22 and noticing more restrictions

[Steez]

hey guys ,i am a 22yr old male,when 9 yrs old i somehow got septic arthritus in my left hip.Up until 3 years ago,i didnt really notice much difference in my movement,but now i cannot tie my left shoelace,can just about put my sock on with difficulty (and frustration!!),any journey involving walking for longer than 5 minutes causes discomfort and a moderate amount of pain and i have noticed a limp developing more and more with each week that passes.If i spend extended amounts of time on my feet,i get back pains and muscle aches in both legs fo the next 2 days.The thing is,it is bearable,its frustrating and is beginning to effect where i go,having to mostly arrange someone to drive me, but i have been dealing with it due to being apprehensive about hip replacement at this early stage in my life.I used to be rather 'hyper' and active,but over the past few years,i have found myself staying in more often and it has begun to affect my social life.One of the reasons im stuck in two minds is because reading other peoples experiances on this forum and elsewhere,i dont know if im being over dramatic,and i should just get all the use i can out of my hip while it is still bearable.Please,any thoughts and feelings on my situation will be most welcome,and i'd also like to ask if its noticeable after the recovery period that you have even had hip replacement?Thanks.

 

[AOC]

Steez, I was 22 when I came down with Ankylosing spondylitis, which affected my right hip. I limped around until I was 32 when I looked into the possibility of a hip replacement. I had a partial hip replacement called a TARA, which lasted a year and a half. I had a THR at 34 which has lasted about 22 years. I will need a revision for the worn liner sometime this year. I should have held out longer for the TARA but the THR has been pain free and no one even knows I have one. For twenty plus years of no pain I can't complain. I would suggest you talk to a good surgeon who can give you some advise. Seeking input from others who have been in your situation is also a good idea. There is no better teacher than experience. The materials like ceramic and steel that are available today will last a lot longer than the hip I got all those years ago. One of the problems I had was I was young and active and I put a lot of demands on that hip when I was younger. Your younger than I was and you know what you will want to do if you can. Consider that before you make a decision. You need to weight the benefits against the risks. If you hold out a few years, the new hips will be that much better and you will be a little older and slightly less active. Conversely, if you have it done now, you may be more comfortable. Hope this answers some of your questions.

 

[Josephine]

It's a terrible quandary to be in, for sure. But at the end of the day, you have to assess your quality of life between what it is and what you would like it to be. Joints are improving but it's my (personal) observation that as the years pass the 'improvements' get more and more minor. This is the case with any design, any implant. There comes a time when the prosthesis has undergone all the major design improvements and all that is left is adjustments and redesigning of various elements.

So don't put it off hoping that there will be a dramatic change somewhere in the future. They're pretty good now and will last you a long time, longer, in most cases, than you might suppose. There's a thread in here - top of this forum - citing a lady (still living) who has had her hip for 40 years!! They have a way of surprising you sometimes!!

 

[Steez]

I still have some doubts and questions,but thank you so much for your advice so far.

If anything,this problem is the reason for the lack of any exercise as of late.I used to love football as a child,i know with or without a hip replacement,i know i shouldnt play football,but i can find hardly anything to do to give my legs a workout,running is uncomfortable,swimming is impossible due to lack of power in my legs,cycling i cannot do as my left leg will not rise upwards beyond a certain point.(to give you an example,when sitting on a bed with legs flat,i can touch my chin with my right knee,i can barely even begin to bend my left)I am constantly on tip toes with my left foot due to the difference in legth between legs and am also worried that constant friction in the hip will cause me to loose a bit more length,and maybe enough so it cant be adjusted when they do the operation.Is this possible??I definately need to speak to a new surgeon or consultant,as the last time i was supposed to talk to him about it,he sent someone else to speak for him who didnt know anything about my situation,needless to say,I was a little angry.Its seeming like its the right thing to do ,more and more,i dont want this limp anymore,and i believe the reason im putting it off is due to false information i had been supplied with (hip replacements only lasting 5- 10 years?!?!Can only have 2?!?!?)which has now been put right by this site and others.I know everyone is different,do you think i was told this by a doctor who was just being careful not to get my hopes up,or could it be my hip was damaged in such a way that it is in fact the case??

