Q: I was suffering from pain in my hip joint since last year, which was wrongly taken as a normal rheumatic pain by my doctor, who advised treatment under a physiotherapist. The pain continued and spread to the other hip also making me immobile. Different scans & tests also couldn't conclude the cause of the infection in my hip-joint. Conventionally, I was advised to take tuberculosis (TB) medicines which showed some results like increase in appetite, weight gain etc. I am still under anti-TB treatment. I am not free from the pain and limping. It is an unusual phenomena involving acetublum. Recent MRI scan revealed damage in the pelvic bone. Can I recover and walk normally?

A:Treatment of TB of the hip joint can lead to a normal pain free joint only if the treatment is started before there has been much destruction of the joint. If that is not the case, there remain some residua either in the form of pain or some limp. Most patients, however, regain good range of motion and are able to lead a near normal life. If the destruction is much more before the treatment is started, the symptoms can persist and one may even require joint replacement later in life.