Chronic hip pain, really struggling

[moodymagaret]

Hi everyone,

First time posting, dealing with absolutely debilitating pain in my right hip. I’m 36 female.

Had an x-ray & MRI last year, the results were “Minimal dysplasia of the femoral heads may be causing early impingement.” There was also signs of fluid build up where it was inflamed.
I was referred for physio which hasn’t helped at all. Every month that has passed since the diagnosis the pain has increased more and more.
I have an appointment with a consultant from the muscular skeletal group in a couple of weeks. I’m hoping he will refer me for a steroid injection. This is all through the NHS as I can’t afford to go private.
I’m trying not to let my thoughts spiral out of control. I used to be a fairly active person and now I cannot leave the house at the weekends as I can’t walk more than a minute without being in agonising pain. Driving is painful. My mental health has completely tanked. I cannot live the rest of my life like this.
I guess what I’m looking for is any stories where someone has gone through something similar. Did the steroid shot work for you? How long did it last? Were you offered surgery? How long was the waiting time??

I was diagnosed with hip dysplasia recently and about to undergo a hip replacement.
Did they give you the measurements with regards your dysplasia?
I had PRP injections a few years ago which helped for about 18months.

I wasn’t offered steroids this time around as my hip is too damaged and my dysplasia is quite severe.

Might be obvious but as you didn't mention it, are you a side sleeper? If so, it's worth trying to sleep with a pillow between your knees. It has helped my hip pain enormously.

To add, i use one i bought from amazon but i have just ordered a more robust ( and expensive) one from Somnora. This time last year i was walking with a stick due to the pain, and taking paracetamol and ibuprofen at max dose but I rarely need them now. Good luck. Hip pain is really miserable.

I’ve got moderate/mild bilateral hip dysplasia (I’m 39 was diagnosed 2 years ago) had labral tears as well. I’ve had the tears repaired and the ball and sockets shaved. I’m still in a lot of pain but there’s a general reluctance to do a hip replacement due to my age and the fact that the dysplasia isn’t severe and neither it the arthritis.

hip pain is debilitating

I had something like this a few years ago. slight dysplasia and chronic inflammation and pain so bad I couldn't sleep.

physio is a good start but strength training was even better. lounges, crabwalks, glute bridges, etc with weights and resistance bands.
my local gym has small group lessons (5 people max) with a pt. very effective.

basically I traded joint pain for doms

good luck, hopefully you find something thst works. steroid injections might make strength training more bearable. for me naproxen was a wonderdrug.

I had hip impingement and had physio. Then the steroid injection. That gave temp relief, which was part of the diagnosis process and they then offered surgery. I had keyhole arthroscopy surgery to reshape the top of the femur and the hip socket over 10 years ago (when I was 40) and it really helped prevent the symptoms from recurring.

I'm not sure if it's the same route for dysplasia causing the impingement.

They did not give me measurements no, they just keep calling it “minimal dysplasia” , for something so “minimal” it has such a profound effect on my daily life. I’m glad you were able to get a hip replacement x

I used to be a side sleeper, unfortunately I’m in too much pain to sleep on my side anymore x

Again I had debilitating hip pain- hip dysplasia and femoral anteveraion, losing weight and strength training has helped me so much. I couldn't even sit for 2hrs in my early twenties when it was at its worst... However as long as I am fairly active and keep up with strength training my pain is not their, if I stop trainingy pain comes back with a vengeance.... Steroid injection didn't do anything for me though.....
I also have a long bolster pillow which I put my leg on if I side sleep...

Was your surgery done on the NHS? Do you feel like you really had to push them to have the surgery done? Did the surgery relieve any of the pain? Sorry for all the questions, currently going down a rabbit hole x

I’ve had 3 arthroscopies, 2 NHS and 1 private. The NHS ones I didn’t need much pushing but it hasn’t helped, I would have said I was worse off. My surgeon wasn’t great unfortunately. The last one I had done was slightly more successful which was private.

I would say I still have quite a fair bit of pain I struggle to sleep.

There's a guy called The Hip Physio (Mehmet Gem) - look him up online and on Instagram. He has some really good content about managing various hip conditions. You can also pay to see him in person (he's in Exeter and London I believe, or online). I haven't as he is not cheap but I do think he is one of the few people who have done their research and is worth taking a look at.

Thanks I’ll take a look into that

A close friend of mine went through something similar with chronic pain and I remember how much it affected every part of her life, not just physically but emotionally as well. It took a long time before she found the right support and treatment plan, so please don't lose hope. She found it helpful to speak to specialists who focused on pain management and treatment options, and resources such as LeafEase helped her understand what avenues might be available. I really hope your consultant appointment gives you some answers and a way forward.