This forum so far has provided me with more information than i have recieved from doctors in years.It is also a great help to hear personal experiances.Again, i thank bonesmart.

 

[Traceyleth]

Hi Steez I am older than you (35years) but my symptoms and restrictions are pretty much same as yours. I have had OA in my left hip since my twenties i think due to pelvis problems associated with pregnancy. I have recently booked in for ceramic on ceramic THR which will be done in July this year. I too had been told THR would only last so long and 2 revisions would be all they could do so due to my age i should wait. I found a new surgeon which i have great confidence in and have been told that ceramic on ceramic is very hard wearing, much more so than metal on metal or metal on poly and therefore is good for younger patients. There are lots of factors to bear in mind and each individual case is different, it can be quite overwhelming when you start to look into things. My advice to you would be to do your research and find a surgeon with lots of experience this should mean that they have dealt with younger patients before (my first surgeon had never had a patient my age with OA and therefore did not know how to treat me) This itself is great reassurance as you dont feel like the only one! The time is right for surgery for me because me, my 3 kids and husband do everything around my hip and personally if feel have had enough of being in pain and the restrictions that come with it. Only you will know when the time is right but you can never get that time back and you deserve quality of life.
Take care I hope things work out for you
Traceyleth

 

[Steez]

I wish you all the luck in the world with your operation.Hopefully you'll be chasing your kids around again in no time

Keep em coming please people : )

 

[SALADS]

Steez reading your list of limitations was like reading how I was before I had my op!! Am at 7 weeks after the op now and consultant told me on Monday I can now fully weight bear and when I feel ready cycle, fell walk, swim and lots of other things I've not felt comfortable doing for ages but shouldn't jump or run - being 43 I will heed that but having read some of the other stories on here the world could be your oyster!! I like you had reservations and was leaving it as long as possible but when I started getting problems with my back I woke up and realised that if I let it go any longer it would just get worse and backs aren't so easliy fixed as hips!!l Also I want a quality of life now while I can enjoy it - who knows what's going to happen down the line. Like you my social life suffered and I stopped going out and doing things I enjoyed, I realise that my recovery is going to be slower, possibly up to a year to get full fitness back as I have had abnormal hips since birth (fingers crossed my left hip is going to be OK) - bi lateral dislocation of the hips not discovered until I was 3 yrs old followed by perthes disease in my right hip when I was 7, therefore I have 43 years of poor muscle and posture to sort out but I am going to get there.. however long it takes and I am so going to enjoy getting my life back - Good luck to you - as for the op itself it was a breeze - the drugs they give you are fab and I lay chatting with the nurse for most of it!! Take care Sally

 

[Josephine]

steez, the length will be adjusted as much as they can. There is a range of prostheses with different neck lengths to exactly accommodate that. Also, that is one of the functions of the replacement - to restore the leg length. It may not be exactly the same as the other leg but should be improved significantly.Hope that helps.

 

[Karen]

Hi Steez

I was just the same at your age and put off my op until I was 27 - that was 5 more years of pain - I look back now and think whay did I wait!

I too have had problems, since birth really, the THR really helped I did things i never would have had the chance to do, I was walking/hiking at the weekends and thinking nothing of 10/12 miles. I've been a bit unlucky and had my revised 4 times over the past 24 years but if I'm honest each time as been worth it iin the end. I think Josephine is right, things moved on faster in earlier years, my last op was a repeat of the one I had 10 years ago as my OS still belives this was my best option, who knows in another 10 years time what new technology will be available to us. I have also had problems with my back and should have listened to my body and had surgery sooner, but I was scared; if I had found this Forum then things might have been different, such positive info here from everyone. As for your leg length, I was 3" short and my OS got me level (well I thought it was too long, shows how badly I'd walked over the years).

I'm now 8 weeks post op , couldn't weight bear until Friday last week and can now sleep on my side, that to me is an achievement. Still having to use both crutches so really not fully weight bearing yet and I'm a bit frustrated the OS is taking it much slower this time. I know I'll have to work on the muscles but OS won't let me exercise or swim yet so I'll have to wait until he says i'm ready. Next appointment approx 6 weeks.

Good luck to you and hope everything turns out OK for you Karen