Why more and more women are needing hip replacements in their 40s
It’s not just Darcey Bussell. Fitness fanatics can pay a painful price
scan. When the scans came back there was no sign of a tear or other acute injury. What they did show was a worrying level of wear. There was significant loss of cartilage on both hips, particularly my right one.’
Lucy’s consultant diagnosed osteoarthritis (OA), a degenerative condition affecting the cartilage around the joints. She said it was likely to have been caused by running and told her to stop straight away. By doing her best to stay fit, Lucy had actually been damaging her body.
According to Arthritis Research UK, one third of British people over the age of 45 have sought treatment for osteoarthritis, with women more commonly affected than men.
Just under a quarter of those affected have OA in the hip. It’s a condition that can be genetic, but it is also a result of wear and tear, through sport or being overweight.
‘I rely heavily on paracetamol, which I take most days, and always feel stiff after I’ve been sitting for a while. I have to do a funny straight-legged walk to get going again,’ says Lucy.
‘Sometimes I just get stuck, as if my hips have forgotten how to move. I was once in the park with our dog and I thought I wouldn’t be able to get home. I worry about getting stranded on my own somewhere one day. I hate feeling so physically compromised at such a young age.’ Lucy was referred to a surgeon at Epsom Hospital, Mr Stafford, who told her she would need her right hip replaced. ‘It was a shock to learn I’d worn the joint out so much I actually needed a new one,’ she says. ‘I’d expected some physio exercises, not a major operation.’
In the meantime, he suggested steroid injections to delay surgery by relieving the pain and improving mobility in Lucy’s right hip. These are given under a general anaesthetic, right into the hip joint.
THE trouble is doctors can’t tell how long the effects will last — everyone responds differently,’ she says. ‘I was told it might work for two years, or two weeks. And due to the fact they require a general anaesthetic, you can’t keep having them indefinitely.
‘I’ve just had my first injection and I have to go back to the surgeon in two months’ time to assess its effects. I have to fill out a pain diary so he can gauge if the steroids are working. At the moment it’s too soon to tell. I’m hoping I get a couple of years’ relief, at least. I accept I’ll need a hip replacement while I’m still in my 40s, but it’s far from ideal due to my work and family commitments. I’d need at least six weeks off work.’
Like Lucy, Tasmin McCulloch, 42, is set to become a 40-something with new hips. Two years ago the dressmaker from Essex was told by a surgeon she had the hips of a 70-year-old and a replacement was inevitable.
‘I had no idea the damage was that bad,’ she says. ‘I came out of the consultation and burst into tears.’
Tasmin’s problems started when she attended aerobics classes, aged 18.
‘I was in a class, doing star jumps, and something suddenly “went” in my right hip,’ she remembers. ‘I collapsed on the floor. I couldn’t bear weight and was in a lot of pain.
‘The pain eased off but it was an intermittent problem from then on. Gradually I gave up the tap dancing, badminton and judo I’d enjoyed since childhood, as the hip pain and stiffness took hold.
‘Aged 29 I had my son Ewan, now 12, and three years later my daughter, Alina, who is nine. The problem got worse after childbirth.
‘Osteoarthritis runs in my family, so I was sure that’s what it was,’ she says. But when Tasmin suggested this to doctors, she was dismissed as far too young. Without a diagnosis, she just tried to endure the pain. By 2009 Tasmin was desperate and begged her GP to send her for X-rays. ‘Sure enough, they showed considerable cartilage damage to my right hip and some to my left. The doctor finally agreed it was OA and was shocked at how much damage there was for someone of my age.’
Two years ago, in increasing pain, Tasmin was referred to a hip surgeon in Colchester. ‘He recommended a replacement on the right side and warned me not to leave it too long.’
‘I have spoken to people who’ve had joint replacements and not looked back,’ she says. ‘So I’ve asked for a referral back to the hip surgeon. It’s a big decision, but last week I was contemplating calling an ambulance as the pain was so intense I couldn’t move. So I think it’s probably time.’
Sandy Hamilton-Power, 53, would almost certainly agree. Sandy, who runs a law firm in Chichester with husband Ben, had her right hip replaced in February 2010 and the left last October, and has never felt fitter.
She only discovered she had a problem after surgery for an unrelated condition seven years ago.
‘The day after surgery I couldn’t get out of bed. The pain in my right hip was intense and I couldn’t bear any weight on that side. Doctors realised I had a congenital hip disorder that had been significantly worsened by the position the medical team had placed me in for the operation.
‘It turned out I’d been born with normal-shaped hip sockets but the ball part of both joints was shaped like a rugby ball so didn’t fit properly.
‘Over the years this had worn away at the socket. It was a shock because I’d never suffered hip pain before then. But looking back I’d had limited movement. I loved ballet as a child but could never do certain wide-legged moves, including the splits.’
OvER the next two years both Sandy’s hip joints deteriorated and her right hip caused her constant pain. So despite only being in her 40s, she agreed to a full hip replacement. ‘I suppose it was a shock to find myself a candidate for that sort of surgery at such a young age,’ says Sandy. ‘But by that time I just wanted my life back.’ She found a private specialist and had her right hip replaced in February 2010.
‘I had the operation in the afternoon and by the morning I was attempting a few steps with the aid of a Zimmer frame. I was allowed home after four nights, once I could get in and out of bed by myself, and I was able to do some work after six weeks.’
Sandy was told to wait until her left hip started hurting before having the second replacement. ‘About nine months ago it started to get tighter and tighter and by last summer the pain in my groin was too much to bear,’ she says.
‘There didn’t seem any point delaying the next operation. The left hip was replaced three months ago and this time my rehab has been quicker.
‘I can’t understand why anyone who needs a replacement would put it off. Having two new hips has made me feel younger not older.’