We talked Knees! What About Hips?

[Bandrewhill]

Ok.....I am heading towards Hip replacement (I think). It hurts....but it does not hurt when I ride....with the exception of un-clipping at a stop....cannot un-clip and throw that leg down to stop anymore....Ouch! Are there injections to delay this.....My Orthopod told me no more running and that I have a small bone spur and Arther-itus. Are there stretches or anything that helps? OR should I just get it over with. It just makes my lower body movement feel kinda stiff all the time but not much groin pain (yet). I appreciate any shared wisdom!

[2LeftCleats]

Maybe ask your orthopedist about getting an injection in the hip. A diagnostic injection would only have a local anesthetic. A therapeutic injection would would have that plus a steroid whose effect may last several months. Wouldn't 'fix' it but would give you some idea of the relief you might obtain from surgery.

[Bandrewhill]

My apologies! I did not see someone already started a thread on hip issues. I would delete this but do not know how.

[PortlyPuncheur]

Originally Posted by Bandrewhill

Are there stretches or anything that helps?

Probably. I would try to connect with a good PT. Physical therapy bought me a couple of extra years while I was struggling with pretty severe femoral acetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS). Eventually it got much worse. An injection gave me pretty good relief for another 3 months. Now I'm recovering from the hip replacement. Additional injections and PT probably could have kept me going for a while, but I just didn't want to go any further down the road of worsening biomechanics and deconditioning. Good luck my friend.

[dcama5]

Bandre,

I just got total hip replacement (THR) last Monday, 3/4, and I am in the slow recovery process. For a few years earlier, I was able to get relief from cortisone injections at about 1 injection per 5-6 months, but the hip deteriorated much more rapidly over the past year and the injections stopped working. At the point of the THR, riding was pretty much impossible because the hip joint arthritis was so severe.

Your orthopedist should advise you on when THR is your best option. It's a well known procedure now, done in about one hour in an outpatient setting. The day I had mine, the surgeon did 7 cases with 2 OR suites running. Post procedure, they wake you up, have you walk a little, climb and descend some stairs, pee, and head home. My first PT appt. was the next day and that was very painful. They will also give you some oxycodone for the severe pain during the first week of recovery - that helps me a lot.

The anterior (incision) approach is definitely the best and is generally accepted now as the standard of care. I have PT all this month at 2 times/week. That helps a lot. What complicates my case some is that I also have bursitis on the outside of the same hip, and have been getting cortisone injections for that as well.

Anyway, good luck with it.
Dave