I had a broken femur and femur neck due to a car accident 5 years ago. after one year I felt ok except some limping due to a shotening in the operated leg. After 3.5 years I removed the rod and screws but I start having pain and locking of the injured hip. The doctor told me I have a vascular necrosis in the hip head. I went to a couple of orthopedics in different states . some of them suggests THR to have a quality life especially I'm still 34 and I'm start getting pain in my knee but others suggest to wait untill the pain becomes unbearable. It hurts and becomes stiff after walking fome some time. need your advice..GOD BLESS..

-- K Sed (redlaser@hotmail.com), April 26, 2004

Answers

I am a 19 year old male who was diagnosed with AVN in just my right hip about four years ago in sept of 2000. After seing many doctors who suggested different things most of which said "well since your young lets wait and see" finally this past May i started seing a very brilliant doctor in Buffalo New York. After speaking to him a few times and being sick and tired of being in such terrible pain which included not being able to put my socks on in the morning and sometimes not even able to get out of bed i decided to get a ceramic total hip replacement. I just went in for surgery this past tuesday July 20th. I got out of the hospital friday and am currently in less pain than i was before i got the surgery. I do have some discomfort and pain of curse as with any surgery as well as some swelling, but nothing nearly as bad as before. I would recomend anyone with AVN to consider a total hip replacement. However, the most important and hardest thing is to find a doctor you are comfortable with. I'm from Erie PA and finally found one in Buffalo who is one of the best joint surgans in the state. If anyone in the area is looking for a good doctor to see check out a guy by the name of Dr. Phillips or contact me for more information. Good luck and i hope with was helpful.

-- Pat Fraley (Farleyby345@aol.com), July 25, 2004.

What were your symptoms before surgery? I'm always curious to know what pain everyone had before their surgery as I still have mine and wonder if it was my hip that really needed replacing? Mine was and is debilitating groin pain on the right side, like I was being stabbed with an ice pick, everytime I took a step or rotated my leg. I now have it in my left side but the pain is now under control with the use of Duragesic Pain Patches.

-- Sue Shields (sookie.sue@sbcglobal.net), July 26, 2004.