Thigh pain one year after posterior hip replacement. Barely walking.
Posted , 11 users are following.
Hey folks, One year out from posterior hip replacement. Lot s of "Challenges" still unable to do stairs and recently the outer thigh in the operated side has developed a thickening of the skin almost a bump. I can barely walk any distance at all and rely on pain medications like advil or tylenol which really are not helping much. I see the surgeon for my one year post op next week but my other visits have not been helpful either in treatment or information. Any suggestions how to resolve this? I am not looking to be an athlete or runner. I was just want to be able to do some walking without pain. My expectations for help or resolution from the orthopedist are now low so I know I am going to have to find my own solution as they just keep saying it takes time. Have done plenty of PT, chiropractic and massage. I have also developed burning red feet after the surgery which combined with hip pain is making me less optimistic about the future on my feet.I keep reading about the femoral stem and distribution of the stress points on the thigh. Can anyone enlighten me?
0 likes, 18 replies
Anne68156 linda35236
Posted
Have you had xrays done? An MRI? When I was experiencing some pain months out from surgery I had xrays. Then I had a spinal MRI to rule out a problem stemming from that area. All negative. I started to do some leg and thigh stretches and they have been very helpful.
linda35236 Anne68156
Posted
Just spine work up which is not the problem. Was just hoping in time it would resolve and I would push through. I do normal activity as long as I can throughout the day and then hit the wall until I stop, rest or medicate with advil. Go back to the orginal surgeon next week. I have seen him at regular intervals this past year and he says the x ray is just fine. Healing takes a year he says. But, I am in almost as much difficulty as I was pre op.
matthew12227 linda35236
Posted
How old are you if you don't mind me asking? Tomorrow is my 1 year anniversary of my THR posterior approach. I still have some flexibility to work on but nothing like you're describing. I've run a 5k and 8k race in the last couple month and have been walking 2 miles a day. sounds like you definitely need to find out the issue because it doesn't sound normal at the one year mark.
linda35236 matthew12227
Posted
I agree. I am early 60 s but in good health relatively and always physically active. I am at a good weight so it is not like I gained wait to put stress on the implant. I think I have some work to do to sort this all out. I absolutely could not walk around the block even. I plan my days around rest breaks and am very mindful of how many steps it takes to attend events. I have become self conscious if there are stairs anywhere because I am slow and I now have a an adaptive method to climb them. My PT person told me they won't even consider any revision until the one year mark. And frankly, I m not sure I want more surgery. I am not sure I trust this process any longer.
lorraine04234 linda35236
Posted
HI LINDA .
sorry to hear your also still in pain.
I had complex hip and pelvis re-placement JULY 2015 and FEB 2016 , and i too still unable to walk properly the pain I'm getting is unbeliveable . they say it takes time lol how much time i haven't a clue.
i had physio after 6 SESSIONS I was told they couldn't do anymore to go back to DR which i did only to get pain-killers highered up .
So, i not only cant walk much but i feel like i need to sleep 24/ 7 this isn't right. I personally think maybe we all have to live with the after pain for ever going by the time i had mine done.
LORRAINE
linda35236 lorraine04234
Posted
Thanks for your thoughts and story Lorraine. I am sorry that this trouble has come your way also. I was resting on a bench at the mall recently and was struck by how many people seem to be limping. I wonder if this is just the best that can be done for me. I will have to gather my thoughts and records and decide carefully what my next move is.I am living with some substantial pain now and taking more advil all the time. Not good.I hope that you too can gather yourself to find a remedy or an outcome you can live with. This sure all came as a surprise to me. I really thought I would do great and be back to almost as good as before the surgery. Time will tell I guess. Stay strong and look after yourself in all the ways you can while you determine your best path. Thanks again for sharing your outcome.
maree32074 linda35236
Posted
Hi Linda
There is something wrong if you still can't do stairs 1 year out from surgery. Probably time to get xrays and find out what the problem is. I have had 3 hip replacements, 1 a revision for a faulty hip and am now in the position where I feel that the stem/ball joint are slipping so am seeing my surgeon next week urgently. The first thing he did was ask me to have an xray prior to seeing him. Not much fun - pain. I feel for you and at least I have had almost pain free for two years since my hip revision which was 8 months recovery and a month of this was spent in hospital, also due to a tumor which was removed caused by metal shavings wearing away bone. With the burning feet, I have an aid that is metal and slips under my mattress and curves up high above the mattress (like a u bend with two prongs) to keep sheets, blankets etc off my feet which helps with the heel burn. I am not sure what they are called but perhaps someone reading this may know. I bought it at a physical aids shop.
