Gucci - that’s good to know about residual pain. No one told me what to really expect from that, but it makes sense. I broke my arm when I was 11 and it still hurts sometimes too.
Your right about surgery pain too, I think. A coworker just had his back done (something with his L4/L5) and is in terrible pain even 2 months later. I felt little pain after the first week unless I over did or moved wrong, it was mostly just weakness and no range of motion
Gucci, my hip flexors have also been problematic–even two + years out. Try to get that under control now, if you can. I really exacerbated my issues by “pushing through the pain” in PT. BIG MISTAKE. Previous PT stuff had required that…but the hip? Not so much. I should have been easier on myself.
I’m maybe a month out from PRP into both hip, and am impressed with the results. It was AWFUL for about 48 hours post-injection (I couldn’t even walk! didn’t expect that!) but it calmed down and I’ve been seeing quite a lot of pain relief starting about 2 weeks post. We did my left reconstructed hip as well as the right, which has a significant tear that has not been repaired–so if my experiences are any indication, PRP is a very reasonable thing to consider prior to surgery. Nice to have options.
Hi,
I just found this forum when searching for information about recovery from hip labrum surgery, specifically re: riding in younger athletes. I haven’t been able to find as much as I’d like, and just had surgery, so thought I’d offer my experience as additional information for anyone who might be dealing with similar symptoms/doctor responses/recovery.
I had hip/groin/low back pain starting when I was 15 after a bad fall, but have always had joints that “pop,” so when my hip “popped” really hard during that fall, I didn’t think that much of it, and it was the side that I landed on, so I attributed the pain to the massive bruising from the fall. It got better, slowly, and three months after the fall was back to “normal,” but with increased popping.
When I was 21, my leg got wrenched forward when I fell skiing, and my hip went back to feeling “wrong” similar to right after the bad fall. When I was 22, I started riding a lot more, and showed regularly as well as running 3-5 miles multiple times a week. By the time I was 23, I was still showing regularly and running, and my hip was “popping” to the point that it happened every time I took a step, went up or down stairs, posted, landed from a jump, or moved. It became really unstable and would be unstable enough that skiing wasn’t possible, as it would literally give out, and it gave out twice while I was jogging for soundness (embarrassing!). It was ok running on solid ground with a shortish stride. I could feel the shifting inside the joint. I had my hip injected with cortisone twice with minimal relief, and my iliopsoas injected as well, which helped but not with the joint pain.
I saw two orthopedic surgeons before seeing one of the best in the country (one suggested there wasn’t a tear (ha) and one wasn’t comfortable with FAI and reconstruction or more complicated repairs if that’s what he found(no way)).
I had surgery the first week of January (I’m now 23 and was active and running and riding up until surgery) and the surgeon found a “massive” tear, with the cartilage separated completely from the socket, and said it was “impressive” that I was walking and running and riding and not totally crippled by the instability (he works with primarily sports medicine and professional athletes so I felt justified with my years of complaints!). He also found a major FAI. He cleaned up the cartilage around the tear, put in “anchors” in the socket, repaired and anchored the torn cartilage, and cut bone from the ball and the socket to eliminate the FAI.
I took a painkiller when the spinal wore off in the hospital, but besides that initial pain of the spinal wearing off, which I think was more from my hip being in traction for surgery, it really never hurt after. It was sore when I sneezed or moved it wrong right after, but I went to a hotel fine that night and was driven 3 hours home the next day. I took tylenol for a week but haven’t needed it since. Before surgery, I took the absolute maximum of Aleve and still struggled. I can’t believe how immediate the pain relief was (18 months of PT did almost nothing before) after surgery and how solid it felt even right after! It’s so weird that it can’t shift or move.
With FAI removal (ball and socket bone shaving), anchoring and labrum shaving and repair, my time line has been:
starting the day after surgery 10 minutes on stationary bike 2x day (with progression)
starting at 2 weeks 3x/week PT and daily rehab/personal trainer (really boring with basically no clearance)
3 weeks–50% weight bearing on crutches
4-6 weeks–weaning off crutches
8 weeks–sitting on a horse (seriously!!) to walk
12 weeks–start flatting my horse and treadmill progressions and full gym clearance
14 to 16 weeks–start jumping (hoping for 14) and release from PT
I’m at 10 weeks since surgery right now and it still feels good–I’m crediting a great surgeon and great PT and great rehab support, and the luck of having an accessible tear.
