While most ladies my age are spending money on “beauty enhancing” techniques (facial procedures, mommy makeovers) I’m doing “plastic surgery” on my hip. LOL It’s all relevant.

I have had a history of low back/sacrum challenges. In 2012 I had a 3 year journey of finally having a neurosurgeon realize what I was feeling and had a discectomy (back surgery. The Dr. came out of my surgery in 2012 and told my husband, “She had one of the largest ruptured discs I’ve ever seen.” Where a couple months before I was told yet by ANOTHER Orthopedic Dr. to have another “injection.” Even though I could barely walk without out crazy shooting pain down my leg. Needless to say, I learned I am my biggest advocate and you have to fight for what you know you need. I hope my story helps you in some special way.

Two years ago in 2021 I started feeling (yet again) sacrum challenges. I knew something was not right again. I went into the Air Force base Dr and requested a new MRI. She got the results and that’s when I learned that a regular Dr. doesn’t have the training/knowledge to review an MRI, they are just reading the report. She “sent me away to physical therapy.” Which I knew even at this state was not going to be my answer. I was moving to Phoenix at this point so I left New Mexico and when I arrived to Phoenix I reached out to my network and asked the million dollar question….”Who do you know?” For that is how you find results. The hardest part in a journey like this is not the issue itself but finding the right person who can help.

I spent tons of money, crazy time and stress going from all kind of Physical Therapists. Everyone thought it was my SI Joints. Then finally one PT said I should go to Pelvic Floor PT thinking it may be an “obturator never.” Not fun, that is basically vaginal physical therapy. I went to 2 different ones to get opinions. Nothing. Overall, I went to 3 regular Physical Therapists in Phoenix, 2 Pelvic Floor PT’s, 2 OBGYN’s, 1 Physiatrist, and my back neurosurgeon via zoom from South Carolina to review my imaging, and acupuncture, to get multiple opinions. When I moved to North Carolina, I had finally had a revelation…” I think it’s my hip, not my back.”
I found myself an orthopedic hip Dr and got an MRI of the hips. He looked at the MRI and sent me on my way saying my hip looked great. He said check in with an OB and Spine Dr. Already been there before. So you can imagine my feelings of frustration. Stuck again with no answers.

This is when I dive into my network. I have a friend in Charlotte who is an Anaesthesiologist. I asked her “Who do you know.” I started with a pain management doctor. He was the first professional (besides my brothers girlfriend) who said a new diagnosis…..” I think you have a torn labrum.” After multiple crazy unbelievable experiences with his office (customer service wise) a PRP injection and 1 back injection, I got no results. Finally he ordered an MRI with contrast. Little did I know there was a difference between a regular MRI and one “with contrast (a dye they inject to to help see more of what is going on.) In my mind, I’m asking……. “why don’t they do that in the first place?” Meanwhile I see 2 chiropractors, one who does an SI/ glute needling, and a Physician Assistant Neurospine specialist who said my back looks great and another PT. I went to another Physical Therapist. Not because I felt like I needed Physical Therapy, but because I wasn’t getting answers and knew someone who new someone in their network and I wanted another opinion. This new PT also said she believes it is a torn labrum. I told her I’ve seen a hip Dr. already and that he said all looked great and she asked the question that was the answer to this crazy journey……”Have you seen Dr. Weeks?” I said, “Oh, no mam who is that?” She said, “He’s THE HIP Dr here in Charlotte and also the Dr. for the Carolina Panthers.” I figured if he’s working on NFL players surely he’s got to know his stuff. Bingo! I left this PT and called and made an appointment. Oh, and by the way….this Dr. is in the same practice as the previous hip Dr who sent me on my way saying everything in my hip looks great.

