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dloftus

2 posts since
Feb 1, 2008

Feb 1, 2008 2:23 PM

Recovery from hip arthroscopy

Hi everyone, I know there have been some discussions about hip arthroscopy in here and I have a specific question.

I had my hip scoped back on 11/5/07 so I'm just about 3 months out. I had impingments on both the acetabulum and femoral neck removed as well as a labral repair using 2 anchors. My recovery has been fairly uneventful and I must say it was an easy surgery to get through (minus some scary numbness that lasted for 4 weeks). They did find significant cartilage damage but pretty much said there wasn't much they could do about it. Just expect early onset arhritis. Anyway, I'm curious about other people's recoveries. About 2 or 3 weeks ago I noticed that my hip has been catching/clicking again. Sometimes when it happens it can be quite painful for a split second. I would say its happening between 5 and 10 times a day. Mostly it happens when I bend forward at the waste while sitting.

I'm curious if others have experienced this at 3 months post surgery? The doc and PT don't seem worried about it yet. I'm worried that the labral repair is failing and it's slipping inside the joint from time to time. Has anyone that has gone through this experienced the same thing and had it go away?

Thanks

Dan

Login to Reply Tags: hip, arthroscopy, scope, labrum, labral

Christine M.M.

2 posts since
Feb 5, 2008

1. Feb 5, 2008 6:39 AM

in response to: dloftus

Re: Recovery from hip arthroscopy

Dan: I'm afraid I can't help you very much but am hoping to learn from you instead. I have had a very painful hip that I suspect strongly is a tear. I've been seen 3 times by ortho and blown off with a diagnosis of flexor instability. Since I have no difficulty with any forward flexor movements and still have bull strength in these groups I doubt it and suspect misdiagnosis. What were your symptoms of the tear? If you don't mind sharing them with me it could help me gain the courage to second opinion my ortho. He did do an MRI but it was without contrast so from what I've read it was probably missed. I can't believe that a flexor instabiltiy could cause this much pain and disability. Thanks for sharing Dan I hope your experience can help. Christine M. M.

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dloftus

2 posts since
Feb 1, 2008

2. Feb 7, 2008 7:55 PM

in response to: Christine M.M.

Re: Recovery from hip arthroscopy

Well, its kind of a long story. I was having issues for the last 10 years. It started after running a half marathon. I was limping around a lot and had lots of clicking and popping. Doctors never really diagnosed anything and honestly I'm pretty lazy about following up with doctors if they fail the first few times. In the beginning the pain was enough to make me limp during the day but it eventually decreased. After that I had lots of clicking and popping that was only momentarily painful. I had pretty much stopped running and would only occasionally play basketball until the last few years. When I started running again I noticed that I was able to gradually work up the mileage and as long as I took a lot of time to warm up I could do about 10 miles before I would get pain in my front groin. If I tried to start out fast or at anytime started to run sub 8 minute miles I would get the pain. I decided to start seeing a doctor about it again and initially thought hernia (negative), then a sports hernia. I went to Dr Myers in Philadelphia who is renowed for treating sports hernias and he thought there was a good chance that is what I had but he needed to rule out hip problems which can present the same symptoms. When they did the MRI with contrast they found the torn labrum as well as all my impingments. He referred me to Dr Kelly at the Hospital for Special Surgery. Honestly, go get the MRI with contrast, some people will tell you it hurts but it doesn't. It's just pressure and anxiety from a big needle. After the injection you'll be limping but its not really because its painful, more so because you feel awkward for a few hours. It wasn't a big deal. If you end up having the surgery I will tell you that the pain isn't a big deal either. My back and neck hurt more than my hip just because I was laying around a lot. I only took pain killers to fall asleep at night for the first few days. Other than that its just frustrating not being able to take care of yourself for a few weeks. Get it taken care of sooner rather than later though, when they went in with the scope they found that I had an area where the cartilage was just gone most likely the result of me having the injury for so long and just trying to tough it out.

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Christine M.M.

2 posts since
Feb 5, 2008

3. Feb 8, 2008 8:14 AM

in response to: dloftus

Re: Recovery from hip arthroscopy

Thanks so much for the info. I, on the other hand am like a terrier with respect to my health and if I catch wind that anyone is even thinking about blowing me off I get angry and mobilize. I had an atraumatic start on 12/01 07. I had been running-nothing intense, and doing lots of leg work lunges, squats,yadayada. I woke up with a fierce painful limp and much like yours the limp dissappated within 1-1 1/2 weeks. But what I'm left with is a wicked pain in the same spot always-posterior hip when weight bearing, running, or trying to rotate my hip. It feels like I'm weight bearing on a shard of glass. I def. feel a piece of something catching, it clunks, sometimes pops but I'm most distressed with the pain. Saw ortho and he was in a big yank to get going and spent like 2 minutes with me and ordered an MRI without contrast.All negative. Since then he told me to go to the gym and "power through the pain" Like a moron I did what he said despite pain that brings me to tears. I went back yesterday to try to give him the courtesy of another chance and he never saw me he sent the nurse out with a PT slip. Now let me tell you DL, after 8 weeksof pain like this there is no ay I'm playing stretch and release and then finding out what I already know.Did you have nightime pain? I can't sleep at all because either side up is so painful. I need to take Benadryl just to knock me out to get through a night.So being the bull I am, I just got all copies of my records sent out for a second opinion and hope I dont get the same reception.So with my clunking, popping, pain and limp off I go to another opinion hoping that at least this guy listens. I'm a bit disadvantaged being in a small rural area somewhat podunk without any quality care for miles but I'll get there-at least that I know. Thanks again-I'm glad you are doing better and hopes for your continued recovery are there.....

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dvated

1 posts since
Apr 16, 2008

4. Apr 16, 2008 5:37 AM

in response to: dloftus

Re: Recovery from hip arthroscopy

Hi, I also tore my labrum in December. I thought that I just had a bad groin pull that I woke up one morning with.
(never had any hip or groin pain before). I would let it rest a week, try to run again only to be in more pain the next day. This went on until I went to Dr. Dector (great doctor) in West Orange New Jersey. He did an x-ray in his office and ordered an MRI with contrast. He told me on Valentine's day that I tore my Labrum. He also recommended Dr. Kelly and would not recommend anyone else. Dr. Kelly does not work with Blue Cross/ Blue Shield so I found Dr. Srino Bharam in New York 212-691-3535. He is an awesome doctor he saw me two weeks later and I had the surgery on March 20. I Looooove Dr. Bharam he has the best bedside manner, he has a lot of credentials, he also had the surgery performed on himself and he has also ran a marathon so he knows what it is like to be a runner. The surgery went great. He wanted me on the bike the next day and I was off crutches in a week. Gillian his office manager is a sweetheart and they accepted whatever the insurance paid. Unfortunally he really doesn't want me to run anymore (I also had arthritis in my hip) so I'm stuck crosstraining, because I don't want hip replacement by the time I'm 40. I'm fortunate that I was diagnosed early and had some of the best doctors. Hopefully this information might help some of you. I am still heartbroken over not running ( I've ran 5-6 days a week for 10 years about 5 miles a day). But I know me, once I start running then I would return to the same habits of pushing myself into the ground and I really have to look at the big picture and find other ways to push myself without all of the damage. Good Luck to everyone.

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