Hip OA at 50. Help!

JGO

Hello all. I have been diagnosed with hip OA with cam impingement in my left hip. Trying to get to grips with how to manage mentally and physically (to delay progress). Was not super sportive but was counting on being active, doing long walks, always took the stairs and loved jogging for 5-10k… all gone now (I think). Pain is there all the time but bearable so trying to avoid taking anti inflammatories.will see a physio from next week to try and workout how to feel better and be mindful. Specialist proposes injections but that seems to me it’s pain management rather than solving progress. Any words of wisdom from those who have experienced something similar would be amazing! On how to manage mentally or physically or those “I wish I had done more of”s …. Thanks a lot in advance

noddingtonpete

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

I understand that you have OA in your hips and looking for advice on how to cope. I hope that others will connect with you to share, but in the meantime have a look at the following from our website.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/managing-symptoms/managing-your-pain/

and

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/managing-symptoms/emotional-wellbeing/

Please keep posting and ley us know how you get on.

With very best wishes

Peter (moderator)

frogmorton

Hi there @JGO

Nice to meet you.

My opinion is it's always best to keep moving. If we stop moving and become immobile all that happens is our muscles get weaker and they will tendons and other malarkey are what keeps our joints in place! (I think)

probably not the running though! Also we get fatter and less likely to be fit for surgery in future.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/exercising-with-arthritis/exercises-for-healthy-joints/

have a look at those I do them and am glad I do. I also walk daily.

Yes you are probably right the injection is there to 'buy time' to an extent, because you are young for surgery. Replacement joints only last so long and revisions are never as good as the original replacements.

Those on here who have had surgery and prepared for it beforehand by keeping active seem to recover better. That's why some areas offer 'joint schools' pre surgery now.

I'm going to be cheeky and link in some of our 'hippies' like @RogerBill and @Lilymary and @LizB12 who are far more experts than me. Hopefully they might happen along with some good tips.

This thread is great:

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/55224/hip-replacement-tips

Take care

Toni x

RogerBill

Hi @JGO The OA in my hip was bone on bone and considered too advanced for injections. However, a friend who is 6ft 6", weighs 18 stone and was in his late 60s had three lots of injections in his knees which worked well and meant he was able to defer having both his knees replaced for more than two or three years. I'm not sure how different hips are to knees in respect of injections but it's something I think I would have tried if it had been an option for me.

Hope you get on well with the physio. I'm sure exercises before and after my hip replacement operation helped build up the muscles to support the hip joint. Before the op they help take pressure off the joint and after the op exercises help repair damage to the muscles and support of the muscles helps prevent dislocation. Perhaps I was fortunate but although before the op I was only able to stand or walk for about 15 minutes, I was able to do most of the recommended exercises without problem. It did take time, effort and there's no denying that it's tedious. But the exercises could all be done at home so no time was wasted travelling to and from a gum or physio.

Losing weight, even if only just a few pounds helps. According to https://www.arthritis.org/health-wellness/healthy-living/nutrition/weight-loss/weight-loss-benefits-for-arthritis "losing one pound of weight resulted in four pounds of pressure being removed from the knees. In other words, losing just 10 pounds would relieve 40 pounds of pressure from your knees."

There's only so much injections and operations can help, the rest is up to us to help ourselves. Also I think putting effort into helping ourselves is a really good way of maintaining a positive mental outlook on all the challenges. Another technique I found helped when I was being treated for cancer was mindfulness. I was fortunate in being able to attend an NHS funded short course on mindfulness which was good and there are lots of books on the techniques.

Sheelee

Hi JGO,

Do you enjoy swimming? It really helped me and is increasingly recognised by physios as being one of the best forms of exercise for arthritis sufferers. It's none weight bearing, so even though you might feel some pain at first as you swim, after a few lengths, the pain abates.

I'm now a few weeks post op, and happily csmr through my op well. Still doing exercises and having to strengthen muscles I wasn't using properly due to the compensatory way we tend to walk when in pain. But I csn get in the pool with some pain and get out pain free. It's a great way of keeping those muscles as healthy as possible.

Whatever you decide yo do, good luck xxx

Sheelee