Those funny little tricks that hips play.

Ariel

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Last night I had some of the worst hip related pain I have experienced in either of my two OA hips.

I went to bed at about 2 am with relatively little discomfort but woke two hours later with slight ache in the buttock but dreadful gnawing pain in the calf shin and foot. Normally I can reposition myself and get back to sleep but not last night. The pain just kept on and on. It was now 4.30 and too late to take any codeine as I wanted to be up and working in the morning. So I read until 6.30 and got up in desperation and went for a walk. Most of the pain went after a mile or so and after some paracetamol.

So what causes this? I am blaming a fairly lazy day previously, I had only walked about 3km even though I had a otherwise busy day climbing ladders checking and installing bird nesting boxes. Today I walked a good 10km and things feel a lot easier but I have taken the precaution of taking 30mg of codeine, a couple of paracetamol and an ibuprofen washed down with a vodka chaser as I need to sleep well. I am teaching in the morning but I can still feel the hurting in the background.

My first hip never gave me buttock pain, only hitting me in the groin when I least expected it but with stabbing rather than persistent pains spreading to my knee and shin so I guess ever hip is different, this one can be fine for a day or so but then it kicks in but number one was never fine but never horrid.

What is the point of this post? Just getting it down on paper I guess and sharing a bit of what is going on if it helps others to relate.
 
Hello,
Never experienced shin, calf and knee pain with my hip OA. This is the first time I've ever heard of anyone with that complaint. That's a bummer! Wondering if you have a date for surgery scheduled yet?

We ask that you please provide the surgery date for your first THR to be applied as your signature.
Hope you have a great rest of the week.
@Ariel
 
Ariel,
The opiate, OTC, and ethanol combination you are taking could result in adverse effects and is not recommended.
Please talk to your MD about your pain and difficulty sleeping.

The pain you are having in your calf shin and foot could be referred from your hip, and should clear up after your THR.
 
I am experiencing different pain in my R then I ever had with my L. My L would have sharp pains suddenly and ache like crazy at night. At the end of a long day both legs would ache terribly. Now the R has new tricks. Different type of aching especially at night and I'm getting aching in my lower leg.
 
Hi @Ariel.
I had no idea my lower back pain was caused by bone-on-bone endstage OA..I worked every day - lifting heavy boxes and walked over 20,000 steps per day (according to Fitbit)
The doctors never looked at my hips...and within 6 months my right leg had horrible sciatica...shin and foot pain...
So what caused this? I am blaming a fairly lazy day
You should blame it on that bad hip that activity is aggravating. It's inevitable.

Today I walked a good 10Km and things feel a lot easier but I have taken the precaution of taking 30mg of Codeine, a couple of Paracetamol and an Ibuprofen washed down with a vodka chaser as I need to sleep well as I am teaching in the morning but I can still feel the hurting in the background
Painkillers didn't even touch the pain after I went undiagnosed for over a year, but in my opinion..if you mask the pain , yes-you can do more and wear that hip out quicker.
I hope you have a date for surgery soon.
If that hip collapses..the surgery can be more complicated and the recovery can be longer.
That makes a good case for easing off, and getting a bit more mileage out of that hip.
 
pushing your hip to its limits, then taking pain meds with alcohol is really quite silly. You don't have to be a professional to ignore the label on every bottle of pain meds which says, DO NOT TAKE WITH ALCOHOL.
 
Today I walked a good 10km and things feel a lot easier
My friend piling more activity onto an already worn out hip is only going to end in tears. As Mojo says - hips can collapse. I've been there and believe me you do not want that pain. Nor do you want a more complex op and longer recovery.

I hope for your own sake you get your surgery scheduled very soon.
 
Prior to my hip op I did weight training and it made it worse. Be careful!

Re the codeine. If I need to take it I take it after driving to work in case it makes me sleepy. But eventually nothing worked and the pain at night was awful.
 
@Ariel
When was your right hip replaced? Six years ago...was that in 2013?
Would like to add the actual date to your signature or at least Month and Year so folks know this isn't your first rodeo with hip replacement.:yes:
 
@Mojo333, thank you.
Coming up to eight years now, RH, 29 July 2011 at Heartlands hospital Birmingham UK. Please add the date to my signature if you would be kind enough. I like the word "Rodeo", it seems to imply I am some sort of cowboy that rides roughshod through life:cheers:
 
I am not sure what is worse, the pain of last week or my present level where it is just background. Not that I want to be in pain but at its present level I feel that I should come off the list but I know it will be back. My first hip gave me constant hurt but this one is very different and in a way I wish it wasn't.
 
