Tips post THR

Definitely give yourself plenty of time to recover

I felt it took 4 months to really feel back to normal

I felt my length was different but after a couple months seemed to be same length

Move as much as possible

I do stairs at work whenever possible

I'm going on 5 months now and feeling good

Hello. I had a total hip operation twenty years ago and at a recent check up for ankle replacement revision surgery the consultant pointed out that that hip was one cm longer than the other. A few weeks later the poly in the hip joint failed due to wear so it is likely that it was more than one cm following surgery but I was never aware of a length difference!

Hope that helps.

Cheers Richard

How do you tell if your legs are different lengths?is it just simply measuring them or can you tell by the way you walk etc?

I'm afraid I know nothing about leg length differences but here in UK you are not allowed to cross legs at all for fear of dislocation.  Please check with your physicians

Ajinkya

If your surgeon thinks the difference will reduce I'd give him the benefit of the doubt. If they do end up very different it may not make much difference to your mobility or you cound put a pad in one shoe.

But I'd have thought sitting cross legged on the floor a definite no no. Possibly after 9 months or so when the risk of dislocation has reduced. Being so young you will probably regain more movement than us older folks (mine was done when I was 60 and I definitely couldn't sit cross legged)

But with the pain gone you should be able to do lots of things you couldn't before.

Mike

Hi, I don't feel or see a difference in length, however, my operated legg still feels a bit like dead weight. I am 20 days post op. When I started doing my side leg lif/estela it seemed as though the leg touched the floor sooner, but it was just the fact that my muscles weren't working as they had. It just takes a bit of time.

Do not sit Indian style until your PT or Surgeon give you the go ahead. While you are considerably younger than most of us, the bone still needs time to grow around the new joint and you can't rush that.

Best of luck!

I have a leg length discrepancy, post surgery.

Two different ways it was measured and end result same or close to same result.

Lying flat on back on phyios table, your pelvis bones or pelvic crest pokes up through your skin, at the most prominent point one end of the tape measure, and then stretched down the inside of your leg to the prominent little point on the inside of your ankle, with straight legs, you cannot do this yourself, except hold onto one end of the tape measure

2nd way, lying straight on your back, this again is where you need somebody to check you are straight, through your shoulders, hips, knees and ankles watching from your feet end, I was advised to adjust myself on the table, then draw up your ankles as far towards your butt as you can, keeping feet flat on table or bench, again second person needs to check are your ankles at the same distance from your butt, and even across, then you can look at your knees, any difference you can see looking straight down your body are your lower legs, knees to ankles, and any difference you friend can see from the side are your upper legs, or hip to knees.

Best wishes to those who try this, 1st one was physio measuring, 2nd one was ortheo surgeon, in my case 2nd opinion of leg length, end result was I had both extra leg knee to ankle natural, and knee to hip, caused by surgery.

Overall mine is 3/4 inch longer left leg, 2nd opinion surgeon said first surgeon should have taken into account my natural lower leg length discrepancy, about 3/8 inch, or 10mm, which he seems to have missed, and he added another 3/8 inch or 12mm, to pre exsisting issue.

Have I coped with this issue, yes with a shoe lift on my other foot have come right finally, took extra time and extra effort incl the physio staff of the hospital as surgeon and his staff did not want to know and denied there was an issue and ignored and or completly denied I had an issue.