torn tendon following hip replacement - what can be done?

i didnt know either until it happened to me! i supoose thats the way of things! thanks kaleani

Hi, Lynne! I think we have communicated before? Sorry you are still in such bad pain, and I think I remember that you aren't being offered any solution for your problem, right? I am going to have surgery to correct my torn gluteal tendons/muscles. I have pain, too, and must always use walking aids for my terrible limp. I'll keep you posted on how my repair turns out. The powers-that-be can't just let you stay in this limbo of pain and disability when there are surgeries to correct it.

Which tendon are you all talking about?  I had both hips replaced almost two years ago and recently, maybe 3 months ago, I started feeling pain in the back of my thighs. My online research tells me that I have hamstring muscle (or is it tendon?) and where the hamstring connects to the sitz bone.  The pain is bearable most of the time so I try not to take too many Advils, i have not talked to the doctor yet.  Is it what you have or mean by Tendon pain?

Kaleani, it is my understanding that the tendon is the part of the muscle that attaches to the bone.I am talking about the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus tendon/muscles. They are responsible for holding the hip steady when on one leg. Their lower attachments are on the greater trochanter. I'm sorry you are having pain, and in both thighs! I'm not taking anything over-the-counter for pain, since it doesn't seem to help me at all.

Thanks for your quick reply, are you in the UK? Anyway, back to the tendon etc.. I decided to give it a little more time and if it still there, will email the doctor who did my surgeries for advice.  As i say, mine is bearable, more annoying than anything else, and I think it is muscle pain, i just do not know what is causing it.  Good luck to you too..hope it gets better on your side😊

I'm in the US! You could have injured a muscle/tendon. If the injury isn't too bad, it should heal on its own, given time and rest. You could try icing and elevating, as that might help. More exercise or PT probably won't help! If it won't heal on its own, then other measures may be needed. My tears were diagnosed with MRI and physical exam. I understand that musculoskeletal diagnostic ultrasound can also spot problems with soft tissue injuries. Good luck, Kaleani!

In the 4 months since my post, I finally decided to do something about this hamstring lingering pain so I emailed the surgeon who did the hip surgery on the thigh that hurts most for advice, he looked at my xrays of a few months earlier and replied that the pain was not caused by the hip and I should see my primary doctor. So I saw the primary 2 wks ago and again we looked at my January xrays, which seemed fine, so he suggested therapy.  Reading your answer, i am very tempted to pursue further with maybe MRI or restart the conversation with the surgeon and be more insistent.  I'll keep you posted...thanks and good luck to you too

Maybe go to another surgeon for a second specialist's opinion. That's where I began to get some answers, but it's still been like pulling wisdom teeth to get the truth.

Hi Annie How did your surgery go??? Am still in alot of pain on Morphine patches now .  I have a resolution meeting at the hospital this month. My consultant is not forth coming as he did not do my surgery... I had a mars mri scan results i had a pseudo tumor and torn tendon but he saying they cannot do surgery for this . Sent me back to hydo pool. Its unbearable now and affecting me mentally now . I am going to pay for a 2nd opinion and my consultant is not helping me am post op 17 months now and still not back to work .Take care and i hope all went well with your surgery and you a pain free now x 

Lynne, I had the gluteal tendon repair surgery 16 days ago. I had two surgeons working on me, one to do the repair, which also included some repair for the gluteus minimus. They did a bursectomy, too, and smoothed out my greater trochanter because I had some ischiofemoral impingement limiting rotation. The second surgeon was also there to to a look-see of my THR prostheses that had been put in over a year ago. They were fine, and did not need replacing.

I have been in very little pain, have only used acetaminophen, except for whatever they used directly after the surgery. I stopped the acetaminophen two days ago and have just a few little aches and pains, mostly from the incision site. I wear a brace that fits tightly around my waist, then goes down the side of my thigh protecting the trochanter area and then velcros around my thigh to hold it in place. I have to wear this brace for 6 weeks (4 weeks more to go). I am limited to 20 pound weight bearing on my surgical leg to prevent tearing again before healing takes place, using a walker at all times, and I have gotten very good at that and can go quite a distance. I went to a rehab facility after 5 nights at the hospital, and will go home in 5 days. It's been great to be in this wonderful facility, as they bring me my meals and I get some PT for my "good" leg and my arms to get them stronger so I can move my body around without using the surgical leg. Not being home is good, because I'd be tempted to do too much and possibly delay my recovery.

I won't know for sure about the outcome of the surgery until after I stop wearing the brace and go to full weight bearing on both legs. I will have physical therapy to make the transition and to work gradually to get my poor gluteals, which haven't been able to do any work for the past 16 months, back firing and getting stronger. Not having that pain anymore is such a good sign, though.

I can't believe your consultant (is he a doctor?) said that you can't have surgery for a torn tendon that will not heal on it's own and gives you such pain. All tendons can be repaired. You just need a surgeon who is qualified and experienced in doing it. This surgery is becoming more recognized and more surgeons are abelt to do it. Why should people suffer for the rest of their lives without getting it? It is considered the "rotator cuff surgery for the hip". Surgeons would not refuse to do shoulder rotator cuff surgery for someone who needs it, would they? Same with this.

I am very glad you are getting the second opinion. I am so sorry to hear you are still suffering so much and are having such disability. May you get better diagnosis and treatment recommendations (surgery?!?) from this new doctor.

Hi Annie 

I had a resolution meeting with the NHS Trust Yesterday and they are not happy with my complaint .I am a prority to have a 2nd apinion at last . 

My meeting was recorded and my consultant was very avasive, I think a sign of guilt maybe.

So thankyou for your advice and will keep you updated, hope you are on the mend with your recovery .

Lynne

Woo-hoo and wonderful that you had that resolution meeting! Great news! Hoping you get that second opinion soon, and a clear diagnosis and treatment plan.

I'm doing fine. I'm a little more than 4 weeks out and having a hard time keeping myself to the 20 pound weight-bearing, because my surgical leg feels so darn good. Went for a walk down the street (using crutches) to the park today with my husband, and I enjoyed that very much!

Hi Annie

Meeting all went to plan , my consultant was very avasive in the recording of this . The hospital have actions of 10 questions to answer within in a month . Mr Smith my consultant said  I have discontinuity of the gluteal medius tendon partial tear and hyoecchoic fluid anterioly and anteromedially within the joint . Which he is unsure how to treat this JOKE  what sort of surgeon is this . I have be sent for a second apinon which is on the 14th December which originally it was feb , so the meeting all went to pain to speed things up i have a pain clinic as well . Dont want to be on pain relief as i explained in the meeting but i will attend and see what they say.  Enough about me Hope you are on the mend and not doing to much and taking care of yourself and glad you enjoyed your walk in the park thats very good news x 

God Bless Annie speak soon x 

Lynne, so glad to hear you have that date for the second opinion in 2 weeks! I'm hopeful that you'll get an effective treatment plan.

I think that most orthopedists have no idea how to deal with gluteal tendon tears. From my reading, I have seen that often chronic debilitating lateral hip pain that is caused by gluteal tendon insertion tears are often misdiagnosed.

I specifically asked my original orthopedic surgeon if a gluteus medius or minimus could tear, and he said no. I asked him if they did tear, could surgery be done to repair them, and he said no. That's ridiculous because if you google "gluteal tendon surgical repair" or some such combination of words, a wealth of information appears. When I just googled it, I got 263,000 results. The surgeon who did my repair came up 8th in that list.

From what I understand, gluteus medius tears often respond well to conservative measures, such as physical therapy and steroid injections, but when they don't and considerable pain and disability remains, such injuries are candidates for surgery.