Frustrated

[becks33]

Hi Everyone!

I am so glad I found your site.  My name is Lisa and I am 48 years old.  I am not an athlete like many others on the site but before my hip injury I played golf, exercised regularly, and considered myself to be in pretty good shape.

In August of 2006, I was broadsided in an automobile accident.  I had pain everywhere including my right hip.  I discounted the pain in my hip thinking it would eventually go away like my neck and shoulder but it never did.  I went to see an orthopedic doctor and was diagnosed with trochantor bursitis and received a steroid injection.  I still had pain 30 days later and received a second injection.  The pain never subsided so I saw another physician in his practice and was diagnosed with sacroiliac joint dysfunction where I was given 3 pain blocks.  I still had pain and went to a hip specialist in who ordered an MRI (without dye) to rule out a labrum tear which came back negative.  He ordered PT that only aggravated it than gave me an injection into the hip joint where I felt immediate relief.  He said there was nothing more he could do.

Frustrated, I went to my son's sports medicine physician and on my exam he said he would bet money that I had a labrum tear.  He ordered an Arthogram MRI and HE WAS RIGHT!!!!  I immediately had arthroscopic surgery on 2/19/08 to repair the tear, however, the surgeon also found significant cartilage damage on my femur caused by the accident trauma.  He derided the head of my femur and said if I don't heal in six months, the next option could possibly be hip replacement.

It's been 9 weeks since the surgery and I am even more miserable than before the surgery.  PT aggravates my hip and groin and I sleep an average of 4 hours per night.  My new best friend is my icepack.

My question???  Has anyone had unsuccessful arthroscopic surgery to clean up cartilage, which lead to hip resurfacing or replacement or another words, IS THERE LIGHT AT THE END OF THIS TUNNEL???

[Pat Walter]

Hi

I can only tell you about other stories I have read.  The arthroscopic surgery does not always work for many people.  They end up with hip resurfacings or THRS eventually.

Yes, there have been many that had arthroscopic surgery and other procedures for AVN that ended up with sucessful hip resurfacings.

You will need to find a good experienced hip resurfacing surgeon to talk with.  You are still very young and hopefully you can still have a hip resurfacing. 

Check out my list to find an experienced surgeon close to you, if possible,  http://www.surfacehippy.info/listofdoctors.php

Pat

[rob webb]

Hey Lisa,

I had one of my hips scoped and it has taken almost one year for it to heal and feel better.  Nine weeks is very early.  It takes about a year or more to feel 100 percent.  Mine really started to feel better at about eight months.

Rob

[hb pain]

Hi Lisa,

Im scott, had the same procedure as well, they found part of my labrum "delaminated" as well and after 18 months worse than before.  I'm looking into resurfacing as i too am tired of the pain.

[Clarkefan]

Hi there. I was in nearly the same situation. After an injury, an MRI revealed nothing, so I was told there was nothing I could do except deal with the pain.

After that, another doctor recommended an arthrogram, which revealed a host of issues including a tear of the labrum. I was advised to have arthroscopic surgery, but went for a 2nd opinion with Dr. Mont who advised me that he has had to do a number of post-arthroscopic surgery resurfacings/replacements. 16 months of steroid injections later, I decided the time was now for hip resurfacing.

I think I made the right decision for me. I am now 5 weeks post op, pain free for the first time in 3.5 years and going in for my first outpatient PT later today.
   

[Maggie]

Hi Lisa

I had my first hip arthroscopy about 12 years ago at the age of 33 and it went well with a very quick recovery, settling down the hip and giving me better movement and pain reduction for about 8 years. Things started to deteriorate again and I had a second arthroscopy with debridement in Oct 2006. What initially felt like a slow recovery turned into a rapid deterioration of that hip. I knew it was totally different to the first time and it didn't feel like it should. I had physiotherapy but the physio felt it was making me worse and we stopped it. By the time I had a scan in May 2007 I was struggling to get about, in constant pain and miserable. I don't know if the scoping made it worse, or if it was just a coincidence, my surgeon, a VERY experienced consultant couldn't believe how quickly I had gone to bone on bone with several bone cysts as it was so different to what he'd seen when he did the arthroscopy. I had a resurfacing in November and haven't looked back, utterly life changing and the best thing that could have happened. You'll know if you are not improving, so ask for help. My surgeon kept saying for 5 months that my hip would settle down, because he truly believed it at the time. I knew I was getting worse. Don't suffer in silence and don't be afraid of a resurfacing, but make sure you go to someone who has done hundreds.....Good luck!

Maggie (in the UK)