Hello to whoever has stumbled upon this!
I recently had a Hip Arthrogram MRI and wanted to share my experience as there didn't seem to be a lot of info about this procedure online and a lot of what I did find were negative experiences/horror stories. I'm hoping this will calm your nerves if you have to have this done and help prepare you for what to expect. Your experience may also vary some depending on where you have this done and who is doing it.
An arthrogram is where they inject contrast dye directly into a joint to be able to see specific injuries better (I think more specifically joint injuries). I think in my case they were trying to rule out a labrum tear in my hip. They use some sort of imagining to see where your joint is so they know where to inject and to make sure they are in the right place. For me, they used some sort of CT scan. The machine looked like a donut and it had a small screen on the front where I think they could see the joint.
I had to wear a hospital style gown and actually had to take off my underwear due to it obstructing where they do the injection. What surprised me is that your hip joint is more in the front near your groin not on the outside side of your leg like I had thought. I guess that's a common misconception. They tried to keep me as covered as possible as to not expose all my lady bits which was nice.
First, the nurses/techs? (honestly not sure who exactly they were) had to do some imaging to find out where my hip joint was. I had to lay on this table/bed as they moved me in and out of the machine which showed them where my joint was. They then marked the spot they were going to do the injection with a marker. Then the radiologist came in and explained the procedure. The radiologist was the one actually doing the procedure. I was so fortunate to have a really awesome radiologist. I really think that is what made all the difference in my experience. He was very personable and really good at calming my nerves. I was honestly terrified at the thought of having a needle stuck in my hip joint. It sounded awful and very painful. I tried to not come off as being super nervous but I feel like the radiologist could probably tell. Don't be like me and instead be upfront about how you are feeling. I think it helps them to know that you are nervous so they can change their approach.
For the procedure you are laying down, so you can't really see what they are doing which is nice. First the radiologist cleaned and prepped the area with some sort of cleaning solution. Then I think he put some sort of drape or covering over the area with a hole in the middle to make a sterile work surface. Then he numbed the area with a shot of I think lidocaine. He let me know when he was about to do it. It hurt a little but it was totally bearable. It mostly felt like burning as the numbing solution went in. I think he had to inject numbing at least a couple of different places. I could then feel the area go numb which was an odd feeling. Next, he put the needle in my joint. I don't remember him telling me he was doing it, I think he just did it which was nice, I think the anticipation of knowing it was about to happen would have made it worse. I don't remember feeling the needle go in. Once the needle was in, he had to do some more imaging to make sure he was in the right spot before injecting the contrast. At this point, it started to hurt. I could feel the needle in my joint and it wasn't pleasant. It wasn't sharp or excruciating or anything where I felt like I was going to jump off the table and couldn't handle it. It felt very similar actually to the chronic groin pain I have, more intense achiness if that makes any sense. I remember telling him it was hurting pretty bad and he said the contrast solution also had numbing stuff in it so that should help. Once he felt he was in the right spot, he began injecting the contrast. I didn't feel anything other than a little cold. I read accounts of people feeling pressure, fullness, or tightness as the solution is being injected but I didn't feel any of that, just a cold sensation. Once he was done injecting the contrast, he pulled the needle out quickly without warning. It was definitely a shock. Kinda similar to ripping off a band-aid but not quite the same feeling. The radiologist told me he doesn't warn people before pulling the needle out because they tense up and then it hurts worse. It was over very quick and once the needle was out, I didn't feel anything. All in all the procedure maybe took 5-10 minutes? Once the radiologist started It didn't take very long. I was really scared I wouldn't be numb enough and I would feel the needle being inserted but I didn't.
They put a band-aid on me and then I went and changed my clothes for the MRI. I was allowed to wear the clothes I wore to the appointment as they did not contain any metal. I did have some pain and difficulty putting my shorts on as lifting my leg with the contrast a certain way hurt, but I managed and then went pretty immediately to have the MRI. The MRI itself was very easy. You lay on a table in this long tube that is open on both ends. They taped my feet together inward for this particular test. The only thing you have to do is just lay there and not move for about 15 minutes. The machine makes a lot of loud and weird noises but nothing hurts. It was actually very odd because I could feel where they injected the contrast get warm and start vibrating when they took certain images. If you are a naturally cold person like me, ask for a blanket.
I felt fine after the procedure. I was able to drive myself home with no issues. I was a little sore afterwards but nothing bad and lifting my leg a certain way a couple of days after was painful. Putting pants or shorts on or off was difficult and kind of painful. It's been almost 3 days since the procedure and I feel fine. I haven't had any bruising at the site or any crazy side effects. I feel mostly back to normal.
