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Leg length discrepancy following double total hip replacement

Posted , 20 users are following.

sue87388_UK
sue87388_UK

Does anyone have any problems with this.

I have one leg longer than the other which I believe causes me problems when walking and could be the answer to a lot of my ongoing pain. My surgeon says the MRI looks good and could not cause the pain. I also had screws fitted to my hip for stability. When I stand I am not straight and I do walk funny although I cannot walk or stand very much.

3 likes, 49 replies

49 Replies

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  • kathryn42557
    kathryn42557 sue87388_UK

    Posted

    Thank you for the encouragement.  What is you updated status?  I am wondering what the chances of walking normal if the leg length is so off.  I am in sandels most of the time so not sure how I would be able to wear the lifts......most of all, I am upset that I wasn't told of this before the surgery.  I would have been so much more open to the adjustments that are needed.

     

    • sue87388_UK
      sue87388_UK kathryn42557

      Posted

      If you look at my other discussion 'Chronic Pain following double total hip replacement you will see where I am now.

      Its unbelievable you were not given the proper information prior to surgery.  I do not think you can compare yourself to me as once you read the above you will see there are other issues too.  My suggestion is when you next see your consultant ask what your options are to correct the leg length discrepancy.  You may have a tilted pelvis due to walking incorrectly and this can make you feel like your legs are not equal.  I hope you have a happy outcome smile

  • anne73967
    anne73967 sue87388_UK

    Posted

    Hi Sue, Sorry to hear about you situation.... I hope it will improve. I am due to go for T H R very soon. I have been told there may be a slight discrepency in leg lenght but it seems to me they make light of it. I am absolutely terrified of it because I know how imbalance in your spine can have much wider health implications. I am seriously considering postponing or cancelling the surgery until they may have a better way to judge the final leg  lenght outcome. I am in pain and hobbling around, waking at night etc. but I feel maybe I should just take the painkillers for now. My family keep encouraging me to hae....they after all have to look at me limping...but I feel I will be burning my bridges!
    • sue87388_UK
      sue87388_UK anne73967

      Posted

      Hi Anne,

      Your pain will only get worse so I think you probably need to go ahead with the surgery but obviously that is a decision only you can make.  There are lots of people who have THR's without any problems whatsoever so please don't be put off by some of the stories you have read on this site.  Stay positive and hopefully you will not have any problems after the op.

  • lynnsfave
    lynnsfave sue87388_UK

    Posted

    Surgeons tend to make light of the fact they messed up the surgery!  If one leg is longer than the other after a THR, they messed up.  Probably because they don't measure the hip parts.  I had a THR in August and ended up with the op leg 1-1/2" shorter than the other.  I was told to have my shoe built up.  Ha.  Not going to happen!  I just had my THR revised by a different surgeon and now feel I'm pretty much even, although it's probably too early to know for sure.  MRIs and X-rays aren't going to show the actual LLD.  I have an abnormally wide femur neck, and my first surgeon's supplier doesn't make parts wide enough for me.  You need to ask your surgeon to measure your femur neck and ask what size he put in.  My surgeon took out the head, which turned out to be the smallest made, and replaced it with the largest made.  If anybody reading this has a limb length discrepancy, don't live with it ... get it fixed.  Find out your measurements and what size was put in ... head size, neck width and stem length.  I went through a second surgery because I couldn't live with the pain in my spine, my neck, my shoulders, my lower back and the sciatica in my non-op leg.  It was worth going through another surgery to fix all this!  Then you must talk to an attorney.
    • kathryn42557
      kathryn42557 lynnsfave

      Posted

      I am understanding what you are saying.  I have had a curvature of the spine - scoliosis- all my life but never felt the actual difference in leg length til the day after surgery when they had me get up and walk - at which point I broke down and cried.  At one of the appt. with surgeon about 3 weeks or so after, one of his asst measured me and gave me the exact measurement.  I was told then that they would like to see things have time to work out and then discuss options.  I am in fla. Now and living with the pain in the left lower back....which is caused from one leg having more weight on it than the other.  I rigged up my own heel lift and it is better but not perfect.  When I return to boston area I will persue this.  I am 72 and have arthritis in my neck and some pain in the center part of my operated side thigh area.
    • norman17449
      norman17449 lynnsfave

