HR for hip dysplasia pain?

[lilpea]

Hi everyone!

I'm new to the forum. I've been referred to an orthopedic surgeon for issues with my left hip and I'm wondering if anyone here has had hip resurfacing to deal with pain caused by hip dysplasia? It seems like most people getting HR have severe arthritis and I haven't found much info on surgical treatment for dysplasia (other than PAO). I'm 43 years old and have gone from being a very active person to modifying everything I do...right down to not walking the dog    I understand that dysplasia is a risk factor for HR failure and I would love to know if anyone here has had HR for dysplasia or for mild arthritis. (I still can't believe they call it mild, the pain sure isn't!).

Thanks,
Su

[Juno]

Welcome to the site,

I think you will find that many of us have dysplasia and the dysplasia eventually leads to osteoarthritis. With hips that are dyplastic, your hip socket is generally formed shallow or misshaped causing uneven wear thought out your life. Eventually, due to the uneven wear the cartilage is worn away thus causing osteoarthritis. Dysplasia is more common in females.

Both of my hips sockets were dyplastic. I was always extremely flexible (almost double jointed). I didn't know that I had dysplasia until the pain I had been having for a few years finally forced me to see a doctor and have an x-ray. I now have two successful HR's and the OA pain is gone!

I hope that make sense. So --- your dysplasia has caused your osteoarthritis. Also, there are several stages of dysplasia. Your doctor can classify your dysplasia for you.

[keepmovin]

Hi and Welcome,

I was diagnosed with mild hip dysplasia in my early 50's!  What a shock when the orthopedic Dr. at the time explained the condition to me.  I had never heard of it, it's not in the family, and had no symptoms until my 50's.  It took over a year of pain medications, cortisone shots and a lot of research before I found a Dr. who was confident that I was a candidate for resurfacing.  Juno described it nicely - dysplasia eventually stresses the joint which leads to osteoarthritis.  A symptom if noticed early on is extreme flexibility which was and still is the function of my hip joints even after surgery.

As is always stressed on this website - find an experienced Dr. who has done plenty of HR's and one that understands dysplasia.

Hope this helps! 

[mari]

I too was diagnosed with mild dysplasia inherited from my mother.  I have always been very, very flexible also; could still do the splits when I turned 40. I had a hip resurfacing nearly 5 years ago and am doing well. 

[Beth]

lilpea,
I am scheduled to have my first BHR February 17th. The second (left) hip surgery TBD.
I had hip arthroscopy done on both hips in 2012 to repair hip labral tears.
My xrays show normal spacing. If I had not had all the other tests (MRI/arthrogram) and a bird's eye view with the scope-which did identify a small area of bone on bone in both hips I would think I was CRAZY. I am so tired of the pain. I too have quit everything I use to enjoy doing- and even some things I didn't care to do (cleaning)!
Dr Brooks at the Cleveland Clinic is doing my surgery.
He says the hip dysplasia likely went hand in hand with the FAI which caused the labral tears which is the biggest reason for my hip pain. The arthritis has started but will only get worse. The pain is here to stay until I do something surgical. I want my life back. I think about my hip pain all the time.
I recently turned 50. I have spent the last 4 years in significant pain.
This forum has WONDERFUL people. You can ask any question and you will get several responses.
I wish I had found it years ago.
Good Luck!
Beth

[lilpea]

Thanks for the responses, it really helps to know there are other people in similar situations.

@Beth - that is how I've been feeling, like I'm crazy. I have been in constant pain for 10 months now and after x-rays, contrast MRI (showed irritation of the labrum, but no tear), PT (sorry, nothing we can do for a joint issue), and a cortisone shot (worked for 8 weeks then wore off - ouch), to sit in the ortho's office and have him say, 'there's not really anything to do because the things I would normally tell someone, lose weight and exercise, you don't need to do/are already doing and the surgery for treating hip dysplasia (PAO) isn't really done anymore so here are some anti-inflammatories and I can refer you to a surgeon if you want.' Good grief! It was like he was telling me the pain was in my head or something - super frustrating.

I am so glad to have found this site and to see that there is so much information out there about HR. Makes me really love the Internet

I'm researching as much as I can before my consult on Feb 11th with Dr. Benjamin Bengs at UCLA. It will be very interesting to see what he says because HR is listed under his 'Clinical Interests' and I was told he does do the surgery, but he's not listed on any forum or HR site.

Thanks again to everyone for the support!

[hernanu]

Hi lilpea, welcome again.

We've had several folks here whose OA went undetected for a while. Unfortunately a component in our arthritis is the wear of the cartilage. This can wear unevenly, remaining undetected by many visualization tools as it assails you.

It is a particularly ironic thing that as our hips deteriorate, externally we look well to others and to ourselves, so that it can be a lonely thing to feel bad and have no externally obvious issues.

We know what you're feeling, so will try to help as much as is possible.

[whyme]

I knew since my teens I had joint hypermobility, then was diagnosed with dysplasia in both hips (and shoulders) in my early 20's, and found out about the FAI (Femoral Acetabular Impingment) in my early 40's.
With this setup, the more active you are, the younger you'll get osteoarthritis and other joint problems. I've been extremely active so ... ended up having surgery in both shoulders in my late 20's, the first hip resurfaced last September at 46, and will end up bilateral in a matter of years (if not months).

So dysplasia is quite common among 'younger' patients with signs of early osteoarthritis and hip pain, it's the degree (how severe it is) what will determine if the resurfacing procedure is appropriate for you or not.

[luz2014]

I too was told by my surgeon that I had " mild dysplasia" in addition to OA.  It didn't make a difference in my decision to have this surgery but it did provide some type of explanation to why I would have something like this happen when (and I'm sure you've all asked)to someone who has been so active and proactive about nutrition, bone strength, exercise, religiously taken glucosamine, yada,  yada...LOL!

[hernanu]

I too was told by my surgeon that I had " mild dysplasia" in addition to OA.  It didn't make a difference in my decision to have this surgery but it did provide some type of explanation to why I would have something like this happen when (and I'm sure you've all asked)to someone who has been so active and proactive about nutrition, bone strength, exercise, religiously taken glucosamine, yada,  yada...LOL!

So young, so intelligent, so on the ball, so good looking.... et al....

We all had the same shocking, screeching halt to our world. Could not happen to me, I've been working out since I was ten, look at all of them, they don't have it !!!!

Comes down to that cold day when you say yes, I've got it and need to do something about it. The great thing is to have an excellent option for an HR and the ability to recover from something debilitating to a real physical triumph.

You made a great choice IMO, luz. At three years, it feels great to be completely free of the pain, just doing pretty much anything just because you want to. Nothing is out of our reach.