I’ve read everyone else’s posts–I’m so sorry that some of you haven’t felt relief and I hope you can find solutions soon!
Hi all!
I’m a longtime lurker and former Catchrider, for those of you who are familiar with that (now long gone) board.
I’ve read through all your posts on this thread because it has some of the only information I could find about FAI / labral tears that was related specifically to riders! So nice to hear all of your stories, though I’m sad to hear about the poor outcomes for a lot of you. I wanted to add my story - for support, maybe, and also in case other riders are searching for info and would like to hear it.
I’ve always had tight hips and hip pain, especially in the right side. About 3 years ago I had a yoga injury in my right hip. At the time I didn’t have insurance so I never had it checked out, but it was an ongoing issue. It got worse and worse over time, and I still never saw a doctor because I was always afraid of having to take time off from riding.
This January I had a bad fall off my lease horse onto some pavement. I landed almost directly on the inner side of my right knee - very painful. I took a week off riding and then went back to full activity, but the knee was always slightly painful and caused a limp. My friends and family urged me to go see a doc about it - but all I could think was, man, my hip feels way worse and I’ve been ignoring it all these years anyway! So I finally bit the bullet and went for a two-fer appointment.
MRIs and x-rays showed an acute bone bruise in my knee and cam-type FAI and a labral tear in my hip. Prescribed very limited activity (even walking) for 4 weeks to allow my knee to heal, and PT to see if my hip could improve. I’ve now been on PT 2x a week for 2 weeks, and it has made a big improvement in my pain. I think perhaps my tear must not be that bad, and years of ignoring it + limping due to my bone-bruised knee caused the muscles to become really angry. I’ve seen a big improvement so far in pain and range of motion.
I’m REALLY hoping I can manage it this way and avoid surgery - especially based on the experiences I’ve read about in this thread. I even don’t mind low levels of pain, as long as I have productive ways to manage it and I’m not making anything glaringly worse in the joint. Just nervous, of course, that the pain will return once I ride again.
I’m interested in the OP’s story at this point in the game. How have you been feeling? Have you been able to manage your pain and/or ride at all?
[QUOTE=faller-offer;8602373]
I’m REALLY hoping I can manage it this way and avoid surgery - especially based on the experiences I’ve read about in this thread. I even don’t mind low levels of pain, as long as I have productive ways to manage it and I’m not making anything glaringly worse in the joint. Just nervous, of course, that the pain will return once I ride again.[/QUOTE]
I am totally not the OP, but I’m going to butt in anyway. 
I think this is a marvelous way to approach it and I wish I’d done the same. Have you had any injections? Steroids are a good place to start, and they’ll also suggest HA (which I haven’t had) but I’d highly recommend PRP if you don’t see the relief you want with those. PRP has pretty much resolved all of my joint pain–both on the repaired hip and the other that has a lovely tear all on its own. I’m still not riding, but that’s not due to my hip joint pain.
PRP is $$ and not covered by insurance, and hurts like a MOTHER for maybe 48 hours after, but I am oh so impressed now. It took about 2-3 weeks to start really seeing the benefit.
If you’ve got the cash to burn, also pick up a game ready (for your hip AND your knee!) I love mine more than is reasonable. They pop up fairly frequently on craiglist and you can get a deal.
I really regret not pursing ALL non-surgical options prior to going to surgery. I’d be in a better place now if I’d done it differently.
Thanks for the input, Simkie! It sounds like you’ve been along a super long and difficult road with your hip issues, so I’m so glad to hear you’re doing well now with the PRP. I’ll keep these things in mind going forward as it’s still pretty early in the treatment process for me. One thing that has definitely been bothering me since reading this thread is that my doctor never mentioned anything about any type of injections. I will definitely bring them up if PT isn’t successful.
