Bursitis and hip pain

@kauaimac, I merged your most recent discussion post in to the Bursitis and Hip Pain discussion that you already have posted in and met other members in. I did this because I wanted all the members already discussing hip bursitis to a notification from your discussion post so they see it. While we wait for the other members to share their experiences, has your provider suggested any other treatment regimens other than the cortisone shots that no longer seem to help?

It's not that the cortisone shots don't help. They do but I don't want to take them anymore. The doc who was handling the shots and the bursitis has retired and somewhere online I read of exercises for bursitis but can't seem to find them anymore. All I want is to be able to walk on cement, sidewalks, Costco etc. I can't even walk for exercise anymore.

My doctor also diagnosed Bursitis and recommended pain pills. I insisted on an x-ray and the radiologist found that I had "light to moderate" arthritis in both hips but mostly in my right hip where the pain was.

The pain was persistent...everyday when I got up from bed after about 20 minutes of standing the pain came back. I usually took a walk every day but that became impossible. I would walk for about 1/2 block and the pain was so intense I had to return home. I did NOT want to take the pain medication recommended by my doctor since the 4 pages of possible side effects were daunting....could be very lethal. I did not want to try "Stem Cell Therapy for Hip Arthritis" even though it sounded GREAT! The price was too high (between 5 and 6 thousand dollars) and there was no guarantee...also it is experimental so not covered by medical insurance.

So...I went on-line looking for a solution...and I found a web site pitching a medication called "ARTHROZENE". the company that makes it is: FISICO Inc. They are located in Westford, MA. According to their ad the ingredients of the medication will "lubricate the joint, help replace the joint padding that has worn away and eliminate the pain". They said that many customers experienced a reduction to total elimination of pain after only 5 DAYS! They recommended taking it for at least one month but said it was even better to continue taking it for 3 months. (One capsule per day first thing in the morning).

I ordered a 3 month supply and to my surprise, the pain was gone after 4-5 days. I am now well into my 2nd month of medication and the pain has never returned. I feel completely normal again. I plan to complete the 90 days then stop. Hopefully that will keep the pain away for an extended period of time. It will not cure arthritis....but this is for me the best approach to the problem.

I don't know if this medication will help others with hip pain...(or other types of joint pain) but I am pleased with it. Hopefully someday soon there will be a clinical trial of "Stem Cell Therapy for Hip Arthritis" and I would like to volunteer for that.

Bob Crisp

Good morning from rainy Toronto: I have had a lot of pain in my groin, hip, buttock and thigh for months. Just got the results of an ultrasound demonstrating bursitis and quadriceps strain. Still need to get the x-rays done to look at loosening of the hip. My question is does anyone know of anything I could try beside the injection. Can't take antiinflammatories due to a medical condition. Should mention that I'm also on Lyrica for neuropathy. I've had trouble with pain for several, several months and it is starting to get me down. Any advice would be appreciated.

Hello @carolg. An error seemed to occur when I tried merging your message about bursitis and a quadriceps strain after your hip replacement. I tried merging your discussion with the current discussion I am tagging you in here titled, "Bursitis and hip pain." I was trying to merge your post because I wanted all the Connect members discussing bursitis and hip pain management to see your message and so that you could in turn read through their messages. I apologize for the inconvenience. Here is @carolg's original post:

Good morning from rainy Toronto. I have had a lot of pain in my groin, hip, buttock and thigh for months. Just got the results of an ultrasound demonstrating bursitis and quadriceps strain. Still need to get the x-rays done to look at loosening of the hip. My question is does anyone know of anything I could try beside the injection. Can't take antiinflammatories due to a medical condition. Should mention that I'm also on Lyrica for neuropathy. I've had trouble with pain for several, several months and it is starting to get me down. Any advice would be appreciated.

My hips have ached for YEARS. Recent X-rays indicated arthritis mild or moderate. But discomfort is MAJOR!!!!

