Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group my hips

Hello,

I just wanted to say that my hips are starting to bug me, mostly my right hip. I was limping through the mall last week holding onto my sister cause I was having trouble walking.

Does anyone have hip trouble? I am kind of nervous about it because I hear of AS patients having hip replacements. Hoping this is not the start of that....yikes.

I guess time will tell, I have a Rheumy appt in March I will see what it is like till then, and have a chat with him if it is still bugging me.

A:)

Hi Aims,

My hips can get very sore and were the main reason I was having to use a cane earlier in the year. I think the source of the pain is trochanteric bursitis rather than deep inside the hip joint. I feel the pain on the outside of the hips. It is rather miserable but slightly better these days. Makes me limp often and I can't walk very far.

Sounds lovely! Oh the joys of waking up everyday with something new hurting. You gotta love it. Thanks, like I said I am not going to get all worried about it until it has been around awhile. I will wait till my Rheumy appt.

Time will tell!

Thanks for your words.

Amy:)

Hip involvement is a common complication of Ankylosing Spondylitis. While common, it is a sign of increasing severity of the disease process. It should be addressed sooner rather then later. Can you reschedule your Rheumatologist visit or make a problem/emergency appointment sooner?

http://www.jrheum.org/content/28/10/2283.abstract

my "hip" problem started in the summer of 2006. the physiatrist was all set to inject my right trochanter bursa with cortisone but the pain was just a little bit away from there, so he was confused. i did it by overstretching, per doctors orders. went to orthopedist, took an xray of the hip joint, said joint itself was fine. went to PT and found out i had torn the IT/TFL tendons/ligaments where they attach at the trochanter (overstretched). i couldn't walk hardly at all for a month or two, couldn't walk comfortably or take stairs for 5 months, so lots of rest and lots and lots of ice, then started working with PT (ultrasound and joint mobilization) once the worst was behind me. after 1 year total, i could FINALLY take a walk again, prior a walk would flair me up. during this whole time, it was important to not sit crossed legged, all that stretching was bad for it. now, so long as i'm mindful to not sit cross-legged, its good, almost as good as new. but i bet my problem is unique unto me, the docs, the PT had never seen such a thing before. still, thought i'd throw it out there.

Hi Amy,

Just putting my hand up as another person who has hip problems - or problem, at least!

I have a left trochanteric bursitis that I just can't seem to shake. It settles with NSAID gel, ice and ultrasound, but it won't GO AWAY!

The worst pain is after I sit for too long, or lie on my *opposite* side at night - I wake up in agony! Go figure - it's easier to lie on an inflamed swollen fluid-filled cushion than it is to have it uppermost! (yeah, I know why - lying on the other side means it is compressed under a stretched ITB... )

Lately, I have had to resort to always using my Nordic poles when I go out for a walk, otherwise I get really sore even after a short walk...

Really? I think I am still going to wait and see, I have had some problems with my Humira shots in the past month - I think all is well there now. I am thinking perhaps it is because I wasn't actually getting all my meds....crossing my fingers.

I am going to keep and eye on it...they have only been bad for about two weeks now. I am walking funny today again. I could switch my appt but I think I will wait a bit yet, I may not wait until March, but a least till the end of this month.

Thanks for the sound advice, whatever article you tried to send did not work. I would appreciate if you would re-post it.

Thanks! Amy:)

I do have trouble sleeping on them, but that has been the case for awhile. If I am laying down I do have to rotate sides.

Arg.....gotta run!

Hmm ... It works for me when I click on it. That may be because I do subscribe to the publication through work. The article entitled "Ankylosing Spondylitis: Interaction Between Genes, Joints, Age at Onset, And Disease Expression" is from The Journal Of Rheumatology. I was trying to link you to the conclusion section:

"CONCLUSION: (1) Hip disease (young or late onset) is a major prognostic marker for longterm severe disease (patients with hip disease have a spinal score increased by 2.5-3 points or 35-40% more change). (2) Hip involvement is more prevalent among patients with young age at onset. (3) Young onset patients without hip involvement do not have more severe disease. Thus, age at onset, itself, does not influence disease severity. (4) Since hip involvement and not age at onset is associated with worse outcome, patients with a young age at onset may be assumed to have an increased susceptibility load (i.e., genetic component or environmental trigger) rather than more severity genes. The lack of association between severity and age at onset implies that the determinants of susceptibility and severity are independent."

I am not aware of any evidence of hip bursitis being (or not being) a prognosticator of more severe disease activity, but Spondylitis activity or damage in the hip joint apparently is.

I have been researching this lately as my son (currently on Humira) has been having a significant flare up of inflammation in his hips. His Rheumatologist is very concerned as a recent MRI is showing the beginning of damage in both hips. His Rheumatologist is seeing him every couple of weeks to monitor his disease activity. At his last visit, we discussed changing his medications as the Humira no longer seems to be doing the job. If you were getting less then your usual dose of Humira, that certainly could cause you to flare. But if a flare in your hip(s) is a new symptom, I know my Rheumy would want to address it - as would my son's Rheumy (different doctor).

Hi Louise,

Both my hips have quite severe trochanteric bursitis and I've been forced to sleep on my back for more than a year now. It was really hard at first but I've gradually adapted. Nothing seems to improve them other than oral prednisone.