Tight IT Band, Glute, TFL, etc normal?

[ZAP]

Hi guys as many of you know, I should be getting my surgery in 6 - 12 months in my left hip.  I wanted to find out how common is it to have tight IT band, TFL, Gluduis medius, etc when you have hip arthritis?

My left gluteus medius tightens up to the point I have to sit down just from walking in the super market.  ( A shopping cart does wonders)

Well these tight muscle problems go away after hip resurfacing?

[Lopsided]

Well these tight muscle problems go away after hip resurfacing?

Gradually, and definitely. So long as you keep doing your PT.

[hernanu]

Agree with lop. Your body will rearrange itself once the issues are done.

[ZAP]

But are these symptoms common for hip arthritis?

[Lopsided]

Yes, your muscles and tendons shorten when your joints get arthritic.

[lori.36]

Yes your tendons tighten up to give you less range of motion, so that you do not rub the bones together.  It is the bodys way of handling the pain by compensating.  You will also notice that you will start putting weight on the other leg for longer and then kicking the hip out and then comes the limp.  The next 6 months you will probably see alot of regression of muscles because of the arthritis, it is just what happens when you cant walk.  I was having issues just standing in one place, leaning over on the other side.  You will know when it is time, just plan ahead for the surgery finacially and with appointments.  I do not regret waiting until I could not take it any more, but I am so thrilled that I got the surgery.  I feel like I have a life again, I walk without pain, I am biking with the kids, I have so much ROM, and no pain at night.  I feel normal. 
I am still working on stretching my tight tendons out, but I am now at nearly normal range of motion and I am nearly 3 months (August 11th).  Best of luck with you and your decisions.

[Tin Soldier]

That's why my knee hurt as much or more than the hip before surgey.  It all went away on the left side after initial recovery after my left BHR.  I'm expecting the same for the right side. 

[ScubaDuck]

i can echo all the comments here.

I was a runner until a car wreck 11 years ago.  I kept walking, biking, playing golf (walk and carry bag).  but everything started to tighten up.  Now I will admit that once i stopped running I wasn't s diligent about stretching.

Over the next 7 years I slowly lost range of motion and strength.  It became a struggle to walk.  i still didn't know what was causing it.  So I started stretching more and lifting weights again.  and things got better - less pain and more range of motion.

After about a year I plateaued.  Nothing seemed to help.  Then in December i finally had x-rays that showed severe osteoarthritis in the left hip.  Forunately the right hip only shows minor signs.

As others report my back hurt, my knee hurt, my ankle hurt after just walking.  So I went to an orthopedic doctor who only offered THR - didn't even mention HR.  i found this site since i didn't want to wait for a THR and the limitations that came with that.

So here I sit in my hospital bed after very successful HR this morning.  I walked 7 hours after surgery started with NO HIP PAIN!

Don't wait too long that you create problems with other joints because you are compensating for the pain your hip.

Dan

[ZAP]

i can echo all the comments here.

I was a runner until a car wreck 11 years ago.  I kept walking, biking, playing golf (walk and carry bag).  but everything started to tighten up.  Now I will admit that once i stopped running I wasn't s diligent about stretching.

Over the next 7 years I slowly lost range of motion and strength.  It became a struggle to walk.  i still didn't know what was causing it.  So I started stretching more and lifting weights again.  and things got better - less pain and more range of motion.

After about a year I plateaued.  Nothing seemed to help.  Then in December i finally had x-rays that showed severe osteoarthritis in the left hip.  Forunately the right hip only shows minor signs.

As others report my back hurt, my knee hurt, my ankle hurt after just walking.  So I went to an orthopedic doctor who only offered THR - didn't even mention HR.  i found this site since i didn't want to wait for a THR and the limitations that came with that.

So here I sit in my hospital bed after very successful HR this morning.  I walked 7 hours after surgery started with NO HIP PAIN!

Don't wait too long that you create problems with other joints because you are compensating for the pain your hip.

Dan

WOW!! Thanks.  That sounds great. 

