RA and Hip Problems

[Pat64]

Hi Everyone. Can anyone please explain to me the link between RA and hip problems? I was diagnosed with RA 3 years ago and any issues I have had have been mainly pain and swelling in my hands. A few weeks ago I started having a lot pain in my right hip which has affected my mobility such as climbing stairs and putting socks on. This has come totally out of the blue and although X-rays have shown moderate OA, I can't help feeling that RA is somehow involved. My inflammatory markers are also raised. I don't have a rheumy appointment until the end of May so I'm really in the dark until then. I would be very grateful for any help and advice on this. Many thanks. Pat 64.

[Downtime]

Hi Pat, I was diagnosed 2 years ago with RA. I initially suffered with pain in hands and feet , shoulders elbows. I take MXT which seems to have settled all that down . Now I get pain in my hips, lower back and knees sometimes which the rheumatologist now thinks might be a change of diagnosis to Psa. OA hip pain tends to be in the groin . rD pain is on the outside and buttocks . A steroid injection usually sorts this out and last a few months for me. I am considered to be in remission but I still get this tendon and ligament pain.

[Allije in reply to Downtime]

Hello Downtime I wa interested in your comment re hip pain but can you tell me what rD stands for please? I am not up on all the conditions mentioned and therefore can't always work out the abbreviations. A little index of abbreviations might be useful on the site perhaps 🙂

[Downtime in reply to Allije]

Sorry, I just meant rheumatic disease in general. I think there is a link to au list of abbreviations if you look on the right somewhere.

Liz

[Allije in reply to Downtime]

Thanks for that.

[weathervane]

Could it be trochanteric bursitis ? With autoimmune conditions we are more prone to inflammatory probelms . Your gp may be able to diagnose this and suggest a first line of treatment before you see rheumy in May . Best wishes xx

[Martand2000]

Hi ra can occur in any synovial joint. Your hips are a synovial joint so hips can be affected by RA. However just because you have RA doesn't mean you can't have osteoarthritis too. Hips are also affected by OA which can also attack when you're young. I've had both hips replaced at 42.

[Lynnels]

Hi! Similar problems here. I am in remission (supposedly) but suffer with the hip and knee pain. The hip pain has been diagnosed by ortho as trochanteric bursitis ( X-rays and MRI scans show very little sign of OA -in fact orthopaedic guy says hips are good for my age) The pain in my knees is related to my hip (apparently this is common and many older people go to the doctor with. As knees which are in fact hip problems. I have my hip bursitis injected with steroids about 3 monthly. I immediately feel a difference in my knees. For a month after I am a different person. At two months after I am starting to look forward to the injections and by 3 months I am crawling around again. My appointment was cancelled this time so I am now 4 months on and life is very very hard (and very painful) I can't wait for three weeks time when I will get my life back, if only for a short time. I have had physio, ultrasound and I am now on laser treatment to my hips but nothing works other than the steroid injections. Anyone out there know a different approach?

Anyway just wanted you to know that this condition, which only started as I went into remission with my RA 2 years ago ( how unfair is that?) is out there.

[LesleyH]

I suffer from hip pain and it has been diagnosed as bursitis in both hips, a steroid injection in each hip normally sorts it out and for me lasts about a year. I never had it before I got RA and the specialist said it is more common in people with RA. Ibuprofen works well and putting ice packs on the area is also good. I have to be careful with ibuprofen as I also have Crohns which is difficult because it can upset the crohns.

[beeckey]

I had both hips replaced due to RA the pain was mostly in the groin they thought they would do my knees next but getting my hips replaced helped my knees that was a long time ago but sadly it looks like my knees are giving up too