Advice for People With Osteoarthritis and Chronic Hip Pain: ‘Don’t Wait to Get It Checked Out’
Key takeaways:
Linda Watson has always been active and has a high tolerance for pain.
But in her 70s, she developed osteoarthritis — the most common form of arthritis — causing pain in her hip.
Moving helps her manage her condition, so she walks 2 miles a day.
Linda Watson describes herself as an avid exerciser who has a high tolerance for pain.
A couple of years ago, when she was 71, she felt only occasional lower-body twinges or tight muscles after a vigorous workout or weight-lifting session. She ran 6 miles a day for 10 years. If something hurt, she’d take an over-the-counter pain reliever like ibuprofen to calm the aches and pains.
But in 2020, her left knee began seriously hurting. When an X-ray detected arthritis in the knee, an orthopedic doctor told her to start wearing a heavy knee brace during workouts.
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Several months later, new symptoms developed in her right leg. Linda’s primary care physician prescribed meloxicam, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication, which eased her symptoms temporarily.
But the symptoms in her right leg returned. And this time, they were more intense. She knew she couldn’t keep ignoring it.
“Initially, I felt like I had pulled a muscle on the outside of my right leg and thigh,” recalls Linda, who works as an executive assistant at a private school in Cincinnati. “But my leg was really sore, and it was getting worse. I thought that maybe I was favoring that leg during my workouts because of the arthritis in my left knee. There were times when I was walking that it almost felt like my leg would give way. Sometimes I felt pain like a shin splint. Then I developed groin pain.”
At Linda’s next orthopedic visit, X-rays identified the source of her pain: bone-on-bone arthritis of the hip, also known as osteoarthritis. It develops when the cushiony cartilage that keeps bones from rubbing against each other wears down over time. Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis according to The National Institute on Aging. It usually affects the hands, hips, and knees.
“I have a high pain tolerance, but bone-on-bone arthritis of the hip was the furthest thing from my mind,” Linda says.
Her earlier treatment plan had already included 6 weeks of twice-weekly physical therapy, which improved range of motion in her hip but did not ease the pain.
So in January 2022, at age 73, she opted for a Cortisone injection to ease her immediate pain and scheduled hip replacement surgery for June. The timing allowed her to focus on her recovery throughout the summer before returning to work at school in the fall.
Why hip pain hasn’t slowed her down
Linda wonders if her history of extensive workouts led to her later-life hip pain. But she doesn’t plan on slowing down, no matter what.
“I was never one who did a light workout,” she says. “So who knows? But moving helps me more than not moving. I’m still dealing with sore muscles from walking. Now they’re more on my inner thigh than on my outer thigh, and they’re mostly from walking 2 miles a day. I take two extra-strength Tylenols if I need them.”
Before surgery, when Linda’s symptoms were really troubling, her husband suggested stopping her workouts temporarily to see if the pain would ease.
“So I did,” she says, “and the pain actually got worse.”
CDC-recommended treatments for arthritis and joint pain include over-the-counter pain relievers, physical therapy, and mind-body therapies to manage pain.
Linda continues to walk 2 miles a day as part of her recovery and wellness plan.
She wishes she hadn’t ignored the pain for so long
Linda’s biggest piece of advice is to listen to your body and seek medical care when symptoms cause pain or distress.
If you’re experiencing constant pain, “go get it checked out earlier than I did,” Linda says. “I wish I had done it sooner, but I had no clue.”
“I never once had actual hip pain,” she says. “The most pain was something that felt like a pulled muscle on the outside of my thigh or a pinched-nerve in my groin. What I’ve learned is that groin pain usually signifies hip issues. That didn’t happen early on with me.”
“What finally drove me to get my hip examined happened when my husband and I were babysitting our grandsons. At one point, Graham said, ‘Grandma, race me up the stairs!’ And I literally had to crawl. That’s when I said to myself, ‘I’ve got to get this checked out.’”
Sticking to a care plan that works for her
Linda followed the advice of her physicians and physical therapist. But she tailored their recommendations to her lifestyle. When her doctor prescribed meloxicam, for example, she learned it could not be taken with alcohol. So she only took it during the week and was able to enjoy a glass of wine on weekends.
Once her new hip was in place, Linda committed to a rehabilitation plan.
“Today my hip feels great,” she says. “Before my surgery, I was never a walker. At my 6-week checkup, my surgeon gave me a physical therapy order, but he said I could also do a daily 30-minute walk, a child’s pose (a yoga stretching position), and two other exercises to increase the hip flexibility.
“I now walk 30 minutes every day, and I do the recommended stretching and leg exercises. I am feeling fantastic!”
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