Im back...

[claudia]

Hello Everyone,
Well - first, thank you to all those who took the time to answer my questions, calm my fears and give me information.  Unfortunately, my original surgery scheduled for June 19th with Dr. Gross had to be cancelled because of a major DVT that happened after a really minor procedure just weeks before the scheduled hip resurfacing.
Something minor turned into something that kept snow-balling and I had to cancel my hip surgery to deal with the DVT.  The surgery has been rescheduled for October so I'm back on track.  But - the strangest thing has happened and I know there is a very logical reason so here goes:
To re-cap, I've had two scopes done on the hip that definitely helped my ROM and kept me very active.  After a major fall two years ago - that was it for the hip.  The pain, the decreased ROM, unable to sleep at night, etc.  I have a really bad looking joint with very little joint space and several osteophytes.  Ok - well- for at least two months before the original surgery I put myself in "training" to be in good shape for this major surgery.  This includes working out with a bow-flex both upper and lower body, and the treadmill and bike.  I paid dearly every night with pain in my hip until about one month ago - it all stopped.  Even with the DVT thing - I continued to train and have done so at least 4 -5 times a week.
My range of motion still is bad but I realized that even with the treadmill at an incline (which I couldn't do before) my hip doesn't hurt like it used to.  No pain at night after I treadmill, I can walk for a really long time without any issues.  Not to say it's a miraculous recovery because there is still a minor amount of pain, but what the heck?? I actually tried running on the treadmill a few nights ago for an interval training and no pain!  What has happened? I am thinking that maybe a bone spur (and there were some pretty nasty ones) that was causing so much pain broke off and floated elsewhere thereby relieving the pain? 
THe DVT was in the opposite leg and I'm not taking any meds (now off the blood thinner).
Just curious to me this happened - any thoughts?

[chuckm]

Hi Claudia, I had the same experience a few times before resurfacing. Over the years my left hip went through all kinds of changes as my body was trying to deal with arthritis. One day I was walking along my driveway to get the mail and I was walking all crooked because my hip just hurt too much when I tried to walk standing upright. It had been bothering me terribly for days. As I got almost to the mailbox, presto, it stopped 100% and I stood up straight. I was fine for quite some time until I did something like play soccer and then it was back but a little different. As your hip deteriorates, different things will happen. Pieces of cartilage can flap over and get interposed in the joint space. The labrum will tear and continue to tear more and more causing pain. I found activity, especially very intense activity helped me feel better day to day.

Even when my arthritis was at its worst, it was always better if I kept very active than if I gave in and stayed idle. I even played soccer for 90 minutes the week before getting resurfaced.

But, even the best days I ever had in the few years before resurfacing were no where near as good as after resurfacing. You just have no idea what you have been putting up with until it is gone.

Chuckm

[hernanu]

Hey claudia, I had that experience to a minor degree towards the end of my wait.

My hips were too far gone for every ache and pain to leave, but I was misdiagnosed and kept taking physical therapy at a stretch of three months each. My hips usually felt better during it, but the pain was still there.

By that point, looking back on it I was bone on bone, so I guess no flap to fall into place or anything to shift. My last hurrah in this regard was when I threw up my hands and took an intensive fitness boot camp for twelve weeks to push through and get rid of this problem.

Three times per week I took a two hour class with a trainer who drove us mercilessly. I had told her about my muscular pain and tightness, and (as I believed) answered 'no' when she asked if it was arthritis. So we did weights, all sorts of exercises with very little respite, sprinting on the treadmill and my personal torture device, the stair machine. All painful, but I thought less so than before.

Towards the end of the whole thing, I did notice less 'muscular' pain and more ROM. That held up for about three months while playing soccer, until the dislocations of one hip started. After that and the diagnosis of OA, there was no alternative, as all surgeons looked at both hips and said they had to be done now.

[podgornymd]

Claudia,

Same thing for me. I live at a ski resort and my pain first started right before ski season and it was pretty painful and was not able to telemark ski for first couple months then 1 dy it was gone and i tele'd for about 2 weeks hard. then i was basically laid up for rest of the season. Weird but common. Give it some time and see what plays out.