THR THR with Parkinson’s Disease?

[JohnWilky]

Hi all , asking for my 73 y old bro , athletic all life , no overweight, no underlying health problems , plays golf regularly, sometimes a kick about with kids, lately and not surprised has had a little lower back / above hip ache and pain , obviously a little worried as me younger bro awaiting my diagnosed thr ASAP .
Just asking forum what were the first signs there was something dodgy and what you should or shouldn’t do.

 

[Jaycey]

@JohnWilky I had lower back issues for years and never even thought about my hips. In fact all my pain was diagnosed as lower back until my hip finally collapsed.

what you should or shouldn’t do.

Based on my experience I would suggest your brother get this checked out as soon as possible. Getting an x-ray early means this can be monitored. Obvious it's going to be a struggle to get access to surgery right now. But having that baseline x-ray that you can compare with later down the road is very helpful.

BTW - do you know if dysplasia runs in your family?

 

[HandyWOMAN]

BTW - do you know if dysplasia runs in your family?

I'm from the dog world. I had a fellow runner(agility), tell me people could have hip dysplasia TOO, he had it. Another of those things nobody tells you about. I'm one that will be checking my LF hip out soon.

 

[Going4fun]

He's older, could be lots of things, and our stories may or may not help. For me, hip arthritis first presented as pain or really tightness in the inner thigh. This is shockingly common. Pain sometimes bounced around in my thigh. Later on, soreness and ache around the hip, especially while sleeping or trying to sleep at night. Later difficulty with putting on socks, a lot of stiffness. But take these with a grain of salt.

You and your brother really do not want to assume this is even an orthopedic issue. Lots of things could be cause of your brother's symptoms.

My recommendation: consult a GP and report all the symptoms. Then go from there. I've gotten into trouble before by self-diagnosing. I have found it much better just to focus on my specific symptoms--even practicing how to describe these symptoms with precision--and then to dump all that description on a really sharp doctor.

There are all kinds of non-orthopedic issues that could cause some of the pain you're describing.

Good luck. You're a great concerned brother!

 

[Eman85]

For me it was pain, all kinds of pains. I had dull aching pain deep in the joint especially after activity and trying to sleep. Sharp pain in the hip joint itself just suddenly when taking a step or lifting from taking a step. Aching all down my legs at the end of a day of activity. I even had pain in my foot from my right hip.

 

[Jaycey]

I had a fellow runner(agility), tell me people could have hip dysplasia TOO, he had it.

Of course they can. I had congenital dysplasia in both hips. Very common reason to have THR.

 

[JohnWilky]

Happy new year everyone ( that’s a laugh) there’s hoping , respect for the fantastic response , luckily older bro condition seems to have settled down , must have been because he was out walking ( respecting the restrictions of course ) yesterday.

Any way enough about him , every man for himself here, it’s me who’s struggling , I have had two occasions now where I have tweaked my left lower back ( same side as gammy hip ) the second incident on fri when I only just bent over slightly to move an object .

Consequently been really struggling this weekend ( slept ok , but bad this morning) with the lumbar pain so much that can’t even feel hip pain , THERE I’ve sorted it , damage something else!!!

Looking at different forums now for bad backs haha ,bad hip sufferers is this a common occurrence pre and post THR, due to a lack of mobility in the hip , and any advice how to prevent happening again.

I probably know the answers but any advice will help.

Wishing all fellow sufferers the very best of luck , btw our friend is continuing to do great following THR ( 10 weeks) walking along superbly , overall fingers crossed recovery will continue, overall she is very very happy with outcome .

Good folks

 

[Mojo333]

My back always got the worst from my bad hips...to the extent that pursuing answers to my back issues unfortunately took me through nearly two years of tests (MRIs, x-rays, bone scans, physio and neurologists) to finally get to diagnosis of bad hips.
My mobility got worse and sleep was terrible due to no comfortable way to get there.
At one point, a doctor said...how long have you suffered from insomnia....
I was like, Look, Doc...I COULD sleep if my back didn't wake me up. I'm exhausted.

any advice how to prevent happening again

Gee, that would've been helpful but if it is hip causing this....I certainly never found anything that helped much.
Thank goodness I have a new life with my new hips.

 

[Jaycey]

Like Mojo, I thought my increasing lower back pain was my spinal issues getting worse. A hip x-ray was all that was needed. My hip joint had collapsed.

I would suggest you get your GP to refer you for an x-ray. At least then you will know what is going on. Unfortunately there is nothing you can do to prevent the pain if it is indeed due to your hip.

