Fractured hip recovery

[enigma]

Can you ever really do the things you enjoyed before, after suffering a fractured hip? I have just recently discovered that the pain which I have endured for the last two and a half years (following a fall) is actually due to an undiagnosed fractured hip, which I have been walking about on all this time! I have been bounced backwards and forwards from my GP to the Physioterrorists at my surgery and they only thought about arranging for an x-ray after two years in pain, as they feared that it may not be a muscle pain after all. I told them right from the start that the pain was in my hip and they kept insisting that this was a secondary pain and more likely due to ligament pain/slipped disc//SI joint/Bursitis etc. It was only after I complained to another doctor at the practice that the physios wanted to stick me full of cortisone injections without establishing the cause that it came to light. Now it has been spelled out to me that I will never fulfill my childhood ambition of joining the Police and at 32, it looks likely that I wll need a hip replacement. I am gutted. No-one is telling me how much my life will be affected though and what this means in terms of recovery, after care and what activities I can do afterwards without damaging my hip. Can anyone please help?

[raysparx1]

Hello enigma, My son, aged 29 has just had hip replacement after work accident 5 years ago, he was in constant pain, and is now pain free, it is amazing the difference it has made to him, it will last for approx 20 years, he has been told obviously he will never be able to play football again, go mountain biking or do the job he used to do, but at least he is pain free, look at steve Backley, on that ice show thing, he has had it done as well, look on the positive side and get it done, and get the pain sorted, good luck, Ray

[banjobabe]

Hey enigma,

What an awful thing to have endured.

Not sure that I can help a great deal. My Mum's other half recently had hip replacement and was walking well with a stick within a few weeks.

He now appears to be back to normal and says he is pain free, unfotunately I cannot remember when he actually had the operation.

I was suprised though by how quickly he recovered.

Best wishes,

BB xx

[raysparx1]

Hi enigma, me again, should have also said, the day after the op, he was up and walking about, had to be carefull for 3 months then life pretty much back to normal, so don't be scared, just get rid of that pain, Ray

[enigma]

Hi Ray and thanks for your quick reply. I'm glad that your son is pain free now and grateful to you for the information which you have given me. I have ben told by a friend that you can only have a few hip replacements in a lifetime though because after that, it doesn't work as well and may break down during surgery, which is why they are reluctant to give full hip ops to young(ish) patients. My consultant has suggested a Birmingham hip replacement which is a temporary measure or a proceedure to cut the bone and fuse it back together (if damage isn't too extensive, which I will find out after the MRI scan which I am to be sent for) but he has given me very vague information on the proceedure, the after care etc. It's encouraging to know that I will be pain free soon - hopefully. He warned that the Birminghma hip replacement doesn't give full pain relief and ease of discomfort but some pain is better than constant pain. At the moment I am in pain from the moment I open my eyes until I go to bed and eat painkillers like smarties. I long for the day when I can run around after my children and play with them again.

If you don't mind me asking, was it the Birmingham hip replacement which your son had?

[enigma]

Banjobabe - Thank you for your answer too. It was very encouraging to read your words and I am glad that your mum's partner has recovered well. I know it's silly but for quite a while I went on a complete downer, bursting into tears at all the things which I will never be able to do and how much pain I am in but then I pulled myself together, scolded myself for being so selfish when I am still blessed with so much and reminded myself how lucky I am as I know that there are so many people far worse off than me. I just get upset at not being able to do a lot of the fun things which I did before with my kids. I'm very hands on and spend all my time with them and it kills me that I can't do a lot now. Hopefully soon I will again.

Thank you both for your answers x

[ethandron]

i have two birmingham hips and no-way are they temporary measures!! i hope they outlive me. and believe you me, they have given me total pain relief. you really need to do a lot more research about the different types of hip replacement, and keep asking questions until you are totally satisfied that you're getting the type which is right for you. birmingham hips are recommended for younger patients (if they are suitable for one) because it preserves bone in case you need a total hip replacement later in life, and also because there is far less liklihood of dislocation for a younger, more active person. some people carry on playing football, running, skiing, ballet dancing, etc. if you google up birmingham hip you will find a lot of information.

[ethandron]

p.s. take particular note of youtube and birmingham hips, and the comments at the bottom.

[raysparx1]

Hi enigma, couldn't tell you if that is what he had, from what I remeber they said it was ceramic, and should last at least 20 years, his was probably slightly different to yours, as he had the ball joint sheared off and had to be pinned together, this lasted for about 3 years then the pain got worse, he had his done last june at Gobowen, oswestry and as I said the pain went the moment the op was done, hope all goes well for you, good luck, Ray

[bednobs]

hi enigma, i had a hip replacement at 32 (i'm 34 now) and i can just echo the above in the fact that it transformed my life. The constant pain went immediately (obv there was pain from the operation but that was temporary and more of a clean pain) i can in fact do much more in terms of living now than i colld before (it gave me my sex life back too) Younger peoples hips do tend to last a little less time because they are doing more with them. I have an uncemented total hip replacement (uncemnted because the cement can deteriorate quicker than the actual replacement) I still have to be carefulish (you are not ever supposed to have your knee higher than you hip for example) but so far (in nearly 2 years) no problems and much to recommend it

