Hip pain

Most patients feel the leg is longer after surgery. Normal since we have been walking kinky for a while before. The doc tables have X-ray before and after to match a template made from both hips standing before surgery, so legs are as close to same length as possible. 

However if there were bone disease and more bone loss could be a reason more bone removed, of course the doc would have told you. 

Give it more time to adjust to. I would suggest getting new shoes because we wore them out differently before surgery. New shoes with soft insole and good arch support. Also it's a good idea to check with a posiatrist as we age arches fall and could be a good source of insoles arches and shoes. Even it you need a lift to wear in your shoes a podiatrist can help. Generally we adjust to the difference within time. We are not usually born with legs the same length it normal to have a small difference. 

Also if the other hip has OA that could be the difference in wear in the ligaments that cushion the bone on that hip. 

It all feels so crazy for a long time. I had a hard time too. After a few months I adjusted to the new hip and never had any pain after 8 months. It takes time for the body to heel and adjust to our shinny new bionic hips. 

Im gettin a new one in a few months again and it will be a new type that self lubricates in the joint for longer wear. They are custom made from X-ray measurements just approved in the US.

hi madla, 

warm welcome to this wonderful forum of hippies  - 

I totally agree with Hope, however feel that 5 1/2 cm is a rather big difference 

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what did your surgeon say - Mine put my legs together right bafter surgery and a couple of times he visited me while in hospital to make sure they were equal - 

eventhough there was some descrepancy, it would even out eventually as pelvis and other parts of hip were put straight ....

If you are in a lot of pain, please call your surgeon   - don't wait too long okay?

big warm hug

renee

Impossible to exercise if you leg is 5cm longer, how do you know, has someone measured you, don't think me rude as i have the same problem, but yours if it is that much is ridiculous and needs repairing sooner rather than later.

Dr's refused to believe I had 2.2cm or 22mm, what has complicated mine is that 10mm is below my knee naturally, and only 12 mm in hip length, that is considered acceptable or so they tell me, I have learned to live with my discrepancy with shoe lifts, but it has caused me a lot of pain both mentally and physically, and still struggling with it 18 months later.

Mine was finally  sorted out by me getting a LONG-LEG X-RAY, even my GP was arguing with me, at about 10 weeks post surgery and he said to me it was all in my head, appoligised after the x-ray results.  Two weeks after hip surgery I doubt they will want to do x-ray as you have alot of swelling , torn and overstretched muscles in and around your hip and you can get a false impression of leg length discrepancy, not unusual post hip surgery, you also get swollen bone, , assured this is correc, I always thought bone was set in stone so to speak, but apprently not so.

Not sleeping after THR  is normal I'm afraid, Dr's will deny there is any link, but I believe their may be an issue with the foreign object in our body, and or our body reacting to such serious surgery, it is so routine we forget just how big it is.

I'm sure my leg is longer too but I don't seem to limping. I'll find out when I go back but 5cm seems a lot of difference!

Mine came out little bit longer too.  And I think that delayed walking without a limp for about 5 days or so as it was just more difficult especially with the stiffness not enabling you to adapt to it.. The stiffness more recently subsided at nearly 5 weeks so there no limp but I must pad up the shoe a bit of the shorter leg.  There still some difference but now its down to just 2-3 mm and I can overide that..

You still should be on some pain med for night sleep. Don't be bashful tell Doc. 300-400 mgs magnesium before bed helped me as it is

a muscle relaxant. 

Forgot to mention icing. Works wonders eventually!