Partial (high-grade) gluteus medius tear
Posted , 53 users are following.
Wrote in weeks ago, but maybe I was on the wrong discussion group - but would love to hear from anyone who had an accident and partially tore the GM tendon. It certainly interferes with a lot, and they don't like doing surgery there, but was a jogger for 25 years, yet now it hurts to walk. Thus, I'm headed to another kind of physical therapy, with deep massage and yoga, but it's hard to have much hope, after doing the same for over a year.
Thanks for any responses, -Annie
1 like, 113 replies
kelli2525 annie2418
Posted
Hi I have just found this forum. I have had 3 years of ridiculous stabbing pain. My gait has become strange and I have a pronounced limp- basically as if 1 leg were lower than then other. In June 2017 I noticed it was difficult to walk up stairs, especially if I was tired. Also getting out of some chairs.
I was first misdiagnosed with sciatica, and when physical therapy made it much worse-the pain management doctor took an xray of my hip. They told me I had mild arthritis and shouldn't be in that much pain. I was then told that since my pain was subjectively more severe then it should be, this meant I had "Fibromyalgia" . As an avid outdoors person who loves to hike- I had just come back from hiking in Norway the previous summer- I was offended.
My primary doctor noticed my hip and thigh were swollen, and told me I had "bursitis" and I should just rest for a few months. A different pain management/physical therapist insisted I had SiJoint dysfunction. In 2015 I had an MRI that showed severe and "marked" bursitis. This lead to years of constant steroid injections. During which time I had other orthopedic issues with broken metatarsals (on each foot) At no time did my other issues feel as bad as my low back hip pain.
Fast forward to last month when I went to my pain management doctor who was giving me epidural injections in my lumbar spine for DDD with absolutely no relief. I begged him for another MRI of my hip which revealed a lard partial thickness GM Tendon tear. He told me no one in our area repairs them- rest and time. I pointed out that due to a bad break I was in a wheel chair all fall and as soon as I started walking again, the pain and disability came back. So rest??!! he suggested he could give me Stem Cells (at my own expense).
Hopefully I will have a happy end- I live a couple of hours from NY and I found an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in Hip and hip and groin preservation. He does arthroscopic repairs of the GM tendon, and I have my first consult next week. Glad to hear surgery was successful, because this has really taken my good/active life from me, and left me with constant pain- to sit, stand, walk and sleep. P.S. the elliptical machine on low to no tension does not bother me too much!
annie2418 kelli2525
Posted
Hi Kelli -- a longer note will probably show up tomorrow the 18th, as it's being reviewed by the moderators - but I feel for your situation too. I grew up 1/2 hour from NYC, and wish I was there now, but I think tendon issues elude many physicians, as they're tricky (blood supply, healing in a highly disorganized way, etc.). BTW, if I may ask, do you have any other injuries or problems that may be confounding this one? I did, but a tendon tear still does a number on all of us, vs. bone fractures which heal so well (only learned from falling in a few potholes at night while jogging my 5 miles - as the trees obfuscated the street lamps). I hear you about the elliptical machine, but with me, it created some problems with my 25 degree curvature - which never caused pain until the tendon tear - as maybe that tendon adds so much stability to our pelvis and other musculoskeletal structures. As I read down this long list, it makes me said, because we've all been through so many similar things - and medicine can't always help us (vs. time and rest and maybe walking in a pool against the water pressure - as it's anti-gravity in there). Good luck to you, and write any time the mood hits, okay? I also apologize again for not seeing these posts for so long - but with extended family (getting older problems), that's another realm unto itself. -Annie
kimberly46579 annie2418
Posted
melbighead annie2418
Posted
Hi Annie
i went to "dr google " and found this group and started reading found lots of the same issues I have
i also have a partial thickness tear of the gluteus medius which was found by MRI and have also been told they don't usually do surgery rest and PT will help
But after 2 pt sessions each of which I could hardly walk out of I stopped pt for now and am awaiting an appt with back surgeon in July and waiting til next week for my doc to put referral into sports medicine doc (which should only hopefully be a few weeks wait)
i was told cortisone shots would do very little but mask the pain and possibily cause me to do more damage to it
they also found a bulging disc and pinched nerves in lower back which every day as the day goes on gets irritated from the walking(limping after a few hours of work ) I do as a health care worker. Dr is going to put me off work soon for rest while awaiting specialists appointments
hoping to do some retraining while healing as over the past few months since the diagnosis all symptoms getting progressively worse
The not sleeping without pain is the worst the pain meds help but only seem to give a couple hours at a time then clock watch til time for work
i got a lot of info from your conversations with Evaoz and hope to have some relief as you two seem to be starting to get
annie2418 melbighead
Posted
Hi Melbighead:
Have read your post a few times, and wanted to comment on the steroid injections - since after 2 years, I brought up how they've never helped me at all, and finally asked what percent of patients do not respond to them (i.e., about 45%, and I must fall into that group by default, as my doctor is the Chair of Pain Mgt. and knows how to do procedures well - but nothing has ever helped, even to take 30% of the pain away so that Ic could more actively engage in PT or yoga (which raises questions too). As you wrote, steroid injections are known to thin out the surrounding bone and tendons over time, and that makes me cringe as well (The Chair agrees with this, but then I wonder why don't they try MRI with contrast dye or a CT to better diagnose what's going on - since if I don't respond to steroids, it always looks as if each area he's tried is not "the source of the pain," In retrospect, however, that all seems amiss now, and will be seeing a spine surgeon, NOT to have anything done, but to learn more about his perceptions.
