THR Out of nowhere

[Fluffy bunny]

Hi All! Also feeling a little lost. Have been an active athlete my whole life even into my later years…rock climb with my daughter, danced in a company, black belt in shotokan karate, marathoned…etc. Life was about the next workout and getting better. Starting on my birthday in February, life as I knew it started to fall apart…severe sciatica that medication did not touch and I could not walk on my right leg. Working diagnosis of congenital scoliosis with secondary severe lumbar stenosis with impingement of L4-5 and disc protrusion and severe osteoarthritis in both hips!!! Who knew?! Felt great til February??!! Now scheduled for ESI to tide me over, total hip replacement in a few weeks followed by back surgery. All my regular coping mechanisms are failing! Do not know how to deal with this. Ideas please! Can’t even rally enough to do pre-op exercises.

 

[Pumpkin]

@Fluffy bunny
You will notice I have moved your identical posts to your pre op thread, you will receive more responses to your questions and concerns in this thread.
You will also notice your surgical date has been added to your signature, along with your welcome in the May Marvels 2023 pre op thread.

Thanks for understanding,
Chris

 

[Pumpkin]

New BoneSmart members like you are in various stages of their journey to joint replacement. Making the decision whether or not to have surgery and preparing for surgery can be easier once you have done your research and know what lies ahead. Here are some tools that can help you decide what is best for you.

If you are at the stage where you have joint pain but don't know for sure if you are ready to have surgery, these links may help:
Score Chart: How bad is my arthritic hip?
Choosing a surgeon and a prosthesis
BMI Calculator - What to do if your surgeon says you're too heavy for joint replacement surgery
Longevity of implants and revisions: How long will my new joint last?

If you are at the stage where you are planning to have surgery but are looking for information so you can be better prepared for what is to come, take a look at these links:
Recovery Aids: A comprehensive list for hospital and home
Recliner Chairs: Things you need to know if buying one for your recovery
Pre-Op Interviews: What's involved?

And if you want to picture what your life might be like with a replaced hip, take a look at the posts and threads from other BoneSmarties provided in this link:
Stories of amazing hip recoveries

 

[Jaycey]

@Fluffy bunny Welcome to BoneSmart! Unfortunately your situation is very familiar to me. As you can see in my signature I've had spinal surgery (Spondylolisthesis, severe stenosis, degenerative discs) and both hips replaced due to congenital hip dysplasia. I was much younger than you when all this kicked off. Active changed to impossible.

What spinal surgery are you having? Decompression did not take the lumbar spine pain away. But it did take the crippling nerve pain away.

And the hip pain is gone once that is replaced. Given time and patience you will get back to active living. Don't worry about exercise now - baby that sore hip. Plenty of time for strength training once that hip is healed.

 

[Caison113]

Hello @Fluffy bunny and sorry to see you in our little clubhouse. I’m no doctor, but we do have plenty of first-hand evidence that hip issues can cause loads of other issues in our backs, knees and elsewhere. Might be worth it to let those hips heal after surgery and see if you have any improvement. Best of luck either way!

 

[Fluffy bunny]

Thank you Caison13!
So true! I can’t help but wonder if my warranty just expired! Then there is those circulating cytokines. Going to approach it step by step. Sue

 

[benne68]

Welcome to BoneSmart, @Fluffy bunny.

Just want to share that I suffered for years with sciatica from a bulging disc between L4-L5. Since recovering from my THR, my back pain has been much, much less and I've been able to practice yoga to strengthen my core -- which also helps reduce the pain. In my case, at least, everything was connected!

Good luck. We are here for you.

 

[Fluffy bunny]

Jaycey!! Thanks for the wisdom! This is so good to hear from folks that have been through this and strode out the other side. Going to stop feeling “singled out” and get back to those amazing ankle pumps and glute squeezes! Sue

 

[Fluffy bunny]

Thank you benne68!!! Baby steps! Hip first then reassess. Do miss yoga and that bendy stretchy feeling afterwards! Just hate hobbling around. More pre-op strengthening. Family got me a wheel chair to replace my clunky walker until surgery so I can accompany them on Lola dog walks. I am flying again! Do miss movement! Sue

 

[EalingGran]

Just peeking at this forum as I post on the knee side. But just wanted to reinforce how everything is connected.
I have moderate hip arthritis, mild scoliosis, lumbar arthritis and spinal stenosis at L4-5.
I also had a crooked leg due to increased knock knee and lateral knee arthritis. This was corrected with a PKR in October 22.
I used to have terrible sciatica and hip pain in addition to my, actually much milder, knee pain.
My sciatica and hip pain have gone ( and touch wood) not returned since my surgery. I still have more chronic lower back pain but am now able to do back exercises which are helping.
I would agree with those above who suggest waiting a while after your hip operation before doing anything about your back. You may find correcting your hip helps your gait and improves your back problem.
I have been told I may need hip replacement and/or surgery for spinal stenosis at some future date but not to rush if the pain has gone.
The sciatica was the worst pain I ever had and just so grateful it has disappeared. Have you tried pregabalin or gabapentin?
I think they helped a bit.

