Knee deformed after left hip replacement
Posted , 6 users are following.
Hi, I'm after some advice. I had a total left hip replacement, porcelain on ceramic in 2002 and they put my hip in at a slight angle, which put my knee slightly facing inwards, it wasn't a problem as it wasn't painful, but I had very little movement as in I couldn't bring my left foot up to my right knee. I had the same hip revised in may 2016, 7 months ago. I asked this em if they could straighten the knee and he said yes he could rotate the hip to bring the knee straight. When I come out of surgery my knee was extremely swollen, very painful and facing the right knee like it had been rotating the wrong way. The anaesthetist asured me it would get better. 7 months later, hip all good but knee is still looking deformed, extremely painful and swollen. I've since had an x-ray on my knee and there is no sign of arthritis and I had no problem with the knee before.
2 likes, 6 replies
beth2509 titch981
Posted
Have you had physical therapy designed for your specific situation with the knee? The generic PT won't address this. After so long coping with the misalignment your muscles and tendons will have adapted, and will take a long time to readapt - hence the need for specific PT to rebuild their function.
?I'd also suggest that you need an ultrasound, not an X-ray. X-rays can't see what the soft tissue is doing.
I assume, also, that they have eliminated any possibility of DVT at this stage of investigations?
?You'll know the standard Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation - are you doing the compression? That's the one most people leave out! You should wear a compression sleeve - there's plenty of them about, and they aren't all that expensive. It will help improve blood flow, and in turn that helps the muscles. It will also help to create more stability in the knee - much better than a compression bandage or sock. Just make sure you measure properly (if you aren't sure how to do it, there's advice on Google, or a good chemists should be able to do it) as you neither want it too tight nor too loose.
?Add some gentle PT and exercise to that, and it should all help. No overnight cures I am afraid. Oh yes, and Arnica cream may help if you massage it in.
beth2509
Posted
titch981 beth2509
Posted
Hi Beth, that's ok, thanks for the reply. I've got the compression socks and I do elevate it. I went back to physio and he said it's not the muscle, it's because the stem is twisted. What I really need to know is, is this normal? I wasn't in pain with my knee before and I now walk with my knee going inwards and my foot straight.
beth2509 titch981
Posted
A compression sock isn't the same thing as a compression sleeve. Just google "compression sleeve for knee" and you'll see that the sleeve is much more robust than a sock.
?To be honest, I agree with Hope - surgery alone won't fix everything after we have been using muscles and joints in all sorts of ways they weren't intended to, and I think it's a bit of a "to and fro" argument from the physio. Bodies are remarkably adaptive and PT is designed to help us make the best of that. A lot of people have knee problems after THR - these pages are littered with them - but with care and work they do resolve in most cases. But if the physio is saying it is an outcome of the surgery and they can't do anything, have you spoken to the surgeon about that? But I can tell you that if you haven't been able to use those muscles effectively for 15 years - they are going to hurt when you try to! And that is going to cause swelling and pain because that is what the body does to protect itself. That is why you need exercise that is designed to support the knee as well as the hip - they need different support.
?Buit if you think this is a surgical issue, the best person to talk to is the surgeon. There seems to be a huge disparity in terms of physios out there, and some of them appear to talk poppycock. Maybe that isn't the case for you - but equally the physio is not a surgeon! So in your shoes I would be asking the surgeon to assess the situation.
AnnieK titch981
Posted
Titch, I don't think it's normal to have a twisted stem, especially since you are having issues of swelling and pain 7 months post revision. I would see my orthopedic surgeon and have him check it out. If you don't get satisfaction from him, because something is clearly wrong, then go for a second opinion from someone in another practice. A twisted stem, and your knee looking deformed and with pain, cannot be normal. Hope you get a proper diagnosis for this, and a treatment plan.
hope4cure titch981
Posted
It seems to be something most of us hippies have after THR. All the jurking around during surgery you would be surprised at how much the leg is manipulated back and forth to get to the femur and ball joint and it also takes a toll on us as we struggle with therapy in the hospital on pain meds we don't always feel the knees hurting until we get home.
in your case what is meant by slight angle that is a issue of concern and should have been addressed bythe surgeon might be due to reconstruction of the hip and replacing the lost cartledge add 1/4 " and we walk wonky when we are hurting with bone on bone pain.
my knee was so painful the doctor had to remove fluid build up and then off to Physio to strengthen the knee and the IT band running from the hip to the knee. It took about 6 months off exercising and icing then a X-ray shoes a torn miniscus. It all heeled better now but both knees are touchy since both hip have had THR in my case.
I know now that you can get better ans with proper care and treatment you'll be joining all us hippies who survived all the overwhelming side effects of THR.