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What Causes Severe Left Hip Pain?

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Posted on Mon, 23 Jun 2014
Question: I have severe pain in the left hip. Trouble walking, Poor control of legs. I have had 2 back surgeries, arthritis and scar tissue. I am 81 years old, but in good health. One doctor says it is to dangerous, I am in terrible pain. Wants to do a nerve stimulator. Tried epidural, no help. I don't seem to know just what my problem is except I was told my curvature was pinching about 5 nerves. Thanks, XXXXXXX
doctor
Answered by Dr. Mukesh Chugh (32 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Lumbosacral brace along with drug pregablin helps

Detailed Answer:
Hi
Thanks for posting
After going through your suffering, as I have understood -For your hip pain I need to see the x-ray. So you may please forward the x-ray picture in the follow up query. I suspect arthritis of hip joint.
As far as for your spine with pinched nerve it is definitely a difficult surgery being operated twice. My suggestion would be-
1. Usually 1-2 days of bed rest will calm severe back pain. Do not stay off your feet for longer, though.
2. Avoid lifting weights as it imparts more strain on your back
3. Change your daily activities so that you avoid movements that can cause further pain, especially bending forward and lifting as it will worsen the intervertebral disc problems. If you want to bend forwards, do it with your hips and knees flexed.
4. Use a lumbosacral back support to stabilize your spinal muscles and to provide support for your spinal column.
5. After the initial pain has subsided, remedial exercises to strengthen the spine are very important to restore normal spinal movements and muscle strength. The main aim of exercise is to encourage mobility, reduce muscle spasm, prevent further deterioration in the muscles and speed recovery.
6. You should maintain an optimum body weight to decrease the strain on your vertebral column causing more degeneration and arthritic changes.
7. At times steroid injections at Facet joint of spine will help in alleviating the lower back pain.
8. I usually give the drug pregablin/gabapentin for pinched nerve along with vitamin B12 and B6. These are safe and can be given for long period.

Hope this helps
Take care and I shall be glad to answer any further query.
Regards
Dr.chugh, Orthopaedic surgeon
http://bit.ly/drmchugh

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Mukesh Chugh (7 days later)
I am not sure where to put my question. So here it is. My weight is about
120 and I am 5’ tall. The terrible pain in my hip is better, but it has
now gone down my leg. I don’t seen to have very good control of my legs. I
have been drinking an XXXXXXX Tea called COTA and it has really helped. I
have trouble bending over or flexing my knees every since I broke my left
hip in Nov of 2013. I have a replacement on the right side from about 14
years ago. I did fine with that. My orthopedic doctor assures me it is not
my hip, it is my back. He X-rayed both. twice. I go to bed at night and
take 5 mg of valium, the only rest I can get and control the pain. When I
lean over I get a terrible pain in the front of my leg when I streighten
up. I know I have spinalstenosis,I have had it before. My legs get very
weak very fast and I have to rest a lot. I am getting into a neurosurgeon
soon. One doctor talked about a spinal stimulator, I have no idea what it
is or what it does. Maybe you coild fill me in on that. I tried an
epidural with no success. Can my curvature be fixed ? Would it help ?
Thanks, XXXXXXX
doctor
Answered by Dr. Mukesh Chugh (7 hours later)
Brief Answer:
Nerve stimulator will help along with pregablin

Detailed Answer:
Hello!
It’s good to see you
After going through the whole discussion carefully, the cause of your suffering is lower spine leading to weakness and intolerable pain.Since, you had number of surgery at back it’s difficult and carries more risk of complication as compare to previous surgery.
For you my suggestion would be-Nerve stimulator. Nerve stimulation is a procedure that uses an electrical current to treat chronic pain. Peripheral nerve stimulation and spinal cord stimulation are two types of electrical nerve stimulation. In either, a small pulse generator sends electrical pulses to the nerves or to the spinal cord, depending on the site of origin of pain. These pulses interfere with the nerve impulses that make you feel pain.
Nerve stimulation is done in two steps--
1.To see if it will help your pain, your doctor will first insert a temporary electrode through the skin to give the treatment a trial run. The electrode is connected to a stimulator that the patient can control.
2.If the above trial is successful, a permanent stimulator will be implanted under your skin. This is typically done using a local anaesthesia in an OPD basis that is no need of admission. The stimulator itself is implanted under the skin.

Having said it has few side effect like-
1. Pain gradually moving beyond the reach of the nerve stimulator.
2. People with an implanted stimulator can't have MRI test.
3. Bladder and headache problems from spinal cord stimulation.
4. Breakage of an electrode or infection.

Beside nerve stimulator you may follow the advice given earlier regarding drugs, exercises and posture correction.
Hope I was of some help to reduce and to make you understand your suffering.
Take care
Dr.chugh
Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Mukesh Chugh

Orthopaedic Surgeon, Joint Replacement

Practicing since :1997

Answered : 1619 Questions

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What Causes Severe Left Hip Pain?

Brief Answer: Lumbosacral brace along with drug pregablin helps Detailed Answer: Hi Thanks for posting After going through your suffering, as I have understood -For your hip pain I need to see the x-ray. So you may please forward the x-ray picture in the follow up query. I suspect arthritis of hip joint. As far as for your spine with pinched nerve it is definitely a difficult surgery being operated twice. My suggestion would be- 1. Usually 1-2 days of bed rest will calm severe back pain. Do not stay off your feet for longer, though. 2. Avoid lifting weights as it imparts more strain on your back 3. Change your daily activities so that you avoid movements that can cause further pain, especially bending forward and lifting as it will worsen the intervertebral disc problems. If you want to bend forwards, do it with your hips and knees flexed. 4. Use a lumbosacral back support to stabilize your spinal muscles and to provide support for your spinal column. 5. After the initial pain has subsided, remedial exercises to strengthen the spine are very important to restore normal spinal movements and muscle strength. The main aim of exercise is to encourage mobility, reduce muscle spasm, prevent further deterioration in the muscles and speed recovery. 6. You should maintain an optimum body weight to decrease the strain on your vertebral column causing more degeneration and arthritic changes. 7. At times steroid injections at Facet joint of spine will help in alleviating the lower back pain. 8. I usually give the drug pregablin/gabapentin for pinched nerve along with vitamin B12 and B6. These are safe and can be given for long period. Hope this helps Take care and I shall be glad to answer any further query. Regards Dr.chugh, Orthopaedic surgeon http://bit.ly/drmchugh