Hip Pain?

The subject came up in another topic, but as it seems many of us are getting older and feeling a few aches and pains, I thought this might put a few minds at rest.
If you've already had a hip or knee replaced..."Look away now."

About five years ago I started to think I had some sort of groin strain as I found it slightly painful raising my left leg to get in my car. I also found it progressively painful mowing the lawn. I use a Flymo and have always used it swinging it back and forth in an arc like a scythe, rather than going up and down as I got a better finish with it. I also found it kept me awake sometimes at night and I could only sleep on my right side. I kept thinking "groin strain" rather than hip, because that's where I though the pain was, but in the end I realised as it wasn't getting better it must be something else so I went to the doctor. The real bad news was that it hurt swinging a golf driver and my game went to pot, so I stopped playing.

He thought it sounded like hip so arranged for an X-Ray last June. This confirmed serious erosion of the left joint, but the right was OK. We both put it down to the years I'd played team squash (until I was fifty) and the constant turning on that leg, being left handed.
He arranged an appointment with a consultant/surgeon, who after another X-Ray confirmed that I needed a new hip.
Now the funny bit. My wife is an avid reader of all things "medical" and had cut out a piece in a magazine about a new hip joint available. They are all plastic and you don't set of alarms in airports if you have one. I showed this to the consultant who told me; "they didn't use them."
My operation was arranged for mid September and as I was going into the operating theatre, the same consultant told me he was going to give one of the new expensive plastic hips as I was "young enough and fit enough" for it to be worthwhile. (No I couldn't keep a straight face either). He must have looked them up after the consultation but given the number of ops. he does, had forgotten it was me who told him about them.
I've since found out these hips are available on the NHS, but you usually have to ask for them. Apparently, with the conventional steel hips, 90% of the wear occurs in the first year. The new one have minimal wear and "last a lifetime." Also the bone re-grows over where the joint is attached to the pelvis, making it even stronger.

They have you on your feet the day after the operation on a Zimmer frame (good practice for later life?), then a couple of days later you're on crutches. The physios let you home after six days if you can manage to walk up two flights of stairs using one crutch and carrying the other.
There's exercises to do which are painful. Also you mustn't cross your legs as that can cause a dislocation.
The most important thing is that you must elevate the leg at all times when you're sitting or in bed as after the operation it swells up to an unbelievable size and this takes a few months to go down although it isn't painful. In fact you're painfree immediately after the operation, the pain with the exercises comes from the muscles, you've now no nerves around your hip.
You're s'posed to work up walking a mile a day after three months. Me being stupid, worked up to that after five weeks, down to the village and back again after a rest (and a pint in the pub, but my wife doesn't know about that) but I needed to get fit quickly because of my wife's disability.

But I think the medical advice is a bit "nanny state." Most people are aware of their capabilities. Now at my age, never mind "going for the burn" or "fighting through the pain barrier," I've now come round to the point of view of an old family doctor to whom I used to go with the occasional sports injury in my youth, who always said; "If it hurts, don't do it."

I went for my check-up after six weeks. I thought my consultant/surgeon had done a brilliant job, as he'd told me after the operation that he'd had to chisel off several calcified spurs round the joint and then work out where to fit the new one! I had visions of ending up with one leg longer than the other! But it was perfect. I brought him in a bottle of Glenfiddich as a thank-you, which took him aback a bit. He thanked me and said "Ooo! I can put this on my appraisal!"
I dunno if the inducement was enough for him to say I could bin the crutches (my wife drove me made telling me to use them all the time) and I could go back driving now (you have to be "cleared to drive" in case your insurance uses it as a "bale out" if you have an accident) and he said I could play golf as soon as I felt fit enough. I played my first eighteen holes for five months, eight weeks after the operation. People who knew me before, say they can't tell I've had the operation.

Anyway, the point is...

Anyone suffering with a dodgy hip should get it done straight away. It's no good putting it off. It's now a common-place operation. Many of my golfing friends have had similar operations and they all say they wished they'd got it done earlier rather than putting up with the constant pain as some of us of our generation tend to do.

I hope these ramblings help anyone who may think they're in a similar situation.

 

I had a hip replacement in 1999, it wasn't steel (probably titanium - a Charnley unit). I was back cycling after 25 days although I wasn't allowed to drive for 7 weeks. I have cycled over 30,000 miles since the op. I too, recommend you to get it done, it makes life a lot easier.

