Second hip

[Dannywayoflife]

I had a steroid shot into my right hip a couple of months ago as it was exhibiting signs of OA. The shot worked wonderfully for about 7 days but has now made me realise that it's worse than I thought. It's getting stiff and I have a background pain like a tooth ache  which when doing judo or walking can get quite bad. I'm seeing Mr Treacy in May to discuss the effects of the cortisone, but really I don't want to get to where I can't dress and walk again! I'll be asking him to do No2 ASAP I think.

[Two4One]

Rats, Dan!  So Sorry to hear about the R Hip.  Bummer to the max.

However with such great success with your L Hip, it's really good that you're confident your R Hip is sure to be just as successful.  Here's hoping today's appointment goes well! 

Fingers and toes crossed for you!

2 to the 4

[Dannywayoflife]

Thanks 2-4. I suspect that Mr T will make me wait atleast a year as xrays etc show only mild OA but its effecting my movement already and as im so ypung and in the middle of getting my career back on track after the first one id rather get it done as soon as its clinically appropriate as i just want to crack on with life and work and working towards my black belt in judo(whuich is many years opff at the moment!!lol)

[hernanu]

Sorry to hear it's affecting you Danny, if you've gotta go, you know you've got the best in your corner.

[Dannywayoflife]

Yeah im certainly not worried from a surgical perspective! My only concern is that he may say its got to deteriorate significantly more than it is currently which to me is just stopping me doing things. Its already getting diffficult putting socks on and doing other stuff but its reallyu bad when i do activities.

[evant]

Sorry to hear you're experiencing significant pain with your right hip.

As Mr Treacy is already onboard with a recent cortisone injection, do your best (I know it isn't fun) to manage the unpleasant pain and inconvenience until you see him quite soon in May.

If your team reach the play-offs you'll be kept busy in May too!

[Dannywayoflife]

Thanks mate ( have you changed number by the way?). The X-ray I had at my 2 year check up on my bhr showed very little OA but the guy who did the injection used a different kind of scanning machine and he said there was fairly significant OA visible and said its a classic dysplasic hip. With dysplasia and fai just like my last one. In all honesty I just want it doing as I know 6-12 months after that I'll be fixed for the foreseeable future!!

[oldsoccerplayer]

Danny - you're in good company. According to the Bible (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)

Two are better than one,
    because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down,
    one can help the other up.

     

[evant]

I do have a different number - I'll pm you it as my lost sim card has yours and other numbers I have no record of.

That's a bit of a pain when different x-ray / scanning equipment show more or less detail of the body part under investigation.

I had my doubts at the clarity of the x-ray at my 1 year follow-up when I asked for an opinion on my left (non-BHR) hip.

I understand the FAI and dysplasia connection as that was my condition too - although he said it was only mild dysplasia.

I can guess that you feel you're heading for your 2nd BHR sooner rather than later.

Hang in there for now and I'm sure you'll get your answer next month.

[Canadian-Ice]

Sorry to hear you're in the double hip camp, Danny.

I was on here as Jeremy before and have read your posts for a couple years as one of the regulars.

Three years ago I was dx with left hip OA, but about 1 year after that my right hip started to show signs. I've been able to end the symptoms on the right, and keep them at bay on the left, though physiotherapy. But for us all the ultimate solution is the same. Resurfacing.

Good luck with your second surgery, if that is what you choose to do.

[moe]

Sorry to hear about your new troubles Danny. If you do need the surgery I am sure you will be successful just as you were with the first one with your kind of determination and great surgeon.

Two hips better than one!

Hang in there,

Moe

[daveyboy]

Hi Danny.

Sorry to hear about the second hip.  Especially when you're still quite young.

Just thought i'd chime in after reading your post and our pm a while back. 

I saw Mr Treacy at the beginning of April and he suggested that I wait a year then come back and see him.  So I feel your concern regarding what he might say to you!  Personally, I cant see the point in waiting?  And how long do we have to wait.? 2 years - longer?  Like me, you're probably too far gone for hip arthroscopy but according to Mr Treacy, not bad enough for HR.  Personally, 2 days after seeing him I was playing the drums and whilst using the kick drum I could feel my hip tighten.  The next day I could hardly walk.  A deep ache in both hips and chronic back pain.  Work suffered because of it.  I was bad for two weeks and the pain is now slowly easing.  This being said, it seems that just about anything can kick start another episode.  I'm guessing the OA gives you good and bad days, because up till then I had been reasonably ok.  This may also be the case because I haven't been doing any BJJ etc. 

