My version of my version.....

.....Femoral Retroversion that is.  When Dr. Mast told me that I had some retroversion, I didn't really know what this meant.  I had heard of it before, but I needed to do some googling before I actually understood what this meant.  Femoral retroversion is also known as out-toeing.  The femur is rotated the wrong way and causes the foot to point out.

There is a condition called slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE), which is an affliction that happens to young adolescents.  Usually about the age of 12 for boys and the age of 13.5 for girls.  Exactly the age I was when my hip pain began.  When you are a kid your growth plates are not totally formed.  You can see the space between the ball and the femur.  If a child has some sort of endocrine abnormality, then the fibrous tissue that supports the growth plates around the femur can become loose.  This condition often happens to obese children.  I was not obese at the age of 13.5, however I was running cross country.  Running 3 miles a day can add a lot of stress to the hip joint especially since I already had a joint abnormality, congenital hip dysplasia.

Angie's feet, right foot is rotated out

I believe that I did not have the retroversion until I was 13.5 and began running cross country.  One day after a cross country race, I could not walk because my groin pain was so bad.  I believe that on this day my femur slipped and became retroverted and caused the impingement.  I never had groin pain prior to running cross country. All my symptoms match that of SCFE down to the exact age that it usually occurs in girls.

If the condition is caught early, and surgery is performed, then the prognosis is good.  However, none of the doctors that I saw caught this condition until I saw Dr. Mast last month.

The surgery to correct retroversion is nasty.  I hope I can manage without this surgery.  My hope is that Dr. Sampson can correct the impingement and that will be enough.  I don't want to run a marathon, or be a gymnast. I dont even care if I go snowboarding again or play sports.  I just want to take a walk on the beach and be able to do my grocery shopping.

Furthermore, since SCFE is often caused by an autoimmune disorder, I am going to be vigilant with my doctors about testing me for autoimmune disorders.  One disorder that I am particularly concerned about is Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.  I have many of the symptoms for this disorder and I know of other FAI patients who also have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.  I am still waiting on my test results for rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

As much as I hope and pray that I don't have an autoimmune disorder, it would be better to know now so that I can manage the issue.

Symptoms of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

• Loose, unstable joints that are prone to: sprain, dislocation, subluxation (partial dislocation) and hyperextension (double jointedness) ^[5]
• Early onset of osteoarthritis
• Easy bruising

• Chronic fatigue

• Migraines and headaches, including postural headaches from spontaneous intracranial hypotension

• Deformities of the spine, such as: Scoliosis (curvature of the spine), Kyphosis (a thoracic hump), Tethered spinal cord syndrome, Occipitoatlantoaxial hypermobility^[8]

• Swan neck deformity of the fingers ^[11]
• Insensitivity to local anesthetics.^[12]