Tingling and numbness in foot after total hip replacement

I have had both of my hips replaced at the age of 22! My left hip was great and was walking 2 weeks later. But my right hip which I had done 4 weeks ago has been awful and the recovery has been very slow! I'm really suffering with numbness in my knee and ankle joint to the point I can't sleep! Has anyone else had this as it's not pins and needles I'm suffering with.

Hi i had my anterior hip replacement surgery July 2 and yes immediately after surgery i saw bruiseies around my ankle i ask the doctor did they restrain my feet he said yes exacatly where the so called boots were put on in where i have the heaviness and numbness  around my feet my doctor also said that it is very rare that this could happen because again I’m able to move my foot but something is defiantly wrong all i can do now is wait and hope this gone away i don’t what to do ??

Hello...I am 10 mo. THR posterior approach. I developed bursitis around my hip after 4 months. Can't seem to get any relief. Also, I have pain in my ankle that I never had before surgery. AM wondering if I have nerve damage from surgery. Has anyone had this happen? My surgeon's office did not want to hear about it. But...why did I not have any ankle pain before surgery? Anyone???

 

This sounds so familiar.  First one was cake, second one feels like neuropathy to a tee.  Have requested a referral as it’s pretty obvious that hip surgeon feels his work was successful and is done.  

Overnight pain is the worst and most shoes / straps make it feel like you are being poked with needles.  I could attempt to wait it out but am ready to be pain free.  Praying there is a reasonable remedy and appreciate any and all available updates and remedies!

Yes I am having a similar issue. I’m only 4 weeks in and have my 1st post op appointment in2 days. I’m curios as to what we find. Mine seems to come and go and I’m probably guessing it’s related to swelling. The only odd part is that it also occurs randomly in the non surgery foot. 

I originally posted here after i had my left side THR. It has been a year this 20th of Sept. I still have tingling and numbness on the bottom of my left foot and the P.A. under the Ortho Dr. said i shouldn't have this still. I had tingling in my thighs and i felt like they were on fire. My regular dr put me on Gabapentin which helped me. I take as little as possible and arthritis strength tylenol 650. Both have helped me. The tingling is tolerable now...not gone but i can function. Find a combination of either OTC pain relief and maybe a prescription of arthritic creme like Voltaren and rest when your body tells you to. I wish everyone healing.

Well here I am 10 months and 5 operations on the right hip stemming from MRSA AND STAPH infections ( 1 install new hip, 2. remove new hip and install spacers, 3. remove spacers and install new metal, 4. remove metal and install spacers, 5. remove spacers and install new metal.)  also during this time I have been on antibiotic infusion for the infections.  ever since the first operation it has felt like I have a spiked football at the end of my leg and also have mild foot drop. Nobody seems to want to man up and admit that there has been damage to the sciatic nerve and no one seems to know of any cure or any way to improve the situation other than grossly expensive Lyrica which helps but will eventually bankrupt me.  

Anyone have any answers out there.  Oh yea they are trying to talk me into another round of surgeries to put in spacers and then take them out and put new metal in.  I have told them that before that happens they will just take the leg or I will take a 40 caliber to the temple! 

Dear Dee

I have only just started reading letters on this site. I read yours and was flabbergasted that the symptoms in your foot following Total Hip Replacement are EXACTLY the same as I mine. You wrote your letter 14 months ago. I had my THR 18 months ago. I noticed upon returning home a burning sensation in my left heel. Since that time pins and needles has developed an the heaviness of the foot is unbelievable - I can hardly lift it off the floor! Like you, I do not have 'drop foot'.

My question is: What has happened during the 14 months since you wrote the original letter? Have you managed to get successful treatment for the condition? Has it improved or getting worse?

Would be so grateful if you can give me any hope.

Best Wishes, Anna M

My first anterior THR was in March 2014. No problems whatsoever. My second anterior THR was in March 2016. The weird sensation in my right foot was immediate. It is now March 2019 and nothing has changed ... no improvement whatsoever. The surgeon said to give it a year. I have given it 3 years. I have gone to three different physical therapists (6-14 weeks each), a chiropractor that ended up breaking my rib and bruising my butt cheeks (you should see the pictures of the bruising), and a neurologist who told me to go to physical therapy. The orthopedic surgeon, who I really think is an excellent surgeon, I haven't actually seen since the surgery. I make appointments with him and something "always comes up" and I end up seeing one of his physician assistants. His physicians assistants read the xrays and always say "everything looks great". I tell them that "well everything doesn't feel great". They are not about to throw the surgeon under the bus. All they care about is how well the joint looks .... nerve damage is not their problem, I suspect, although they have suggested gabapentin. I am a pharmacist and stand on my feet 13 hours a day. It is hard to find shoes that keep my right foot comfortable for 13 hours. By the time I go home, my legs feel heavy and my back is killing me. I also get some pretty severe "sensations" in my butt cheeks. Literally, it is depressing. I try not to let it keep me from any of my normal activities (working, exercising, walking the dogs, etc) but the truth is, all of it is more of an effort and I just have to push through all the pains, twinges, and numbness. Sometimes I am close to tears. When the discomfort gets bad, I usually take acetaminophen and naproxen. I just don't want to start taking a slurry of other medications for the issue. I am really thinking of seeing a pain management specialist or going back to the neurologist to see if some sort of nerve block would help. I have always tried to stay away from steroids because I am worried about the possible effects on bone density. I am kind of caught between a rock and a hard place. The other thing I keep saying I want to do, and I have not yet, is to try yoga. I really think yoga and all the stretching involved may help alleviate some of my symptoms.My foot sensations are like yours: in the toes and the ball of the foot. I truly believe, that with the anterior approach for a THR, the way your leg is flopped and turned to hang down during surgery, is how the nerve damage is done. With this approach, they don't cut any muscles or tendons, but that doesn't mean that when they put you back together, some muscle or tendon isn't laying (or coming in contact with) a nerve in a position that it hadn't been in pre-surgery. I hope you have better luck that I have had. I can't imagine going through the rest of my life like this. I can't comfortably wear 80% of my shoes, and I have an excessive number of pairs of shoes!