All the best.
linda35236 maree32074
Posted
Wow. I am sorry to hear of your surgical outcome. I just kept thinking I should do more pt or a different kind, give it time and then got busy with the rest of my life all while dealing with the nagging pain in the thigh and then developed red and burning feet on the operated side. Everyone kept telling me it just takes time, so I just tried harder to bear up or find a new exercise or method. I have been concerned about the metal implant and wondering if that may be the problem.
Thanks for the tip about the device for the sheets. I carry bio freeze and run to the car throughout the day, and put it on the feet or pour cool water on it and elevate for a bit. It is a terrible burning sensation that started about 4 months post op. One more thing is all I need right? Jeez!I tell myself there are worse problems I could have, give myself a pep talk and live to fight another day. You are kind to share your thoughts and advice. I very much appreciate it. Will let you know what I discover and learn as I try to plan my next move with this. I think I m scared I will make it worse now with further intervention.
jen86183 linda35236
Posted
Hi Linda,
Sorry to hear you are having so much trouble, what type of exercise have you been doing since the hip op. Do you think you could use an exercise bike which is non weight bearing, it may help a lot. Do you massage the area causing you a problem with oil, it should help. Hope you get things sorted.
linda35236 jen86183
Posted
I have never been able to do the bike at all. I cannot push on the operated side and putting full weight on the leg to go up stairs is a bear. I do it as a form of PT to make myself get stronger and my house does have stairs. But at a certain point in the day, I just hold the railing and pull myself up and go up the way I was shown after surgery with the good leg first and then bring the other one up slowly. Much slower. and embarrassing at this stage in recovery. But at least I can navigate them in my own way. In my first several months of PT I did every thing but the bike. I had so much swelling in the hip and knee after the surgery that the PT people all told me not to worry it would get better . I stopped going as nothing was changing significantly there after many months and I also had other uses for my time I had neglected during surgery and recovery I had to get back to. I still did the exercises at home and committed to do my normal things even if it hurt. I do everything, for as long as I can. I use KT tape, compression, ice advil and heat. I change my shoes throughout the day to keep my feet supported. I am growing skeptical about pursuing another surgical solution just yet. I might end up worse than this.
jen86183 linda35236
Posted
Linda, at my pilates class this morning, talking to a gentleman I mentioned I had a hip replacement almost a year ago and he mentioned a relative who had problems - could not walk upstairs etc., apparently she has polymyalgia. I wondered if this could be your problem, might be worth looking into it.
ptolemy jen86183
Posted
I have polymyalgia, Linda's symptoms do not sound like she has it, but I may be wrong. It is bilateral pain (excruciating) in the shoulders and/or hips. The pain is helped by taking steroids.
jen86183 ptolemy
Posted
Hi Ptolemy,
Yes, this man's relative was in a lot of pain after her hip op, still unable to walk up stairs. Reading about it last night I thought it may be something Linda could look into to see if anything matches her symptoms. As they do not know the cause of polymyalgia I read they think an infection could be the start of it.
ptolemy jen86183
Posted
I think mine started through stress. The pain is actually muscular and bilateral and it is very painful moving arms and legs. I could not get out of bed without great difficulty in the end and it was virtually impossible to get dressed. As you say they don't know why it starts, how to diagnose it and how to cure it. It is similar for other auto immune diseases though, extreme tiredness is one of the symptoms and also weight loss until you start steroids when it can be massive weight gain! They reckon that about twenty five per cent is genetic. My mother had ME and my niece is coeliac so it is possible.
RichardKen linda35236
Posted
Dear Linda I'm very sorry to hear of your problems. I had a hip replacement in 1997 with the posterior approach and was waling normally within a week or so without any walking aids. I continued my building and farming work within a month.
Twenty years later due to the poly cup having worn through due to my level of activity I had to have a revision. that too was done posterior. I made a rapid recovery and was soon able to return to swimming and walking several miles a day. Eighteen months later still no pain I can happily do six mile walks at a fast pace without stops
I'm only saying all of this to show you what is possible when things go as they ideally should. My age is 78.
if I was in your position I would seek out an experienced hip revision surgeon and get a second opinion and if you are not satisfied get a third opinion.
Good luck, Richard
linda35236 RichardKen
Posted
Thank you for the kind words of encouragement. It is good to know that there may be a pain free day out there for me as there was for you. Was very surprised I had any complications as I am active and was compliant with instructions. I think I shall do just that, gather the records, notes and films and begin again. I had hoped to just push through and live with it but restricted activity is just not feasible. Thank you again for your thoughts and advice.
RichardKen linda35236
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Wishing you all the very best and please remember this. you need to be proactive as the buck stops with you<bg> Cheers Richard