Hip Arthroscopy FAI Surgery Round Two—All Done!

[Sammy-Am]

@Sammy-Am I think you just need to relax and let your body recover from all that it has been through. You had major surgery - and then an emergency procedure. Both events will have an impact. I am sure the appendectomy has a major impact on everything.

Please don't worry about PT or any conditioning now. Your body needs TLC. Be good to yourself and give yourself time to heal!

Hi @Jaycey,

Thanks for the helpful reminder. I have a tendency to get anxious as I just want a relief from pain (as do we all!).

I’ll continue to rest and worry about PT come the New Year once I follow up with my hip surgeon.

 

[Sammy-Am]

Hi All,

Happy New Year!

While I’ve had a great New Year so far, the past couple of days have been filled with a lot of tough emotions. To start, I just started my new job yesterday and was not aware of the 90 day probationary period that delays my insurance until March 1st. Imagine my frustration, especially having lost my insurance in December! Luckily, I was able to contact the marketplace last night and get on a temporary insurance plan for the time being, but my anxiety definitely suffered!

I have an appointment with my hip surgeon on January 18th.

I’m writing to see if anyone on the forum has any experience with sports hernias.

To clarify, I don’t have an official diagnosis yet and I’m trying desperately not to worry myself. I still have some pain at the front of my hip, especially bringing my knee to my chest and feel a lot of weakness going up stairs. Sitting too deeply is also painful. But in terms of the hip impingement, rotating my hip and even squatting seems to be less painful. I just have nagging hip flexor pain, adductor burning, and if I try to stretch (barely because of the abdominal surgery) I feel burning in the spot listed below in the picture.

Sitting relieves a lot of that “picture pain,” and I don’t have pain coughing, sneezing, or bearing down.

While I’m not looking for a diagnosis, I just want to see if anyone has experienced this. As mentioned before, my adductor injection seemed to help and this “sports hernia” pain is the worst it’s been.

Can anyone advise?

 

[Sammy-Am]

It feels like years since I’ve last been on the forum. My last post was literally the day after starting my new job, so I feel incredibly happy to post again and have a new update, even if things aren’t exactly going to plan.

I saw my hip surgeon on January 18th. Most of the visit was a continuation of what we talked about in late November, before my appendectomy backtracked everything. He asked me if I had any success with the cortisone shot in the adductor (to which I did), and he ordered physical therapy and two MRIs—one for the pelvis (specific to sports hernias) and for my right hip. We also started a new regimen of Meloxicam and he gave me Tramadol to help me sleep as night pain is a major symptom.

I had both MRI’s scheduled for this upcoming Wednesday the 7th. Unfortunately, my insurance won’t approve the MRI for the pelvis and will only do so until my doctor faxes them the results of the initial results for the hip. It’s a shame that insurance companies have to meddle so much in a doctor’s judgement, but I’m glad at least one MRI was approved.

To be honest, after discussing everything with my physical therapist, he and I both agree that the hip might still be to blame at this point. Since starting PT, my pain has gotten substantially better around the pubic symphysis and sitting at work has become much easier. Overall, PT has redduced a decent amount of my pain.

These days, I’m still having the severe night pain. I have a lot of burning in my adductors at rest and a lot of pain in the front of my hip and the lower part of the crease. Hip flexion is still very weak and I feel a constant tightness with sometimes accompanying pops that are aggressive in nature. Abdominal symptoms aren’t perfect, but have improved almost tenfold since starting PT and working on the adductors.

I’m not sure what new diagnosis (if any at all) will come with my MRI. I’m trying to leave that up to the surgeon to resolve. Still, everyone says the worst thing about an MRI is the “coffin-like” sensation. To me, it’s the waiting for results.

Anyhow, I hope all of the fellow members of the hippie club are doing well. I’m hoping to read up on all of your journeys and get back into the swing of things on here.

Sending love and well wishes,

 

[myglasshalffull]

Wow, that's a lot, so sorry you are still having so much pain. I agree...these insurance companies, they take your $$$ but then don't want to approve tests. I was having a stomach issue last winter & my primary ordered CT scan & they denied it. Ended up with ultrasound but my primary said "I have good mind to just send you to ER then they will have to pay even more!" She's so no nonsense!
MRI isn't bad at all. Many places now have ones that are more open. I had two MRI's last Spring. They do everything they can to relax you & there's a button you can press if you start to get too anxious. I put on the headphones, they asked what kind of music I would like to listen to, closed my eyes and away I went. They keep checking on you every 10 minutes asking if you are OK as well. I think it took a little less than 1/2 hour & it was over.
All my best.

