Feels like sitting on hard tennis ball.
Posted , 14 users are following.
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Ever since posterior RTHR, I feel like I have a tennis or bowling ball in my right hip( or buttock). I'm starting my 5th month post-op and it won't go away. Does anyone else feel this? It's so uncomfortable and dowright painful. It's mostly when sitting, but sometimes I feel it with every step. It's always there to some extent.
1 like, 24 replies
hope4cure dana90029
Posted
Teaching our glutes how to work is the answer! In addition, making sure the main rotators of the hip (gemellis, obdurators, quadratus femoris) are doing their job too.
Your physical therapist can help help evaluate you pain and help with exercises to strengthen them. The glute squeezes and walking was the best help and stretching before getting out of bed.
The ball I felt like I was sitting on has disappeared after 5 months. There are many issues after THR some resolve on their own others require surgery.
dana90029 hope4cure
Posted
Thank you all for your replies. It always helps to know there's someone else out there that has had the same experience--not that I'd wish it on anyone. I feel like I should be making more progress, but the awful fall I had really set me back. I still think something is wrong because I haven't felt as good since and the progress has stopped and the pain has increased. Dr. says it's fine. I don't think so. How can they do an MRI with that metal in your hip? Is there a different test? I know x-rays don't show everything. On top of that, the cartilage was torn in my knee and I can't bend it. What a mess. I'm in the US, not that it matters. I have to wait till the 29th of June for my next appointment, which seems like forever. Thanks again to everyone. I appreciate your encouragement.
hope4cure dana90029
Posted
To answer your question about MRI on hip implant. The settings are set on the machines for metal implants and there are no magnetic metals in the implants, which makes it possible for MRI's . I wondered the same thing and asked the MRI technician. Answer seems so simple. Yet we think metals are always magnetic.
About you fall and to address your pain, from my personal experience if you are in pain and not making any progress with walking, recumbent,bike &'PT for hip and knee,not helping & pain is getting worse, then listen to your body. It sounds like you feel like you injured something sorrounding the implant when you fell. Many on here have fallen, some with no issues others have had muscle, tendon setbacks etc. Also with knee injury so sorry to hear about that. Time will be your friend for healing ice ,knee therapy and rest. Did you tear the miniscus in your knee?
Im in the US and had many MRI's over a 5 year period with and without contrast & nuclear MRI on my hips. In my case a broken greater tochanter did not show up on MRI or X-ray. Two different hospitals. I just continued pushing and finally had a revision to make a long story short so much pain went back on cane and during revision surgery the fracture was discovered and loose femur implant.
One little tip exercises for the knee a must and I discovered spring shoes helped me a great deal. Spring shoes has helped take the pressure off the knee injury and walk better placing all the pressure absorption on the spring in the heal of the shoes, not solely on the knee, helping the knee to heal. I had torn miniscus in knee and 7 years later it has been so much better. I was lucky nothing was torn loose from the miniscus with time it healed & no surgery.
Keep in touch . Lets me know how your doing.
dana90029 hope4cure
Posted
Thanks for telling me about the MRI. I don't know if it was the meniscus or not. He said I had a tear in the cartilage. This was done during the surgery when they dislocated my hip. My knees were in good condition before and had never been badly injured, even after playing in sports all my life. I could always handle pain before, but this is a whole new ballgame. I'm 4 1/2 months post op and I just feel this is never going to get better or heal.
CelsB dana90029
Posted
Hi Dana,
I had the tennis ball feeling and I think it is familiar to us all in the first few weeks and months. It is our bodies recognising that we have a foreign object there. I also had a lump which lasted for about 12 months and is only now starting to go down. My surgeon said it was displaced fatty tissue but I did (and sometimes still do) feel it when I sit and have to adjust my position.
I'm wondering if you too could have some displaced fatty tissue in the area. Perhaps when they sew us back up some bits don't end up exactly where they started? Just a thought.
