New member, recently diagnosed with hip arthritis at a very active 35, advice plz?

Fergie7

Hi All, I signed up to hopefully read up on other peoples experiences and look for advice from people who have been through similar. I was previously very active playing football and training muay thai and seem to have ruined my right hip in the process, to the point I was unable to play football at all without a lot of discomfort.

I thought I had maybe torn something or just needed to stretch or do some strengthening of hips / surrounding muscles but was told a few days ago that I have bad arthritis in my right hip which is beyond any help, and it's now a case of managing it until I will no doubt require a hip replacement. This has been quite a shock to me and what I'm struggling with now is whether I try to continue to do the things I love, and wear my hip out much faster. Or adapt my current lifestyle to try to stay as pain free for as long as possible. I also haven't been one for taking supplements but I very much welcome any advice on specific products that people have benefitted from taking?

Thanks for reading!

PeterJ

Hello @Fergie7 and welcome to the community. We are a friendly and supportive group and I hope that that will be your experience as well.

I understand that you have arthritis in your hip and are looking for advice about supplements to take. Our website is a good place to start as it contains useful information about arthritis, treatments, hints and tip and so on. To help I've put a couple of links in below which might be of use.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/osteoarthritis-oa-of-the-hip/

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/complementary-and-alternative-treatments/types-of-complementary-treatments/diet-and-nutritional-supplements/

Please do keep posting and let us know how you are getting on and I am sure others will connect with you to share their thoughts and experiences as well.

With very best wishes

Peter

Samm

Hi Fergie,

Thanks for sharing your story, it stood out to me as I browsed the forum because it is so similar to my own!

I’m 36 and also did martial arts for a long time, as well as many other forms of exercise.

I was diagnosed with OA about a month ago, and I’m currently waiting on a referral to orthopaedics to find out more.

Like you I want to stay physically active but I don’t want to accelerate my joint deterioration. I’ve stopped running after specifically being told not to by doctors, and I’ve started swimming instead. I am also booked in with the ‘well-being’ council led service who give you an exercise program to follow at the gym, so I hope I can get some cross training in. I’m also going to carry on exercise like dancing/aerobics and pilates. I’ve bought some walking poles to help take the weight off my hips when we do our long walks.

Have you asked for any specific advice or help regarding exercise?

I’ve been taking a daily omega 3 supplement for about 3 years now.

Fergie7

Thanks for the response @Samm ,

I got some general guidance from the specialist advising to take up swimming or cycling, I don't have a massive interest in either but willing to give them a go if it keeps me active.

I plan on speaking to the gym to find out if their PT's are qualified to advise on this or if they have a physio in-house. I am so used to intense workouts and sports, I really hope I can still work out in the same manner. I am thinking I may be able to get away with boxing on it's own and ditching the kicks etc, not sure if the twisting will still agitate it though!

I have been taking cod liver oil and turmeric as well as ibuprofen when needed. If anyone has any positive experiences with anything else please let me know!

JenHB

I was very active up until last year and then after a cycle holiday in August my left knee became very swollen - went to a sports physio as I was meant to be running a half marathon the next month. This quickly snowballed into being sent to the GP for bloods and then referred to rheumatology. I've now been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and am on Methotrexate. I've also started doing a bit of swimming (don't really have much interest in it though!) The consultant told me that I'm ok to get back to gentle running so am using a run-walk technique and have now done about 5 miles. I've also just got back from volunteering at the Commonwealth Games (some early starts and on my feet all day). Hopefully now I'm home my body doesn't decide that it's had enough!

The main thing is that I'm trying to give a positive story (although I'm aware I've got a different type of arthritis). Potentially ask for a second opinion about running - as I was terrified that I would be told I should stop completely.

Samm

Thanks Fergie & Jen,

I hope you are both doing well!

I finally saw the orthopaedic consultant after a 6 month wait and they have given me the green light to pretty much do any exercise within my own limits. I am more of a 5k fan than anything with running and the doctor said that’s fine. I came away feeling happy as I was previously getting caught up in what I “couldn’t” do and think over time this would have brought my mood down.

I’ve also seen a physio who gave some simple but effective exercises like strengthening my hip flexors with a resistance band, and she showed me how to modify a squat to a high box squat whilst using a band to add resistance. I do that at the gym now, and again it’s alleviated the negative feeling I got that I “couldn’t” squat.

I feel more empowered to help myself through exercise now.

CliveClive

Hi Fregie7, I've had hip replacement after noticing a decline over the years, which started as a small pain. I would recommend you keep exercising as much as possible and strengthen the muscles around the hip. If your hip declines in time, you have to make the decision of what you need to do regarding replacement but only you can decide. Good luck with the exercise.