worse. I took it to be a standard overuse injury and figured some time off would heal it. So 6 weeks of no running.

I certainly started to feel better and the pain lessened, but it seemed to be moving. At first the pain was more near the hip. But later it seemed to be located in the top, "corner" of the pelvic bone (the bone that sticks out when you put your hands on your hips).

When I would do certain poses, a shooting pain would seem to come from that spot. Poses such as bending at the hips, and shifting my center of gravity out to the left side (my left hip/pelvis was hurting). Anything where my center of gravity was shifted would cause the pain.

Throughout the 6 weeks, I did attend a Pilates class and continued lifting weights. I had no pain during these activities. I was still afraid to run, however. Finally in week 7 I started running little by little. I started with a short 1/4 mile, then went up to 1/2 mile, and finally 1 mile (my current distance). I felt GOOD running again! No hip/pelvic pain at all.

But now after about a week and a half of running again, slowly increasing my distance, I'm starting to feel slight pain in my lower back (on the left side) and again in my left pelvic bone (same place, top corner).

I have not been to a doctor yet, since I thought time off from running would fix the problem. Does this sound like an issue with the iliopsoas muscles? I would appreciate any insight or suggestions!

Thank you!
Sarah