Question: I am 62 and am in good health except for a worn out hip (less than half the cartilage left and tears around my hip socket).My whole hip including the head of my femur look good on X-rays. My whole hip looks good on X-rays! Only the mri shows the reason for the constant pain. I don't want a whole hip replacement. Two doctors have told me that this is my only option except to live with the pain. One doctor said his patients do well on medical marijuana but i don't want to lay around all day. I also don't want to get hooked on narcotics. My husband andI bought a sailboat and we love to go sailing and hike the islands we stop at. I love to walk but it is too painful and sleeping is hard because of pain. I was told I am too old for them to go in and sew up the tears and replace some of the cartilage but I don't think I am. Am I? We are just ready to retire and enjoy life and I so want to be out sailing and hiking! Why can't they sew up the tears and resurface my hip? Is hip replacement all that is done now? One doctor said my hip looks too good to do surgery on right now. My body is wasting away without exercise. I don't want to spend the next 5 years years of my life in pain. Is there any other options out there?

I have an mri on cd. I could upload it onto my computer. would that be helpful? How long does it take to answer my question?

you didn't answer my question about sewing up the tears and replacing the cartilage. Why won't they consider this option? Is it too time consuming or too much trouble to do? I had my email page open and didn't notice that you had already answered part of my question. My bones are in good condition and it seems wrong to cut off the ball of my femur and replace it with a fake hip. Please address this part of my question. How would I find a reputable pot dealer? Do doctors have a list? I really don't want to go this route but nsaids hardly work and narcotics do but that's a slippery slope.

Sorry for my impatient response. I am just getting the hang of this way of seeking advice. Can you refer me to a good hip doctor in XXXXXXX WA or better yet Auburn WA? How about an arthritis doctor or chiropractics?

Thank you for your detailed response on not replacing the cartilage or sewing up the tears. I wish the doctors I went to would have explained it to me like that. Probably an arthritis doctor wouldn't work, but chiropractics might? What do you think? and thank you again for the explanation. I thought they had some kind of packing cement or fake cartilage that they could use but apparently not.