Also re: ice machine - that’s interesting! My PT has been having me use heat on my hip, because at this point the muscles are all just really tight and angry and can benefit from the loosening effect of heat. If I continue to have real joint pain in there I will definitely consider.
[QUOTE=faller-offer;8602434]
Thanks for the input, Simkie! It sounds like you’ve been along a super long and difficult road with your hip issues, so I’m so glad to hear you’re doing well now with the PRP. I’ll keep these things in mind going forward as it’s still pretty early in the treatment process for me. One thing that has definitely been bothering me since reading this thread is that my doctor never mentioned anything about any type of injections. I will definitely bring them up if PT isn’t successful. [/QUOTE]
FWIW my insurance process was PT first, then MRI (or injections if I was definitely anti-surgery), then injections to confirm intra-articular pain, THEN surgery. It could be that you haven’t gone through enough insurance steps yet. :rolleyes:
ETA: My PT uses heat before the exercises, then ice afterwards. Best of both worlds.
Get this. I go to the doctor on Tuesday to be checked for yet another torn labrum! This time in my shoulder. I can’t believe it.
Got the results of my last MRI…I was hoping it would be horrible. Unfortunately they said ‘not much worse than last time’…even though I hurt worse.
Unfortunately I can’t find a doc in Seattle who will try HA injections (the steroids have quit working).
Have an appt w a guy in Portland who does them. Hopefully it will help. If not, off to Houston to the guy who did my first hip to see if fe thinks he could make the argument to my insurance that I should go straight to THR given what happened w the other hip.
Read some retrospective analyses - risk factors for early conversion to THR in my age group (or at least one I’m REALLY) close to are diffuse arthritis (which I have), and time since injury (6 yrs).
My current sports doc even said that he only has 75% good results in people over 50 (and I’m almost 60!). Although he is saying he considers me a candidate for the scope if I want to do that…
My FABULOUS pain person is now in Portland, toller. She does all sorts of awesome injections and novel treatments. Let me know if you’d like her contact info…I highly recommend her. She’s incredible.
[QUOTE=Simkie;8602396]
I am totally not the OP, but I’m going to butt in anyway. … I’d highly recommend PRP if you don’t see the relief you want with those. PRP has pretty much resolved all of my joint pain–both on the repaired hip and the other that has a lovely tear all on its own. I’m still not riding, but that’s not due to my hip joint pain. [/QUOTE]
Thanks for jumping in, Simkie! I’ve been an absentee OP lately!
I’m so glad to hear that PRP has worked such wonders for you! Definitely keep updating if it’s not too much trouble – I bet a lot of us would be interested in the long-term effects of the PRP treatment.
I also agree, faller-offer, that you’re going about this in a great way. I hope that PT continues to be effective for your hip and that you can continue to manage the pain and keep any gait abnormality from damaging your other joints any further. It really seems that surgery is a bit of a craps shoot, so I think it is logical to prefer other treatment modalities for as long as they are effective before considering surgery.
5 months after surgery I’m in a slightly worse position that I was pre-op. I don’t regret the decision – all of the imaging, medical opinions, etc. suggested I was an ideal candidate, and more conservative options weren’t getting me anywhere. But since this whole saga started the only relief I’ve ever had from the hip pain has been from the local anesthetic they inject directly into the joint along with contrast dye or steroids. What I wouldn’t give for a long-acting version of that!
I still have limited range of motion in my R hip (site of surgery), and my L hip still also aches after more intense activity. My R hip is back to pre-op range w.r.t. straight flexion/extension, but I have limited abduction and rotation (esp. medial/internal rotation) due to both stiffness and pain. I’ve been building up my hiking and biking endurance, but still can’t tolerate running any distance. On Easter I got on a horse for a brief walk-trot ride for the first time since surgery and I pretty much haven’t been able to sleep since then due to hip pain that Tylenol doesn’t really touch.
Next week I will start riding my own horse again full time (oh, how I miss my trainer!) and I’m apprehensive about the potential for becoming a grumpy NSAID-overusing insomniac as well as the potential effects of my own asymmetry on my princess-and-the-pea horse’s motion/soundness.
Anyone have any brilliant insights on breaking the self-feeding cycle of pain>sleeplessness>increased pain sensitivity?
