Tingling and numbness in foot after total hip replacement

Hi Dee, I had anterior approach surgery 6 months ago and still have residual shooting nerve pain in my thigh above my knee and into the ball of my foot, and mine is definitely not from a pinched nerve in my back. This nerve pain was pretty intense in the beginning of my recovery but has since subsided now and only occurs occasionally. I am not super bothered by it and understand that this can happen with this type of approach. Hopefully you will have the have experience I did and the pain will all but disappear, if not I have heard getting on some type of medication for nerves might help too. Good luck!

Dear Dee

I'm very sorry that you are having nerve problems. it does strike me as a bit strange that your surgeon can be so certain that he did not cause any nerve damage during the surgery.

I wonder what approach you had?

Cheers Richard

Sounds like typical nerve problems - before my THR I used to get a severe shoulder pain that was diagnosed by my physio as a pinched nerve in the neck.  All sorted with a couple of trips to an osteopath.

The surgeon may well have a 'get out' clause if you signed a 'permission to operate' form, there was a section in mine absolving him from any problems resulting from nerve damage .  You would need to check that form carefully to spot it as you were rolled into the operating theatre though.

Best wishes

Graham

Hi Dee,

I have the same symptoms.  I am 13 weeks out. I have an appointment with my surgeon in early January.

Steve

Dee

I also had hip replacement 5 weeks ago and I have the same thing since the surgery, but only after I sit in a chair for 30 minutes or more. 

Our surgeons must have studied at the same Med School as mine also said it’s unnrelated and I should see my primary. 

His attitude was dismissive and condescending.

It’ll be interesting to see what my primary has to say.  Good luck to you...

I had a THR in Sept 2017. I also have R/A which I thought could have caused my problems I am having now. But now that I have read your comments I realize that I am not alone. I still have numbness and tingling in my toes. Which my ortho Dr said would probably take a year to get back to normal. All kinds of cuts and repairing were done during the surgery so the tendons and ligaments and nerve endings will need time to heal. And everyone has their different healing times. It IS very annoying and once something has been repaired because of damage its never quiet the same. Hope you get better soon!

I had my first anterior approach THR in 2014.  No issues at all.  I had my second anterior approach THR in 2016.  This time, I had your exact symptoms  ...... two years later, and I still have them.  The orthopedic surgeon says the hips are fine.  All he cares about is the joint.  He doesn't seem to have any concerns about the numbness and pins and needles in my foot.  "It should go away", I was told.  Guess what?  It hasn't.  And like you, I have strength in my foot, no foot drop, but it feels like a have a pair of socks balled up in my shoes.  And the health professionals like to correct me when I say my foot feels numb.  The fact that I can feel sensations when they stick me means that I have feeling so numb is not the correct terminology so I am told.  Call it neuropathy, parethesia, whatever.  All I know is that my foot has the same feeling that your hands and feet get when you have been out in 5 degree temperatures for too long   ... NUMB.  My personal explanation:  if you had the anterior approach, they flip your leg over the side of the side of the tablet in a very awkward position..... don't tell me that a nerve can't be damaged in the process.  I just don't understand why the nerve hasn't regenerated after 2 years.  I didn't have this issue before the surgery, but I had it right after the second surgery. 

 

Hi.

I'm 8 wks post op from a lthp..im doing great walking and moving..but I have pins and needles around my incision. There is hear..and it's like rashy around it..I seen my orthopedic Dr..he said he wasn't worried but they did blood work for precaution..the blood work came back fine..they told me to keep and eye on it..if it gets a purple color or fever to call them..

Has anyone else experience this rashy, pins and needles , heat around incision..I read some similar experiences but no one seemed to have the red rash..

dee - I'm curious if your numbness and tingling has improved?

I too have these same symptoms, it feels as if my foot is swollen(and it is, but not as much as it feels like) the toes are very sore and I have the pins and needles like it is asleep.  it has been this way since my first operation.  I have had a 7 month ordeal with this THR. after the original operation it took almost a week to come out of the anesthesia and then after spending 3 weeks in a rehab center I developed MRSA and STAPH infection and they had to go in and replace the original appliance with a spacer and I was on IV antibiotics for almost 3 months and then they went back in and placed a new appliance.  Throughout this entire process my foot was "numb".  My Ortho is only concerned with the Hip Joint and says everything is ok now and that the problem with the foot will go away in a year or so.  I don't believe him and feel that there is some nerve damage,but don't know where to go to find out.  The foot problem is severely limiting my ability to walk normally again without a cane.  If anyone has any suggestions I would be very happy to hear them.