The day AFTER the X-rays, I could barely walk, my hips hurt so badly! I know the actually X-ray would not have had any affect, but I cannot imagine that placing my leg in a not-uncomfortable position for 30 seconds would have done so much. That was Tuesday! It is Saturday, and I am ALMOST back to my usual level of discomfort. I amble with a cane, I walk with a roll-a-tor, and inside the house I carom off walls, appliances, and the piano using my arms as numbers.

A snafu left me cold turkey from 90mg a day duloxetine (Cymbalta) for a month, but I am one third the way back to my usual dosage.

Also on 400mg gabapentine a day.

I have 'severe degenerative disc disease at C4-5 and C5-6, as well as other issues up one side and down the other of my neck.

And I am dealing with some major unresolvable esophageal issues, perhaps spasms, following 'repair' of a 'stricture'.

I have 'teams' already working on the neck and esophageal stuff. I am just beginning on the hips.

I am awaiting a referral for a PT from my GP.

Any tips or hints would be greatly appreciated.

New to the community, so Hi, all!
(=^..^=)

Hi @kaptainkat and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. You will notice that I moved your post to a discussion that is talking about hip pain. I wanted to include you here so you could connect with members that may be experiencing something similar.

I'd like to invite @sueinmn, @popolopo, and @jfsherley to the conversation to share.

@kaptainkat, Do you think that the pain may be from you trying to compensate for the pain in your back?

Hello, and welcome to the Mayo Connect community. We are people living with a wide variety of diseases and conditions, who try to help one another along the way. We each strive to be informed medical consumers, and our own best advocates in our care. We are not medical professionals, so not able to provide medical advice. We can tell you what has worked for us (or not) and provide you with information and conversation about your question.

It is miserable to live with pain that is not being well-controlled, so I understand your search to find some relief...I see from the title you chose for this discussion that you feel your hip pain is not from arthritis in the joint, may I ask why? Have you seen a Physical Therapist to evaluate your range of motion, muscle tone and gait, all issues that can contribute to hip pain? From your description of being treated with duloxetine and gabapentin, I suspect at some point a doctor has determined that all or some of your pain has its roots in nerve irritation.

I hate to ask so many questions, but this will help you to find others similar to yourself who may be able to offer suggestions for your "next step".

Sue

Hi Sue;

Thank you for the response.

'I see from the title you chose for this discussion that you feel your hip pain is not from arthritis in the joint, may I ask why'

I has X-rays done on Tuesday, 6/22 at the suggestion of my GP, and the report was, I believe, 'minimal' joint degenerative disease'.

Which, with my minimal knowledge and research, has now lead me to either Trochanteric bursitis or Meralgia paraesthetica.

I anxiously await the PT referral from my GP.

I don't have 'back' issues, so much as neck. My 'T' sections aren't bad, it is C1 trough C7 that pretty much have issues. C4-5 and C5-6 have 'severe degenerative disc disease, others have spurs and miscellaneous crud.

Hips have given grief for decades. I used to periodically have to reposition myself on my motorcycle as I would settle onto the saddle and a hip would SCREAM until I stood on the pegs and 're-settled'.

We discovered the 'C-section' crud in 2009.

I knew two who'd had neck surgery at the time. One came out fine. The other has been on opioids, in pain, and never ok for 30 years. So I opted out of the knife. Ten years later, my neurologist's only comment was 'Why did you wait so long?'

I didn't know how bad it would get!

Unrelated, I have been having digestive issues for three years. Finally discover as an esophageal stricture, THAT was repaired, and I am now just as bad, if not worse for what seem to be esophageal SPASMS. For the most part, I don't eat. Half a dozen ritz with cheese spread is it. For the day.

I also periodically (presently, as a matter of fact) get on an off 'vibration', in especially my left thigh. Right now it is like a cell phone ringing. Buzz-rest-buzz-rest. Dr Google suggests Meralgia paraesthetica, which ALSO can account for hip pain, although usually it is Trochanteric bursitis.

Thank you for you reply and interest.