Hip pain + growth in joint (female in late 20's)

missbirdbones

Hello! Well, I was first diagnosed with arthritis in my right hip when I was 21. (Via an x-ray.) That was seven years ago. I was in Tae Kwon Do at the time, and investigated my hip pain after a muscle sprain. Since then, I haven't been a very active person, so the hip pain hasn't seriously impacted my life. Over the years, it mainly bugged me after I exercised, or after I stayed very still for awhile, or when the weather was especially wet and rainy. (Which is pretty frequent around here.)

This year, I decided to try the gym again. I was cautious about it, sticking to the stationary bike, the elliptical, walking on the treadmill, and doing low reps and light weights on the other machines. Well, it still hurt me. I hurt afterwards, and the next morning, and ever since then. A week ago, I saw a new doctor for a routine check up, and mentioned this issue, and she said that this wasn't normal for someone my age.

So she x-rayed both of my hips, and they both have arthritis. The right one is worse. It actually has some kind of growth in it, that she said looked like a cyst. The radiographer also listed fibrous dysplasia or enchondroma as possibilities. I am a little freaked out by the word "growth." No one has mentioned the word "malignant," but I am still scared. I should be getting a call soon from a rheumatologist to set up an appointment. Until then, I am quietly and calmly obsessing about it.

For the past week, I've been hyper-aware of my hip pain. I notice how quickly they start aching and hurting when I'm walking through the store, or when I go up the stairs. How angry they get when I'm at my desk. How they scrape and pop and hurt terribly if I shift position too suddenly. I also notice that my lower back hurts, and my legs hurt, and my knees hurt. Are my hips so xxxx that even moderate exercise worsens them significantly?

The doctor mentioned RA as a possible concerned, but I don't think I have that. She ran blood work, and it came back normal. But I do worry a LOT about how much worse my hips are going to get in the years to come.

Anywho, anyone with similar experiences who has advice or stories or theories would be much appreciated.


Edited for language.
Mod B

dreamdaisy

Hello, it's nice to meet you but I am not sure how much help I can be. I have two forms of arthritis, psoriatic (an auto-immune kind) and the joint damage from that has led to OA in both knees, both ankles and my right hip. I have bony growths on both knees - this is the body trying to help itself, it makes more bone to spread the load and that increases the pain - some help. I am under the care of a rheumatologist for the former condition and my GP for the latter - it may be worth your starting a diary of what hurts, how much, when, what eases or aggravates, whether things are worse in cold and damp weather and easier in warmer times or vice-versa. This will help the rheumatologist gain a better overall picture of what is going on with you.

I have to go and do my meds now, I'll be back later. I wish you well and try not to fret too much, OK? Medic-speak is always scary and always google responsibly. DD

barbara12

Hello and welcome to the forum
I really do feel for you being so young and having to deal with this, the knee pain could be coming from the hip..referred pain I was told..you do need some proper advice has to why you have OA at such a young age, and what you could do about it..IE are you deficient in anything Vit D calcium, and quite a few other things..we still need to exercise but there is arileif you are still in pain an hour later then you have done too much..think that is right :? you do need to make a list of everything you can think of ..when the pain started were it is how bad and any other symptoms this will help who ever you see..have you been refereed to a rheumy at all and I think Physio would be a big help to you ..sorry if you are already seeing these people my head is not awake yet..has for the growth could it not be extra bone I had this on my hips...my body trying to compensate they say... :roll: good luck witheverything

ouchpotato

I was also going to say that the growth mentioned is probably a bone growth. As Barbara said our bones try and heal themselves when damaged and this comes in the form of extra bone.
I am new to this malarkey (not to OA, just to being diagnosed). I've had back and hip problems for years, since I was about 19 but have only recently been diagnosed with OA in my spine, facet joints, hands, wrists, shoulders and knees. I suspect my hips are also affected but they have not been xrayed, I think once you are confirmed with OA another joint doesn't matter as far as the medics are concerned!
Try not to worry too much; you learn to adapt (I'm still learning), and this forum is a great help. Lovely people who are there to listen, be it to good news or bad, or just a rant.

Take care

x

missbirdbones

Thank you very much for your replies, everyone! Your posts are so informative and helpful. (I kept a diary of my pain for a few weeks, prior to my appointment.) My diagnosis, however, was not what I expected.

I went to see the rheumatologist, and apparently, the radiologist assessed my hips as arthritis free. This came as quite a shock to me, since my right hip was diagnosed with arthritis when I was 21. (I have the report right here -- "views of the right hip demonstrate unchanged acetabular spurring with normal hip joint space on the right. ... Stable degenerative change." The doctor interpreted these results with one written line: "minimal arthritis.")

I know what bone spurs are. Do they ever just go away? Why are my hip joints now described as NORMAL? My doctor said they looked arthritic, but the radiologist said they looked fine. I got an MRI on my right hip done, and I got the results today, and again, "no arthritis found." Just the BLOB in my hip, which has been described as a cyst and now a legion. The lady on the phone says it is "concerning" but that it was described in the report as "non aggressive." Anyway, I'm being referred to a hip surgeon.

I am obsessing over this a bit, and am annoyed, because I have heard conflicting things. (I tore my ACL years ago, and I had to see three doctors before it was properly diagnosed, so it has made me very wary.) My left hip bugs me, too, but it was deemed normal and healthy by the radiologist.

I know this forum is really just for arthritis, but has anyone here had a bone cyst without arthritis? (I am not convinced that I don't have arthritis, but we'll see what the surgeon says.)

Thanks!

barbara12

Hi
Its no wounder you are confused , think I would would want a proper explanation of why someone say your hip are arthritic and then others say not..I did have this with my knee and they said it was because the scan on my knee wasn't conclusive...but yet an xray was.. :?
Right the growth..I had a scan of my spine and they found a benign fatty growth..wounder if this could be the same...if you are so worried I would ring the consultants secretary and tell her that you are really worried over this...I have learned that you need to speak up for yourself or they don't listen..it awful how they just say things like this and not explain them properly..
Bone spurs can wear down ,this is another stage of arthritis...I haven't reached that yet..I do wish you well with everything...

missbirdbones

Thank you for your quick replies! You all know a lot!

In terms of the type of legion, here is what the report says: "Hip joints and sacroiliac joints are normal. There is a well-defined circumscribed
lucent lesion within the proximal left femur just below the
intertrochanteric region, measuring 2.5 x 2.2 cm. It has a thin
sclerotic margin and no internal calcification. Osseous structures are
otherwise normal."

Now I am very irritated, because for some reason the written report says the LEFT femur, when the doctor said it was the RIGHT side, and the MRI was taken of my RIGHT hip. I called them today to find out what is going on, and they'll "get back to me." Not feeling a lot of trust right now, LOL.

I'm not too scared of medical terms...coincidentally enough, I'm taking a medical terminology course right now, and am learning to break down terms to their various parts. I still haven't learned many of these word parts, though!

barbara12

Now don't quote me on this but I do think that no internal calcification is good ..not a clue how I know this I may have googled it when I had my scan ..please let us know how you get on..