Hi all
Am awaiting THR and am being crippled by back pain more than hip pain as I'm walking so badly. Can hardly move in the morning and during the day as I make myself walk my back is screaming at me. It feels like a tight band around my lower back and all the muscles hurt. I guess this is a consequence of my gait. Has anyone else had this and is it usual to feel,so incapacitated by a bad hip?
I also have RA which doesn't help!
Thanks in advance.
Hi Amnesia,it seems that hip problems go hand in hand with lower back pain,I had it pre op and post op but it is getting better now as my mobility progresses...try relief with some of the more common cures such as heat,hot water bottle,microwave heated pillow,the one with cherry pips in...maybe a
TENS machine some have even tried acupuncture.....You shouldn't have to suffer, speak to your GP.....
If you haven't had your pre op assessment yet then your back issue is something you should mention when
you do go....
Hope you find some comfort soon....
hello, sorry to hear of your problems, I have exactly the same problem, of you have an hour to spare I will tell you how it started....lol
I can not walk for more than 5/10 mins, not enough to walk around the supermarket I have to lean on a trolley I went to have X-rays , scans, and also nuclear scans, all showed bad arthritis in my spine with stenosis, arthritis in my knee and also in my hip, on my Dr advice I had injections in my spine, hip and knee and nothing worked, so on the advice of my neurosurgeon who instigated all the test, I went to see an orthopedic surgeon who thought I should have spine surgery, but my neuro thought I should have my hip done first to see if things improve so am booked in for July, can't wait to be able to walk again , painkillers don't seem to work too well.
I do know how you feel, I think my back will have to be operated on, I still think it's my back that causes the problem. do you get pain in the bones in your buttocks?
if you find a solution let he know , I have OA.
lynn
I had back pain before and now 7wks post op too as I'm now on one crutch...getting better though!. I was taking paracetamol, ibuprofen and Tramadol before but didn't really help after a bit...my gait had become increasingly bizarre...sort of rolling and if I sat for more than ten minutes I couldn't get up !
Now no hip pain..just muscles I hadn't been using.....
I couldn't walk very far at all and worst of all it affected my shopping!!
It will be so much better after your op...after all the majority of people on this forum can't be wrong!!
Chris
Thanks all of you. I guess it'll all go away once the hip's been repaired. I've tried all the remedies - heat, tens, acupuncture but they don't really help. I'm hopeless at anything stronger than paracetamol as I go off to la la land. It's surely the way we walk when we have to compensate for an arthritic hip and the rolling, lurching gait that goes with it. Such a joy! I guess it's always good to know you're not the only one who is affected and it will improve. Bring on the operation.....who would have thought you'd wish your life away for that?!
Hi, All my back problems started after total THR of both hips. I am like you Lynn although the consultant says I have degenerative stenosis of L4/L5 and strong possibility of a trapped nerve. My pain is horrible when I try to do anything. I now have to resort to a wheelchair if we go out and that becomes uncomfortable if I sit in it for too long. The consultants will not do anything to address this they say it is not severe enough, not sure what you have to do to qualify. I asked him what I was supposed to do then and he just shrugged his shoulders - I was in tears by this time. This has been going on for three years now and no one will help me. I was thinking of contacting PALS to see if they can assist. Anyone got any ideas or cures please let me know. I have done all the physio, hydrotherapy, tens you name it I've tried it.
sorry sue to hear that you are in such pain, I am the same although if I don't do anything I don't have pain my neurosurgeon will operate if this op on my hip doesn't help. I am here in a France, I don't know if you are in the UK? if so there is a spine hospital in London, I would perhaps ask for a consultation there and see what they say, if we go anywhere I take a wheelchair, and hubby has to push he around. you may have to pay for the initial consultation but it's worth it if it gets you walking.
good luck
lynn
Hi Lynn,
I am in the UK. I saw a spine surgeon in Oxford and after nearly a year of appointments that is what they had to say at the end of it, another year wasted. I have been back to see my GP and she is sending me to the Pain Clinic (again), this is where I was first sent 3 years ago prior to having my hips done. I'm just going round in circles. Waiting for a rheumatology appointment also as they want to check nothing else is going on. Your pain sounds just like mine, on resting it eases although still aware of being uncomfortable and also have pain in my legs. I hope you get relief after your surgery.
hi sue, have they done a muscle/nerve test on your legs? they did that just to make sure none of my nerves had died because of the stenosis, then I had a nuclear scan, which showed up all the Arthrose on my spine and hips and knee, do you get pain in the bones in your buttocks? if I sit all day I am only in pain from stiffness.
