Lower back pain

[physiofi]

Firstly, the pain you're feeling at the front of your upper thigh/hip and leg could well be referred pain from the trochanteric bursitis. This can be tricky to settle down but it sounds like the pulsed shortwave is working for you - just give it a bit of time. With regards to the buttock pain, I'm tempted to say it may be piriformis syndrome (where the muscle in your buttock gets tight and presses on the sciatic nerve causing pain which can radiating down the leg - sciatica).

To test this theory, have a prod of your buttock when the pain comes on (or even at rest or in a position where you're not sitting or don't have the buttock/shin/thigh pain). Difficult do I know, but if you palpate the buttock on the affected side (left is your buttock pain right?). Have a good feel of all the muscle - put quite firm pressure on. If this reproduces the pain you get when sitting or it feels sharp and uncomfortable when doing this, it's likely piriformis is responsible! Popping a heat pack on and having some friction massage/trigger pointing done to the area will help to force the muscle to relax and ease the pain. (can give further info on this if you find that's relevant)

Sounds like there's definitely an issue with your back - in that your other symptoms seem to be stemming from it. In my experience, although people want a definite diagnosis, this is usually impossible to give and pinpoint one particular structure most of the time. I'd keep going with good posture, heat and gentle back mobilising exercises to maintain the movement in your back. Remember that the exercises shouldn't be causing you agony, but don't worry as some discomfort and pain when doing them is likely due to the fact this problem has been going on for some time - you're not going to do any damage to your back by doing the exercises. If you have any queries or are unsure you're doing an exercise correctly - definitely discuss with your physio as they can advise you and adapt any if necessary.

As far as your neck pain goes - I really can sympathise. I had a whiplash injury last February which I am just about fully recovered from although still getting intermittent pain in my neck. Keep going with the heat pack and do your neck exercises regularly - the chin tuck (retraction) exercises are really good, and it is important to move your neck throughout its full range to stretch any scar tissue and reduce stiffness, even if it is sore and painful. Posture is also really important! So no slouching and sitting with a rolled up towel as a lumbar support in the small of your back will help to keep your posture tiptop. What about your sleeping position? I always used to sleep on 2 pillows and on my stomach with head turned to side but after my whiplash injury I found this aggravated my neck pain too much, so I reduced to 1 pillow and now sleep side on (I know this isn't do-able for you on your trochanteric bursitis side) or flat on my back in order to keep my neck in better alignment. Just something to think about if your pain is worse in the morning or you have difficulty sleeping.

Whiplash is a tricky one and can generally just take a long time to heal up and recover from. Persevere with the exercises and you will see an improvement. How often are you doing your neck exercises? I'd advise little and often throughout the day (at least 3-4x if you can) and not spending too long in one position. Exercise is great too as endorphins are your body's natural painkillers and will make you feel better/help reduce pain.

Edited to add: shoulderblade pain and radiating up into head is also common, as you were told. Sometimes this can be due to tight muscles in the back of the shoulders/lower neck (upper fibres trapezius). Not sure if you're doing a stretch for this, but I find it's a common one to be tight even in people who don't have neck injuries due to poor posture at desks/in general. To stretch the muscle, sit in an upright position and drop your left ear to your left shoulder as far as you can - try not to let your right shoulder hitch up (you can put your right hand under your thigh to increase the stretch). You should feel the stretch down the side and back of your neck, from the base of your skull to the upper part of your shoulder. Hold for about 20-30 seconds and repeat 3x each side.