Brief Answer:
The metal allergy is a tricky question

Detailed Answer:
Although up to one in six people have evidence of metal allergy, it's contribution to outcome in joint replacement hasn't hardly even been looked at. When it's been examined, it seems to be pretty important.

XXXX

Seems that ripping it out and starting over helps the majority, but 1) cannot say in your particular case and 2) there's huge downsides from it and 3) the literature doesn't have nearly enough information to distinguish between fixing the allergy and a huge placebo effect. Under 2, when the new hardware wears out a third replacement is really really hard to do.

Then, there's the other issues. Any time there is a medical condition there is also the reaction to the condition. Depression is an issue. It is a complex one wiht benefit from medication, counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy.

---

Brief Answer:
Thank you for the follow up.

Detailed Answer:
Ok, cannot say in your particular case without being there. and, inflammation of joints are quite common. The main factor in it is increased physical demands on the area. This is quite common in the context of other injuries causing someone to walk with the weight put more onto one area. This causes increased strain. If someone has a bad ankle or knee, often a joint on the other side gets increased strain and starts to have trouble in about a year. In the short run, the other area can get sore/inflammed. In the longer run, the joints wear out faster.

In the immediate run, rest and anti-inflammatories. Aspirin like drugs are often quite helpful. AND, the very strongest anti-inflammatories are easily and safely available for joints. Injection of strong steroids into the joint work. Pessimistic is a month of good results (the stronger anti-inflammatories are the least able to leak out of a joint; it takes them physically about a month to not be there). Optimistic is the area is fixed from inflammation and it never returns. I have more worse outcomes than fabulous ones (meaning the pain is relieved but only for about 2 to 4 weeks), but zero effect is quite UNcommon and really long term relief is at least 30%.

In the longer run, learning to move more gracefully removes stresses on joints. Yoga, Tai-Chi, Ballroom dance. The ballroom dance has the most requirements of weight bearing and is both the best and the worst due to that (most likely to NOT be able to be done; it's the only one that directly impacts how well you walk across a room... well....glide across a room). Every ballroom dancer I know has orthopedic and health problems. Every ballroom dancer I know moves well without limits. It's a sport that is generally only over 50 yr olds.

---