I'm trying a new supplement that is said to "grow the cartilage back" for some and slowed down the break down for others.  I'm suppose to feel a difference in a week.  If it works I will definitely post here.  You guys have been a tremendous help.

[Anniee]

Zap, I think if you found something that will grow the cartilage back, it will be a medical miracle!  Especially if it can make a difference in a week!   What is it called?  I'm very interested to hear the result after your first week.  Best of luck!

[ZAP]

I will definitely post about it in a week and give my results.  I have to admit, I did feel a difference in the very first night.  I went to the gym in the early evening, took the pills about a hour after with water , eat about a hour after that, woke up much better then usual.  I even went to the gym again today.  I'm typing this sitting on a ice pack, but at least I went.  I'm going to try and go again tomorrow. I haven't been able to work out 2 days in a row for weeks or months.

By the way, there are studies of people with arthritis in the knee and replaced the cartilage with supplementation.  I guy at my gym swears it worked for him.

[John C]

I am guessing that you are talking about some combination of glucosamine, chondroitin, and/or msm. Veterinarians were the first to use these, and it showed good subjective results with dogs. I, along with many people on this site, took these for many years before my resurfacing. I do not know if it helped to slow the process down, but for most of the people that I know who took these, the joints still eventually needed to be replaced.

[Lopsided]

A guy at my gym swears it worked for him.

There is swearing, and there are controlled clinical studies. Glucosamine seems to do better on the former.

[Tin Soldier]

My neighbors recently talked to me about Supple (liquid Glucosamine,...). They claimed that all of their hip joint pain went away after using the product for a few days.  It was a little weird becasue they were looking at my like I was an idiot for not starting with a supplement before having surgery.  None of the surgeons I saw ever said a thing about joint building supplements.  There are a few products like this that I think are misadvertised into making the buyer believe that cartiladge actually grows back.  I find that hard to believe.  With regards to my neighbors, I have no idea what their x-rays looked like or even if they had been diagnosed with OA. 

I do think, though that it may be possible to reduce pain by taking a supplement and by taking it down a notch on physical activity.  However, I think that when you get on the OA road, beyond some futuristic stem cell treatment, you stay on that road til surgery.  You may slow it down a little or even ward off much of the pain by reducing you ROM and activity, but other than that, I don't think a supplement is going to grow cartiladge or return your ROM back to what it was before OA.   

[Anniee]

My sports medicine doctor put me on a glucosamine and chondroitin supplement for several months (this was before my OA was diagnosed).  He said it seems to work for some people but not for others.  It did not work for me.

[Neild5]

I take Glucosamine and have for years.  I have not seen any benefit for my hips but it has helped my knees.  When i was 19 the doc told me I would need replacements by the time I was 50.  My last knee x-ray at 45 looked better than the one at 25.

[AlanN]

i can echo all the comments here.

I was a runner until a car wreck 11 years ago.  I kept walking, biking, playing golf (walk and carry bag).  but everything started to tighten up.  Now I will admit that once i stopped running I wasn't s diligent about stretching.

Over the next 7 years I slowly lost range of motion and strength.  It became a struggle to walk.  i still didn't know what was causing it.  So I started stretching more and lifting weights again.  and things got better - less pain and more range of motion.

After about a year I plateaued.  Nothing seemed to help.  Then in December i finally had x-rays that showed severe osteoarthritis in the left hip.  Forunately the right hip only shows minor signs.

As others report my back hurt, my knee hurt, my ankle hurt after just walking.  So I went to an orthopedic doctor who only offered THR - didn't even mention HR.  i found this site since i didn't want to wait for a THR and the limitations that came with that.

So here I sit in my hospital bed after very successful HR this morning.  I walked 7 hours after surgery started with NO HIP PAIN!

Don't wait too long that you create problems with other joints because you are compensating for the pain your hip.

Dan

+1 on what Dan says, almost identical story for me, don't wait or rely on supplements (that do not work), the difference is night and day after resurfacing.

Good luck!