DEAR DR. GOTT: I'm a 65-year-old male with sporadic pain in my left hip. Seven years ago, after returning home on a flight from Las Vegas, I began feeling pain in both hips.

In Las Vegas, I had walked miles without any discomfort and attributed the pain to a muscle pull or strain from the cramped seating on the plane. Prior to that trip, I had never experienced any physical discomfort in my muscles or joints.

The pain in the left hip has never gone away completely. When I attempt to walk a distance of even 30 yards, the pain becomes so unbearable that I have to stop.

After about five minutes, the pain diminishes, and I can walk another short distance.

I've had an MRI (nothing found) and have consulted several doctors, including a neurosurgeon, and have undergone chiropractic treatment, all without positive results.

Several doctors have concluded I have some form of arthritis, but I've never heard of arthritis coming on so abruptly.

Also, I have no other discomfort in any other part of my body. I've always suspected some type of pulled muscle that hasn't healed, but the doctors disagree. I'm recently retired and cannot take trips because of the walking problem. What do you suggest?

DEAR READER: The fact that your left-hip pain began relatively suddenly, continued after your return home and seems related to exercise indicates that your problem may be caused by arterial blockage to your legs.

Called "claudication," this common affliction causes severe pain while walking.

The hip and leg muscles fail to receive the necessary oxygenated blood, so the muscles cramp. I'm so sure of this, based on your admittedly brief description of your problem, that I recommend your primary-care physician obtain a vascular study of your hips and legs.

If this isn't something that your doctor believes is needed, ask him or her to refer you to a vascular specialist.

If I am correct, this is a potentially serious condition, but it is treatable with medication and/or surgery. Let me know how this turns out.

DEAR DR. GOTT: About a week ago, I put Ivory soap under my bottom sheet because of severe nightly leg cramps. They stopped immediately. Then, last night, I awoke to the painful cramps again. I endured them for a while, but I realised they weren't going to stop, so I got up and removed the soap, and I rubbed it on the sheets (both sides) to expose a new soap surface.

I put the soap back and climbed back into bed. No leg cramps! To me, this proves that there is some ingredient or interaction of ingredients causing this amazing reaction.

DEAR READER: I also believe that some sort of interaction between the soap and the legs accounts for the favourable anticramp reaction. But, honestly, I don't have a clue how it happens. Your experiment is interesting. Thanks for writing.

@EDITRULE:

Doctor Gott is a practising physician and the author of the new book "Live Longer, Live Better" (Quill Driver Books, www.quilldriverbooks.com; 1-800-605-7176).

@EDITRULE:

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