1. Community
  2. Bones, joints and muscles
  3. Backache

Chronic lower back and knee,hip (left hand side)

Posted , 3 users are following.

clive33739
clive33739

Hi

At my wits end here and looking for any advice or info. a bit of info first which may help with possible diagnosis etc.

I had a RTA in the eighties, breaking my femur and tib and fib, 3 months in hospital, femur treated by traction, and the tib was plated, to cut a long story short the tib was a non -union, and i ended up back in for plate removal, external fixation and bone graft.

9 months later all healed and back to work, no real pain until a few years ago, when i noticed a sever stiffness in my lower back when walking or standing at first thing in the morning.

Over the last 5-6 yrs the lower back pain increased, to the extent now i cannot walk or stand for longer than around 10 mins

Now to get upto date, last Aug i started suffering severe knee pain in the same (left leg) to the extent that it gave way, and could not bear weight! been off work since, GP referred me to my local hospital (same one that had done the surgery years ago.)

Consultant advised slight Osteoarthritis of the left knee, left hip, and possibly lower spine. Knee and hip pain was the worst so ended up with cortisone injections in both.

They only worked for a few weeks, but what i did notice is the lower back pain disappered, yet the hip got worse, the knee pain and hip, lower back all returned within weeks.

Also at this point i was fitted with a step in my shoe to compensate for the left leg being 3/4-1" shorter than the right. (so i went 27yrs with my hip compensating)

Consultant then thought, its maybe an alignment issue of the left leg, did some more full length x rays with the plan of possible Osteotomy. Today i had another visit to the consultant, nothing wrong with the leg alignment, and he is looking at MRI of the lower spine and knee?? on the only X ray of my lower spine he has, he can see that the bone actaully touch or are wearing on each other , i think around L5? he now says that all the pain i get in my Hip, knee and lower back. plus a numbenes most of the time in my left foot could be coming from this.

I just cannot believe how long this is taking for a diagnosis, or treatment.

I also get a numbing feeling occasionaly on the from of my right (good leg)

Any info, or similar experiances please advise

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • meryl00935
    meryl00935

    Posted

    Hello Clive, I can sympathise with your frustration at not getting answers straight away but unfortunately it is a very common process, one of elimination really, so it takes time. I didn't get a diagnosis or treatment for more than ten years as I was very young when I developed osteoarthritis in my lower spine as a result of a series of accidents. It makes sense to me that you have developed some osteoarthritis after an accident and that you noticed the stiffness quite some time after your accident. The numbness in your leg/foot comes from a compressed nerve in your lower back and an MRI will identify that hopefully, it doesn't always. What I have understood after seeing pain specialists over several years now, is that the pain all through my torso and right leg is actually referred pain from my back (I have damage in my upper spine too) and this might be the case with your knee and hip too. This was hard for me to accept at first because referred pain is real and debilitating but I was eventually convinced when a doctor showed me all the places it should hurt if he pressed them. He then showed me a reference book with all these points identified exactly as I experienced them. I also know the degree of pain has very little to do with the degree of injury, so get help with the pain from a neurologist or a pain specialist if you need to,don't suffer in silence as I did or you will end up with a real pain problem as the brain starts producing pain all by itself eventually. Best of luck with your diagnosis and treatment Clive.
  • clive33739
    clive33739

    Posted

    Thanks Mery.

    I hope the MRI does the job, and then able to get a diagnosis shotly after, i just need to know so that i can let my employer know when i'll likely be able to return to working normally (currently on light duties) Getting up in the morning or sitting on some chairs can be pure murder at times, yet the strange thing was a week ago, and for the last few months the knee and hip were excruciating at times. only thing that seemed to help was either Naproxen or solpadol .

  • meryl00935
    meryl00935

    Posted

    I forgot to tell you Clive that your mattress might be causing you pain if you are particularly stiff and sore when you get up in the morning. When I had herniated discs, a soft mattress helped to alleviate pain over night, but after I developed osteoarthritis in my lower spine I would wake up almost paralysed with pain in my lower back, so then I changed my mattress for a firmer latex one. This helped instantly with my lower back pain but then my hips started to hurt from pressure and that kept me awake at night. I discovered on a camping trip that an air mattress was perfect as it moulded to my body giving me equal support everywhere, if not pumped up too hard. Because of that I then bought a numbers mattress, a glorified air mattress which can be pumped up or down as needs change, but they are expensive - and to be honest I liked the cheap camping air mattress better. So be prepared to experiment with mattresses too. Find one that is comfortable but supports your body and is not too soft nor too hard.
  • meryl00935
    meryl00935

    Posted

    Naproxen is an anti-inflammatory so you obviously have some inflammation going on. I found that useful too in conjunction with Tramadol. It sounds like you could have active spondylosis and maybe some nerve compression. Anyway, best of luck.
  • clive33739
    clive33739

    Posted

    Sorry i should have said, i have changed 3 beds now, the mattress i sleep on is the best i seem to be able to get sleep wise, and will only start having my sleep disturbed by about 4-5am. (the others i would be in pain within 30 mins)

    Thanks

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.