Mid-thigh pain after hip replacement
Posted , 40 users are following.
I am 7 months post-cementless hip replacement and have recurring mid-thigh pain. I am at a loss on how to deal with this. I've read to cut back on exercise when it's bad and have also read to keep active and walk to help set the stem better. I have noticed that laying on my sofa too much is causing pain. I probably spend 3-4 hours during the day on the sofa watching TV. My bed doesn't seem to affect my thigh pain much. Has anyone else had this experience? It's a mystery to me what cause the increased pain. Standing seem to help somewhat. Any advice to deal with the pain? Thank you.
1 like, 88 replies
christina4uk dave_1966
Posted
kimberley38758 dave_1966
Posted
Hi Dave,
I had a FRHR 2 years ago. I remember the 7 month mark very well because that was when the pain in mid thigh was its worst. My surgeon told me that this is normal and will go away within the next several months. By 10 months post op, the pain was very infrequent. After I reached the year mark, the pain was completely gone. I can tell you that once in a while, usually if the weather is cold and damp, the pain in mid thigh sometimes comes back. Heating pads ease the temporary discomfort.
Bottom line is, don't worry. This is temporary
Jodi-France dave_1966
Posted
You might google this one as well,
"Nerve palsy is a well-described complication following total hip arthroplasty, but is highly distressing and disabling. A nerve palsy may cause difficulty with the post-operative rehabilitation, and overall mobility of the patient. Nerve palsy may result from compression
and tension to the affected nerve(s) during the course of the operation via surgical manipulation and retractor placement, tension from limb lengthening or compression from post-operative hematoma. In the literature, hip dysplasia, lengthening of the leg, the use of
an uncemented femoral component, and female gender are associated with a greater risk of nerve palsy."
abdullahi_13336 dave_1966
Posted
I had my hip replacement about a year ago, my mid thigh and knee started paining me about two months ago, my doctor find nothing wrong after various X rays , am in pains that comes and goes,taking pain killers which help only for a while, your question really gives me hope as sometimes I find it difficult walking, how is your condition now, hope it has improved.
Abdul
kariann dave_1966
Posted
babsop kariann
Posted
Hi, there. Thank you for sharing your experience. Wow, 2 years! Most of my thigh pain has gone, but I still get it sometimes. It's been very frustrating, as you say; I thought a total hip replacement was an instant, total cure.
juanita_37656 dave_1966
Posted
brenda08967 juanita_37656
Posted
Hi Juanita 37656 - I am sorry to hear that after gong back to work for 2 months, you are experiencing a weird RLS type pain in your injured leg/thigh. It could be that due to you sitting more, you are putting more pressure on the area that was broken and operated on, and pressure could be applied to a nerve in that area. If it were me, I would call the dr's office and ask to speak to the nurse and/or the dr about what you are experiencing. I do hope that this stops immediately. If it doesn't, please contact your health care provider. Blessings to you!
rose8793 dave_1966
Posted
Hi. I am 10 months post double hip replacement. I have intense thigh pain. More so in my left. I am a bartender on my feet for 6+ hours. When I sit after a shift and try to get up, I can't. I have to revert the walker to start to walk. Has anyone experienced this.
nancy18500 rose8793
Posted
After reading all the posts on this topic i am very disheartened. I have been dealing with persistent and intermittent sharp thigh pain in my left leg since about 8 weeks after bilateral hip replacement 5 months ago. It has gotten progressively worse till I now can not put any weight on my left leg at all. My right side is having the same pain now but not as bad probably because i have been bearing all my weight on that leg. i have had 3 add'l sets of x rays, none of which showed any bone fractures. I just had an MRI which shows bone inflamation or "stress reaction" (this can be a precursor to stress fracture)- no fractures and no sign of loose implants. My surgeon recommended using crutches to keep no more than about 40% of body weight on that leg, also prescribed meloxicam 2x's a day for a coupe weeks which seems to help me put very light amount of weight on my leg while using crutches. Of course the crutches present other problems as one can not function normally long term with them. He says it is critical to continue putting some weight on the leg to stimulate bone growth but NOT to overdo it. I will follow his recommendations till i see him a month from now and keep you posted as to whether this course of action helps.
rose8793 nancy18500
Posted
Hi. Looking forward to seeing if it helps. I am now showing loss of muscle in my left thigh. I don't see the Dr again for about 4 weeks, but I may give him a call this week. I'm very concerned about this. Looking forward to hearing from you. Take it easy.
sjscatns rose8793
Posted
Hi Rose, Nancy, Dave, All---On one hand it is encouraging to read that " I am not the only one" but on the other sorry to hear that so many of us are going through this. I am 55 and had my second hip replaced about 8 weeks ago. Was actually doing great at the 4 week mark (no cane etc), but developed heavy thigh pain (one my hip replacement surgery side) a few weeks ago. The first 8-10 steps I take after siting for a bit or lying down requires a heavy limp and a slow walk. After about 15-20 steps in most cases, pain is gone and I can walk fairly normal. Extremely frustrated. Have done PT (about 2x per week), but not great at doing on my own outside of appts. Walking a fair amount and while this seems to be/ is probably good to build up the muscle, the fact I am not walking completely balanced or straight is probably not helping. Using a lot of ice. My question is has anyone tried massage therapy (or someone mentioned essential oils) for their thigh pain? Might be worth a try. I am very open to any and all suggestions and again sorry for others who have been going through this for awhile. thanks much Scott
Mim58 sjscatns
Posted
kariann sjscatns
Posted
Mim58 dave_1966
Posted
I am so glad to find others who unfortunately are going through this thigh pain, but glad to know I am not crazy. I am 60 this is my 2nd THR my first one was 4 yrs ago alot more damage so took longer to heal. This one was a dream was driving in 3 weeks and PT was amazed at my muscle strength but they had me pushing through the pain I fired them and Started doing my own research and found exercises that were good but didn't cause the pain I was getting. After sleeping and sitting is when the thigh pain has been the most hard to deal with. I returned to work this week and back on my cane which I hate but I guess I just need to get my body more time to heal. I was going to head back to the surgeon if it didnt stop so I will give it more time. But like others it is driving me crazy.