I've been told I need Total Hip Replacement. How can I be sure it's not TMS?

Hi, I've accepted the diagnosis that I need THR and I've scheduled an appointment with a renowned hip surgeon. I was hoping this was a mind-body issue, but it doesn't have the same irrational patterns of other TMS issues I've vanquished in the past. I've now been limping for 3 years and have developed back pain on my left lower back, which I attribute to favoring my right side (my bad hip is on the right). I find myself exhausted at the end of the day from altering my gait and constantly trying to avoid striding to far while I walk, which can cause me to see stars. Two years ago, one of John Sarno's disciples, a physician here in NYC, advised me not to have the surgery. When I returned to him a year later he relented and urged me to get the surgery. I'm at a point where I think this will only be resolved by surgical intervention and I'm worried that if I delay any longer I'll do permanent damage to my left lower back, which is bearing the weight of my body at this point. I'm starting to look forward to the surgery so I can feel relief. Hope this helps!

 

Thank you so much for your fast response and your generosity in sharing your journey with a complete stranger. I truly appreciate it and I hope that your surgery is a success and you finally have some relief! Which surgical approach are you having done? I have been on a waitlist for a THR since December 2019 and finally got called (anterior approach), so there is a possibility that I may have a date in August/September of this year. I have been working on this issue using the TMS approach since December 2020 and at first I had a really bad setback in January 2020, which was hugely discouraging as I was doing really well with my walking and working out, etc., which is unfortunately the piece I'm really struggling with again on top of some new issues. While I have been able to actually shift a lot of the symptoms related to my hip, I am wondering whether part of it may indeed be structural as it is impossible for me to bend my right leg in a certain way, which is NOT a situation of me avoiding this movement just because of pain - it is like it is actually locked out. I know there's frozen shoulder and all that, but this thing doesn't seem to budge at all. On a side note, I was fortunate to connect with a lady who was actually a patient of Dr. Sarno's way back when and she was able to heal other conditions but elected finally to go with the THR as she could not stand the pain any longer and she told me that she does not regret her decision at all. I hope that you find healing soon. I totally understand and empathize with much of what you mention about altering your gait mechanics and how incredibly exhausting it is. I wish you much luck and I hope to hear from you regarding your journey and that you have wonderful news to share. Thank you again for your kindness.

 

Thank you! Happy to share my experience. I'm scheduled to have a consult and X-rays with a hips surgeon in early June. I've done my homework and I'll ask what procedure I need, but I'm pretty sure it will be THR. The anterior approach, as I understand, has a shorter recovery time and less trauma to the muscles, since they don't need to be cut as they do with the older posterior approach. I will certainly keep you posted... Good luck!

 

I have read this thread with great attention. I'm in a wheelchair and was told I needed both my hips replaced. The pain and suffering is out of this world.
I wonder if you had your surgery? Was it a relief? What is your conclusion?

 

Hi John, I'm sorry you are going through this. Yes, I went through with the hip surgery. I am now at the 5-month mark past the operation and I am much better. I am hitting a tennis ball and can actually run to make a shot and I went skiing recently with no issues besides a little discomfort sitting down on the chairlift. I have been working with a physical therapist intensely for the past 3 months. I'm a little concerned because I still have an acute pain in the same area of my upper thigh that I had before surgery. So the jury is still out. It seems to be getting better, but it's so slow to heal that sometimes it's hard to tell. That leaves me with 2 thoughts: Either this particular pain had nothing to do with my hip issues and was some form of TMS, or this pain was the result of my hip deterioration and is just slow to resolve because that muscle had been involved for so long. I'd like to believe the latter, otherwise I've gone through with all of this for almost no reason. Again, I am about 75% better than I was before surgery, so I'm hopeful that in time this pain will continue to fade as it seems to be doing. My issue with Sarno, as brilliant as he was, is that he overestimated the percentage of chronic pain attributable to TMS. I believe there are structural issues that need physical intervention and that not all of them can be resolved psychically. Check back with me in a month or two and I'll let you know whether this last vestige of pain has gone for good. Best of luck with whatever you do to heal yourself!

 

Thank you for the follow up! Super happy for you about the improvement. Hopefully the remaining pain will vanish.

As for Sarno... I don't have problem with him, more with his supporters! It's always the same, you have people who got better or healed following something and then they think everyone is in the same boat. Then they bend reality to try to fit any symptoms in their narrative. It's exasperating. I believe I am mercury toxic... but if I listen to the psychosomatic crowd, mercury is not a problem. Not like it's one of the most toxic substance on earth...