 

[Fluffy bunny]

Hey EalingGran! Thank you for your help! Yes! My thought is if it is broke, fix it! I welcome and look forward to my upcoming bionic hip after listening to the folks on this site. Have launched into pre-hab training. Actually top rope climbed today. Very simple climbs using my upper body strength and one good leg. Felt so good. Now the possible additional back issue is a whole other thing. My sciatica had me crying like a baby. Until Gabapentin. First dose was magic. I am hoping the THR is related to the sciatica, but my MRI says otherwise. We shall see. Does anyone recommend cycling for prefab strength training? Sue

 

[Jaycey]

Does anyone recommend cycling for prefab strength training?

In my experience cycling aggravated my pre-op hip. Best to baby that hip for now. Plenty of time for strength training when that hip is healed.

Glad the Gabapentin worked for you. Have you had a spinal MRI?

 

[Fluffy bunny]

Hey Good Evening Jaycey! Yes! First imaging when sciatica reared its ugly head was lumbar MRI which was pretty bad it seems from L2 distal judging from the frequent use of the modifiers “severe” and terms like impingement in the radiologist report. This was super surprising to me since I have never really had back pain. After 2 failed Medrol packs, no response to prescription NSAIDS and no response to ESI, they lined me up for surgery. I kept asking why the pain originated in my glute and hamstring area and radiated down my leg so they MRIed my leg. Lo and behold, they found an old femoral head and neck fracture and I was fast forwarded to a hip specialist for replacement. I keep hoping the THR will help both problems but may be delusional. The imaging says otherwise. But a wise man once said, “Treat the patient, not the imaging result!” Fingers crossed Sue

 

[Jaycey]

As you can see from my signature, I had decompression for a trapped sciatic nerve (L3/4). Fingers crossed the THR helps ease this pain. But if it doesn't, I can confirm that the horrid sciatic pain totally disappeared following the decompression.

I did have a sciatic pain flare just after my LTHR. But it only lasted a very short time (couple of hours).

The sciatic nerve runs so close to the hip joint. My hip issues were diagnosed as spinal issues for years.

 

[Fluffy bunny]

Hello All of My Pre-op Folks!
Good news to report. Met with the neurosurgeon today and he is optimistic that my sciatic pain could potentially be related to the hip and surrounding tissues. Therefore, putting back surgery on hold and will reassess after THR. Felt like a reprieve!! Sue

 

[EalingGran]

Actually top rope climbed today. Very simple climbs using my upper body strength and one good leg. Felt so good

Wow! That is amazing. I wish I had anything like that upper body strength.
I am sure that will come in very useful post op to help get up without strain on your operation site. I am just starting to get in and out of a bath at 24 weeks post my knee implant and good upper arm strength is so important.

 

[Fluffy bunny]

Hey Good Evening EalingGran!
Yes! I definitely have some “guns” lol after 5 years of climbing with my daughter! Although I have definitely lost some muscle mass in the last few months. I definitely hope this will be helpful post-op. Could not bring myself to work out when that sciatic nerve pain was the worst though, upper or lower body. Now if I just stay off my feet, the nerve and hip pain is easily controlled with Gabapentin and prescription NSAID. So I have taken to wheeling around on a height adjustable rolling stool and wheel chair. Really keeps pain levels at a minimum while allowing me to workout cardiovascular and upper body and do my hip friendly prehab exercises. Feel kind of silly and have found an entirely new perspective from a wheel chair. This may seem silly but I am seeing the world through a more child like perspective. Plants and scenes that I would have walked past before now give me pause and I take time and appreciate them☺️And I get to rest my arms. This rolling is hard work! Sue

 

[Mojo333]

Hi @Fluffy bunny
I'm one of those folks whose bad hips manifested as SI/lower back pain and as I pursued my back issues... this delayed my diagnosis: End stage OA, both hips at age 53.
Bad hips really mess up your body mechanics and cause all sorts of issues!
After BTHR, and the recovery period of readjustment...I can report my back issues are 95% better.
I still do very physical work and now I'm almost 60 so I'll take it.

Upper body strength is super helpful... I think you will do fine!

Feel kind of silly and have found an entirely new perspective from a wheel chair. This may seem silly but I am seeing the world through a more child like perspective. Plants and scenes that I would have walked past before now give me pause and I take time and appreciate them

We can always find something positive to take from adversity...this mindset will serve you well in recovery.
All Temporary!

 

[Fluffy bunny]

Thank you Mojo333!! That is definitely my hopes! Another thing to wrap my head around:

I can handle a right hip replacement. I got this!
But the reports from my back and pelvis( severe OA left hip too….doesn’t hurt) makes me think I am going to spend my “golden years” in and out of the repair shop!!? Almost makes me want to replace everything all at once. I am quite sure they don’t do anything that extensive and insurance would never buy it. So step by step it is Sue

 

[InkedMarie]

I had my first replacement in 2014, two in 2018 & the last April 2022. My motto is ”get er’ done”. I hope I’m all done getting new parts!

Marie