[QUOTE=tollertwins;8604095]
Got the results of my last MRI…I was hoping it would be horrible. Unfortunately they said ‘not much worse than last time’…even though I hurt worse.
Unfortunately I can’t find a doc in Seattle who will try HA injections (the steroids have quit working).
Have an appt w a guy in Portland who does them. Hopefully it will help. If not, off to Houston to the guy who did my first hip to see if fe thinks he could make the argument to my insurance that I should go straight to THR given what happened w the other hip.
Read some retrospective analyses - risk factors for early conversion to THR in my age group (or at least one I’m REALLY) close to are diffuse arthritis (which I have), and time since injury (6 yrs).
My current sports doc even said that he only has 75% good results in people over 50 (and I’m almost 60!). Although he is saying he considers me a candidate for the scope if I want to do that…[/QUOTE]
I wonder why current doc thinks you are a reasonable candidate for scope? It doesn’t really sound like the odds are in your favor!
Can the Houston doc consult on your images before you go to too much trouble on the insurance front?
Fingers crossed that you can give HA a go before too long, and that you see good results from it! Have you considered the PRP that Simkie has had such great results with?
[QUOTE=faller-offer;8602434]
My PT has been having me use heat on my hip, because at this point the muscles are all just really tight and angry and can benefit from the loosening effect of heat. If I continue to have real joint pain in there I will definitely consider.[/QUOTE]
I also tend to use heat more than ice, simply because it seems to help with the stiffness in addition to its therapeutic effects on the joint pain itself. Though if I could afford to replace my bag of frozen peas with a Game Ready I might feel differently about icing!
[QUOTE=Laurierace;8603901]
Get this. I go to the doctor on Tuesday to be checked for yet another torn labrum! This time in my shoulder. I can’t believe it.[/QUOTE]
Oh no! Are you going to do the shoulder scope? Or have you had a chance to try PT? Fingers crossed that this labrum is easy to manage!
[QUOTE=x-halt-salute;8608267]
Oh no! Are you going to do the shoulder scope? Or have you had a chance to try PT? Fingers crossed that this labrum is easy to manage![/QUOTE]
I am in PT, he was the one who sent me to the surgeon. They injected it yesterday and I have an MRI tomorrow. At this point I don’t plan on surgery any time soon if at all but want to know exactly what is going on in there.
I suggest that y’all all buy an electric mattress pad and use it regularly. It definitely helps with muscle pain that wakes you in the middle of the night almost screaming in pain.
Just for the hell of it, you might want to try a McKenzie Night Roll. Although it’s for backs, it definitely seems to help with my hip pain, which IS muscle related.
simike, PLEASE send me your pain doc’s info!!!
X-halt, so far no-go on remote access to my doc. Altho in this case it is more to discuss whether he could make an argument w/ insurance as to me being a bad risk for the surgery considering that all the cartilage in the other hip dissolved w/in about 6 months after the same surgery on the other hip.
I have done some reading about PRP for hips, but have not read many success stories yet…hoping that Simike has really good new on that front!
Ps - totally agree w/ vineyridge re: heated mattress pad or electric blanket…
I did my labral tear at work so mine was all done through workers comp unfortunately. It took 3 months to get an MRI done. The workers comp Doctor sent me to a surgeon who is known to avoid surgery and do all things non surgery. I got the MRI before I was able to see the surgeon (he was booked up.)
the surgeon walked into the door and told me. “We will do a cortisone shot and if that releaves the pain then we will do surgery.” You have a torn hip labral and you will need surgery. These things rarely get better on their own. At this point I had done 4 months of PT and things kept getting worse. He told me if I had a desk job then we could have tried non surgical options, but most of the time they don’t work.
The shot worked great for one month then started to wear off. I don’t regret surgery at all and the only time I really get the bad muscle soreness is when I sit or stand for too long. I’m still not cleared to do my job, but my job put me in a light duty position. That has been the worst part of the surgery.
I loved my surgeon. He has been awesome. The right Doctor makes a huge difference.
Well, not only a torn labrum but a partially torn rotator cuff as well. Nice.
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