About 30 days ago i went to see the doctor for my "pulled muscle" in the groin area that did not heal. He took some xrays and notified me i have moderate hip arthritis on the right side, don't need replacement yet, and gave me a few pills. At the time I knew absolutely nothing about arthritis so i did not register in my brain what this really meant. I did manage and think to ask him how bad it is on a scale from 1 to 10 and he said 5. So off it went.
I got home and after a day or so I started to replay that scene in my mind and then hit the web. BOOM... then it sunk in... this is serious stuff!!! I went back to his office and got the xrays, he never showed them to me. I then continued educating myself.
I was getting more and more upset, so I then went to see another OS to have a discussion. he looked at my xrays, said i have a messed up hip, explained the issue, and we chatted about pain and it is up to the individual when to have a hip replaced. OK.
So for the last month I have been educating myself, cut back on all high impact exercises, take supplements, and exercise lightly and stretch. I have the pain managed I would say, as the pain is less than it was a month or so ago. I can get around during the day, sleep ok, but if i over do it i will hurt, so basically i have stopped running, jumping, walking more than .25 miles, etc. I have adjusted.
So as i continue to manage the pain, what is always in the back of my mind is when should I get the hip replaced? do i just bite the bullet and do it sooner rather than later? Do i do it before I get so bad i cause more bone damage? I guess I am saying I just don't really know when to take the plunge! The surgeons did not offer opinions or thoughts on what they might do. So another way to ask the question, is when did you decide to get the replacement done? What made you take the plunge? Thanks for any input and reading this long winded story. Take care.
Hiya Charlie, 😁
Well I'm sure you'll get lots of help and advice from all. I'm on the waiting list now for my THR, for me the decision was simple, nearly all the things I wanted to do is now on hold and has been so for the last couple of years. I guess everyone is different yep, I guess if life is good then carry on. There will come a time things become real painful and as said you end up putting your life on hold, that's the time for me, all the best for the future, this is a fantastic site with great hippies to help you out.
Stay safe 😄
Pete 😎
Charlie: The faster you get it done the better off you are going to feel. Just make sure you have the right surgeon. Make sure they test you for metalossis before your surgery and get in good shape before you take the plunge. I've had four replacements, it's not an easy process but with the right surgeon and educating yourself about the procedure you're going to be much happier. If your a big guy don't let them go anterior go postier.
I left it far too long. The pain was extremely bad, it impacted on my life so much that I couldn’t walk far at all. I put on weight due to lack of exercise. It was very advanced, and bone on bone pain when I had the op. I ended up with a 1.5” leg discrepancy and I wonder if it was because I left it so long, I don’t know of course but I so wish I had had it done sooner as I put myself through a few years of awful pain so my advice would be to get it done before it begins to take over your life, before it gets too bad.
Hi Charlie it sounds like you have stopped living to ward off a hip replacement, you don't say how old you are because obviously if you say your young then you are probably doing the right thing to try and put it off, if your maybe in your 50s then having it done sooner than later would maybe be the way to go.
It will all come down to your choice and your consultants advice.
I am in the place you are now, but my gosh these very very sweet people have not only convinced me to have the surgery but have also taken away a lot of the fear. Not all, definitely far from all, but what they have done is inform me that the surgery is not as ‘terrifying’ as I thought it would be. Good luck, I don’t know when you should have it.
I was always told when you have to alter hour daily activities in order to manage pain, that ist time. WHen I was having trouble getting on and off my horse, and even started having pain walking on the treadmill, I knew it was time! I was always very athletic and active and that took a sudden decline the months leading up to surgery.
Hi Charlie
I like you went to the doctors thinking I had a groin strain that wasn't clearing up. And was mortified learning after xrays I had osteoarthritis of my left hip. I am 57 and always kept myself fit. However the pain progressed and was having cortisone injections every 6 month for 2 year, however in the end they wernt having any affect. You will know yourself when the time is right. Don't go into it lightly though if you can function quite well I would wait a bit, I had the posterior approach and recovery was long and hard work. But 4 months post op and I have just returned to my manual job can walk miles and cycle of road 30 mile 3 times a week all pain free, so when you do decide to have it done eventually you will really feel the benefit. But the fitter you are with a good body weight going into the op will help your recovery. And by the way this site is great for receiving advice from people whose been there and really helped me with some decisions.
Good look.
I waited till I couldn't take it anymore..I had my left hip done...i was bone on bone
I would research stem cell if you are only moderate..
