Google it up.
Everything was going well. I had gotten a Masters in April. I started the summer working out with my husband. I was looking forward to not having to take tests or write papers! Yay!!!
We were jogging in the park when I heard my hip make popping and cracking noises. These noises didn't hurt...they just didn't sound right. I kept jogging and then I had a SHARP, stabbing pain under my butt. I mean like 'someone just took a butcher knife and stabbed you' pain. I yelled out "Ow!" and stopped.
"What was that?" I wondered. I just chalked it up to getting older and being not in competitive shape. The last year of competitive sports was at age 22 and I was now 27. Just playing pickup basketball in the park and volleyball. Nothing serious.
I kept jogging a few more feet and the same thing happened again. I figured I should stretch out and possibly this was just a muscle that was tight. I commented to my husband that my hips had never made noise or became painful before. We didn't know what to think and let it go as something minor.
About one week later, I was cracking and popping more often: we were putting laundry baskets onto shelving he had made. I hadn't worked out at all that day. All we were doing was putting up light weight bins. I felt that stabbing pain randomly..."Ow!". I cringed at the pain and wondered how it was possible this was happening during a 'regular' thing. I had let this go long enough and needed to do something about it.
That was the last straw: I made an appointment to see my local orthopedic surgeon. The last time I saw him was during high school basketball season when I got a severe high ankle sprain.
It was July 31st, 2009 that would change my life for the worse.
I went into the exam room and talked to him about my symptoms. I explained that I couldn't make my hips crack, pop, or stab. They just randomly did it. Puzzled, he moved my legs and hips around without saying anything.
"You need an x-ray."
I moved my hips into the Captain Morgan's pose and regular standing position. I sat outside the x-ray room waiting for him to come back. Another woman was waiting there too. We laughed as the doctor went into another exam room and began talking up a storm with the guy patient. He had been in a war and the doctor was asking a bunch of questions and I commented "And they said we women talk a lot!" The woman chuckled and we sat there listening to 2 men talk.
When he came out and into the x-ray room, he asked me to come in as well. I walked in and saw my films on the light box. I stared at them and didn't think anything about it.
"Your hips are deformed."
I laughed...not a haha laugh, but a 'nervous you must be joking' one.
"What?"
"This is called dysplasia and you've had this since you were born. This is very serious."
"Can I have a baby?" I anxiously awaited his answer.
"You need to go to another doctor. You need surgery and I don't do the surgery you'll need."
Instant tears...I was confused, sad, and angry. How could my hips all of a sudden hurt if I was born with this problem? How could I not have had any pain during 4 sports? I'm 5'11" and 215 pounds of muscle and had ZERO inclination my hips had issues? Shoulders or knees? yeah, shoulders or knees going would make sense.
Stunned...I didn't say anything and swallowed hard. The tears were coming, but I wasn't ready for them yet.
I paid my $20 co-pay and left. The 1 minute drive home to a sleeping husband had me still shocked.
Everything I thought would happen next in my life didn't include surgery. I drove home the one minute drive still stunned. I immediately went onto Google and typed in dysplasia. I didn't even know how to spell it.
I saw that dogs got it. I saw that people who had it need bone surgery to correct their anatomy. I saw total hip replacements as being the end result of surgeries.
My husband asked how my appointment went. I mumbled out "You know how you always joke and say something is wrong with me? Well...it is!"
And I cried.
"What? You need to get another opinion."
I called my mother and she said the same thing: "This isn't a big deal. We'll go to someone else and see what they think."
We were jogging in the park when I heard my hip make popping and cracking noises. These noises didn't hurt...they just didn't sound right. I kept jogging and then I had a SHARP, stabbing pain under my butt. I mean like 'someone just took a butcher knife and stabbed you' pain. I yelled out "Ow!" and stopped.
"What was that?" I wondered. I just chalked it up to getting older and being not in competitive shape. The last year of competitive sports was at age 22 and I was now 27. Just playing pickup basketball in the park and volleyball. Nothing serious.
I kept jogging a few more feet and the same thing happened again. I figured I should stretch out and possibly this was just a muscle that was tight. I commented to my husband that my hips had never made noise or became painful before. We didn't know what to think and let it go as something minor.
About one week later, I was cracking and popping more often: we were putting laundry baskets onto shelving he had made. I hadn't worked out at all that day. All we were doing was putting up light weight bins. I felt that stabbing pain randomly..."Ow!". I cringed at the pain and wondered how it was possible this was happening during a 'regular' thing. I had let this go long enough and needed to do something about it.