 

[JohnWilky]

Thanks M and J I know definitely it is a muscle tweak , done it before years ago , so I recognise that.
I was asking is it ( tweaking your back ) a normal consequence of having a dodgy hip .
And if so ,how to avoid and what to do when suffering.
X

 

[Mojo333]

I was asking is it ( tweaking your back ) a normal consequence of having a dodgy hip .

As Jaycey and I both responded...yes, at least for us.

And if so ,how to avoid and what to do when suffering

Hard to avoid when you have a bad hip that can affect many things and may in fact collapse eventually as in Jaycey's case.
As far as what to do once it hurts, you may try some heat or ice or check with doctor about anti-inflammatory meds....none of which worked well for me when my hips got as bad as they were.

I do Sympathize...back pain is horrid.

 

[JohnWilky]

Hey up all , our friend who has THR ( 11 weeks in ) 71 but pretty active is feeling slightly rough , maybe due to not sleeping , but new hip feels fine , other problems I.e not being able to touch toes , not supple for what she thinks she should be , aching thighs both ,shoulders ache, generally not feeling great after initial euphoria.
Not having regular physio ,main exercise daily leisurely walk , any advice will be greatly appreciated.
Good luck to everyone .

 

[Jaycey]

At only 11 weeks out your friend needs to reset her expectations. She will be able to toe touch and regain her flexibility. But this process takes up to one year or longer depending on how long she limped around pre-op. Daily walking is all she needs at this point. Show her this illustration of recovery:

 

[JohnWilky]

Thxs J , that made her smile and feel a little better and realistic .

Have a nice dat

 

[Eman85]

Tell your friend to keep walking, the touching of toes will come. My left was no problem to stretch easy and reach my foot. My right was a different story, muscle at the back of my leg would no release to allow me to reach my foot. Took some time and a little at a time. That euphoria and the reality that all they fixed was your hip and the rest of your body still has high miles and age. I found that the first weeks of recovery made most of my daily aches and pains go away. Then as I got active they came back.

 

[JohnWilky]

Thank you for the encouraging message

 

[Going4fun]

You say your friend is in aching pain sometimes. That's often a sign that we've done too much too soon. Eleven weeks is very early on in the process. It's so easy to over do it and the result is a pain backlash that can be demoralizing. I over did things repeatedly--despite having the wisdom of this forum that warned against that. But thanks to the wisdom here, I did pull back without resistance every time I ran into pain.

The ability to easily touch your toes early on isn't, in my experience, a sign of a bad recovery. I could actually touch my toes almost immediately after surgery. I could raise my leg well enough to be able to put on pants while standing. But I used a cane longer than some other people and had other areas where I was slower in recovery. So it seems all to be a wash.

I wonder if that daily leisurely walk is longer and more challenging than she is aware of. And I agree that there is a euphoria that wears off and recovery becomes a sorta slow slog. Can be very challenging emotionally. But if she were able to step back and precisely record what she can do each week, she would likely see lots of steady progress.

 

[JohnWilky]

Hello everyone , hope you’re all feeling well and not too down with the present lurgy crisis.
Had to come on Bonesmart to inform anyone interested of the amazing day I have had so far today !
Attended neurology appt this morning to hear bad news that I have very early stage Parkinson’s disease, hey ho it was it is ( obviously joined the Parkinsons forum ,hope its as good as Bsmart )
Then this afternoon a call from the very same NHS hospital asking if I,m willing and able to have my hip replacement at Private hospital in February!!

nasty place !!my minds blown , of course they didn’t know about PD diagnosed ( do now ) hardly surprising most of the family don’t know, so they will contact me next week re pre op and covid swabs , all of a sudden my bottles gone ! y

So first question , not on any meds ( yet ) question folks anyone know of any problems re PD and Hip surgery , I assume it will be preferential for the gammy hip to be fixed sooner than the better.

Sorry for boring you any advice etc will be welcome .

Good luck everyone john

 

[Jaycey]

@JohnWilky So sorry to hear of your diagnosis! One of life's little "surprises" thrown your way! At least it is very early stage.

I really don't think this should have an impact. But I would make sure your surgeon knows of this diagnosis and have a frank discussion with them.

I had my first THR in a private hospital but under the NHS. It was magic! Private room with a view. I was one of 3 patients there that weekend. I'm sure your area will be busy. But the good news it will be safe. Most private hospitals are being used for elective surgery and being kept covid free.

I've changed the title for your thread so that any members with experience in PD can come and chat with you.

 

[JohnWilky]

Jay ,as ever sensible caring and prompt , thanks for changing that heading ( I wouldn’t have a clue ) will keep the forum notified of all relevant circumstances .

Have a good day