to treat it as though I have arthritis?

[cjt110]

Background: I had a car accident in 2013. A car hid head on into my passenger side with such force, my passenger door was inside the car. I had bruised hips from the seatbelt doing it's job but unharmed.

I recall having a very sore back at hips immediately after and have had low level, but increasing pain in my lower back and hips for years.

It's now got to the stage where I function at a 6 out of 10 in pain most days. The pain resonated around my pelvis but goes from the bottom of my waist to about halfway down my thigh but mainly focussed in the pelvic and groin area.

I am having issues sleeping - getting cormntable is a real pain. Literally. And I have brokn sleep. I sleep with a pillow between my knees which goes some way to helping.

Ibuprofen and voltarol also help reduced the pain which by nighttime is approx 8 out of 10. This lowers it down to maybe a 5 or so.

I've been to see my GP who said she suspects it could be arthritis. She has prescribed some Naproxen (2 x 500mg daily), advcised some exercises and also suggested I get a seat cushion for at work to help as I do a deskjob and am sat for approx 7 hours a day.

She said it was pointless doing an xray to prove/disprove as the end treatment whether arthritis or not would be the same.

I'm only 33 and the idea of having this low level pain for the rest of my life sucks.

Appaprently a cortisone(?) injection could be done but it would target the bone areas as opposed to where i am suffering the pain.

So... do i treat it as Arthritis and read up on the same for treatment and assistance? Or just "hip pain" and hope it goes

YANBU - Treat as arthritis
YABU - Treat it as hip pain

Apologies for all the typos!

Neither. Go for a second opinion and get the GP to diagnose you correctly.

@CakeandCustard28 At what point do I do that though? A month into taking the tablets? A week?

Coming to terms with having chronic pain is tough, but you definitely need to have a physician who is on your side about things. I know the NHS is overloaded right now, but you really need a doctor who will provide you with the proper diagnosis and care. Even though treatment will be the same, it's important to know what things are/are not to convey to message to other care professionals in the future. What if your GP moves or you move?

In terms of Googling, both arthritis and hip pain are good searches. You might find arthritis advice from a lot of sources is still geared towards the elderly. But Versus Arthritis is good for advocating for younger people with the disease and their resources are good for all ages.

@jjjnnnnnrrssss Thanks for your reply.

I wonder if I could call and ask if they can do me an xray form which i can collect

Push for proper diagnosis and treatment. In my experience naproxen was just a fob off and not effective for me long term.

@cjt110 just make a new appointment with a different doctor and explain the situation and say you’re not happy about it and would like the correct tests needed to prove it is actually arthritis.

You need to be correctly diagnosed.

A blood test will tell if you have rheumatoid arthritis (measures inflammatory agents in the blood) and an xray will confirm any significant signs of arthritis (rheumatoid or osteo)

This is the correct path to follow within the NHS. It is pointless guessing.

Naproxen is very bad for you in the long term and should only be prescribed with something to protect your stomach.

Have a look at the book ‘No Pain, No Pain’ it talks about chronic pain and ways to overcome it

Also ask to be referred to a musculoskeletal specialist who will help with further diagnosis and also pass you over for physio too if necessary

If you're wondering why I know this, I have just had to retire from my mulch loved job as a Soft Tissue Practitioner due to arthritic pain. Partly due to past injuries and a condition I already have. Partly due to occupational hazards. And I've just been through all of the processes I've described.

Thank you all. I have called and asked if an xray form can be completed for me to collect. I'll call later on to find out whether they will oblige. If not, I will make an appointment to see someone else. I feel a bit shitty on this Dr as she is great.

Afterall though, if xrays and bloods come back to show I have it in one form or another, what is the treatment other than physio and pain relief? which she can do without those tests?

The bloods will only show Rheumatoid Arthritis. If it’s from an injury it’s more likely to be Osteoporosis Arthritis.
Have a look at the book No Pain, No Pain. It looks at why the brain holds on to past injuries in an effort to protect itself even if there is no current trauma.
Obviously get all your tests done first but if nothing comes back I would highly recommend it.

That should say osteo arthritis blardy autocorrect

X rays don’t usually show osteo arthritis but MRI’s can show markers for it

Get a proper diagnosis, which may be more difficult that it sounds.

Bloods only show autoimmune arthritis (which isn't just RA)

www.nhs.uk/conditions/osteoarthritis/

www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/osteoarthritis/

I have a chronic lung condition, I was diagnosed at 37 and in trying to find the cause I've had lots of blood tests taken and have them regular and my lung consultant says looks like I have rheumatoid arthritis, Ive always had hip pain but it's been very minor but the last year it's been off the scale and my knee on the same side gives me a lot of pain, I've been referred to a consultant and also phsyio and have been waiting about six months now for an appointment. I'd say to push for a proper diagnosis and get the ball rolling for proper treating in case you end up waiting months for referal too.

I'm on pain meds for my existing condition. I'm not sure what treatment would be but I totally understand the feeling low, it's been three years since my lung diagnosis and a day doesn't go by where I don't feel like absolute shit and hopeless. I'm lucky that my teenage dd and my dh are very supportive but that makes me feel worse sometimes because I'm snappy with dh when I've had a painful day.

@AFemaleWoman I totally hear you, I have a few other medical conditions - my main one being ME. So add the further tiredness and pain in and I feel like a bag of shit.

I hate weekends where it's just me and my son because I get so bloody tired so easily. He's only 5 and he understands. Poor lamb

Of course X-rays show osteo-arthritis. THey can tell from the size of the gap between the bones.
My consultant took one look at my x-rays and said "you need 2 hip replacements"

My x rays confirmed osteoarthritis. My Consultant said an MRI would be a waste of time and money.

Just a quick message to say that not all blood tests show rheumatoid arthritis, I have seronegative and was diagnosed via x rays and inspection of my joints. There is a history of it in my family. Definitely push for proper checks.

I've had a ct scan to confirm osteoarthritis in my collarbone. The doc has also diagnosed it in both knees and a hip but never offered scans. Naproxen is a dodgy one on your stomach.

You need an MRI.

That's how the arthritis in my ankle was diagnosed. I'm 32, it sucks but you get used to it.

I think you need to keep going back to get a proper diagnosis. I know from going through this with my son that it is not easy!

The local nhs powers that be will have set down what is basically a step by step list of things the gp has to try on the way to getting an arthritis diagnosis. This will start by trying things that are free for the nhs (like rest, ice, otc painkillers) if they work, great, if not move on and work the way up, but you can't skip steps. It took time and persistence (and some sneaky moves by my sons paediatrician) but eventually he saw a rheumatologist. Diagnosis arthritic knees and steroid injections...

My daughter was diagnosed through MRI. Her consultant said it was more accurate than X-ray but I appreciate that may not be the case for everyone