Expert: Gerald Anzalone, D.C. - 1/10/2009

Question
QUESTION: My mother is 91 and her right hip broke while she was standing on Sept.11-08.  She had surgery on Sept.13-08 and had a partial hip replacement.  Her hip is fine now but she is suffering terribly with non-stop pain just above her right hip partially into her right buttock.  She has been seeing a chiropractor since early December but the manipulations are not helping her at all. As a matter of fact the pain is getting worse.
My questions is: Would acupuncture help this?  Carolyn

ANSWER: Carolyn,

The question of whether one particular modality versus another might help your mother's pain really is a function of determining what the cause of her sacral-iliac pain is.

If the cause of her pain is joint-related, and if chiropractic manipulation is not helping, then she might need to see an orthopedic surgeon.

Acupuncture may be helpful for joint pain, but your mother might need to have an underlying medical pathology ruled out before attempting additional chiropractic or acupuncture treatment, especially if there is a concern about a sacral or iliac fracture secondary to osteoporosis or her initial fall.

I would recommend a consult with an orthopedic surgeon to determine if additional diagnostic evaluation (i.e., a CT or MRI scan) is needed first.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Her Orthopaedic surgeon told her everything was fine with her hip now and to see a chiropractor for her pain.  So this is what we have been doing.  The pain does not seem to be joint-related.

Answer
Without knowing the clinical details of your mother's case, it is difficult to provide you with additional information. If her pain is not joint related, then perhaps a consult with a neurologist might help. If her pain is worsening, the odds of chiropractic manipulation helping may not be favorable.