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Late Diagnosis of Perthes Disease at age 50

Posted , 2 users are following.

1pPinchersPurse
1pPinchersPurse

After recent x-rays for chronic hip pain, (as well as frequent knee and lower back pain),, my GP diagnosed me today with Perthes' Disease. Several years ago, after a fall in a martial arts class that hurt my back. My chiropractor had x-rays performed, which showed that I had, indeed, bent my tail bone at a right angle... as well as revealing my malformed hip joint for the first time.

I am a 50 y.o. female. For a variety of reasons, my GP is opting for the physiotherapy route for treatment/management, rather than hip replacement surgery. My femoral head is flattened (the X-ray Technician even exclaimed, "Oh! I've never seen one shaped like THAT before!", and even showed me the x-ray film.

I have been doing some further research about the disease, which mentioned a link with hypothyroidism, delayed bone growth - I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism when I was about 11/12 y.o., at which time the specialist told my mum that I had the bone structure of a 9 y.o.

I used to be quite active, and used to run, practised martial arts, bicycling... Since the pain worsened and is now pretty much a daily thing, I have eliminated those activities. I do walk fairly frequently now; but, I often wind up in pain that keeps me awake at night. Now, I am curious to know how successful and helpful physiotherapy is likely to be at my age, and what I can, reasonably expect. At what stage, will hip replacement be the "best" option?

1 like, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • PerthesAssociation
    PerthesAssociation

    Posted

    I am sorry to hear of all the pain you are suffering, this is typical of the long term affects of Perthes disease in childhood and happens more to females than males.

    This is the main due to the myth that Perthes mainly affects boys. The truth is many girls go undiagnosed until way after Perthes has done it's damage and the patient has developed severe osteoarthritis of the hip.

    Your GP should have explained that you do not actually have Perthes disease but a deformed hip caused b Perthes in childhood which has now become arthritic. Physiotherapy, plenty of swimming and cycling will help to delay the inevitable total hip replacement, maybe until the stem cell treatment currently in the research stage is available.

    A hip replacement is usually the best option when you are in so much pain that walking is difficult and the new hips have a life expectancy of around 20 years in people of your age. Good luck with your treatment.

    • amks77
      amks77 PerthesAssociation

      Posted

      Hi, i having perthes when i am 11 years old, now i am 36 years. Now i am getting pain while walking. X ray show the left side hip & femer growth is very less than reight side 

      please suggest me.

  • 1pPinchersPurse
    1pPinchersPurse

    Posted

    Thank you so much for taking the time to respond! I appreciate your clarification - it was very helpful!

    Oddly enough, my GP said that there was space in the hip joint, so it did not appear to be arthritic... If it is not arthritic, then where is the pain coming from? Also, I am dealing with referred pain in both knees now; especially walking up and down stairs, and if I have to do a lot of walking a few days in a row, my hip and knees REALLY hurt. sad

  • PerthesAssociation
    PerthesAssociation

    Posted

    Well I would be very surprised if there was no arthritis, certainly that would be the normal outcome post Perthes, of course any deformity to the femoral head caused by Perthes would mean it would not sit in the socket properly - this may account for the space. The pain you describe in your hips could also be attributed to femoral head deformity. Pain in the knees could be referred pain or due to a change of gait because of your hip (s) it could also be the beginning of arthritis caused by poor gait, several of our members have had both hip and knee replacements attributed to wear and tear because of poor gait. Make sure you get good pain relief if your GP cannot help you could ask for referral to the pain clinic. Best wishes from Perthes Association.
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