That was the last straw: I made an appointment to see my local orthopedic surgeon. The last time I saw him was during high school basketball season when I got a severe high ankle sprain.
It was July 31st, 2009 that would change my life for the worse.
I went into the exam room and talked to him about my symptoms. I explained that I couldn't make my hips crack, pop, or stab. They just randomly did it. Puzzled, he moved my legs and hips around without saying anything.
"You need an x-ray."
I moved my hips into the Captain Morgan's pose and regular standing position. I sat outside the x-ray room waiting for him to come back. Another woman was waiting there too. We laughed as the doctor went into another exam room and began talking up a storm with the guy patient. He had been in a war and the doctor was asking a bunch of questions and I commented "And they said we women talk a lot!" The woman chuckled and we sat there listening to 2 men talk.
When he came out and into the x-ray room, he asked me to come in as well. I walked in and saw my films on the light box. I stared at them and didn't think anything about it.
"Your hips are deformed."
I laughed...not a haha laugh, but a 'nervous you must be joking' one.
"What?"
"This is called dysplasia and you've had this since you were born. This is very serious."
"Can I have a baby?" I anxiously awaited his answer.
"You need to go to another doctor. You need surgery and I don't do the surgery you'll need."
Instant tears...I was confused, sad, and angry. How could my hips all of a sudden hurt if I was born with this problem? How could I not have had any pain during 4 sports? I'm 5'11" and 215 pounds of muscle and had ZERO inclination my hips had issues? Shoulders or knees? yeah, shoulders or knees going would make sense.
Stunned...I didn't say anything and swallowed hard. The tears were coming, but I wasn't ready for them yet.
I paid my $20 co-pay and left. The 1 minute drive home to a sleeping husband had me still shocked.
Everything I thought would happen next in my life didn't include surgery. I drove home the one minute drive still stunned. I immediately went onto Google and typed in dysplasia. I didn't even know how to spell it.
I saw that dogs got it. I saw that people who had it need bone surgery to correct their anatomy. I saw total hip replacements as being the end result of surgeries.
My husband asked how my appointment went. I mumbled out "You know how you always joke and say something is wrong with me? Well...it is!"
And I cried.
"What? You need to get another opinion."
I called my mother and she said the same thing: "This isn't a big deal. We'll go to someone else and see what they think."
Hip Dysplasia
Developmental dysplasia of the hip is a congenital (present at birth) condition of the hip joint. It occurs once in every 1,000 live births.
Basically, the sockets are too shallow for the head of the femur to fit in nicely. The femoral heads can become misshapen with wear and tear. Those with hip dysplasia have a very high chance of dislocation.
Most people develop hip dysplasia by the age of 8. Some are born with it and if caught early, doctors can fit the babies with harness to support the hip socket and head.
Gait is usually affected. Often, it is first borns, boys, and breech birth common. I was neither of these.
Some symptoms are present throughout life. Many people get their symptoms in their late 20s like me.
Some people can have one leg longer than the other. However, in my case, I didn't have any gait or other physical problems. I was very flexible in fact for my size. This was probably because of the looseness of the joints. Those that dance or play sports with a lot of lateral movements like hockey or skiing, can find out their diagnosis earlier.
Basically, the sockets are too shallow for the head of the femur to fit in nicely. The femoral heads can become misshapen with wear and tear. Those with hip dysplasia have a very high chance of dislocation.
Most people develop hip dysplasia by the age of 8. Some are born with it and if caught early, doctors can fit the babies with harness to support the hip socket and head.
Gait is usually affected. Often, it is first borns, boys, and breech birth common. I was neither of these.
Some symptoms are present throughout life. Many people get their symptoms in their late 20s like me.
Some people can have one leg longer than the other. However, in my case, I didn't have any gait or other physical problems. I was very flexible in fact for my size. This was probably because of the looseness of the joints. Those that dance or play sports with a lot of lateral movements like hockey or skiing, can find out their diagnosis earlier.
I did not have bilateral hip dysplasia symptoms when at birth. Doctors believe that I developed it by the age of 8.
There are some to look for if you believe your child has them. A variety of methods exist for correcting hip joints in children. The child's age and the severity of symptoms will determine the best course of treatment. If dysplasia is detected at birth, the prognosis is favorable, and there are a variety of nonsurgical options. Click on this link to open a website describing infant care & the Pavlik Harness. |