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Hip Osteoarthritis

Riders with Health Issues
#1

I have had hip pain off and on for a couple of years now. Recently had x-rays and I have bone spurs and arthritis in both hip joints. I cannot ride because it is very painful to sit in the saddle on the outside of my hip joint. I am seeing a physiotherapist and she has said ‘my hip joints are stuck’, cannot get them to move much.

I am working on stretching/strengthening exercises but am a bit discouraged due to daily pain. Right now hip replacements are 2 year wait list. Has anyone gone through this? Any recommendations on dealing with the pain, or pain relief topicals. I am in my 60’s but do not want to give up riding, I am a lifelong rider (or was!).

#2

Timely because I started seeing a new PT just this week for hip arthritis pain. She’s a bit atypical and does a super combo of therapies - laser on the joints themselves, and electric stim, graston, and shockwave on the fascia surrounding. And a whole lot of at-home exercises. I’ve only had one appointment so far but will go back tomorrow for laser again, and then back on Tuesday for the full treatment again. Meanwhile I am also going to order new imaging because mine are 3 years old and it’s hard to know how much it has changed since 2020.

She is also recommending a bunch of supplements, etc. but I don’t have them yet.

Editing to add - are you taking anything at all? I definitely can tell when I take my joint supplement regularly. Mine is Glucosamine, Chrondroitin, Turmeric, MSM and a few other things. I also take Fish Oil. My new PT is recommending more Turmeric, and an antioxidant mix to support the laser therapy.

I don’t like to take anything else, but will take Ibuprofen or Tylenol at times. I can’t really imagine anything topical actually helping much just based on how my hips feel; the pain is inside the joints.

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#3

I am taking a Collagen that is for joints, they recommend 6 months prior to seeing relief and I am at 3.5 months on it. I had heard of fish oil being beneficial, I am going to get some and try that. I have tried glucosamine but did not have any relief with that. Interesting to see what your radiographs reveal; my PT said some people with lots of damage on x-ray still have full function, she told me it is different for everyone. I do take “Aleve” for pain on days when I am really hurting.

#4

I just ordered collagen at the recommendation of the new PT. Will be curious to see if it will help.

My joint supplement is a combined pill; I don’t think the glucosamine is really the ingredient that provides anti-inflammatory effects but the turmeric definitely does.

I have lots of hip function; I just don’t want to lose it and have a coworker waiting on his total hip replacement and hope I can avoid that. I have FAI in both hips so that doesn’t help my range of motion. But also have new SI joint dysfunction we are working on as it might actually be playing a bigger role than anything else.

I am a runner and one of the issues many runners face is the uneven surface of the side of the road - so essentially running with one hip higher than the other all the time. It’s possible that the stuck SI joint is actually causing more of my discomfort than the arthritis - which, while visible on the xray from 3 years ago wasn’t significant.

Of course it may have changed, but it also might be a combination of issues.

What is your PT doing with you to try to regain mobility?

#5

She is trying to get the joint ‘unstuck’. Lying on my back with bent knees, bring one knee up towards chest, should be able to move that over towards opposite side but it won’t go very far. PT is pushing on knee to get some more movement and circling motion with joint. I have had 4 treatments so far and it is moving a bit better but very painful after treatments for the entire day. I have a number of exercises to perform at home. Squats, hamstring stretches, also back exercises to strengthen as the pain from hips transfer to lower back.

2 Likes
#6

Have you used that PT before? I will say that they are not all created equal; some PTs are really great and others not so much.

That sounds painful. Does it feel like it’s really “stuck” in the joint, or do you think the soft tissue/fascia may also be contributing to the lack of range of motion? I would definitely want to make sure that all the rest of your pelvis and lower back are functioning properly too - SI joint, lower spine, etc. because if they are also “stuck” your hips may not be the only (or primary) problem.

How often are you going to PT?

#7

I just had my last PT. She said the range of motion has not improved. She had my x-rays and the joint space is decreased with bone spurs. At this point she suggested I get a referral to an orthopedist and they would suggest or recommend when is the time to get joint replacement OR can I manage the way it is. All I can do is strengthening exercises and keep mobile, there is no cure for arthritis. Pain management and continue with activity, if you stop moving it will get worse.

I have had some improvement, i.e I can walk up a flight of stairs now, easier to get into my car without having to ‘lift’ my leg with my hands. Anyway, I have heard so many say they wish they had joint replacement sooner, they became pain free after.