I hope your meeting goes well but personally I found it difficult to question Mr Treacy on his decision. He probably has his reasons but I hear you when you say you just want to get on with life and he tells you that you have to wait. 

On another note I see you had cortisone.  He mentioned this to me but I can't see the point when it only last for a short time. 

Be good to get your's or anybody else's thoughts.

Best

Daveyboy

[Dannywayoflife]

Hay Dave like you I have good and bad days. My rom is what's annoying me the most! I struggle to get on my new road bike and other stuff. Some days I have a dull ache others I don't.

Don't be affraid to ask Mr Treacy I certainly will! My main concern is the fact that my X-rays show little in the way of joint space narrowing and only mild OA but then the same was said about my other side.

Cortisone canast for ages in some people mate so give it a go! It worked brilliantly for me but unfortunately only lasted about a week. But I've spoken to guys who say it works for months and months. So it's worth a go mate.

[John C]

Hey Danny,
Just a thought. Like you, my second hip started having problems about two years after my resurfacing, so its been having problems for about four years now. While my range of motion is suffering and it wakes me up at night, I can still ski all day and play tennis for hours pretty much pain free so I am not ready for surgery.
My thought is about injection options. I have talked to some hip specialists who feel that cortisone is really bad for hips, and may hold back the pain at the expense of more rapid deterioration of the joint. Their feeling is that it is an option for trying to knock back the pain in a hip that is already shot, if for some reason surgery needs to wait awhile. Another injection option that might not risk further damaging the joint might be PRP (platelet rich plasma). I have been doing a lot of research on PRP, and have become very interested in its potential. Before the start of this past ski season I had a PRP injection, and it got me through the ski season pretty much pain free. I have been impressed by the studies, so I just had another PRP injection into my hip, and my wife and I just had them in both knees in hopes of keeping our 63 year old knees going strong. A recent MRI study out of the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York showed that in many cases PRP stopped the progression of arthritis out to at least one year after the injections. The goal with PRP is not necessarily to stop pain and inflammation, but to create an overall healing response in the joint.
Between the dysplasia and the FAI, it may not be a good long term solution for you, but if you are looking at injections, you might consider PRP versus cortisone.
When its time, I know that you have a great surgeon, so you will be fine in the long run.

[Dannywayoflife]

The problem is in the uk if there isn't significant evidence then the NHS won't do it. I asked about hyralouronic acid injections prior to my bhr and was told they do it in knees but have never done it in hips.

[Dan L]

Danny,

Sorry to hear, but I know with your approach and surgeon, you'll be happy when you get thru #2.  The shots did help me for a few months, but only in the "better hip".  The bad side (1st) did not respond to the shots.  I could not be more pleased with the results from my 2 bhr's, it is incredible technology, when executed by the right surgeon, best regards for a speedy resolution.

Dan

[whyme]

I got a hyaluronic acid injection in my left hip (as it turned out, it just happened 13 months before my surgery), the goal was to help me get through a crazy challenge I wanted to do before the hip was definitely "gone", which involved running, and to minimize damage.

The doctors told me beforehand its effectiveness was more or less proven for knees, but unclear (if not useless) for hips. In my case, at the time it felt very good for a few days (less than a week), then just 'better' in general for a couple of months (nothing spectacular), before it stopped working.
Of course, it's just one case (me), so we can't extrapolate any results.

[Dannywayoflife]

That's interesting to hear cheers mate

[Canadian-Ice]

In Canada synvisc and durolane are both often recommended by sports doctors and orthopaedic surgeons for knees, but I couldn't find any consensus support for these injections on PubMed. Wikipedia says the same thing. I tried synvisc for my knee, but haven't been able to walk stairs for a year because of a bad result. One thing the doctor forgot to tell me, is that there can be no strength physiotherapy for 6 weeks after the third injection -- a problem for the joint in itself. So it caused me a real problem. Durolane requires only two days of strengthening but still there is no solid evidence it works.

So for anyone considering these injections, consider, is it worth the risk?

Personally, doctors will always offer the best solution they can, even if it is one that runs on placebo. Besides, they get kickbacks.

With respect to PRP,  just had 3 injections for shoulder tear, and ultrasound does show the tear has closed 2 weeks after the third injection, although very very sore shoulder. Expensive, but does seem to be working in my case. After reading John C's post above, maybe PRP would be worth a try for my knee chondramalacia. 

[whyme]

Just fyi the visco supplementation used in my case was suplasyn (1 shot), a Non-Avian-Derived, Non-Heat-Degraded solution of sodium hyaluronate as they describe on their website.