Nerve damage possibilities
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I'm having THR surgery in four weeks, anterior method. The surgeon is recommended and he has lots of experience. However, I keep reading about people suffering nerve damage following hip surgery, especially with the anterior method. I had asked the surgeon about this and he said that he had a couple of patients with prolonged numbness, but he did not seem to think that it was any big deal. He indicated that those patients were not particularly bothered by the numbness. Well, I think it would bother me! Is this mostly an anterior method problem?
0 likes, 29 replies
linda81469 Anne68156
Posted
Morning Anne! A warm welcome from Texas 🤠 I had anterior rhr last July 3 weeks and 2 days later I'm having a total hip revision due to dislocation. 2nd surgery was posterior. Was 6 weeks non weight bearing. About 5/5 months later I started having sensitivity in my thigh in front and the side. Along with numbness. I believe it's a trapped/injured nerve. Common sometimes with these hip surgeries. I have had injections in my cutaneous nerve and am taking lyrica. It's not been easy as everything that touches my thigh bothers me even my soft blanket at night. I'm hoping to see a neurologist soon. As I either have inflammatory neuropathy or Meralgia Paresthetica. I've done a lot of research and these two things fit what I'm experiencing. Please am I in no way saying this will happen to you but this is my story. And I'm sticking to it! 🤠🤓. No all kidding aside I can honestly say I'm not in pain like before but this nerve issues sux! Wishing you all the best in your up coming surgery. Hugs 🤗. Linda
Anne68156 linda81469
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brenda32134 linda81469
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Linda, I have received a lot of help from my hippie friends. I am 8wks post op LHR , but I am still having pain in opposite
leg, numbness in thigh ourside. Trying to walk and give up the cane but it hurt. I think it's nerve pain from spinal block. Does it get better? Replies from my previous posts suggested I correct my gait. I have but geez
linda81469 brenda32134
Posted
Morning Brenda. Yes the hip forum has a lot of people who give advice from their own experiences, and support and advice.........so........My nerve pain is on my operated side, started 4/5 months after 2nd surgery. It's the cutaneous nerve in thigh. I have the option of either radio frequency ablation, burning the nerve, an injection, using phenol, numbing the nerve and thigh for possible 9 months, or inserting a spinal block stimulation in my back to help with not only the thigh pain, but the back pain and any shooting pain down leg. Now dr has prescribed topamax, a med used for migraines. Steroid injections into the nerve did not help much. Do I feel it's worth getting hip replacement.....honestly..no. But here I am. I can't go back...so I just pray every day to get relief. I don't want to keep being on these meds. As it is im taking Lyrica. Don't mean to be such a downer but it's depressing sometimes to not be able to wear my dresses that I love wearing in the summer. It's nothing but shorts. I mean the whole point in getting this hip replacement was to have no more pain start wearing my regular clothes and shoes. 😞
Anne68156 linda81469
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linda81469 Anne68156
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Good morning. Unfortunately Anne I'm not sure because three weeks two days later I'm having the revision so I'll never know if I would've gotten this nerve pain or not from the first surgery but most definitely it has happened. My first surgery was anterior. It's possible. Thing is this could be caused by either scar tissue pressing on the nerve or inflammation likely caused by lengthning my leg. I was 1&1/2 inches short prior to surgery and dr gave me back almost all my length. I'm trying all kinds of things. Like eating foods to help with inflammation and pain. Example:: tart cherries, blueberries, celery, turmeric....vitamin b12.....I just want to get better with this. It's making some of my recovery hard. Still so stiff and slight limp. Every day I wake up hoping this will be the day I will start feeling better.
brenda32134 linda81469
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Thanks for the info Linda. I didn't realize I would be an emotional roller coaster. I think i do have nerve damage from the spinal block and just from laying on that side during suegery. If The pain would just ease up I think I will feel better when allowed to return to work at least half day for a couple of weeks. Then I won't focus on the hip as much. Seeing my surgeon on Tuesday.
linda81469 brenda32134
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Best of luck. I'm seeing my Wednesday! Hugs 🤗 Linda
brenda32134 linda81469
Posted
leah35183 Anne68156
Posted
Hi Anne,
if you are looking for studies, google PubMed. This is a site for clinical research abstracts (medical, nursing, vet, etc). In the search box at the top put in "anterior hip replacement and nerve damage " . There are a number of studies done that looks at this.
The first article that came up:
[u]Nerve injuries in total hip arthroplasty with a mini invasive anterior approach[/u] and it lists, by percentage, the occurance of different types of nerve damage.
The good thing is that your surgeon has lots of experience. Best of luck.
Leah