I had a total hip replacement more tham 2 years ago,with excellent results

Posted , 7 users are following.

I had a fall while on holiday in Iceland, since then I have been in unbearable pain in my operated leg. Could I have damaged the artificial hip?

0 likes, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi Jane,

    i would certainly seek medical advice. You could have dislocated your hip if you are in so much pain.

    Let us know how you go.

    Kind regards.

    Jane

     

    • Posted

      Thank you, I will. It didn't seem to hurt too much for a while after I did it, but now sometimes is not weight bearing. I think a trip to the walk in (or hop in!) clinic is in order. I'll let you know.......😊
  • Posted

    YES!!!!  Have your leg checked out by your doctor!!!

    I experienced the same thing!  I was taken to the ER, since I had a vasovagal response and passed out, landing on my my back and hitting my head.  The first thing I told the paramedics was that I have a hip implant. I told the doctor in the ER the same thing.  They did a CT scan, and then concentrated on my gallbladder, not checking out my hip.  I had vertigo, and a concussion, so I wasn't up and around very much due to dizziness.  After a few weeks, I started standing and walking more, and the longer I did that, the more pain I had in my surgical leg. I thought the hip was okay since I could walk on it.  The doctor had told me immediately after surgery, to always carry a cane if there was ever a chance of "black ice" in the winter, because if I should fall, the bone will break before the implant will be damaged, because the bone is very fragile.

    I started vestibular therapy a few weeks ago, and asked the physical therapist if he could evaluate my leg because it's becoming more and more painful.  He told me I immediately needed to get an xray.  I went to ortho for an xray, and he told me the implant was solid and didn't break loose according to the xray.  However, after examining my leg and the pain I was experiencing, he believed that I possibly had a fracture in the femur, and also a fracture in the ilium crest!  I was quite surprised, because that's not what I expected to hear.  He told me to go back to the walker until he could schedule a bone scan because that is the only way to be able to tell if there is a fracture, since it's difficult to see hairline fractures on xray.  

    I had that bone scan two days ago.  I noticed on one of the pictures taken that there was a "spot" on one of my ribs.  I asked the technician to be sure that was included for the doctor to see, and she took several other photos from different directions.  Yesterday, I received the results of the bone scan online, and it showed there is not a fracture in the femur or in the ilium crest!  I was so excited!!!  I really had concerns that I might be heading back to surgery if there was a fracture.  I had no clue that you can actually walk with a fractured femur, so just know that is entirely possible!  There is a lot of blood flow around the hip implant, and the report said it could be as a result of the recent trauma I had when I fell.  So, I'm not certain if it is inflamed or normal.  I still have pain in the leg, and there are positions I get in, when I bend over, that keep me from being able to move my leg.  In other words, my leg muscles aren't allowing that leg to move once I bend over, so I have to physically pick the leg up with my hands in order to move the leg out of certain positions.

    The report stated that the "spot" on the rib was either a fracture on the rib...or....a "metastatic disease", and suggested to the doctor to take more xrays of that area to see which it is.....wow.  I'm betting on a fractured rib, but, I need to find out if it's more than that!

    So......The pain you are experiencing definitely needs to be checked out by your surgeon.  I would suggest you get in to see the surgeon right away, and have your leg checked out.  

    Sam

  • Posted

    Jane....If at all possible, please see your Orthopedic doctor instead of a walk-in clinic.  I don't think a regular GP doctor would be able to properly evaluate the extent of your injury.  My xray didn't show a problem, however, my ortho knew the proper tests to do on my leg, that made him very suspicious of there being a problem.  A general practitioner wouldn't know those things, and could erroneously tell you it's fine, even if it isn't.  The fact that the pain is getting worse, should be a major concern.  That's exactly what happened to me, and why I thought I needed physical therapy on the leg, but the doctor was more concerned.  If there is a fracture, you can't have physical therapy, so someone who really knows what they are doing is the best doctor to see, in order to evaluate it properly.
    • Posted

      Thank you Sam, but my surgery was carried out by the NHS, which means i need to be referred by my GP. I will put the ball in motion on Monday, and let you know how I get on.
    • Posted

      lol  Great!!!  Please let us know!  

      Sounds like you have done just as I have done.....kept thinking it would get better.  I just had no idea you could actually walk with a fracture.  You could have loosened the implant or had a fracture.  I hope not!  But it really needs to be checked out.  Best of luck with it!

  • Posted

    Hi Jane, I would go get x ray soon as possiable let us know how everything works out!!

    Take care

    Jackie

     

  • Posted

    Go to your GP and get him to organise x-ray or scans for you.  There could be something serious going on in there, even if the hip isn't damaged, something else could be.  Good luck and let us know how you get on.

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.