[enigma]

Ethandron - Perhaps I should have worded that a bit better, instead of saying temporary measure. What I really meant was that it didn't last as long as a full hip replacement and was designed to delay the need for a full hip op. (Or at least, that was my understanding of it.) I have read quite a lot on it and know of various proceedures but it only tells you what the op entails, not how life is afterwards, which is why I was looking for others' experiences of how their life is now (or that of loved ones/friends) following the op. Believe me, I have been asking so many probing questions, to the point where I think that my consultant was breaking into a sweat and glad to see the back of me. I just wasn't getting the answers I needed because - through my consultant's own admission - he does not specialise in hip ops and has limited experience there. He deals with arms and leg fractures mainly so quite why I was sent to him, I have no idea. I am set to see a specialist in a few weeks time, following the results of an MRI scan which I am also due to have soon. I'm glad you're pain free now and it's good to hear so many encouraging stories. Thank you.

Ray - Thanks again for your informative answers and your kind words.

[enigma]

Bednobs - Thank you for your answer to and that's brilliant that you are able to do so much again. (Especially the problem free sex life!) As I said earlier, it's great to read so many encouraging stories and I guess that the bottom line is that as long as you are a bit more cautious, then you can still carry on doing what you enjoyed. The most important thing, as Ray said, is for me to get pain free. I am in agony all the time and it gets to me sometimes when my kids ask me to join in activities, then say 'oh you can't mummy. Sorry, I forgot, you can't because of your pain'. I enjoyed taking my daughter to nursery but now can't manage the walk and so my husband has changed his hours of work to take her. It just adds to making me feel so useless and I am so used to being independant and not having to rely on anyone to do things for me. I know that I will have to swallow my pride and ask for help following my op but I am not looking forward to it and what's more, I am scared to death of hospitals and going under an anaesthetic but needs must, so i'll have to get on with it.

Thank you all for your answers x

[ethandron]

a resurfaced hip will last as long, if not longer, than a total hip replacement. they are not designed to delay the inevitable but rather to offer a different solution to a slightly different problem. not everyone, young or old, is a candidate for resurfacing, a lot depends on the state of your hip joint and how much deterioration there is.
i was 48 when i started experiencing problems, and it took until right up to the op when i was 51 for me to fully accept that i needed it, made me feel like such an old lady. have a look at healthboards.com in the knee and hip section. there's a forum there where you can read people's personal experiences and ask any question you like about it. it may just help you come to terms with it, there are people there younger than you who have had, or are due to have, hip replacements. good luck.

[bednobs]

if you plan on having any more children, you can't have a resurfacing, i think - i was offered a resurfacing until i told them i was cnsidering having children in the future

[Aprilis]

I can't offer any help on the subject of hip replacements but as someone who is suffering with a chronic back problem which includes constant severe pain in the hip, leg and ankle, I can totally empathise with you.

I will be undergoing spinal surgery next week....eeeek! But it will be worth it if I will be pain free afterwards.

From what other posters have said and from what I've heard from other people who've had hip replacements, it sounds like it would be the right thing for you to do. You will probably be more mobile and active with a new hip than you are in your present condition.

I wish you (and me!) a pain free future. Best of luck enigma.

x A x

[enigma]

Thanks again ethandron for your answer, it was really helpful and much appreciated and I will certainly check out that website for more information.

Bednobs - I have three children already and do not plan on having any more so I guess that it wouldn't be a problem for me and in fact, it's probably better that I have completed my family so that it wouldn't cause me any complications.

Aprilis - Sorry I haven't got back to before now but I have been laid up with the flu and have been feeling thoroughly miserable. So is it this week you are scheduled for surgery? Poor you, that sounds awful but as you say, if it means a pain free future then needs must. I hope that you are back to your usual self soon and i'll bet that the first morning you wake up pain free will be magic. Take care Aprilis and I hope that you are back on here soon xxx

[TashaPhoenix]

Hi Enigma.
I broke my hip when I was 13, I fell over in my kitchen, landed awkardly and it broke. Despite the paramedic telling us that it'd just be bruised, my dad took me straight to hospital where I was told it was broken and was whisked off to surgery straight away to pin it back together. I was fine once they'd pinned it together, and a couple of years ago I had the pins removed. It is starting to give me more pain now and I've noticed it getting worse, so my surgeon is doing another operation, where he re-breaks the bone, twists it and sets it in a slightly different place, which should reduce my limp and make me more comfortable, despite not being able to cross my legs. Up until now I've been able to do whatever I've wanted, walk as much as I've needed, attend the gym regularly (exercise bikes are the best as theres not too much pressure) and also, swimming is very good as its not an impact sport.
Eventually I will have to have a hip replacement, this operation is an attempt to delay having to have it so young.
I hope everything goes well for you and you make a full recovery.
Tasha Phoenix