When I finally saw Dr. Weeks I had my results for the MRI with contrast and he did say I have a torn labrum. From there I did injections in the Piriformis (glute area muscle) and hips for numbing to see where pain was stemming from. Nothing helped. He finally left it up to me if I wanted the labrum fixed and I did see one last and final new Physical Therapist. I’m always open to other opinions yet cautious because I have got zero results from any Physical Therapy for any of my concerns. I found the best one yet and still no results to making it better. One week before my labrum surgery I saw another spine specialist for one last opinion to make sure the back looked as others saw it …”good.”

What I learned.

The more difficult thing I learned from the labrum tear is according to my Dr., 70% of people aged 38 and over have a labrum tear but have zero symptoms and go throughout their life. When I needed back surgery in 2012 it was an imminent sense of urgency to find me a surgeon who understood what I was feeling. I couldn’t walk without noticing something was wrong with me, let alone work out either. With a torn labrum I could still do what I wanted to do but I modified and some days were better than others, which is what made this decision a confusing one to make. This is totally normal according to my Dr. Hip labral tears often don’t inhibit activity to the point of surgery and they usually leave it up to the person in how they feel. They also don’t usually happen as an injury. It’s usually a process. Dr. said because of the way my hip was designed it most likely has been a process of this happening.

Getting Help

Find yourself someone who has done hundreds of these a year. Someone who just specializes in this type of treatment. It’s called Arthroscopy surgery and it’s a very specific surgery. I went to Dr. Weeks in Charlotte, NC at Orthocarolina. By talking to his PA over and over I understood what makes an arthroscopy more successful than others. He said the reason many people have a rough recovery is because of the person doing the surgery. He sees much better recovery for people who had this surgery from Dr. Weeks because of his expertise in this treatment. I also learned that it seems to take an average of 1.5 years to get a correct labrum tear diagnosis. Which is about how long it took me.

What exactly is a labral tear?

A hip labral tear is when a ring of cartilage (labrum) is outside the rim of the hip joint socket. It cushions the hip joint and acts like a rubber seal to help hold the ball at the top of the thighbone. As mentioned earlier, many people with tears don’t have any symptoms. However, some have pain in groin or hip, a clicking or stiffness and limited range of motion in the hip joint. My pain was primarily in the sacrum and when I did external and internal hip rotation. I felt better when I was moving and felt worse when I went to lay down and sit. I also didn’t have any pain in the hip, just constant muscle soreness and weakness. I think my muscles were working hard to protect the injured labrum. I constantly needed deep tissue work in my Piriformis muscle and hip. Think deep elbows with hard pressure.

What the recovery will look like.

The recovery will be two weeks on crutches and resting, then I can drive and start physical therapy 1-2 times a week for 12 weeks. After 3 months they check in with me and then recommend mild exercise. The Dr. also mentioned this “plastic surgery” (shaving the bone) of my hip and fixing the labrum could possibly keep me from having hip problems in the future. Stay tuned to see what that looks like.

I am able to move around myself with crutches and go to the bathroom without help. I was also able to shower within a couple days and take off the white gauze covering the bandages. I do need help making food. I can’t lift anything over 20 lbs for a month. I had minimal pain on the wound site. It felt like I had surgery. I also think I have a high pain tolerance so keep that in mind. I started Physical Therapy 10 days after surgery. Mostly because I was ready to get out of the house and move!

Five to six months I should be back to what I am used to doing. All I know is if this helps me feel strong and better again it will be worth it.

Day 13 post operation my husband and I went out on a date and I started to feel somewhat normal again.

Nothing like going years with pain and no answers. Having the answer is half the battle , then finding the right person to treat the issue is the next. The rest is all being still and healing after that. Which is a gift in itself.

Being still is a skill I have learned to appreciate the past 12 years of my life. It’s a gift and when given the “opportunity” I seek God like I never have before. It’s always a challenge to be still, but God always shows up ..Every.Single.Time.

Have you learned to be still lately?

Stay tuned for updates on the recovery process and feel free to share with someone who may be having similar issues with their hip. I know I was trying to find people who had the same issue once I had a correct diagnosis and hear their story.

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