Moderate to severe osteoarthritis in right hip

Nev

Hi. I have an appointment in April to discuss what my treatment plan is. I have the X-ray that I requested and it looks like bone on bone to me and I’m in constant pain. Do I have the right to refuse an injection as many people I have spoken to say they don’t last very long. Can I refuse and ask to be put on a waiting list for a new hip. I’m 59 in a few weeks and I’ve heard I might be too young. Thanks for any advice you can provide.

helpline_team

Hi @Nev

Thanks for your post to the Helpline. If you are wanting some peer input from other members you might want to also post on the Living with arthritis — Versus Arthritis thread.

Some steroid injections start to relieve pain within hours and the effects should last about a week. Other steroid injections take around a week to become effective but can ease your symptoms for two months or longer. How quickly the treatment works, and how long it lasts will also depend on your condition. Your GP will advise on which is the most suitable.

It may be worth thinking about surgery if pain and stiffness are having a big impact on your daily activities, or if you’re no longer able to manage your symptoms and this is affecting your quality of life. There are no age limits for having hip replacement surgery. However, replacement joints do eventually wear out, so the younger you are when you have surgery, the more likely it is that you’ll need further surgery at some point in the future.

You can find out more here

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/treatments/surgery/hip-replacement-surgery/

Please do discuss with your GP all options and what symptoms you are experiencing. I hope that this is helpful

Best wishes

Helen, Helpline

Anna

Hello @Nev and welcome to the online community,

I hope you’ve found the response from our Helpline useful, and as Helen said, if you’d like to hear from other members about their experiences with OA of the hip, steroid injections and hip replacement surgery, do check out the Living with Arthritis forum ( link above).

I understand how difficult it can be talking to medical professionals so I’ve posted a link below to a page from the Versus Arthritis website which might help you plan your meeting so that you feel able to have a balanced discussion about what’s the best treatment for you:

https://versusarthritis.org/news/2023/june/how-can-i-prepare-for-a-doctor-s-appointment-if-i-have-arthritis/

Do let us know how you get on,

Anna ( Moderator)

swimmer60

@New

No, you're not too young. A woman at my swimming pool had both hips done in her early fifties.

In my experience if your hip is bone on bone, an injection will be no use at all.