 

[Sammy-Am]

Wow, that's a lot, so sorry you are still having so much pain. I agree...these insurance companies, they take your $$$ but then don't want to approve tests. I was having a stomach issue last winter & my primary ordered CT scan & they denied it. Ended up with ultrasound but my primary said "I have good mind to just send you to ER then they will have to pay even more!" She's so no nonsense!
MRI isn't bad at all. Many places now have ones that are more open. I had two MRI's last Spring. They do everything they can to relax you & there's a button you can press if you start to get too anxious. I put on the headphones, they asked what kind of music I would like to listen to, closed my eyes and away I went. They keep checking on you every 10 minutes asking if you are OK as well. I think it took a little less than 1/2 hour & it was over.
All my best.

@myglasshalffull, I’m so happy that you were able to find a primary care professional that is willing to advocate you. I can’t even begin to imagine how much insurance drives great doctors away from the profession.

I’m hoping that enough will be seen on the hip that a pelvic MRI won’t be needed. To make a long story very short, I spent the better half of 4 hours on the phone on Friday.

My hip MRI was approved and I was calling my insurance company to find out why my pelvic MRI was not. While on the phone, I was told that they decided to revoke my coverage (temporary state coverage until my work insurance kicks in), because they had mail from my address returned to them. Turns out, they had an old P.O. Box on file that they were attempting to send all of the documents to. So, I had to go through two representatives to reapply, then had to call the insurance coverage to see why the MRI was denied, AND THEN was redirected to the imaging company that handles the authorizations. A peer to peer review can be done by my surgeon, but might be tricky given my MRI is on Wednesday. But, what a hoot!

As long as the music is decent, MRI’s aren’t too bad. The noise of the machine bothers me more than most people’s claustrophobia. Just awaiting the report is enough for my anxiety to handle!

Anyhow, hope your stomach issues is resolved and thank you for the well wishes!

 

[CricketHip]

Good for you for calling the insurance offices and tracking through the issues. So many people are intimidated by the thought of calling them. Here's hoping they iron things out before Wednesday!

I'm sorry you are worrying so.

 

[Sammy-Am]

Good for you for calling the insurance offices and tracking through the issues. So many people are intimidated by the thought of calling them. Here's hoping they iron things out before Wednesday!

I'm sorry you are worrying so.

@CricketHip,

Thanks. I really just wanted to figure out why everything was denied, so I’m glad I got it all sorted in the end.

And I’ve called myself some. I have my high moments and my low moments. I’m sure for me, like many others on this platform, my anxiety is a way of taking control in spite of the pain. But as always, I’m happy that I have a wonderful surgeon, a great physical therapy office, and of course this community to see me through.

 

[Sammy-Am]

Hi Everyone,

Here I am again LOL!

I had my hip MRI on Wednesday (without contrast) and was luckily, able to get the results Wednesday night, but I can’t read an MRI report to save my life! To my relief, my hip surgeon and I chatted on the phone about 10 minutes last night to go over everything.

- There was some signal abnormality around the labrum that came back inclusive, but per my doctor might likely be the labrum still healing.
- My 10mm uterine fibroid from 2022 is now a whopping 5cm—yay me! Since the fibroid is on the left side of my uterus, my surgeon said it might have a small impact in regards to pain, but I’d need to follow up with a gynecologist and get a pelvic u/s done.
- There is still some cam impingement that could be consistent with the correction we did.
- I also have a small amount of fluid around the joint, but from what we can tell everything appears relatively “intact.”

My surgeon wants me to continue with PT and see him again in 6 weeks. He started me back on Meloxicam and I have to fight my insurance company as they wouldn’t approve the Tramadol again for sleeping. Ugh. If my pain doesn’t improve by my next appointment with him, we’re going to look into proceeding with the MRI w/contrast and/or the pelvic MRI for a sports hernia.

When discussing my pain with the doctor last night, particularly around my hip flexors and groin, he mentioned that it might not be a bad idea to go back in and lengthen the tendon. I know a few of the folks on here have had this done, but can’t remember who. But, I would love to hear anyone else’s experience with that procedure, as it seems like it might be worthwhile.

Anyway, I’m off to gorge on Netflix and later regret it when my alarm goes off at 6:30 LOL! Have a wonderful weekend!

 

[benne68]

Hi @Sammy-Am. So sorry read that you still don't have a definitive answer for your pain. Fingers crossed that getting rid of that fibroid will make a difference for you. Please do keep us posted.

 

[Sammy-Am]

Hi All,

Happy Monday! I was off from work today, so a three day weekend was definitely well needed and deserved!