Cels Xx
dana90029 CelsB
Posted
I am interested in the fatty tissue you mentioned. I'm a little over 5' 8" and weigh 100 lbs. on a good day. I have to look hard to find my butt. Maybe the fat is deeper? The pain today is unbearable.I think it is because I sat for several hours at a rodeo last night, but was in a car. I'm almost at 5 mos. post op and don't know how long I can take this pain. I'm calling the doc tomorrow. I just feel something is wrong.
2paws dana90029
Posted
Hi Dana, iI had RTHRand a plate inserted also in Nov 15 the thing is its only recentlyI have the real feeling in my butt and leg. After some deep tissue muscle massage this guy could pinpoint all my pain with his fingers . after the session I did feel very tired for a few days but I can feel a lot more like my old self the tennis ball seems to have dissipated and that was after one session.He reckons a couple more visits will do wonders for my overall mobility.I am not allowed drive the car yet as I can't lift my leg when sitting down to move from the brake to the throttle hope this helps. my TRHR was due to an accident that's why I have other issues
Rocketman_SG6UK dana90029
Posted
Lots of peple feel that - it's in my website, the web address is in my personal info here ...
https://patient.info/forums/profiles/rocketman-sg6uk-907025
and at the bottom of the moderator's "useful resources" page at
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/thr-useful-resources-487147
Best wishes
Graham - 🚀💃 🤸
steve86482 dana90029
Posted
ginger1234 dana90029
Posted
Hi Dana, I'm adding my pain to your post in hopes for some answers. I had internal fixation on the neck of my left femur 10 years ago. I had the tennis ball pain for months after the surgery. It eventualy went away but has come back with a vengeance. I am also looking for answers if anyone has had this pain again years after surgery. I haven't seen a Dr. about my hip in 10 years but and thinking of calling. Any thoughts.
toy29952 dana90029
Posted
Hi Dana,
Sorry you are feeling this. It felt like it for me also. I had my surgery 8mos. Ago don't feel it anymore. But where the incision is it is still pretty numb and feels funny when I rub it.
Hopefully in time it'll go away.
Good luck
amanda1827h dana90029
Posted
Hi,its not an easy time with a hip op.we are all at different levels of healing.Anyway hope you will get better.I know the feeling.Sadly for me my hip that I had done it's great owing to total lack of care for me as I had to cope / struggle with caring for my disabled Hubby.So not great at all.I am extremely nervous of hospitals and had my op on the NHS but at the Nuffield hospital in Woking. They were amazing.But it was the after care.I have Reflexology on a regular basis. When we go away I have to book into hotels with a spa bath.Regards Amanda h
linda81469 dana90029
Posted
Evening Dana! Yup I have the same thing!! I'm going on 10 months now!! It's not as bad as like 5 months ago as it has gotten better. I think massaging ur buttock daily several times a day can help. Icing for pain and heat to soothe the butt muscle helps. I've told my dr about it says if it doesn't go away by year mark he'll address it then to see what's going on. Do u sit on a cushion? That will help with pain and lump feeling. Bed of luck to you !! Hugs 🤗 Linda
dana90029 linda81469
Posted
Thanks for replying, but a year!! They torn some cartilage in my knee which is about as bad. I wonder if that has anything to do with it. I can't bend my knee. I'm such a mess, and all I wanted was a nice summer.
linda81469 dana90029
Posted
I hear you! 😞 I wanted a nice Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Valentine's Day, wedding anniversary, Fiesta week, and summer.....I dislocated my first hip replacement and had to have a total hip revision 3 weeks, 2 days later. 6 weeks non weight bearing. My recovery has been slow now am having to endure nerve pain in thigh causing severe sensitivity and discomfort. Every day I wake up hoping this will be the day that I will feel good......it's been a long time coming. Wishing you all the best and God's blessings to you. Linda
dana90029 linda81469
Posted
I'm so sorry you're going throuh all that. It's awful. I took an extremely hard fall straight up and down on my knee. It got worse after that. It didn't dislocate, but got really worse after that. I'm hoping you have a speedy recovery. Hugs to you.