A year and a shiny new hip!

Well that turned out to not be the final surgery by any means.

Unfortunately the groin pain returned with avengance around January 2011. After a series of steroid injections over 10 weeks with reducing benefit, I was referred to a different surgeon in the group (Mr Norton) for an arthroscopy to remove likely scar tissue.

On looking at my xrays, he felt that the acetabulum might be in the wrong place, but on MRI scanning it looked to be orientated ok and there was scar tissue visible. Therefore he recommended a scope to clear out the joint.

I had this in August, which showed grade II/III arthritis on the femoral head and acetabulum as well as dense adhesions in the joint and particularly between the capsule and femoral neck area which were all removed. Nice easy recovery, only used crutches for a day. But, again, no significant improvement in the pain at all. In fact, it just seemed to get worse and worse. At my 6 week check up, I was offerred a total hip replacement if things were not improved in 3 more months. As my pain got worse, I booked the THR surgery for december (plus work were desperate to know when I was going to have it).

However, I was lucky enough to get a cancellation and I am now 13 days post LTHR! All went very well, although it turns out his initial thoughts were correct as he discovered my hip was still severely retroverted (10-15 degrees) and the femoral head was subluxing out the socket backwards... therefore my previous pelvic osteotomy surgery was a gigantic failure. The arthritis wasn't actually much different from august, so the pain was mechanical from the femur bashing into the acetabulum while it was still in completely the wrong place! My new ceramic on ceramic hip is facing 20 degrees anteverted and in the right position finally.

Anyhoo, this surgery has been great so far, rough start with pain over the first 24-48 hours but now nothing more than discomfort. I am already using only one crutch in the house - I have to use two outside until my checkup at week 7 because of the risk of falling with the rain/snow. I can fully weight bear and I am able to move a lot more than any of the previous major surgeries. I am going to start going to the pool soon and start doing more advanced physio exercises there to continue to build strength.

Looking good that this might just be the actual final surgery for a long time!! Heres to a good hip year for 2012.