> If your a big guy don't let them go anterior go postier. had not heard that before... what is the rationale? i am 6'3 240lbs, pretty good shape, used to work out/run/jog/p90, etc all the time. all that is done. if i do any of that now i get bad pain. thanks for the input.
58, and stopped doing all my exercises. have altered my behavior around it. simple example, going to home depot, i am in and out with as few steps as possible. no more cruising around. another simple example, parking and going tailgating, which requires walking around, forget that. no way i can walk more than maybe .25 miles without my leg being exhaused. thanks for the input.
so you have decided to get the surgery? what pushed you over the edge?
sounds like me exactly. i could go on and on with this, managing the pain, not doing anything, but not sure i want to. i do everything in spurts now, then stop, go again, stop, go again, etc. and mentally it is draining knowing that even though the pain is subsided, it will not heal!!! ugggg
thanks phillip, glad your doing well. i am 58 and used to do alot of exercising... i really enjoy it... not to mention other life activities... not it is all managed, or slowed, or stopped, which is a pain in the rear itself...
>I have just returned to my manual job can walk miles and cycle of road 30 mile 3 times a week all pain free, so when you do decide to have it done eventually you will really feel the benefit. THAT IS GREAT! and truth be told, it is so depressing knowing that despite my efforts to reduce the pain, it will not heal...mentally if feel i am just delaying the inevitable... which is also mentally exhausting... thanks again for the input.
Hi Charlie. If you have reduced activity to help manage pain then your fitness and muscle tone are going to suffer if you're not careful. Look at all the hip exercises for after the op. Start doing them now to keep yr muscles in reasonable condition. This helps after the op. I can fully understand how you feel. I was 51 when I was told I needed a hip replacement. What!!!?? 😳.
Anyhow, I'm 53 and just had 2nd one. Glad I just got on and did them. I can do all the things I want to with no pain or meds. Just some slight modifications to preserve my hips so they last.
Good luck with whatever you decide.
Denise
In my case I saw a surgeon who said I would be in a wheelchair in six months if I did not have a new hip. I was not too bad when I saw him but I did go downhill over time. In the end I was in agony and could not even leave the house. I was not nervous before the op because I was in so much pain and was worried silly the op would be cancelled. It is very much up to you how much you can put up with before you have an op as it is a major op, but pretty incredible. The thing is it will get worse over time rather than getting better. Also the surgery is more difficult if you leave it as well. I suppose that is the surgeon’s problem though.
Yes I’m going to have it eventually, and aside from being tired of the pain the ONLY thing that convinced was these nice people!!!!!
Hi charlie.
Sorry that all this is going on with you right now. I had my 1st hip (left) replaced 11 years ago due to OA. I had problems with my hip when I was younger. Then diagnosed with OA in 2000. The replacement took place in2006 as pain was getting so bad and getting me down.
In the latter part of 2016, my righ hip started playing up and my G.P.s registrar said that it was nothing. He referred me to a physio, who also said it was nothing. I was suffering from a lot of back pain as well. I told him it wouldn't hurt to have hip xrayed would it, if nothing showed up would have to rethink. So back to G.P. who arranged for xray and the report came back as "degenerative wear and tear!" Which to me said O.A! My G.P asked what I wanted to do so I TOLD him I wantd it replaced as not going to wait 6 years like before plus I'm not getting any younger. So in April last year, I went on the waiting list and had it done on 27th Dec! Best decision made!
What you have to ask yourself as well is "how long are you willing to wait before you do anything about it?" "Can you put up with it for now?" My advice would be to get it sorted now if possible - sooner rather than later. The technology and techniques are much more advanced now to try and aid recovery. Obviously a lot of input before and after has to come from you!! I am 47 with quite a physical job. When I went back to work, my colleagues were telling me to SLOW DOWN!!! I told them I was now bionic!! Good luck. Keep us informed. Sorry for long post!
Most important point: get the BEST and experienced you can get. As far as approaches, let the surgeon decide on what he is most experienced with. Few more early precautions with Posterior but seems to be less long term problems. Had mine at 65 a few years ago. It was time when I had a hard time getting on my Harley and the painful lump I had for a few years. Very glad I had it done as it only gets worse. Say again, the Best Surgeon
thak you denise. i modified my high intensity workouts to low intensity. i walk a little bit, ride a stationary bike maybe 1.5 to 2 miles a day, lift weights daily, light then heavy alternating days, stretch the hip out at least every other day, do the eliptical machine about 1 mile a day, and basically try to keep moving. all while hoping i don't ruin the joint to a point where it is super bad and can't be replaced. that is part of my mental dilemma