To have a hip replacement when my back hurts more than my hip.

[UncertainWife]

I've had hip OA for 3-4 years, was manageable.

Sept 24 my back went, I got it mostly better by walking 45 mins each day.

Dec & Jan back kept going again. Hip worsened in this time. I noticed I was waddling round the house with the bad hip foot rotated outwards. I corrected this rotation but now it feels my hip is all wrong when I walk, feels like my hip used to be a smoothly rotating wheel and now it's a big square stone being pushed over its corners with difficulty (hmm not sure my description works, I can visualise it!)

But the place of most pain is my back, on the opposite side to the bad hip. If I don't do much it settles, but if I walk my hip feels so so wrong and I also get the back pain. It's like someone put my pelvis on wrong,

I've been offered hip replacement but feel concerned I'm rushing into it to solve my back pain. The hip itself isn't excruciatingly painful, it's more that it feels so very very wrong.

I'm not sure if my symptoms mean I should have the replacement or try and somehow fix my back pain first. Lumbar MRI showed a bulging disc but I'm not 100% sure that's the source of my back pain.

Your back is probably hurting because of your hip. Your body compensates or the pain in one area andby doing so causes a new set of problems.
I bet if you et your hip done and then have physio it will help your back too.

Agree with pp. Your hip is causing your back pain.

You don’t get offered a hip replacement unless you need it.
Your hip is causing the back pain.

I can assure you OP that your doctors wouldn't be offering you a hip replacement if it was your back causing all the pain, it's what is known as referred pain, and as someone else explained, is caused by you moving differently to protect yourself from
the pain in your hip, which in turn causes more pain somewhere else. Go ahead and get the hip done, you'll be glad you did.

I really hope so @RoastDinnerSmellsNice and @borntobequiet - in the consultation he asked me had I tried everything (ie physio) and was I at the stage I couldn't manage any more and I said yes, but for the pain in my back, so I kind of felt like I was lying about my hip if that makes sense. I did mention the back pain to the consultant.

The consultant said 'some people find their back pain is fixed after hip replacement but there are no guarantees that will be the case. But I can fix your hip'. Which is fair enough. I just feel a bit worried that my hip isn't in lots and lots of pain and that I've persuaded him to say yes to the replacement because of my back.

Because it's an elective surgery and up to the patient if they want to go ahead with it, and also I'm going private, it felt like it was up to me, whereas I wanted it to feel more like a 'you need this' from the consultant.

I get that it's the patient's decision, but I came away from the appointment worrying that I'd persuaded him to do the replacement!

I've had both hips replaced and I can confirm that the back ache is almost definitely caused by over compensation because you're not able to walk properly and use your hips as intended. After the hip replacement it might take a little while for your back to go back to normal but it will be a radical improvement from day 1 and as you build up your movement and exercise it will settle down quickly. I say go for it, hip replacements really are life changing

I had a hip replacement at 41. Best decision - I could feel how it was beginnning to impact other parts of my body as I walked strangely to cope with pain. Go for it would be my advice.

Yep it's all very much connected. Think of it holistically.

Your hip is the root cause. Exactly the same as my DH. He had a new hip this year privately and they said the same to him regarding the back pain, legally they won’t say it will improve your back incase it doesn’t and you hold them to their word. the back pain for my DH instantly improved and he regretted putting it off for as long as he did, although he’s in his 40s so was trying to push it out as long as possible. Secondary issues are always on the opposite side of the body to the primary issue in my experience.

Get the hip done if you can, don’t delay.

Forgot to say the DH had a bulging disc too and numbness down one leg. All linked to the hip ultimately.

Thanks @Keepsmiling2948 - was your DH's leg numbness the opposite leg to the bad hip or bad hip leg?

@UncertainWife It was opposite to his hip. His original issue was his lower left leg after being injured. That was operated on but caused his right hip to wear out far quicker due to being off kilter, which then lead onto the back issues and numbness as the bulging disc was pressing the sciatic nerve. However since having the hip the bulge has receded and numbness has gone.

That's so good to hear thank you @Keepsmiling2948

Thank you all other PPs too, you're helping reassure me that it's the right thing to do.

Place marking here. I have similar problems, bulging discs in lower back and hip pain , but more bothered by my back. Trying to figure out if I need a hip replacement 60+ and am currently getting physiotherapy. My physio guy says they are definitely related, but am getting some relief from massages and other therapy.
All surgeons want to operate, that's how they make their living! Ask me how I know... but no doctor wants to tell you what to do these days, malpractice is too costly.

Thank you to all pp for sharing your experiences. This is precious information and very helpful and encouraging. Best of luck to you too, OP.

I had a hip replacement 2 years ago.
Never had hip or back pain, just a sharp pain in my groin.
Apparently the OP was a success, but I have an ache in my hip now I never had before.
Waiting for a knee replacement on the same leg, hopefully when it's done the ache in hip will lessen.

Before I had a hip op I had knee pain.

Post op the knee pain has vanished.

We move differently to manage the pain, that's what you are doing.

I saw an assistant to a hip consultant today. His view was that both the hip and the back have arthritis and that the hip operation probably won't fix my back pain!

But the consultant I saw recently said it might fix my back pain (with no guarantees) so obviously different people have different views.

It's difficult not to feel depressed and demoralised after today's appointment, but I suppose I won't know until I try the hip replacement.

I'm in my early 50s and feeling a bit miserable that this is happening to me.