Femoral nerve damage after THR

Hi Debbie, and all. I have a question for you. My husband broke his hip last year in July. They put a plate in. Doctor said it healed perfectly. But husband is having a terrible time with a lot of the symptoms you all are talking about. Numbness and bee stings on the inside of his upper leg. Electric shocks in his knee. Terrible pain in his lower back and groin, that go down his hip and inside of his leg, stops at his knee. My question is, how did you find out that it was nerve damage? Because his doctors can't seem to figure out why he has pain. This last doctor a spine and pain management doctor has decided he needs physical therapy.

Debbie I am approximately one year out of total hip revision surgery and have the same problem that you do stiffness numbness I've had nerve studies done about six months ago and they said there is nerve damage my leg is very weak and then I have shooting pains also I am on long term disability through my employer but they recently told me that they would not pay me any longer that people normally do not have this problem and this has went beyond the time frame so my doctor wrote them a letter advising them it could be up to two years was just wondering if you apply for disability and whether you think you're getting any better or whether you're still the same

Good Afternoon Debbie.  I have had 2 THR's.  My first was done due to severe arthritis setting in my right hip.  We tried the laser surgery and cleaning up the joint first but finally decided to have the joint replaced.  I was in severe pain and just couldn't stand it any longer.  Unfortunately, I didn't do my research well enough. I had NO CLUE it was going to be such a horrible experience.  The first implant went well until 7 years in, I wasn't stable standing or walking.  I always had severe pain and actually went back to the surgeon several times winding up in an argument with him and his office.  To the point that I wrote a very heated letter advising him that he and his office made me feel like I was a drug addict because I needed the prescription pain meds.  When he read my letter, my appointment was the following day.  He was livid that I had dared tell him what I really thought.  That he had been paid a ton of money to help me.  I was in horrible pain before the surgery and was in horrible pain, although different pain, after the surgery.  He was so angry he told me that he would no longer care for me as a patient and released me.  No referral, nada, nothing.  That's a very caring physician, huh?  I no longer was able to walk without a limp (like I was walking into a hole on that side every step) and pain all the time.  I had to go to a pain management doctor for the pain meds and injections.  I have literally tried everything to no avail in eliminating the pain.  In any event 7 years into this painful implant I found out that the implant had been recalled as it was a metal on metal implant made by Zimmer (the Duram cup).  Researching this, I decided to hire an attorney and find another doctor who could take it out.  The attorney I have is one of the attorney's who specializes in hip implant cases and actually settled a large portion of the US Stryker implants.  He is as knowledgeable as a physician about these.  They took the case 4 YEARS AGO!  We are just going to mediation on Monday.  Please PRAY for a reasonable settlement.  So anyway, I couldn't find a doctor who would take me because it was a revision of a failed implant. All the doctors offices told me to go back to the original surgeon, well first there is NO WAY I would ever step foot in his office after his treatment of me and secondly, he refused to see me any longer so that option is out.  I called probably 10 offices before finally asking my attorney if he could help.  He did and referred me to a doctor who was 3 hours away.  The days I had appointments with his office, I had to take off of work.  But, I liked the doctor and felt that he was qualified with these revision surgeries.  He was after all, recommended by my attorney who had worked with all these doctors offices.  The 2nd surgery was done the day before Christmas in 2013.  After the surgery, he told me and my husband that it was a "mess" in there, tissue damage, irregular placement, etc. He also told me that I was going to be "set for life" in my lawsuit and that he would make sure of it.  I felt so estatic, finally someone to help me and fix me where I could walk again and be out of pain.  No...no, it doesn't turn out well. After the surgery, immediately I felt I was level again and was in pain from the surgery of course but felt hope that my pain would go away over time.  It's been almost 3 years and now I cannot walk AT ALL.  I have determined that I have femoral or sciatic nerve damage.  I can't get a doctor to diagnose that but I am certain of it, especially after reading an article about it.  If you want to educate yourselves on this, read this article by copying and pasting this web address here: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/dfdb/a22c384388255cf0a2c7fc8b7e5c3e1a670d.pdf.  It's VERY interesting that no doctor ever discusses this possibility with you as a patient.  That this occurring in female patients more than men (because of our muscle mass being less) is about 3% overall in the patient studies they did. I had past tissue injury from the first implant plus I had broken the hip in a terrible car accident at the age of 2.  I've been in and out of hospitals my entire life. I spent 6 mos in the hospital at age 2 because of a drunk driver who killed 3 people that day.  I lost my grandmother in the accident, my mother was severely injured and almost died that day and she spent 1 year in the hospital.  I was put in foster care during that time but she never recovered from the trauma of seeing her mother killed so I was put up for adoption.  I was in and out of the hospital being treated and had surgery on the trauma I suffered in that accident.  Can you believe that now, I am waiting for an attorney for the medical device to determine how much they want to pay for my pain and suffering.  This is if I don't decide to take it to trial.  My attorney discourages that because of my past injury clouding whether or not the implant caused my issues or if they were from my past injury. WHAT?  My past injuries never caused me not to be able to walk, never!  I had some difficulties because of the injuries but I was a fighter and never let it stop me.  I could walk, period.  After the 2nd revision now I can't walk and I'm in pain. My right leg is numb and pain shoots down my leg with every step.  I can't control my foot the way I should so I've determined the nerve injury has caused foot drop.  I'm trying to sway my attorney's belief that he must argue this for me during mediation.  I told him if you can't get me a "reasonable" settlement, I want to take this to trial.  What's reasonable though?  The rest of my life is impacted. I'm only 53 years old and just married 2 years ago.  My husband didn't sign up for a woman who can't walk, can't dance, can't go hiking, etc.  He's been wonderful standing beside me and helping me because he loves me but, it's unfair to him totally.  It's also unfair to me.  Haven't I been through enough?  It's not fair for them to short me financially because I was injured previously. But the judges and courts allow these attorneys and medical companies to Lord over everyone and everything.  Why?  They have more money than God and they can have the best attorneys who can find loopholes.  They can also pay the judges off, right?  There was a case of a lady in CA in the past few years who was injured by an implant.  She didn't take a settlement and instead fought in court. The jury awarded her $8 million dollars.  Good for her, right?  No.  Can you guess what happened after the jury's award?  The judge determined that this amount was not correct and reversed it.  I'm not sure what the final status was in her case.  I felt horrible for her because as we all know, she deserved every penny and more.  You cannot rebuild your life back to what it was prior to the implant's injury.  No one can tell you that over time you'll be better.  No, over time it will either get a "little" better OR it will get "A LOT" worse.  I'm livid to think that my case is limited to what the medical company wants to pay.  They made how much money on these implants?  Plus in the Zimmer cases, the designer of the device told them that it should not be released in the US.  The doctors had not been trained in the right procedure to do the implant.  Zimmer released it anyway and said that they had done the analysis and felt the percentage of cases that didn't work could just be paid off while they made tons of money on the cases that never pursue legal rights.  Today I sit here thinking, I can't walk, I can't do my sales job any longer (outside sales business to business where I previously made over $120K per year), I can't have normal sex with my hubby because my leg doesn't work right, I can't ride my bike anymore, I can't....I'm faced with a wheelchair in my not too distant future I think.  I'm not the kind of person that lets these things get to me normally but I'm tired.  I've been fighting to be "normal" my entire life.  I'm tired of fighting.  I just want to feel good again.  That's not too much to ask is it?  Please for those of you who are suffering, really do your research and sue the hell out of the medical device companies.  They are making huge profits on us and look at the outcome of the ones that fail.  Lives are impacted forever.  Please pray for me as I pray for all of us who suffer at the hands of those who just want to make a quick buck - that's doctors too.  They should all be ashamed of themselves.  Take care, research and do what it takes to take care of yourselves.  I pray that God will provide a solution for this in the near future.  We need one!  

