when should i jump

hopefull

Iwas offerred a thr ( july 13th) but i cancelled as I am not in pain.
on 3 occasions in the last two months I have experienced a sharp pain in my groin on standing from sitting.
I am concerned by how quickly my situation will deteriorate.
Is there anything i can do to preserve my hip.
I am interested in stemcell treatment and realise it may be 5 years before we see results of the trials.

speedalong

hopefull wrote:

Iwas offerred a thr ( july 13th) but i cancelled as I am not in pain.
on 3 occasions in the last two months I have experienced a sharp pain in my groin on standing from sitting.
I am concerned by how quickly my situation will deteriorate.
Is there anything i can do to preserve my hip.
I am interested in stemcell treatment and realise it may be 5 years before we see results of the trials.

Hi, tell us more!!
Do you have OA? If your hip has only hurt 3 times in two months - what prompted you to go and see your GP? Have you had severe pain in the past and are now having a good spell? Who offered the chance of the op? Have you seen a consultant? Have you been talked through your x-rays? Why did they offer to do the THR on 13th July? Have you got a past injury/had a past trauma to the hip?

I ask all these questions because most people are in constant pain before being offered a THR or have very limited movement ... consultants don't usually like to operate until they have to, but if your hip is not a problem - I would wait a bit longer because THR are not as a good as a "real" hip - but if you have no choice - then they are better than constant pain and every day life being a constant struggle.

Regular gentle exercise is recommended because strong muscles protect the joint, keeping your weight down is also recommended as this puts less stress on the joint. What you do need to bear in mind that there is will be a waiting list ... The speed of deterioration varies from person to person. I went from having a semi dislocated hip that never seemed to change in terms of OA and suddenly in the space of 9 months I had severe OA and needed as op as soon as possible.

I have asked more questions than I have answered ...

Speedy

tanith

I agree with everything speedalong says... don't jump till you are pushed...
My hip went from a bearable pain to bone on bone grinding 24hr pain in about 4mths but from what you describe I don't understand why you would be offered a THR.. it doesn't make sense as most surgeons want to wait as long as possible and encourage people to hang onto their own hip until they literally cannot bear it any longer and can't sleep or rest because of the pain...
Maybe there are other reasons why you were offered it but until its interferring with your life massively I wouldn't do it if I were you..

I find swimming helps to keep my second hip muscles strong and supportive.. and stave off the time when I shall need to jump

hopefull

I tore a cartalige in my knee about 6 yrs ago which the doctor failed to diagnose.
I saw a locum when he was on holiday 3 yrs later who diagnosed correctly in 5mins and arranged an arthroscopy. The surgeon said it was a classic tear.
My knee was giving me worse pain as the 3 yrs went on and I had been having severe pain in my thigh and walking was becoming difficult.
After the arthroscopy ( which was totally pain free) my knee improved and i was dancing and cycling.
This april I went back to the doctor and asked for a referral to a specialist thinking Ineeded pt or some minor treetment to complete my recovery.( 18 months after the arthroscopy)
I saw the specialist in may and on looking at my xray said i needed a new hip.
Shock horror totally unexpected.

barbara12

Hi hopeful
I was told 18 months ago I needed a THR, my left one and that my right one wasnt far behind.
I was in total shock has you where, when I asked my consultant if he meant sooner then later, his reply was, dont wait till you cant get around, he is one of the consultants at the wrightington hospital, it is renowned for there work on THR and TKR, I wasn't in that much pain then, but now I wished I had gone ahead and had it done.
Whatever dicision you make good luck.
Barbara xx

marion1952

Hi Hopefull

It's a good question. I'm also surprised your consultant has suggested you have a THR if you are not in a lot of pain..

however ...

X-rays showed that I had 'severe' OA of my right hip in December 2008 - which was a big surprise as I only had occasional slight pain in the groin.

I put off being referred to an Orthopaedic Surgeon until December 2009, by which time I was in a helluva lot of pain and could barely walk a few yards, even with 2 walking sticks.

I finally had my hip replaced in May 2010 (10 weeks ago)which was 18 months after first being diagnosed as 'severe' and I so wish I had not waited so long.

So - what I'm trying to say is - even though you are not in much pain now, you could deteriorate rapidly over the next 6 months or so.. If I were you, I would ask the consultant exactly how much cartilage is left in your hip and how long will the hip last... depending on what he says, it might be worth going on the waiting list again ..

