Question
I recently went to my general practitioner and had a hip x-ray performed in response to nagging left hip/groin pain. Impressions were: early osteoarthritis degenerative change in left hip joint. My GP recommended acetaminophen 2 x325 mg pills four times daily for 4-6 weeks - continued perhaps indefinitely. Possible cortisone injections if meds do not help. One of my symptoms is an occasional VERY painful "lock-up" of the left groin area while walking/hiking. When this "hitch in my joint" happens I am literally incapacitated and cannot walk - almost cannot stand. Usually I can work it out slowly over 5-10 minutes and I am just somewhat sore for a while afterworlds. Pretty scary!

Question: Is this "hitch" likely a result of early osteoarthritis? It seems a little extreme for something I would expect to be mostly a nagging soreness.

Question 2: I am very wary of taking that much acetaminophen over the long term. Cannot that much cause other problems?

Thanks for you time, I await your response.

Answer
If I were you I would make an appointment with an orthopedist to look at your symptoms and make a diagnosis.  I am sure your GP means well but getting an opinion from an orthopedist would be a good thing to do

I would also call a pharmacy to see if the amount of Tylenol you are being directed to take is too much.  It sounds like a lot and if you are in as much pain as I think you are, you may need different medications that are stronger than tylenol.  Too much tylenol can affect the liver and cause damage to it.

Sharon