Thanks for your comment x

I sympathise. I had awful hip pain that got worse and worse, had so much physio but didn’t help at all. Eventually an X-ray showed level 4 osteoarthritis… I had basically no cartilage left at all and the ball of my hip joint was ragged not smooth like a billiard ball. The only solution, by this stage, was a total hip replacement.
The operation was an ordeal and recovery was an uphill struggle, but the results were life changing.

Currently experiencing something similar (impingement, arthritis and Si dysfunction) although physio suspects nerve issues from spine. Awaiting MRI.

Things I do that help with pain:

• Tens machine (recently bought a wireless one)
• swimming although I have to be driven to the pool as struggle to walk. Water buoyancy helps a lot
• pain meds doc gave me but I try to take them only at night to help sleep
• pain clinic (not convinced but I do agree pain is felt by brain so stress makes it worse)
• acupuncture by a physio

Things I am willing to try if it gets worsr

• hypnotherapy (have had great success with a phobia)
• medical cannabis
• anything I read on this thread

I am hoping MRI reveals something that might point to a treatment.

I spent a year going to a hospital physio led hip physio class. I was there due to a fracture I’d had but most of the rest of the patients where there either because they had had a hip replacement or were waiting for one. The physios told me that hip
strengthening exercises really help support the hip and delay the need for a hip replacement. So I second the comments which suggest strength training and physio exercises.

I also suffered with terrible hip pain for some time. I thought it was as a result of an awkward sleeping position due to a lower back issue. I lived with it for a few years and just accepted it as something I would have to cope with. Not remotely linked to my hip, I started taking collagen for my hair and skin. Only change I made. Within 8 weeks I am not exaggerating when I say my hip pain went completely and has been never returned. It has to be the collagen, literally nothing else changed. I did some research after and it turns out hip pain linked to oestrogen depletion is not uncommon in perimenopause. I can truly say I would find a way to buy my collagen now if it was triple the cost in terms of pain improvement I've had. Might be a different cause for you but thought it was worth mentioning

I have severe arthritis in both hips so slightly different from you

losing weight did help with the pain but I was very overweight and needed to lose 7s

naproxen via gp also helps

plus agree a pillow between thighs

doc has said I should really have a replacement hip but I can’t take time off work /self employed and a single m and have no one to help /look after dd

so for the moment I’m halting the op

Hello, you have all my sympathy.
So, I agree with the list of pain management that @Slimtoddy said.

What I never thought of before my hip replacements (because they never crossed my mind) was assistant aids and looking back, I think they would have helped. So walking with a cane, if it’s one particular side you want it in the other hand or crutches - but try to walk normally and have them to take a bit of the weight of.

The amount you are struggling is too much and so no matter what someone tells you, about minimal dysplasia- don’t stop but see someone else.

But, I think there is an order they like you to go through before you can get to the next stage. I went MRI - labral tear repair - MRI - steroid injection - see two consultants - hip replacement (and then the other side 18 months later).

You need to stay as fit as you during all this, it will help in the long run. It is better to be on the other side of a hip replacement but can be a bit of a journey to get there.

(I was 45 when I had my first hip replacement)

I’ve had three hip reconstructions, 20s, 30s and 40s. I have dysplasia, quite bad hypermobility syndrome and arthritis in my good hip. I have had quite severe impingements, labral tears and it’s all been very grim.

you need to know if you have a tear, if you have a tear you need to push to be seen by a young adult hip specialist probably at a region hip clinic.

I do weekly hydro and fortnightly physio privately. NHS physio is just not fit for me and I have tried.

Ylu can do a lot of pre hab and recovery with a good specialist physio.

I agree with those saying to stay as fit as you can. I’m 44 and had a hip replacement two weeks ago. While the first few days were pretty rough I turned a corner very quickly. I’m already walking around the house with no crutches and only using one when I leave the house. I’m in no pain whatsoever.
I’m convinced this is due to the fact I’ve got quite a bit of strength and a decent level of fitness.

I’d also advise seeing someone who specialises in younger patients as it’s a different ball game having this done in your 40’s compared to your 70’s!

A relative had hip dysplasia and arthritis, had two hip replacements in her 50s, it has really helped as she was hobbling around badly before that.

They paid for one and the NHS did the other (long waiting list so got the private one done in the meantime) it was the same hospital / surgeons though.

I know a lot of posts here encourage hip strengthening exercises and I know generally this is a good thing but on three separate occasions with three different physios ( one private and two NHS)I have been given exercises which I dutifully did and each time I had a massive flare of pain.

The last set had me signed of work for two weeks and effectively house bound. I think there are some exercises that are bad for certain hip conditions so you need to know exactly what is wrong in the hip to know which exercise is appropriate. For me I think it's squat type exercises that trigger something.

Something else I discovered by accident was good for my pain was a swim in an unheated pool. The boiler was broken. It wasn't icy cold just cool/cold. In the water the pain virtually disappeared and for hours afterwards the pain was much reduced. Next day was back to normal but it got me thinking. Apparently it could be indicative of nerve pain rather than structural pain.