I've been sharing the saga of my husband's arthritic hip.  Hip pain started about 4 years ago.  Two years ago, he underwent a "newer" type of hip surgery in which the hip is resurfaced (like putting a crown on a tooth) rather than replaced.  This is known as the "Birmingham" hip.  Though Don did very well initially, after a few months the "old pain" began to reappear in the hip, along with some "new pain" in the groin area.  Seven months after the Birmingham surgery, he underwent another surgery to remove excess bony growth around the joint.  This provided minimal relief and his symptoms continued to worsen and so, this April, though x-rays looked fine, it was decided that perhaps the only solution was a total hip arthroplasty (THA).  During the surgery on May 20th, the surgeon found that the socket portion of the Birmingham had loosened and migrated.  So, the resurfacing component and the socket were removed, replaced with a new ball and socket (this time the socket was screwed into the pelvis to be sure it would not drift again).   His chronic pain has been replaced by some post operative pain, but is lessening on a weekly basis.  His gait, even though still using a crutch or cane, looks 100% better than it has for over a year!!  And, his first follow-up visit to his surgeon this week was totally encouraging.  I will post you on his progress in a few more months.  In the meantime, if you have questions about arthritis of the hip . . . call us at Alliance Physical Therapy.  The therapists (especially this one!) can share much helpful information with you!!

Yours in health,

Karen