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Thigh pain

Posted , 9 users are following.

colinTN17
colinTN17

Hi all

I'm 14 wpo and have a problem.

13 weeks on and all was well, walking swimming and cycling but last week developed a pain in my thigh about 2/3rd down. Been back to GP todáy but he was unable to identify the problem. It occurs after sitting when I get up and walk. Sometimes it goes off when I walk and can't feel it when sitting so not apparently muscular or vascular.

Any ideas?

I do now have a referral back to surgeon end of next week but hope one of you guys may shed some light

2 likes, 29 replies

29 Replies

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  • Hammerboy
    Hammerboy colinTN17

    Posted

    Hi Colin 

    i am currently 12 weeks post op and have suffered inner thigh pain straight after. Apparently my surgeon had to make a small incision in one of my major tendons to ensure that my prosthetic fitted in correctly and apparently it took 45 minutes longer than usual with a lot of hammer and chisel work to ensure it fitted correctly - he said it was a struggle but they got there in the end, he also said it didn't help that I was an ex professional footballer and by having much stronger tendons/muscles around the thigh area it made it more difficult!!

    However to this day I still struggle with an inner thigh pain and find it hard to raise my leg 6 inches when lying on my back but after taking advice from my PT and people on this forum when I stretch the groin and thigh, the pain starts to disappear and it is great when walking but does reappear when I stand to get up after sitting down! 

    I managed to get a weekend away to Rome last weekend, my wife and I walked more than 20 miles over 2 days and the hip felt great - even stronger the more I walked and with no limp however when back at work on Monday and Tuesday this week the thigh, hamstring, groin and bum cheek was agony - simply because I wasn't walking! Feeling much better today after doing some walking, road cycling and stretching. 

    I guess after speaking to my to my consultant he said that during the operation our legs are put into positions that are unthinkable when we are awake in order for them to carry out the surgery so it will take a lot of healing time. I have seen the video and can now see why it takes so long for a full recovery. 

    We just have to keep building the muscles back up day by day. 

    • colinTN17
      colinTN17 Hammerboy

      Posted

      Hi Hammerboy

      Funny I used to play football with a guy whose nickname was Hammer. My surgeon told me I needed the THR cos I played football for too long. I didn't pack up til I was a month short of 50. He said it is common for right footed to have to have their left hip done and vice versa. Was that the case for you.

      I did have the inner pain you describe straight from the off but that is improving all the time. This problem came on all of a sudden and is somewhere between mid thigh and knee. Hoping its muscular and not loosening.

  • AnnieK
    AnnieK colinTN17

    Posted

    Colin, I've been doing lots of online research about pain after hip replacement. I just googled "end of stem pain after hip replacement" and I found a really good article called "Thigh Pain After Total Hip Replacement: A Pathophysiological Review and a Comprehensive Classification." If other possibilities are eliminated, it could have to do with the mechanical load of your implant, which ends about mid-thigh. In particular with this you don't have pain while sitting, and it increases when first getting up, and then goes away eventually with movement. It rarely occurs with a cemented prosthesis. So your problem could be about loosening.

    It could be a muscle/tendon tear, too. Muscle tears don't necessarily hurt when at rest (although sometimes they do), but usually do hurt when trying to use that muscle.

    I hope your doctor investigates all the possible issues. I am 27 weeks now, and I suspect hip tendon/muscle tears in why I can't walk right yet. I'm getting a new doctor and having multiple scans.

    Good luck!

    • Rocketman_SG6UK
      Rocketman_SG6UK AnnieK

      Posted

      Annie,

      Very interesting article - thanks for the pointer.

      Graham - 🚀💃

    • colinTN17
      colinTN17 Rocketman_SG6UK

      Posted

      Hi Graham

      It turns out from the article that Annie suggested about thigh pain that stem loosening also occurs at the tip of the stem and that the pain can manifest itself from mid thigh down to the knee. This darn pain is fairly localised and is midway between where the stem tip would be and the knee so fingers crossed it could be muscular as you suggest.

    • colinTN17
      colinTN17 AnnieK

      Posted

      Thank for the detailed response Annie it's really helpful. I have looked up 

      the Healio article you suggested and my problem could be either loosening or muscular as you say. Just hope it's the latter.

      Sorry to hear that you are having so much trouble after 27 weeks. Did your pain come on suddenly or after exercising too much as I suspect could be the reason for my problem. Did you have a pain free period after the op

    • AnnieK
      AnnieK colinTN17

      Posted

      Colin, I am so hoping for you that your problem is muscular! We must be so careful not to overdo things, and that is so much harder when you are younger. No, I have never done much exercising since the surgery. I did 22 PT sessions, but it was all fairly gentle, as I am 67 and have lots of bodily weaknesses. Whenever I did the least bit too much, some other area of my body would start to hurt, like ankle would swell, OA pain in a knee would flare up, or I'd get a back spasm. I have done no special exercises, except for walking  around with crutch/walker, since the end of November.

      For me the big problem is an inability to put my full weight on the surgical leg, although there is pain in lots of places in my thigh and buttock. I have not been pain-free since the surgery. I definitely COULD put all my weight on that leg before surgery. Since the hip replacement I have not ever been able to put full weight on it. When I try, I just go off balance and hip drops and leg gives way. So I am sure there is some kind of tear in there. Waiting for MRI results right now. Can't wait to see this new doctor next week.

    • colinTN17
      colinTN17 AnnieK

      Posted

      Just put up another post about this saying how depressed I am about it. Then I read your problems and it makes mine seem so paltry. 

      I do very much hope that the new doc can sort out your problems.

    • AnnieK
      AnnieK colinTN17

      Posted

      Everything is relative, Colin. I am older and am resigned to using the crutch now, and it feels like an extension of my arm. We feel how we feel, and there isn't much we can do about that! I fully get your impatience with this set-back. 
    • colinTN17
      colinTN17 AnnieK

      Posted

      R U older? I'm 68 but was still very active in sport up to shortly b4my op.

      i was really looking forward to getting back on the golf course then this happened. You would seem to be far more stoic than me. 

    • AnnieK
      AnnieK colinTN17

      Posted

      Yikes, Colin, I thought from your description of activities that you were a youngster. I have a very positive attitude, a born optimist, but about 5 years ago my body just started to give out on me in different ways, when I was 62. It sounds like you were very strong and active pre-surgery. I am guessing that, once all the healing from surgery occurs, you will be just as strong as before. Our bodies take a real beating in hip replacement, and it just takes time for the hurts to heal. 

      Building yourself up slowly, but surely, may be the way to go, so you don't inure yourself further.

      I remember that I always used to be moving fast and was impatient, until I had two kids in my early 40's. That's when I learned patience and to slow down. It has served me well in my current predicament. 

  • Ducksoup
    Ducksoup colinTN17

    Posted

    I am only about a month out of THR.  I was pushing myself back on a chair a few nights ago and felt a sudden sharp upper thigh pain.  That night the on call MD was here in my flat today that it looked like I had an infection.  His nurse gave me an injection and he wrote me a script for Cipro for 10 days.  The pain continues when I get in and out of bed, sometimes intense, very sharp.  I have an impending appointment with my surgeon in a couple of weeks anyway.  Funny thing is that I was walking a mile or so a day but right now am restricting myself to bed rest.  Like normal, I worry.
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