They found a bulging disc at L3-4 on me too, but even with a well-done procedure (ESI), there was no relief at all - and it's clear that it's not the doctor or his skills, but that I just do NOT respond to steroids (which took 2.5 years go learn). And yes, tryin to sleep with pain is untenable - as I might start to doze, but then the throbbing disrupts even that - and our brains need sleep to function. So what do we do? As I wrote to Julianna above, I've read over and over that the Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC is the best in the country/world, but it won't necessarily mean that our insurance will be accepted if we live in another state.
So let me know any other thoughts, and maybe we can all go in to HSS on a "family" plan? Not sure if humor helps much, but it certainly beats panic and fear. Amazing how one tendon can do so much damage if it's not working up to par (as I wrote the other day, if it was long enough, it could hold up a small car in a tree - but the other side of this issue, is that once a tendon is damaged, it heals in a very disorganized way - vs. the parallel and striated form in which nature made it.
Putting all of our good minds together should help us come up with a few ideas, even if we each have different (but similar) issues, you know. Look forward to hearing more. I'm hoping for stem cells to be refined sooner than 5 years, so that even if we can't use embryonic stem cells, someone wrote about umbilical stem cells - which will tend to function as their surrounding cells do. We can all hope, right?
More soon, -Annie
melbighead annie2418
Posted
I am from Canada so all the health care is paid for it's just the diagnosis and waiting that kills you
waited 3 months for surgeon appt then 6 ish for MRI appointment only to be told that this surgeon only deals with knee and hip bones
now waiting for back surgeon til July for discs and waiting for sports medicine consult unsure of how long for that
i am confident that something will be done just not sure of how long I will wait for it to be done
I hate taking the tramacet for the pain but have no choice and seem to be needing more or it week by week hopefully doc will have more news next Friday and maybe something not so addictive for the pain
talk soon
melbighead
joy93281 melbighead
Posted
Hi there Melbighead, I am from Canada as well and have been dealing with torn medimus and minimus tendons for 2 yrs now. Last may had a spinal fusion and decompression which they thought would help, not. Have had 3 cortisone shots with only minimum relief, PT for a yr , have lost 32 pounds so far with minimal relief, seen by a sports medicine Dr who basically wrote me off as I am 62. Don't I deserve a pain free life just like a 20 yr old? Sorry feeling very frustrated and my mental state from no sleep is not good. Going to GO tomorrow for next steps.
melbighead joy93281
Posted
Just had a cortisone shot last week and have seen no relief going back in three weeks for PRP injection and hoping to get some relief eventually (they say 3-6 months to see improvement)
Every doc I talk to says “this is not usually a surgical case time will heal”
Hopefully PRP will do something
melbighead joy93281
Posted
I have pinched nerves in back as well and never sure where the pain is rooted from as it shoots down the affected side. Physio is consentrating on back now instead of strengthening thetorn tendon
But I have heard good things about the PRP injections and am going to try them
cliona75008 annie2418
Posted
julianna73035 cliona75008
Posted
Cliona75008 how did your surgery go? Can you share any details of your injury, the surgery and how you're feeling now with us?
julianna73035 cliona75008
Posted
Also, if you could answer any of these questions that'd be very helpful:
Do those of you who have had surgery, feel like it was a better outcome than without?
How many of you did arthroscopic repairs (vs open)?
Did anyone else experience pelvic manifestations due to their injury?
How was recovery compared to living with the injury?
How long until you were able to return to work?
cliona75008 julianna73035
Posted
I had a full thickness tear, repaired with 4 anchors and 16 internal stitches.
Very sore at the moment.
julianna73035 cliona75008
Posted
renee71527 julianna73035
Posted
I had an open gluteus medius repair 2 anchors and internal sutures 4.5 weeks ago!!! My pelvis was extremely unstable before surgery!!! Right now it is too early to tell what's going on as I am still on crutches and in a brace!!! I can tell u though that I am still in a lot of pain and am unsure if this is normal!!! I too have a lot of back pain...especially when sleeping!!!
renee71527 julianna73035
Posted
I am now just about 9 weeks post op from an open gluteus medius repair!!! I am still in pain but getting stronger, I am now down to one crutch and am hoping to be walking soon!!! Still too early to tell if the surgery has helped but I will keep you informed!!! I think I am expected to return back to work October November!!!