Hip pain 3 years after...should I be worried?

[tricky]

My BHR was done 3 years ago and up to now it was a total success.  I returned to all my previous activities including competitive tennis singles and had no problems.  Just recently, h however, I have started to have pain in my hip area after a hard workout that feels similar to the way the hip was pre op.  I just had my 3 year checkup and X-rays looked fine, bit I'm worried the pain could be a symptom of the chromium ions that have made headlines recently.  Has anyone else experienced a problem similar to this, and what would be the symptoms If you did have excess chromium ions?  Thanks for any input.

[obxpelican]

If your device is properly installed, meaning the angles are correct I would doubt you are having issues with metal ions.

Some doctors are having their patients get the metal ion blood test, ask your doctor for a prescription for it just to ease your mind.

Most times when patients have pain it's not anything to do with the device at all, if you have a BHR and the angles are correct I would bet the house that it's not your device.


Chuck

My BHR was done 3 years ago and up to now it was a total success.  I returned to all my previous activities including competitive tennis singles and had no problems.  Just recently, h however, I have started to have pain in my hip area after a hard workout that feels similar to the way the hip was pre op.  I just had my 3 year checkup and X-rays looked fine, bit I'm worried the pain could be a symptom of the chromium ions that have made headlines recently.  Has anyone else experienced a problem similar to this, and what would be the symptoms If you did have excess chromium ions?  Thanks for any input.

[John C]

Hopefully it is just one of those overuse issues that can affect any of our joints. If it is a metal ion issue, you are correct in that it may not show up on x-rays since the affects can often be more in the soft tissue. Like Chuck said, a metal ion blood test would give you a better picture of whether you have a high amount of ions being released, which would be unlikely with a well  positioned BHR. If you really feel that you are having problems and want to pursue it, I believe that there was a recent paper published by the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York that presented that neither x-rays nor blood tests were hugely accurate at predicting soft tissue reactions. They were using a type of MRI that they felt was better at giving clear evidence of what was happening in the soft tissue surrounding the joint. Of course the can of worms that this can open is if the MRI does show some soft tissue issues, but the x-rays show that the prosthesis is solid; this could lead to some tough decisions?
I also play a lot of singles tennis during the summer; usually a couple of hours almost every day, and have not had any discomfort other than some occasional IT band issues the first couple of years. I have noticed that my glutes on that side to seem a little shrunken and shallow compared to the other side which gives me some thoughts about soft tissue reactions, but my ion numbers are very low and there is no pain, so I am not going to pursue it.

[RJKELLY]

My BHR was done 3 years ago and up to now it was a total success.  I returned to all my previous activities including competitive tennis singles and had no problems.  Just recently, h however, I have started to have pain in my hip area after a hard workout that feels similar to the way the hip was pre op.  I just had my 3 year checkup and X-rays looked fine, bit I'm worried the pain could be a symptom of the chromium ions that have made headlines recently.  Has anyone else experienced a problem similar to this, and what would be the symptoms If you did have excess chromium ions?  Thanks for any input.

I am a bilat hip resurfacing pt one year post-op.  You should also consider soft-tissue issue problems as a result of your pain.  After strenuous activity (ie. up-hill bike riding or tennis) I do get sore in the hip flexors and hamstrings.  Usually consistent stretching before/after such activities with a proactive dose of Advil/Aleve seems to greatly reduce soreness.  It never stays and usually subsides after a day or two.  But if you are experiencing pain similar to what you had pre-op with sustained consistency, you should definitely consult your doc.