I was able to follow up with the gynecologist sooner than expected. Originally, I had made an appointment for the second week of March, but was able to get in last week instead. I also spent part of the day today prepping for a pelvic ultrasound which was uncomfortable to say the least . Overall, the process was relatively easy, but I’m not a “water drinker” by nature and it’s never fun when someone is pressing on your bladder for “funsies.” LOL.

Afterwards, I treated myself to a cold brew and chocolate chip cookie from Starbucks and stopped by Kohls to pick up a new hair iron. Mine finally decided to blow a fuse today—luckily, nothing (including myself) was harmed.

The ultrasound didn’t show as large of an ovarian cyst as the last hip MRI showed. I have bilateral cysts that are about 2cm each and the larger size probably had to do with me ovaluating at the time of the scan. I still have a 5.6 cm fibroid, which I have to follow up with the gynecologist about in a couple of weeks.

My biggest gripe is still my hip. The tendon is still a nightmare . I have an appointment with my doctor on the 21st and hopefully we can discuss the iliopsoas release a little further.

Admittedly, I am slightly conflicted about having a release done. As mentioned before, it seems like a great option, but with all things, it seems like this surgery is a tad controversial. Ultimately, I won’t rush into any decisions and still need to give my body time to heal as I’m only coming up on 9 months out, but I still feel like getting this done might be worth my while.

Anyhow, I’m off to rest and enjoy the remainder of my long weekend. I hope everyone’s doing well and is enjoying the fact that Spring is on the horizon.

 

[Sammy-Am]

Hi All,

It’s been a LONG time. To be honest, I really haven’t had the energy to post of the forum lately. I’ve been feeling burnt out and have still been struggling with this nagging hip pain.

I just saw my surgeon again last week on the 18th. While my pain has improved, I’m still struggling quite a bit with my hip flexor. I can only walk for around 20 minutes at a time and sitting at work can easily become unbearable. I also have pain bending at my waist to touch my toes. All of my pain is along the hip crease, primarily at the insertion of the iliopsoas tendon.

I started working with a sports chiropractor last month and he’s helped me a lot with what he believes to be partial meralagia parasthetica and psoas compression. I see him once a week for exercises and to loosen up the hip and back. I think we’re almost on session 7 and most of the pubic symphysis (“sports hernia”) pain has been greatly reduced.

I also started up physical therapy again on Tuesday. For the life of me, my hip flexor refuses to loosen! It will soften up for an hour or two and immediately cramp up again. Deliberately popping my hip is so far the best relief I have found besides deep soft tissue massage at the chiropractor. PT thinks the pain more of a strength issue.

The doc is happy that I’m making progress with the pelvic pain. We’re holding off on any additional MRI’s and I follow up with him again in 6 weeks. He mentioned an iliopsoas release in passing a few months back, but we haven’t dived further into discussing it. We’re trying the “hands-off” approach from the time being.

I might try to find an acupuncturist or sports masseuse locally. If nothing changes, I might also bring up the release at my next doctor’s visit to see if it’s at least an option. I’m hoping to be slightly better and more active by summer time, but my hip screams otherwise.

Wishing you all well and I’m hoping to post a “better” update the next time I visit.

Ciao for now!

 

[benne68]

I'm so sorry you are still struggling, @Sammy-Am, but glad to read that the pain is improving after working with the chiropractor.

I also have tight hip flexors (both sides!) and I find massage therapy really helpful. My therapist does pressure point work in addition to deep tissue massage.

I hope the new round of physical therapy will help you continue your recovery. Please do let us know how things go!

 

[Sammy-Am]

I'm so sorry you are still struggling, @Sammy-Am, but glad to read that the pain is improving after working with the chiropractor.

I also have tight hip flexors (both sides!) and I find massage therapy really helpful. My therapist does pressure point work in addition to deep tissue massage.

I hope the new round of physical therapy will help you continue your recovery. Please do let us know how things go!

@benne68, thank you! I haven’t found a massage therapist yet, but will look for one that specializes in pressure points. I genuinely think that things will be better once I can loosen up these hip flexors.

 

[Layla]

Hi Sammy-Am, I am so sorry you're still struggling. I am attaching a couple articles from the BoneSmart Library on issues you mentioned above, if interested. I do hope you find answers and relief soon.
Meralgia Paresthetica
Psoas Release for Psoas Impingement
Take care!
@Sammy-Am

 

[Sammy-Am]

Hi @Layla,

Thanks for the resources. It’s hard to find worthwhile information on psoas impingement or even the iliopsoas. To be honest, I’m still not even entirely sure what’s going on with my hip, but I have to leave that up to my surgeon and doctors to decide. Hopefully the exact cause will become sooner as time goes on and my pain continues to resolve.