Andrew A.

Over the last few months I began to notice trouble in my hips. A dull pain was developing in the crease of my right hip, and my lower back would become very sore and lock up whenever I did high volumes of squats or kettlebell swings. The pain was more severe after long cardio sessions on the bike or rower. Eventually, the pain became so pronounced that I went to see a well-regarded A.R.T. specialist associated with the gym.

He tested me and observed a number of issues. The external rotators in my right hip were significantly weaker, my posture was uneven and I reported pain in the FADIR test. The specialist explained that this is generally consistent with some kind of acetabular dysfunction or mild labral tear. He also warned that such tests can be very inaccurate, and that hip surgery is very traumatic, to be avoided at all costs. He suggested reduced activity and rehab exercises to strengthen the joint capsule, after which we would follow with more observation.

Armed with this knowledge, I began to investigate the issue. I had suffered a labral tear in my shoulder some years ago and was familiar with the sensation. This didn’t fit. I wasn’t really experiencing pain or weakness under load; in fact, I had gotten personal records in three different exercises the week before. If anything, the pain was more pronounced after rest, especially sitting or walking.

I discovered the Upright Health YouTube channel and the playlist about FAI. I compared my symptoms to the suggested tests and everything fit. I was experiencing pain in my lower back, difficultly balancing on one foot, difficultly lying on my side and extreme tightness in my quads and adductors (which felt like wooden dowel rods). I tried a few of the glute activation drills and noticed an immediate improvement. All of this suggested to me that the real source of my issue was not my hip joint, but rather strength and mobility imbalances in the muscles surrounding my hips and thighs.

For the next week I worked on opening up my adductors (which was face-meltingly painful) and doing glute/hamstring activation drills. By my next visit to the A.R.T. specialist I had almost no pain in the FADIR test and significantly improved external rotation.

It’s too early to say that I’m totally healed. But I feel confident now that I have a set of tools for examining the problem and staying ahead of it. I’m deeply grateful for the information you put out there and I’m optimistic it will help me get stronger in the future.