 

I was in orthopaedic theatres when they started doing hip joint replacements. Boy have they moved on. My advice to any body suffering the excruciating pain and stiffness from an arthritic hip is get a new one. The reason is simple. They take away the bit that's causing the pain. That's it.
Doghouse those spurs are natures way of stopping the joint moving hence the stiffness and pain. Left to it's own a wheelchair is the probable outcome. I am glad to hear you have done so well.
Although so commonly done it is still very major surgery so don't expect to be in and out of hospital in 24 hours.

 

Thanks DR for all that info. I dont suffer but I have filed that info away for future referance

 

I have rheumatoid arthritis and am in excrutiating pain with my left hip every day, the consultants won't replace it because I am too young!!!!! I am 30, surely giving me the op would be beneficial....

 

Someone mentioned elsewhere that if it's a knee and the patient is a woman, make sure it's a woman's knee they use!

The possibility of mistakes I guess is always there. I had my operation in the brand new tauma wing of Wythenshawe Hospital as there were no beds immediately available in the elective surgery unit. This had two wards each with a general ward and six single wards with en-suite wet rooms and toilet and I was lucky enough to be given one of these. I in no way put this down to the influence of the surgeon.. err.. a fellow golfer.
Despite all the modern technology, before my trip to the theatre, they made me sign to say I agreed which hip they were going to replace, then they marked my leg with a big arrow in felt tip pen!
The experience was of no real significance apart from the temporary discomfort and you're left with just a six inch scar. The big dressing they put over the wound you don't really notice as it's it's towards the back of your thigh.
It was not until I saw the X-Ray taken during the six-week check-up that it struck me. It looked like something out of Robocop!

 

From what I've been told, the life of conventional hip replacements is around twenty years.
It might be the case that your consultant thinks that you might need the same operation again at fifty and then again at seventy. There's a possibility that a second operation might not be as successful. The guy across the road from me had his done twenty years ago and is having trouble again. I suggested he asked his doctor to send him to my consultant, which he did. The result was the surgeon thought it too risky at his age and decided on drugs and injections to improve his situation.
A friend with a similar sports history to myself and of a similar age has had both hips done twice. The first time with some "dodgy hips" they used a few decades ago and then again fifteen years ago, now he needs them done again.

Now I know there may be other reasons why they won't replace your hip, but it might be worth asking about the new non-metal hips that they say "last a lifetime." They are available on the NHS. (My surgeon made a passing slightly sarcastic remark when he smiled and told me he was going to use a new one "Mr Brown will be pleased.") Not every health authority offers them because of the cost. But they can't refuse to use one if you ask for one, if that's the only reason they refuse.
They were specifically made available for younger more active people, rather than us old folks.

 

Interesting story, DH. As you see, I run a forum for hip and knee replacement patients and we hear a lot of different recovery stories. You did well in your recovery. But I have been hunting around, talking to some surgeons I know and have yet to track down this plastic hip of which you speak. I even spoke to the theatre sister at Wythenshawe and she hadn't heard of it either. Can you give me any more clues?

Rhyleysgranny, I beat you on that! I worked with McKee and Watson Farrar at the Norfolk and Norwich back in 1959 when they were the only people in the world doing hip replacements! They were still deciding on the design and so we only had two in stock at any one time because they kept changing it. The implants were hand ground by a "little man" in the back room of London Splint, long since swallowed up by bigger firms. As a result, each cup and stem had unique identity numbers and we had to check and check again to make sure we had a matching pair. When I left there and worked in other hospitals, I couldn't understand why no-one else was doing hip replacements. I'd had no idea the N&N was unique in that. But then Charnley hit the scene and it all suddenly became routine! Just to add to that, I also scrubbed for the very first knee replacement ever done anywhere! McKee did that too.

The life of a hip or knee replacement is actually currently running at about 30 years and probably a lot longer. There was a lady (don't know if she's still alive or not) that in 2007, had had her hip 45 years! You can read about it here 45 years life span for a hip replacement!!. Considering she had that hip put in about 1962, and considering the advancement in metallurgy, bio-mechanics and surgical techniques, I have every confidence we are already seeing joint replacements that will "last a lifetime".

Hamphsirenovice, you are unlucky to be seeing a surgeon who works on such old, out of date protocols. There are many surgeons now who specialise in joint replacement in the young - and I'm talking about 20 yr olds! Quality of life it what counts, not years. Why waste your life? It's far too precious and none of us knows what tomorrow will bring. PM me and talk to me about it. I'll help you if I can.

 

Thank you all, I have discovered something else which helps with the pain, hydrotherapy. It's fabulous i've only just started it but when I have had a session I am completely pain free!

It's so good i'm tempted to save up and have my husband install a warm spa into the garden :hehe:

I think i'll persevere with more natural methods before really pressing for surgery. It is good to know that they last 30 odd years or so though.