Aches and low mood

rambler70_

Hi.

I've gone from being a fit 70year old to a geriatric in a matter of a few weeks .Started with what I thought was muscle strain in my thigh and buttock to being diagnosed with moderate arthritis in both hips .Waiting to see a physio ( nhs ! )..doing exercises but seem to ache everywhere from the waist down .I have been a keen rambler and now I just feel old and depressed 😔. Any advice please ?

RogerBill

Hi @rambler70_ I had a similar experience in February. I'm 69 and previously enjoyed ten mile walks then couldn't manage to walk or stand for more than fifteen minutes. I was fortunate in quickly being able to self refer and get to see an NHS funded physio (in Cambridgeshire the service is provided by Dynamichealth). They gave me exercises and I had fortnightly appointments.

Like you I thought my problem was some sort of muscle strain because the pains were mostly in my thigh, not the hip. But based on moving my leg around and watching me walk, etc the physio said it was osteoarthritis. They said it could take three or even six months for the exercises to yield much improvement. Unfortunately in my case three months of doing all the exercises yielded no improvement and so they referred me for an x-ray which confirmed I had severe osteoarthritis in the left hip and mild in the right. I was in the extremely fortunate position of being able to afford a private hip replacement operation which I had done five weeks ago. I'm already doing 40 minute 1.16 mile walks twice a day albeit at a slow 1.9mph.

Between having the x-ray and my operation I discovered the exercise programme posted by Lou Grant. She's a physio based in Leeds who had a hip replacement a few years ago and her website contains quite a lot of free information on exercises, etc. I've no training in physiotherapy or anything but I thought her exercises and advice generally seemed sensible.

Hopefully if your arthritis is moderate rather than severe, and is causing aches rather than pain you will find yourself in a better position than I was to benefit from exercises.

rambler70_

Hi.Thanks for your comments. So glad things are on the up for you .

May have to consider paying for my first physio appointment just so I can get a proper assessment. Hoping to do a 5 mile walk with friends tomorrow. Not sure how that will go !

Lilymary

Hi @rambler70_ , I have a similar story. Fit fell walker at 61, reduced to just about getting round a supermarket in a matter of a few months due to hip arthritis. I had mine replaced 6 months ago but it's been a slow recovery for me.

As @RogerBill says, it can take some months for physio to show any improvement, but in my case the damage was so far gone by the time it reared its ugly head that any exercise at all was simply too painful. But I would recommend finding a good private physio as soon as possible for a proper assessment and an exercise regime suited to where you are now, and review periodically to see if the regime needs to change along with your mobility levels. It's not that expensive in the scheme of things, and the waiting lists for NHS treatment don't bear thinking about, and in my locality at least they are limited in what they offer.

The "old and depressed" scenario is understandable, but it is temporary. We are lucky that there is treatment for this condition (albeit surgery), and your life will improve. This bit is just particularly hard.

Where are you in your treatment? Has your GP prescribed painkillers (albeit they only dull the pain to keep you vaguely mobile) and referred you to an MSK consultant or orthopedic surgeon? You may find steroid injections will improve your mobility - they don't work for everyone, but some get some relief from this while waiting for hip replacement.

Coddfish

Hi @rambler70_

I am 64, female, had been very fit prior to the last 18 months or so. I think I first knew there was something wrong with my right hip in 2012 as I started regularly feeling stiff. I saw a private physio, who thought I might have arthritis but also that I could probably manage it with exercise. That proceeded to be the case for more than 7 years, mainly through running, swimming and gym work. 2020, particularly the lockdown period, was a catalogue of seeming small injuries to the muscles around the hip, together with more stiffness. 2021 brought more of the same with fairly debilitating stiffness. After a particularly bad few days when I reached the realisation I wouldn’t be able to run again unless I did something, I went back to the physio in June 2021. He immediately pointed at my hip and recommended I got an X-ray. He told me he’d just tried to get some imaging organised for another client and had been quoted an 8 week NHS turnaround, asked if I could afford to see someone privately. So I went off to see a hip consultant privately and ended up having my hip replaced by him on 7th September in my local Spire hospital. Not sure whether you can afford any of this privately but physio where I am is around £60 a session. The consultant charged £200 for a private consultation, the hospital charged £160 for X-rays. The operation itself and aftercare was a fixed price package at around £13k.

I am so glad I had the surgery. 8 weeks on I am better than I have been at any point in the last year, possibly last the 18 months. Life is pretty well back to normal except I need to heal a bit more before returning to running. I made sure I got a suitable prosthesis to allow this to be possible eventually. At the moment I am back swimming, doing gym work, completing my Saturday parkrun (admittedly as a walker), I am completely off the crutches and without any pain or stiffness.