I have had totally knee replacement done 3 yrs ago an I'm only 38 an it still hurts bad pain meds sometimes help nerves are worse my Dr won't do much for me on my nerves hurting so bad in leg an thigh. Put ice on it sometimes helps me an I asked my family Dr for something for restless leg cause I get mine more at night when laying down keep. Me up most the night.if I did t have those it does help. Hope u get well with that knee u done therapy if not keep doing the exercises. They gave u might help

I had total hip replacement june 29,did well no pain after surgery than two  weeks later I  couldn't bend my left foot. doctor told me to elevate my foot for one hour a day. myy leg  is numb from my knee to my foot. have to wear a   brace now. now they want  to  send me to a spine specialist. I don't know what to do now never told me this would happen.

Oh no I am so very sorry you are having trouble.  I hope you recover with time.  I have be warned about nerve damage and lots of other things which sound scary but as the old device has to come out I don't really have a choice.

Saw your post from 3 years ago after your THR. How are you doing now. I did not read others testimonials about complications and outcomes before I had a THR 1 year ago. I have severe back pain, a neuropathy and have the same shock like pain others describe. Can not walk more than 1/2 block without severe pain. I also have a limp. Wish I had read about others experience before I had the surgery.  No fix for the problems and doctor acts surprised when I tell him my symptoms. Just had a total body bone scan to see if there is a stress fracture in the femur. Won't have a revision. Just take more pain pills.