Well, ultimately it's up to you.
You can continue running the risk of experiencing "some of the worst hip related pain I have experienced"
over and again, run the risk of collapse, continue downing Analgesics, Narcotics and NSAID's with alcohol chasers....or stay on the list, get it fixed, no longer need to pop pills to function and move forward in life.
It's a no brainer to me.
@Ariel
 
I would think your body will be able to heal and get on with things more efficiently sooner than later.
If you decide to wait, do try to be easy on it.
It might be your mind..and anxiousness for the recovery...saying, nah..not that bad.
You could Knock off the pain meds for a week and see...
Who wants to be on pills their whole life?
 
I only use analgesia when I need it and have not needed any for five days or so. Codeine does not take much of the pain away, it just makes you feel better about it but that is not my point.
 
Codeine does not take much of the pain away, it just makes you feel better about it
Agreed, been there...done that.

but that is not my point.

I'm sorry I'm not clear on what the point is. Is it possible this hip will get better on it's own?
 
I doubt very much that it will recover by itself but it is very different to my first hip. In 2007 I lost control of a racing motorcycle when I was testing it and sustained multiple injuries most of which healed well but I was left with hip pain that gradually got worse over the next three and a half years. My Dr eventually sent me for x ray and was shocked to see the damage to both cartilage and bone as I was functioning well, still racing and very active despite considerable pain that did not relent until I was operated on in 2011 (Even then the OS was reluctant to operate because of my age of 55). Hip number two has been nothing like that, it has been hurting on and off since mid 2017 and has been hurting for longer periods as time has gone on but pain has not been so severe as with the first one and at times hardly hurting at all and the pain is far different being more dull and far less stabbing. In a way I feel a charlatan for being on the waiting list ( I was expecting the OS to tell me to come back in two years time) I know I can take a lot more in the way of pain before I get desperate so I am just in a bit of a conundrum ATM. It may sound ridiculous but the days when it does not hurt so much are the worst as they trigger doubts in me.
 
I can certainly understand that.
I will say that I soldiered through what others might call pain..I called discomfort or...not really sure what. Just got used to it, and I had a lot to do and am also not one to let things get me down.
In fact, before I got a definitive diagnosis...I self-diagnosed back issues and finally the hip diagnosis was end stage OA. Both Hips!
Only you know if this is necessary now or if you are ready.

I also know that now that I am hip pain free, I am more cognizant of how I had adapted and "got used to the pain"
I do hope you get some peace about whatever you feel is the best for you.
 
My left hip is giving me totally different pain than my right one did. Right hip was annoying ache that just wore me out. My lefty is annoying, in the background down to the knee then sharp pain into the knee. Asked surgeon for pain pills to help as needed, pacing myself and except where I'm at until lefty gets replaced. I like my beer, however I don't cocktail with pills. Take it easy on yourself.
 
For the past three weeks pain has been mainly confined to the morning and evening but I have a rather odd symptom, my foot and at times my calf are going numb. It is not a circulation problem as the foot is a nice healthy colour and warm but there is a distinct lack of sensation in the thing. I know that in addition I have OA in my lower spine in addition to the hip as well as compression of nerves in my neck that in the past have caused my hand to suffer paralysis for months on end. Could the present symptoms just be down to the hip? I have a pre-op in three weeks so I will ask there.
 
:wave:My hips were so horrid that I had trouble discerning what hurt, felt weird, or why. Luckily most of my issues were resolved with bilateral.

I know that in addition I have OA in my lower spine in addition to the hip as well as compression of nerves in my neck that in the past have caused my hand to suffer paralysis for months on end.
Certainly this could be the cause, sciatica is very common with neck and back osteoarthritis especially if bone spurs are present...my BIL had these issues.

Could the present symptoms just be down to the hip?
I had the symptoms of sciatica and numbness and tingling with mostly one leg in particular. When you continue walking on bad hips with no cartilage, the shock absorption is obviously gone so all manner of issues crop up.

Hope they pin this down for you as the back/neck could be a more urgent issue.
 

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