Painful hips - what should I do?

[sweetjo]

Hi,
My hip feels awful today - it definately doesn't feel like it is sitting correctly in its socket. Now I'm not sure what to do - do I go to A&E like my gp, nhs direct et all tell me to and then wait for three hours surrounded by drunks and screaming children only to be xrayed and told that there is nothing wrong with me and to b****r off.... or, do I see if it rights itself?

It's really hard, because I try to do what the Gp tells me but they always think I'm just trying it on in A&E - like I would willfully spend 3 hrs plus in horrible conditions to be told I was a hypochondriac. But if I don't go, then the GP will say that he has no records of recent displacement / subluxions etc and that I'm saying its bad when it clearly hasn't been.

I just don't know what to do. Plus different rheumys say different things - I have been told by one that hips categorically cannot dislocate because of the ball and socket joints while others have told me that that is wrong and they can dislocate.
So if I end up with an A&E doc who is of the 'categorically cannot dislocate hips' mind then I am screwed before I've even begun.

Any ideas? Sorry about the rant!

Thanks

Jo

[Eloise]

mmmm between a rock and a hard place.

BTW - hips can dislocate, and for us that means in every direction as well.

Personally I have never been to A&E, as I usually manage to re-locate them myself. And when I do get a joint that sit "wrong" for a few days then I go to my local chiropractor who knows how to relocate things and totally understands about HMS.

Can you get an emergency appointment with your GP so that he can see what things are like on a bad day?

If you lose feeling in your leg or your leg goes blue or swells up then get to A&E fast as you maybe trapping a nerve or blood vessel. But other than that it is up to you on what you think you may achieve from it.

[sweetjo]

Thanks Eloise, I hadn't thought of a chiropractor. I have booked a short consultation with one for tomorrow morning to see if he thinks he can help me. Thank you, thats a really good idea.

Jo

[Stone]

When mine feel a bit weird I sometimes try sitting crosslegged and popping the affected hip up and down, sometimes it goes clunk and fixes itself...

Definitely not for the faint of heart (!) but you could always try CAREFULLY manipulating it about a bit to see if you can make it any better. I assume you've tried this already though. Please don't hurt yourself on my recommendation!

Stone

[barkingmad]

Hi Jo,

Hope you have this resolved now..its definitely not nice, with me its a case of lying down (usually I am anyway as min ecome out in bed!) and kind of lifting and wriggling whilst pushing it away and up at the same time.

My body sorts of tells me what to do but I have to do it quick otherwise if teh surrounding tissue inflames then it causes more difficulty and more post-manipulation pain etc.

Not nice tho hun, sending you flowers

[SAMMY]

As I am still new to all of this. I'm not sure what my hips do. I has only been the past year, when I am sitting down and want to get up or move, my hips clunk and I jolt with pain. Is this the kind of thing you are talking about?? SAMMY

[iNeko]

When mine feel a bit weird I sometimes try sitting crosslegged and popping the affected hip up and down, sometimes it goes clunk and fixes itself...

Definitely not for the faint of heart (!) but you could always try CAREFULLY manipulating it about a bit to see if you can make it any better. I assume you've tried this already though. Please don't hurt yourself on my recommendation!

Stone

That's what I tend to do, and I push down on my hip with my hands too, to help it along! When it 'goes back' there's a really loud, satisfying clunk and a very, very nice feeling of relief - shame I have to do it so often though! (like twice a day at the very least!)

[Englishgremlin1]

Moderators-I've done a search on cannot find any topics specifically on hips so please excuse me starting a new thread. If you can find one please tell me as I needed urgently!

My left hip sub luxed on me a week and a half to 2 weeks ago and has not gone back in since and then today I was trying to do my physio and it became very painful and lost most of its movement. I am pretty sure that I dislocated it again and my carer tells me that it has been inverting (i.e. collapsing inwards towards the pelvis rather than outwards).