I wish all my problems were from repressed emotions... I have searched for these emotions, I have found some... still no relief.

I'll come back in 1-2 months to see how you are doing...
Thanks again!

 

Hi there ... I am writing to report back on my personal situation and hopefully to help provide a different perspective if anyone else searches for hip replacements. I am a strong and active athlete, but in 2016 I began experiencing a lot of symptoms including pain and limitations in range of motion (mostly with my right leg), but the symptoms included at times shooting pains down the back of both legs, extreme stiffness and inability to bend my legs and eventually, by 2021, a complete loss of all my internal range of motion, so I was unable to perform basic activities that involved bringing my knees close to my chest such as easily tying my shoes or putting my socks on. At the time in 2016 I didn't realize that all of it was related to my hips as I had severe osteoarthritis. I was diagnosed in 2019 and placed on a waitlist for surgery, but honestly I was terrified of the surgery and literally tried every modality (including TMS techniques that I had used successfully before to cure myself of other TMS symptoms) and despite the pain I forced myself to continue with my activities as best as I could. Due to the length of the waitlist and then the advent of the COVID pandemic, I finally had my right total hip replacement performed in July 2021 and was so grateful to have my left done only five months later in December 2021. To say that the surgeries have completely changed my life for the better is an understatement. It is like a miracle -- I went from being about 80% bedridden (except for the one hour I forced myself to prehab and working -- my job is a desk job) and when attempting to walk, having to rest after only 5 mins from the excruciating pain to now (after being released from surgery) going back to the gym, and doing all the things I enjoyed previously but was unable to do because of my pain and restrictions. I am even working on my TRX handstands, which I was not able to attempt before because of debilitating pain and limited ROM. I have been fortunate and my recovery has been swifter than most so that even my surgeon is astonished at how well I am doing. I fought the idea of surgery for a long, long time and even put it off a couple of times with the result that I had more rehabilitation to work on afterwards as the body learns a lot of dysfunctional movements because it is trying to compensate for a structural weakness. I know all the research that suggests that x-ray findings don't always correlate with physical symptoms, but my surgeon confirmed at the time of surgery that my cartilage was completely worn away and my femur heads and hip sockets were so worn that they were becoming flattened. It is no wonder that I lost so much ROM ... my hip joints were not able to articulate properly like a normal ball and socket joint. I am obviously not recommending to run and get surgery if you are told you need a hip replacement. There are risks to every surgery and they need to be taken into consideration. Even after surgery, there is post-surgical pain and recovery and rehabilitation to do, so the surgery is definitely not a magical "fix" -- however, the pain from the OA itself was gone immediately after surgery. I am saying that in my case (and in many cases), hip replacement is a mature surgery with the majority being good outcomes that restore function and eliminates the pain from OA. If surgery is indeed recommended to you, please be open minded and do not rule it out solely because of the TMS premise. I wish you all a beautiful day!

 

Thank you so much for your story CMadsen! I am living a real nightmare! I can't stand, can't walk, excruciating pain as soon as I get out of my sofa. I can't even sleep as the pain wakes me up every couple hours. I have been pushing the surgery as far as I can, thinking that it may be psychosomatic... lol! When I think about it now it seems absurds! I have an appointment with the surgeon tomorrow, he will check my case and we will discuss potential surgeries. It seems to obvious now that I need surgery. Post like yours make me confident that I could get my life back. I have been suffering for so many years...

 

Hi John, I am really glad that you read my reply because it was meant for you. I read your situation about being in a wheelchair and suffering, and although I didn't end up having to use a wheelchair, I completely understand how exhausting and debilitating trying to live life with that condition is like; I don't think that anyone who hasn't actually lived with that pain truly appreciates the impact. I am by nature a very positive and proactive person ... I am also a breast cancer survivor and I don't spend a lot of time feeling sorry for myself, but even I was being affected by living like that for so many years. My heart just hurt for you, so I hoped that by sharing my own experience it might give you some direction and also some hope that there is the possibility that things will get better. I hope that you had a very good appointment with your surgeon and perhaps you have some idea of what you are dealing with currently. I wish you only the best and a wonderful pain-free life, which is what I am enjoying now again finally after so many years of suffering!

 

1 month later... I'm curious to know if your "last vestige of pain" is gone for good? Hope so...