Torn Hip Labrum - advice, recovery and experiences (Read 1147 times)

I'm preparing for surgery on my right hip (repair labrum, fix CAM deformity/ impingement) on Sept 23rd. Was wondering for those of you here who have gone through this already, what are some things I can do now to help make the recovery go smoothly? Any tips/ tricks for dealing with life on crutches? Expectations for when things begin to return to normal (i.e. driving, grocery shopping, household stuff)? Just thinking through the first few weeks post surgery and trying to manage my own expectations for what I'll be able to do vs. what I need to ask for help with. I've been injured for a year, have trained for and run a marathon on the bum hip, though was fairly hampered throughout my training due to soreness. I am not in a ton of pain currently, but any time I run more than 5-6 miles, I really feel it during the run and sometimes later in the day just sitting. At times I'm tempted to put the surgery off, but I know I can't ever truly train/ run high mileage again unless I get this fixed. So that's my motivation for moving forward. Thanks in advance for any advice you veteran hipsters can offer me!

Thanks for the feedback! Was the 4 weeks on crutches required by your surgeon? My first surgeon told me 2 weeks on crutches, but I had to switch for insurance issues and the new one said up to 6 weeks. He is way more conservative!

We live far away from family, but my mom is coming the first 8 days to help me with all the household stuff and the kids (elementary aged, so most of what they require is to be fed and to be driven all over the place). My husband gets zero time off and works nights, so it will be hard once my mom leaves. He has off for the 2 days after she leaves, to get me almost to two weeks.  I was hoping that by 12 days out, I'd be functioning better on my own. I was also worried about getting to PT after the 2 week mark (when I had hoped to be driving). I had planned on being able to drive while on crutches as long as I was weaned off pain meds. But is that unrealistic to think?

I am probably being way too optimistic about recovery. I am going into the surgery running an average of 30-40 miles a week, am "young" ("only" 41, haha), and have a relatively uncomplicated pathology -- nothing but the cam deformity repair and the labrum repair, no osteoarthritis or any tendon issues. My husband had a total hip replacement last year (his hip was a complete mess!!), and I know how difficult that recovery was. I keep comparing my hip to his and thinking surely it will be much easier recovering from a scope surgery than open surgery!

I would go in prepared to need help for just about everything at the start - if you end up not needing it, then great, but it's better than trying to find help if you DO need it on the fly.

 

I cooked meals and froze them, and my parents stayed with me while my husband was at work the first week, and then my husband was off the second week to give me a hand.    Everything was tough that first week - getting to the bathroom, getting food, etc etc.  Each week after that got better bit by bit!

 

I was on crutches for four weeks and didn't drive for three.  I needed a ride to and from PT until that fourth week, and at three times a week, that was a lot of getting carted around by people!

Question from a lurker - what did you do to relieve the pain/discomfort prior to your surgeries? I've done some googling, but there's a lot of conflicting information. So, I thought I'd come where I know people who've been there.

I went through a round of pt a few months ago and the therapist mentioned that a tear in the labrum in my right hip is likely, but I didn't pursue a definitive diagnosis since I can't afford the surgery anyway (from a time rather than a money standpoint). I just modified my routines and got to a point I could live with it. Unfortunately, I aggravated it pretty badly this weekend and I foresee that this will continue to be an issue going forward, so I'd like some advice about what I can to help the pain that will certainly be a problem sitting at my desk for 9 hours tomorrow at work.

It's not exactly the easiest to ice and elevate and resting it didn't get the job done, so any other advice?

Question from a lurker - what did you do to relieve the pain/discomfort prior to your surgeries? I've done some googling, but there's a lot of conflicting information. So, I thought I'd come where I know people who've been there.

 

I went through a round of pt a few months ago and the therapist mentioned that a tear in the labrum in my right hip is likely, but I didn't pursue a definitive diagnosis since I can't afford the surgery anyway (from a time rather than a money standpoint). I just modified my routines and got to a point I could live with it. Unfortunately, I aggravated it pretty badly this weekend and I foresee that this will continue to be an issue going forward, so I'd like some advice about what I can to help the pain that will certainly be a problem sitting at my desk for 9 hours tomorrow at work.

 

It's not exactly the easiest to ice and elevate and resting it didn't get the job done, so any other advice?

I took a lot of NSAIDS. I pretty much didn't run for 3 months prior to surgery because the pain was just too intense. Sadly, I was in pain up to the day of surgery. However, when I woke up from surgery, all of my pre-op pain was gone. Even after the femoral block wore off, I was just sore from, you know, surgery.

You guys. I am so happy. I took my kids to Disneyland and Universal Studios this weekend (Which was AWESOME) and walked 16 miles in two days (FitBit) and while my legs are sore, my hip doesn't hurt!!!

Yay!  That's great news! 

I would second the recommendation for ART. I think it was one of the main things that helped me to continue to train on my injured hip. I will say though--it wasn't a 100% solution. Sometimes after the treatment the pain would get worse or travel to a different location on my hip and cause more issues when running. But I also wasn't in a position where I could get the ART done in conjunction with rest---which the chiro said would be limited in terms of managing the pain. I was having ART done so I could maintain marathon training, at least enough to get me through Boston. It probably would've been even more effective if I had rested or decreased mileage at the same time.

Yeah, he said he couldn't be sure without the MRI, but I didn't follow up with it since I know I'm not in the position to get the surgery right now anyway. I have heard that ART can be helpful, I'll see if my insurance covers that and give it a try.

 

Thanks for the advice - I appreciate all your updates from lurkerdom!

Thank you, everyone, for sharing your experiences.  After 12mo of unexplained high hammy tightness, perpetually knotted glutes and a "clunking" right hip (seems like it's originating from the SI, but who knows), I finally got a doc to schedule a hip MRI to look for a labral tear.  I've had probably a half dozen PTs perform those manual internal/external hip rotation tests with only a minor, almost superficial, pinching sensation in my groin, and they all offered the same response when I asked about a labral tear, "If you had a torn labrum, you would know."  I know I have some spinal arthritis, and likely some ligament laxity around my sacrum, but no treatment directed at stabilizing those issues have provided any relief.  I have mixed feelings about the MRI...it could provide some answers while seriously screwing with Olympic trials qualifying dreams, but may also just continue to lead me in circles. MRI Monday!