Sorry this post has been rather rambling..


Hi Barbara

I didn't know you were going to Wrightington!! That's where I had mine done.. It's absolutely brilliant there. I wouldn't hesitate to go back..

Marion

caravancollie

marion1952 wrote:

Hi Hopefull

It's a good question. I'm also surprised your consultant has suggested you have a THR if you are not in a lot of pain..

however ...

X-rays showed that I had 'severe' OA of my right hip in December 2008 - which was a big surprise as I only had occasional slight pain in the groin.

I put off being referred to an Orthopaedic Surgeon until December 2009, by which time I was in a helluva lot of pain and could barely walk a few yards, even with 2 walking sticks.

I finally had my hip replaced in May 2010 (10 weeks ago)which was 18 months after first being diagnosed as 'severe' and I so wish I had not waited so long.

So - what I'm trying to say is - even though you are not in much pain now, you could deteriorate rapidly over the next 6 months or so.. If I were you, I would ask the consultant exactly how much cartilage is left in your hip and how long will the hip last... depending on what he says, it might be worth going on the waiting list again ..

Sorry this post has been rather rambling..


Hi Barbara

I didn't know you were going to Wrightington!! That's where I had mine done.. It's absolutely brilliant there. I wouldn't hesitate to go back..

Marion

iHi ,
I had my new hip done there last year,
best decision I ever made
Elaine

marion1952

Hi Elaine

I didn't realise you had been there too!
Glad everything is going well for you.

Marion

barbara12

marion1952 wrote:

Hi Hopefull

It's a good question. I'm also surprised your consultant has suggested you have a THR if you are not in a lot of pain..

however ...

X-rays showed that I had 'severe' OA of my right hip in December 2008 - which was a big surprise as I only had occasional slight pain in the groin.

I put off being referred to an Orthopaedic Surgeon until December 2009, by which time I was in a helluva lot of pain and could barely walk a few yards, even with 2 walking sticks.

I finally had my hip replaced in May 2010 (10 weeks ago)which was 18 months after first being diagnosed as 'severe' and I so wish I had not waited so long.

So - what I'm trying to say is - even though you are not in much pain now, you could deteriorate rapidly over the next 6 months or so.. If I were you, I would ask the consultant exactly how much cartilage is left in your hip and how long will the hip last... depending on what he says, it might be worth going on the waiting list again ..

Sorry this post has been rather rambling..


Hi Barbara

I didn't know you were going to Wrightington!! That's where I had mine done.. It's absolutely brilliant there. I wouldn't hesitate to go back..

Marion

Hi Marion, I am so glad it went well for you, you are the first person on here I know of that has been to writington, thankyou for being so positive, it really dose help.
Barbara xx PS I have sent you a PM

helpline_team

hopefull wrote:

Iwas offerred a thr ( july 13th) but i cancelled as I am not in pain.
on 3 occasions in the last two months I have experienced a sharp pain in my groin on standing from sitting.
I am concerned by how quickly my situation will deteriorate.
Is there anything i can do to preserve my hip.
I am interested in stemcell treatment and realise it may be 5 years before we see results of the trials.

Dear Hopeful

Thank you for your posting. I am aware that many forum users have already responded to you. It is not possible to say whether your situation will deteriorate and we would always say to speak to your consultant about your concerns over this. If you follow the link http://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/PublicationsandResources/Arthritisbasics/Typesofarthritis this will lead you to our factsheets. The factsheet ‘Osteoarthritis of the hip’ contains information on managing this condition. I hope that this is helpful.

Best Wishes
Dawn

hopefull

i have been doing a lot of research about stemcell treatment and the announcement that a hospital in oswestory is carrying out a years trial on growing cartalage in knees sounds positive.
a hospital in southampton is already doing a similar op on hips.
what do you think about this revolutionary step.
thanks to all of you sites like this help when you feel alone.
best wishes to you all

helpline_team

Dear Hopefull,

Although the new stem cell research is a positive step for arthritis, it is important to bear in mind that it is still in its beginner stages and is still experimental, so is a long way of from being available as a routine clinical treatment for osteoarthritis.

It’s really good to hear that you are finding such support from our site, remember if you are feeling alone you can always call us on our confidential freephone helpline for a chat.
Best Wishes
Adele