1 Like
#8

I’ve had arthritic hips (my right is the worst) since my late 20s, confirmed by several xrays over the years. I also have adrenal insufficiency which would make a hip replacement risky so I’m doing everything I can to avoid that. Here are some things that have kept me comfortable to this day (I’m 62 now):

  • Purica Recovery (I’ve used the equine version for years and both hubby and I take the human version. I went off it once for a few weeks for an unrelated health problem and I was limping. I’m sound when I take it.
  • An SI belt to stabilize the joints. This made a huge difference for me. I started wearing it because I was also feeling achy in my SI, but I found it helps my hips. I’ve worn it doing chores, riding, golfing and even sleeping.
  • Devil’s Claw: This was a recent discovery. I’ve been giving my creaky old horses Buteless pellets for many years and wondered if Devil’s Claw would help me. It does! Not on the level of Ibuprofin, but I’ve cut down my use of NSAIDS to almost none right now (seems to help with hangovers, too :wink:)

Best of luck getting some relief!

3 Likes
#9

Thanks, that sounds encouraging. It is worth a try, the Recovery and Devil’s Claw. I have used an SI belt a year ago and that helped a lot – but then I got to the point where it started to make things worse again so I stopped using it.

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#10

I have a bone spur and arthritis in my right hip. I get a lot of relief from an injection into the joint. The ortho said we will do that until I no longer get relief and only then talk about replacement. I take a lot of supplements but the injection keeps me moving with little discomfort.

#11

What type of injection? Hylauronic acid? How frequent do you need injection to keep you pain free? I think I will go back to my Doctor and mention this to him, maybe he will want to refer me to an ortho. What supplements do you find are helpful? I have made some small improvements, it is not as painful to sit in my saddle as it was a month ago. I picked up some Purica Recovery and also some fish oil capsules (omega 3s).

#13

I had a bone spur over the hip socket that was the result of a prior fracture. I feel you on the limited range of motion! The only thing that helped with riding was very narrow horses and saddles with very narrow twists. That mean my hip didn’t have to go sideways too much. My leg still couldn’t get under me for the classic shoulder-hip-heel line but I did what I could and made accommodations with my trainer.

Honestly, the only thing that really worked was the replacement! Injections etc will help to tide you over until then. Big hugs - it’s so frustrating!

#14

Thank you, for some reason my dr. said injections were not common for my condition but yet many are saying they have had injections. I am going to see him again and mention all the people who have said YES they got injections. It is frustrating, riding was my passion.

#15

Where do you live?

I’m curious about the 2 year wait for a hip replacement as my co-worker got one in 6 weeks. He had to wait out the joint injections he had had (in his spine, not hip) because they wanted to wait 90 days from there.

I went to see my sports doc yesterday as a followup to my PT (I actually made the appt weeks ago but feel really good still…however wanted to keep it for updated xrays and advice.)

He said there was still a lot to do between where I am now, and a replacement, and he mentioned injections. He also mentioned PRP although it is still unclear how much it helps, but there are indications that it can help - so could be worth considering if you can’t get in for the hip replacement.

I asked him how much of the improvement I got from PT was related to the laser treatment versus the fascia work and his exact quote was “100% fascia.” That surprised me.

I know you said you were discharged from PT – have you actually met with an ortho dr. about this as well? Or just a PCP and PT? I might be looking for a 2nd opinion if you can get one.

#16

I’m in Eastern Canada, doctor shortage here. There is a wait to consult with an Orthopedist as well, and they would decide how/when I would need replacement, most of the problems started with Covid as many or all scheduled surgeries were cancelled so there is a backlog.

I want to try injections, see if that helps first.

1 Like
#17

that was my question also as my wife is having a hip replacement that is done as an outpatient procedure. It appears the wait period is no more than a few weeks if that.

Advantage of living a large city ?

1 Like
#18

Advantage of living in a country with privatized health care. As long as you have good insurance coverage, I guess.

2 Likes
#19

may be so but a two year wait period is very, very long period for a surgery that can be preformed as at an outpatient in a clinic … so is Free or Low Cost medical worth it? May be so, I guess. But I am not the one in constant pain

#20

Idk, maybe consider the millions of people that are uninsured or under insured in the US, who have zero hope of affording something like a hip replacement, ever.

Is a two year wait ideal? No. No one is saying it is. But is waiting two years for a hip replacement better than never getting one, because you don’t have insurance? Yeah, yeah it is.

5 Likes
#21

I’m in TN, and there’s a 2-3 month wait to get into an orthopedist who is a hip specialist.

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