A couple of months ago, my hip started to hurt. I did what any normal man would do. Nothing. It wasn’t bad enough that I couldn’t do everything I usually do, I just had to deal with a little discomfort while doing it.
It did not get better, however. A few times it even got so bad I had a hard time getting to sleep. When I got an excruciating pain in my foot, which made it almost impossible to walk, I went to the walk-in clinic.
The doctor examined my foot and diagnosed fasciitis, which is an inflammation of the plantar fascia (the ligament that connects the heel to the toes. It’s pretty common in, ahem, middle-aged people, apparently. He recommended I rest the foot. I did, well, as much as I was able to without changing my routine too much. Within a couple of days the foot pain was gone.
During my visit to the clinic, the MD also asked me questions about, and looked at, my hip. Suspecting arthritis, he sent me for an x-ray. I made a follow-up appointment with my regular physician.
The good news? No arthritis. The bad news? Bursitis.
I had heard the term, but did not know anything about it except that it’s something I associated with grandparents. My immediate reaction was, ‘I’m too young.’ Then I remembered I have a grandson. Hi William, Grandpa loves you.
Bursitis, as the name suggests, is an itis (inflammation) of the bursa (not the city in Turkey). Bursae are fluid-filled sacs found around most of the body’s major joints that provide a cushioning effect between the bones and tendons and/or muscles around a joint.
Bursitis is also pretty common in, ahem, old(ish) people.
My doctor gave me a course of Celebrex. This is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug that has many uses. I took two pills on the first day and one each on four consecutive days. On day four, I woke up for the first time in months without any pain in my hip. By the end of it, I was completely pain-free.
Five days, six pills, all better.
I did not have to face southwest, stand on one leg, throw organic salt over my shoulder and chant woo. I didn’t have to adopt an all-kale diet supplemented by pine sprouts and probiotic hypno-curds with periodic cat pee enemas. I didn’t have to pay through the nose for a solution diluted to the point no active ingredient exists or rub crystals or sniff eau du peppermint.
I didn’t have to pray to, or even believe in, anything. In fact, I was sceptical. Even in the face of my scepticism, it worked. Why? Because science.
“NSAIDs work by reducing the production of prostaglandins. Prostaglandins are chemicals that promote inflammation, pain, and fever. The enzymes that produce prostaglandins are called cyclooxygenases (COX). NSAIDs block COX enzymes and reduce production of prostaglandins. Therefore, inflammation, pain, and fever are reduced.”
Science.
Now, I recognize my personal anecdotal experience does not constitute proof. Correlation is not necessarily causation and it is possible it is just a coincidence the cessation of a persistent condition just happened to go away during the course of taking medication for said condition.
Possible, but not likely given the fact that Pfizer, the manufacturer, had to prove Celebrex’s efficacy with rigorous clinical trials before it was approved for use in Canada. Strangely (and aggravatingly), ineffective, so-called “natural health products” are exempt from the same standard.
I am not naïve. I know modern medicine can’t cure everything. I also know one course of medication may not cure my bursitis forever. I am getting older. I am overweight. I am out of shape. It comes with the territory. It is also a catch-22.
I didn’t realize—or, perhaps more honestly, didn’t acknowledge—how much the pain was limiting me. Recently, I’ve only been walking my dog for about 30 minutes, when I was walking her at all. A lot of the time I was just taking her to the off-leash park, where I could sit while she ran around on her own.
On Sunday, we walked for well over an hour and my hip felt great. I could have kept going, but I didn’t want to push it. I kept expecting the pain to return, but it never came.
Honestly, I don’t like taking medication. If there is any legitimate alternative, I’m all for it. I certainly don’t want to be reliant on pills or shots for the rest of my life. I realize if I want long-term relief without pharmaceuticals, it will take a lifestyle adjustment.
Being pain-free gives me the motivation and ability to get out there and do something about it.
Thank you, science.