It is elective surgery for my spine. I must admit I am glad iam in France. hope you get it sorted soon it's no quality of life.
Hi, Not had a muscle/nerve test offered for my legs so thanks for that. I have had a nuclear bone scan and they said it was fine, just the usual degeneration! I don't particularly get pain in my buttocks its mainly my lower back and legs. I wish you all the best for the future and thanks for the tips.
Hope this isn't too patronising but someone in work lent me a book which I must admit I wouldn't usually pick up bring the sceptical type!
BUT....it does have some really good thinking....based around mindfulness which is a technique we use with children...have a look online and if it appeals to you try the library if you don't want to fork out for it....
Its called Living Well with Pain and Illness...the Mindful way to free yourself from suffering...it's by Vidyamala Burch who suffered chronic back pain for years after a car accident...and multiple surgeries!
Worth a look..and I'm not on commission!!!
Chris
Thanks Chris will have a look. I have tried the meditation, mindfulness stuff etc but nothing seems to get rid of this pain once I start to do anything. Did not have this back problem prior to surgery.
Hello everyone, I too had extreme lower back pain on the left side. I went to the doctors many, many times about this back pain over the last 10 years, nobody could help me. It got so bad that I couldn't stand for over 5 minutes at a time. 4 months ago I had my physician check my back again, just out of sheer luck he got my left hip on xray also and found out my left hip was destroyed by arthritis. When I saw my hip surgeon he told me my back pain would also be relieved when I got my hip replaced.
It's been 9 days since my left THR and I feel great! My hip pain is gone along with my lower back pain, I can walk without my back tightening up. I can''t believe how much better I feel,
Best of luck to everyone who is suffering out there, this surgery has been a miracle for me
hello Lonnie. I am so please to hear you are feeling much better, I am also pleased to hear you sound much like me I cannot stand for more than a couple of minutes and if we go anywhere I have to take a wheelchair, I am going to the states in June for a month and am booked in for my op n the 22nd July I am petrified to say the least, but also can't wait to see if all the pain goes.
hope you continue well with your recovery.
Hi I have really bad back pain, knee pain and hip pain and was told by my GP Physio and Consultant that my back pain is mainly because of my gait as well as arthritis in my lower spine. I am due to have a thr very soon and after speaking to several people I have been told that alot of my back pain will go and any that is there after the op will be bearable. I am 52 and have no quality of life at all so can't wait for my op even though I am kaking my pants!! You're not alone and it really helps to talk to people in the same situation. I hope you feel much better after your op x
Hi I don't no if anyone is still looking at these but I've had back ache for over 10 years in May just gone I had a thr on my right hip and after that thought my back ache would go but it's worse than it's ever been , I carnt even do my dishes without the pain and walking is just as bad , it wakes me all throu the night , I have to sit down after a couple of mins of doing anything , am on morphine slow release capsules 100 mg and oramorph 10mg every hour just to ease it slightly , am going to the chronic pain clinic on the 2nd July so hopefully they will have some answers . If anyone's got any ideas please let me no
Hi Angie,
I can relate to your symptoms but unlike you I did not have any back pain prior to my hip replacements. My back pain started after the second hip replacement and like you cannot do the simplest of jobs due to pain after a short period of time. I have just attended the Pain Clinic and they think it may be nerve related. They are going to give me some nerve root injections under x-ray which if they work will have me pain free for 4-6 hours. If this does work they have told me they can kill off the nerve root permanently and I should then be pain free. I have been like this for many years now and look forward to one day being pain free. I will keep you informed of the outcome but like everything there is a waiting list and I am still waiting for my appointment.
Hi Lonnie- glad to hear your back doing better after the THR. I'm a 53 yr old guy and in two months will be getting right hip replaced. my back pain is also bad at the moment, i believe its due to OA /bad hip. Did your back show any signs of osteoarthritis, or was it just muscle soreness from the years of limping around prior to operation? and did you have anterior THR or "minimal invasive" replacement. I'm having latter. I'm curious how long it took following your operation to get back on your feet and feeling good.
thanks.