hi,first post so hear I go...


I'm currently dealing with osteoarthritis in my right hip...I'm 38 have had it now for 4 years,
I'm as many very active love gym etc...my symptoms are as follows...
Very tight in groin
Opposite hip flexor very tight.
Limping
Walking for a period of 30 mins aggeatates it..especially on uneven ground.
Putting shoes socks on is hard work
Sometimes get a feeling of the joint locking,but in tilting hips in a certain way it unclicks itself
Sleeping ok
Any sudden move of the hip..get a shooting pain..




I find spinning,general strength training, swimming and body pump seem to help in keeping the joint at a point
Were it's  ok to deal with..never great but certainly better than doing nothing...
No impact exercises..


I currently take one 500mg naproxen a day it takes the edge off with the exercise...


I find everyday to be different when I think I may be saw I'm not and vice versa!!


I saw a specialist who was not to keen on hip resurfacing even saying they are not doing it anymore...


I want to be active not to all of a sudden do a marathon but to do what I do now without the constant above feelings....


I'm after any advice on medication...advice on seeking out hip resurfacing advice...


Just after some general help.

Welcome to the board Ck.


Wow, your story sounds awfully familiar. I went through almost exactly what you did and at the same age. I'm 39 and had both hips done 9 months ago. My right hip was completely shot and the left was headed in the same direction. I had both done so I could just endure ONE recovery. I could not be happier with my decision.


Like you, I found exercise very, very helpful up until the very end. I'm a mountain biker and rode A LOT the last several years and found I had less pain when I was riding a lot. Of course impact exercise was out of the question and had been for years. I started having problems at about 33 or so and was running a lot at the time. Personally, I never liked the Naproxen. I didn't notice much help from it and it agitated my stomach.


As far as resurfacing, you'll find it is not at all well thought of by those in the Ortho community who are not familiar with it... which is nearly everyone. I saw several specialists and all wanted me to have traditional THR even though they all told me I'd wear them out and need to have revisions. I finally managed to get one THR Surgeon to admit he just plain didn't know much about resurfacing but from what he did know, he said I was an IDEAL candidate and thought I'd do great. You'll find that surgeons are likely to be big fans of the kind of surgery that they are most comfortable with. On this forum people will tell you to get several opinions and ideally get them from surgeons that do both THR and Resurfacing to get as honest and unbiased opinions as possible.


Get yourself some X-rays and maybe an MRI and send the info to some of the surgeons you find listed here. You'll be amazed at how helpful they are. Most have forms you can download and fill out on their websites and they'll get back to you. Quite often the surgeon himself will call and discuss your case with you.


There's plenty of us here who couldn't be happier with our resurfaced hips and it sounds like you're very likely an excellent candidate.


Good luck!

What Quig said.


Seriously, read the articles and stories posted here. Get some fresh X-rays and send them out to a few hip resurfacing specialists and see if you are a candidate. The process takes awhile, so best to get it started. You can read up on the doctors in the meantime, really study their websites.


Where do you live? Man or woman? Tougher for a woman to find a doctor, but do-able.


Can't speak about Naproxin. I took Advil. The last year of my old hips I was trying not to take the max amount allowed by the label on OTC version. It took the edge off, but I knew there were side effects, like kidney damage and issues with new bone being laid down. I remembered what happened to Sean Elliot. Those pain killers are a good stop gap measure, but you shouldn't keep taking them.


(I am fourteen months out and do everything! Okay, maybe not as much as I would like, I am keeping my running at 10K max, but I am running. Experimenting with some new activities now, stuff involving squats and jumps and lateral movement. So far so good.)


Dr Gross
bilat

 :) Ck. Hip resurfacing is world wide. Even in NZ a bloke does it. Check others out depending on what country. The list is here. Sounds like you need help. Cheers K

Ck,
You sound like a good candidate for a resurfaced hip... There are plenty of reputable surgeons listed here on this site to get you going again.

When OTC extra strength Advil, or Aleve (I'd go from one & switch to the other every week to give the medications a chance to continue working since sometimes your body gets used to it & it's not as effective) taken with extra strength Tylenol weren't as effective, I was put on Tylenol 3.  When that wasn't enough, I was given Naproxen 500 taken 2X daily to go with the T3 on really bad days.  I was on it for a very long time. On that high a dose, it gave me a terrible headache.  1000 mg was too much for me but it helped with the severe pain.


Unfortunately, Naproxen at a high dose can make your blood pressure rise.  And honestly, if you are now at that level of medication, hopefully a surgeon will see that you do need surgical intervention for your hip pain.  With the high doses & the length of time I was on them, not only did I end up with high blood pressure (170/95) but I also ended up with the start of suspected stomach ulcers (retching & painful gut).  I was put on BP meds & had to stop taking pain meds until my body healed up a bit.  Luckily, once the ball got rolling & I was able to get an appointment with my surgeon, I was put on a cancellation list & was fast tracked. 
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