I've tried my usual tricks the getting it back into some sort of place and it is remaining quite painful (only about 9 1/2 out of 10 on the pain scale) and is not settled down for an hour or two. A lot of you know my deep love of casualty departments signed doing all I can to avoid that at any ideas on what might make it pop back into place again without going to hospital?

[Blaadyblah]

Yowch - I've merged with this topic (I only spotted it while looking for something else on hips the other day in preparation for doing a hip tidy up!).

If there's anyone with you to help you in or out a hot bath helps settle mine on occasion, failing that can you blast the area with a tens machine to take the edge off? That might help it slip back in (sometimes works on my SIJ).

[Englishgremlin1]

thanks - i managed to get manuplate it and there was a dull thud sounds and it is not in right but better than before. Still painful but hope it will click all the way today. I can pop it back when it goes out away from the body but it is much harder the other way.

[Finarda]

I just remembered something that helped me. I was trying to fix a meccano-type desk and was lying sideways on my sore hip for about 2 hours, rocking back and forward as I was trying to reach different areas.

When I stood up I walked without pain in my hip for the first time in a couple of months. I think all the movements with the pressure on my hip finally relocated it properly.

Fiona

[Englishgremlin1]

It is still very wobbly but seems to in place again - wobbled all over the place trying my 2 metre walk today but did not fall out again.

[ickle kitty]

Hi guys,
excuse me butting in but this was the only thread i could find on hips,

So far since I began having joint dislocations, (20yrs) have till now had no hip pain or probs, I used to do long jump and hurdles all through high school etc, almost daily was in the athletics team for the county, so my left ankle, knee and hip joints really took a pounding, it was my launch leg, push off for long jump, and it was the leg that got tucked up tight at each hurdle, I can still tuck that leg up and back, with my foot against my ass.

Up till the last few months it has only been the ankle and knee that gave the most problems on that side, no medial miniscus in that knee, patella all over the place and the ankle rolling all the time, but now I am getting a grinding, clunking sensation and lots of cracking and crunching noises from the left hip area, the pain is weird though, like if I had a tail I would think it was falling off, the pain is really low, into the but cheak, and over my hip line, into base of my spine, even some coming round over into the groin area. Any clues what is going on now? is it to do with the knee and ankle throwing my hip off or something? I guess with the knee and ankle being so screwed the hip is doing all the work, maybe?

Sometimes when trying to walk or move it, it doesn't feel right, like it's jamming or hitting something like the knee used to do, and when it's like that I get bad pins and needles into the leg and it's freezing to the touch, any ideas? I asked my GP and I mentioned it to the rheumy too at the last app, but I don't think she realised this was a new complaint, not something I had already had problems with.

Any advice greatfully received,

Thanks, a crunchy Kitty.

[Englishgremlin1]

I cannot profess expertise as you can see I am battling hip problems myself. I know the feeling of pins and needles and with me this means a nerve is impinged or has ben and is setling down. I can only advise caution and being careful. It may need time to settle down and a day or resting from heavy excercise could help and then gently build up again.

[ickle kitty]

hi Gremlin and thanks for the reply,

sounds like we are in the same boat,start of probs with hip or hips and no clue wots going on now, lol

Just when I think I've got this all figuired out and am coping something else comes along, it's getting very wearing, tiring and quite frankly dashed annoying, I want my life back, Darn it! I could cope nicely if it was just the pain, been in that so long in so many places I worry now if I can't feel it, lol, it means I'm alive anyway.

It's the pins and needles I don't like and the going cold, plus the cramping spasming feeling as the leg wakes back up, thats kinda weird and a bit freaky, not to mention damned inconvenient when you want to do something. I've had a few loud clunks but not sure if thats it going in or out, subluxing or just being noisey, I have very shallow ball and socket joints, both hips and both shoulders are all shallow and the situation is not helped by the EDS.

I hope yours eases off soon, and you get some rest from it, take care, Kitty.