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Hip replacement in woman good alternative to chronic bursa pain?

Posted by laughlin1947 @laughlin1947, Mar 25 7:57pm

My wife has been suffering thru repeated episodes of severe bursa pain in each hip, but the pain management specialist says she is not a candidate for hip replacement to resolve this. She has no issue physically within her hip joints that would prevent successful outcomes. The bursa requires steroids injections every 4 months, and she has been getting the injections for a few years now. She's not eligible for another injection for 2 months, and now she can't walk more than a block or so. Is the pain management doctor just milking her for sustained business? She is 68 years old and otherwise fully mobile.

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Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Mar 25 11:35pm

@laughlin1947 Hip bursitis is painful, but does not necessarily indicate the need for hip replacement - in fact, unless the recurring bursitis I caused by a damaged joint, THR won't solve the problem.

What diagnostic tests have been done to find the underlying cause of the bursitis?

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laughlin1947 | @laughlin1947 | Mar 26 3:00pm

Good question/statement. Her trouble is that either the bursa injections do not work at all, or maybe she will get a couple of months relief from the pain. But she has had so many bursa steroid injections so far, it's running her life. And the insurance won't let her get injections that are closer than maybe 3 months apart. She has a lot of arthritis (bone spurs) from her neck all the way down to her lower back to her tail bone. Tomorrow, she gets a neck injection. she can't rotate her head to the right without severe pain, But the doctor will not give her a hip injection at the same time as the neck injection no matter how painful her hip is. Twice now she has gotten the 24-injection procedure in her back to cauterize the nerve endings (they grow back) while also getting 12 steroid injections. The bursa pain is so severe she can only walk a half block before it becomes too painful to go further. Sleeping without pain is another problem too.
So, to answer your question, I don't think the pain management doctor has done any tests to determine the cause of her buritis, which is in both hips. I read one comment on the web where they have even done artificial bursa replacement. Some people just can't escape the chronic inflammation. And I don't know if medical insurance will pay for testing, they just pay for regular treatment according to their approved schedule, not according to the patient's needs. I think it is time for her to get an opinion from an orthopedic specialist.

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Mentor
Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Mar 26 11:44pm
In reply to @laughlin1947 "Good question/statement. Her trouble is that either the bursa injections do not work at all, or..." + (show)
@laughlin1947

Good question/statement. Her trouble is that either the bursa injections do not work at all, or maybe she will get a couple of months relief from the pain. But she has had so many bursa steroid injections so far, it's running her life. And the insurance won't let her get injections that are closer than maybe 3 months apart. She has a lot of arthritis (bone spurs) from her neck all the way down to her lower back to her tail bone. Tomorrow, she gets a neck injection. she can't rotate her head to the right without severe pain, But the doctor will not give her a hip injection at the same time as the neck injection no matter how painful her hip is. Twice now she has gotten the 24-injection procedure in her back to cauterize the nerve endings (they grow back) while also getting 12 steroid injections. The bursa pain is so severe she can only walk a half block before it becomes too painful to go further. Sleeping without pain is another problem too.
So, to answer your question, I don't think the pain management doctor has done any tests to determine the cause of her buritis, which is in both hips. I read one comment on the web where they have even done artificial bursa replacement. Some people just can't escape the chronic inflammation. And I don't know if medical insurance will pay for testing, they just pay for regular treatment according to their approved schedule, not according to the patient's needs. I think it is time for her to get an opinion from an orthopedic specialist.

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I agree with seeing an orthopedic doc.
Severe bone spurs in my hips were part of the cause of my chronic bursitis there, as well as limiting my range of motion. Hip replacement with a cleanup of the spurs worked for me, and continues to work as long as I keep the muscles flexible.

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