Second opinion on MRI reveals stress fracture in my pelvis, not my hip. No running for 3 to 4 months.

The headline says it all, right?

Last week, I got an MRI and my physical therapist told me it was a stress reaction in my hip and said no running for a month.

Today (Wednesday the 9th), I got a second opinion from my new primary care physician, Dr. Mark Hutchens of Texas Sports & Family - this is a guy who deals mainly with athletes. He asked me some questions, poked around some in my groin area and said, matter of factly, "what you have is a stress fracture in your pelvis."

Me: "Are you sure? How do you know? How much time will I have to miss?" (What a dumb question to ask a doctor, right? What do I mean, 'Are you sure?' I guess that's like asking a cook if he is sure that mayonnaise has egg in it.)

Doc: "I'd say you need complete rest for at least 3 to 4 months, though I've seen some stress fractures like the one you have take much longer. Here I can show you the MRI."

(No more running? I love running, and I really  love running in Austin. You might as well tell me to stop breathing. But I digress.)

The doc pops my MRI on the computer screen and shows me the area of concern. He started talking about swollen bone marrow and all kinds of gobbedly-gook. I'm looking at the film and its clear as day: Yep, its my pelvis, not my hip. Yep, there is some discoloration at the place of the stress fracture.

I told the doc that I've had this weird sensation/pain in my groin since, umm, 2008 - three years! - where it hurts to squeeze my legs together, hurts to do situps or any kind of ab work, hurts to roll over in bed, hurts to play with my son while on my knees. I told him about the cramps I get in my inner quads on any run longer than 2 hours (like marathons!). I told him that when I walk up slight inclines, I really have to think about lifting my left leg to help me power up hills.

(Since 2008, I've run six marathons. And none have gone well. If you've read my blog, you've read that I tend to start getting cramps at Mile 15 and things just get worse and worse. I don't cramp up so much in training - maybe because I don't taper and I dont give my hip/groin/pelvis enough time to get stiff like they get in the days leading up to a race.)

He said most, if not all of my problems stem from my pelvis injury. He said that probably explains why my quad muscles cramp up so much when they get tired. Then he wondered why I took so long to get this problem fixed. 

I told him I just thought I was tired and things would get better with a good taper.

"Well," he said, "I guess you'll have plenty of time to taper now."