the reason it was so much pain is that i'd sprained my hip and therefore the muscles were stretched super tight over the bursitis (which is what i have injections for). the main problem is this - my mum has the same condition and she swears by anti-inflammatory drugs, like ibuprofen, but i can't take them, as it can potentially make lithium go toxic. the physio said my hips were clearly really poor, and very painful, and was alarmed at the frequency of injections. i really need to get a more long term answer