      Posted

      Thank you for sharing.  I had a THR last April.  My surgeon messed up and my leg is 1" longer now.  I have had 6 shoes (on the other leg) modified and as I also am fond of sandals and flip flops have purchased numerous heel lifts and glued them on my sandals.  The reason I'm replying is I did not know I could have the effected hip fixed.  Is this surgery as arduous as the orginal hip replacement?  I'm so tired of twisting my ankle with the shoe(s) that have been modified.  And yes, I retained counsel.  My surgeon brushed me off when I questioned the discrepency (which my P.T. picked up on a month or so after the surgery).  As a side note...2 days after the surgery he finally came to visit me in the hospital.  When I asked him why the surgery took 4 hours instead of the scheduled 90 minutes he shared that "in the first time in over 2,000 THR surgeries I had an issue I never encountered.  I could not dislocate your femur and ended up cutting the crown into 3 pieces to do so"  I remember waking up at one point, during the surgery, with my leg up against my nose and exclaiming, "WTF?!" and they knocked me out right quick again.  I think my surgeon was under duress (I was his 1st patient of the day and he had 2 more after me) and failed to measure me properly (they have a machine for this) or if he did he just said, "*&^* it." so he could move on to the next $ patient.  What a mess.  I am very angry and disappointed.
    • lynnsfave
      lynnsfave norman17449

      Posted

      No, Norman, the hip revision was much easier to recover from.  Go for a second opinion, and when you find you can get it fixed, send the bill for the shoe modifications to your first surgeon!  Glad you have an attorney.  I hope you got all your medical records and X-rays.  I got 303 pages for 2.5 days in the hospital.  But I had a lot of problems with the hospital employees for lack of care.  But get your op report, all X-rays, your pre-op reports, etc.  Get all papers you signed.  In other words, get your entire medical record that your surgeon has as well as PT records.
    • mildred71487
      mildred71487 lynnsfave

      Posted

      Dear Sue87388

      You are so correct.  My surgeon made a big mistake and didn't want to even try to redo it, or admit he made a mistake.  I was also told to built up my shoe, and that wasn't eccepteable for me.  I was not born with uneven legs.  

      I walked into his office with pain in my right hip, and he recommented surgery, after his surgery I  had worse pain.  My legs were  2" longer than the other.  I had to go to another doctor to do a revision, and now I am walking even,however, we found out that the first surgery the doctor cut a nurve that will never heal, so now I will have this pain in my right hip forever.  I found a great pain management doctor, and my pain is lower.  You are right, it was worth it to go to another doctor and having this redone.  Thank you for sharing.

  • norman17449
    norman17449 sue87388_UK

    Posted

    Hi Sue,

    Well, I have to say I would love to get my hip corrected, but I'm at a loss of how it cannot be as tough, time-consuming, re-hab, pain meds, time out of work (well, you get the point) as the orginal.  My lawyer is complaining he doesn't have all the records...but I reckon that's his issue to deal with (what am I supposed to do...go into the Doctor's office with a baseball bat and demand them?!  LOL!).  If you could share with me a little bit how it isn't as arduous (I love that word) as the original I would be grateful.  The 2nd opinion I got 4 months ago (I had to go 80 miles to Boston as I live in a small town and no Ortho's would see me as they had heard what happened...this was before my lawyer even contacted him) the doctor said, "If you have no pain and can live with it I strongly recommend against a surgery to correct it."  She did not elaborate why, etc.  Thank you for your help...you are the only person whom I have been able to correspond with regarding this issue.  I'll share that my doctor put in a metal replacement (I'm an avid hiker) and this cold weather (I'm in R.I. USA) really affects it (pain).  Also, I'm not able to do more than 3 miles walking (treadmill) without having pain.  Oh well.  "Acceptance is the answer to all my 'problems' today".  Thanks again Sue.   

    • lynnsfave
      lynnsfave norman17449

      Posted

      The doctor recommended against surgery to fix it because she didn't know how to fix it!  If she had told me to 'live with it', I probably would have slapped her and then walked out, and wrote bad reviews. LOL! As for the revision being easier, that was as for the pain and recovery. Obviously, time for the surgery, recovery, rehab, time off work ... that's pretty much the same as the first surgery.  But the pain is less!  I was walking on my own within two weeks.  I'll use my cane outside of my house, but not in the house.  As for your records, I presume you signed the release at your attorney's?  There's no reason why there would be a delay in getting them.  You can also get them yourself.  Go on your hospital and surgeon's websites.  They'll have release of medical record forms.  You can fill it out ... ask for op report, X-rays, PT reports, case manager report, nurses reports, orders, absolutely everything.  You can walk it in to the hospital's medical records department and your surgeon's office and they HAVE to get everything for you.  They're your records! You may have to pay to get them, but if you put 'continuing care' as the reason you want them, chances are you won't have to pay for them.  Don't wuss out.  Fight!  Your life has been screwed up.  Get it fixed.
    • sue87388_UK
      sue87388_UK norman17449

      Posted

      Hi Norman,

      I think your responses were for lynnsfave and not me (Sue87388UK).  Good luck with getting your issues sorted out smile

  • norman17449
    norman17449 sue87388_UK

    Posted

    Thank you Sue for your help. You have given me much hope and encouragement.  I will keep you posted!
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