THR Leg lengths at week 3

Genevive4

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I had my left hip replaced on 8th Feb 23 - so coming up to end of week 3.

Before this op my left leg was shorter following my right hip operations. My surgeon was aware of this and said he was going to try and level them up. I checked with him as I went into surgery that this was still his intention - he said it was. After surgery he said everything had gone well - I was too dozy to ask specific questions.

Is it feasible that my leg lengths feel different at week 3, but will resolve as time progresses. I'm due a phone appointment between week6-8.

My left leg currently feels a couple of centimetres longer. I find wearing an old orthotic in my right shoe helps when I'm walking, but is this a bad idea???
 
@Genevive4 Welcome to BoneSmart! If you limped on a bad hip for quite a while it may indeed take time for all the muscles around your new hip to get back to their normal positions... and for your whole body to straighten out so that the perceived leg length differential goes away. Also if you are wearing shoes that you wore a lot before the hip replacement, the worn pattern on the soles and heels of the shoes could be adding to this problem .... get new shoes!

Do give this some more time to sort itself out. Having a hip replaced does cause your whole body to change the way it moves and functions.

Hip Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary.
2. Control discomfort:
rest
elevate
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)
3. Do what you want to do BUT
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.
4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these
BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy
5. At week 4 and after you should follow this
Activity progression for THRs
6. Access these pages on the website
Oral And Intravenous Pain Medications
Wound Care In Hospital

The Recovery articles:
Pain management and the pain chart
Healing: how long does it take?
Chart representation of THR recovery

Dislocation risk and 90 degree rule
Energy drain for THRs
Pain and swelling control: elevation is the key

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it

Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

BIG TIP: Hips actually don't need any exercise to get better. They do a pretty good job of it all on their own if given half a chance. Trouble is, people don't give them a chance and end up with all sorts of aches and pains and sore spots. All they need is the best therapy which is walking and even then not to excess.
We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.
While members may create as many threads as they like in a majority of BoneSmart's forums, we ask that each member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice.
 
Hello and Welcome to BoneSmart!
My left leg currently feels a couple of centimetres longer. I find wearing an old orthotic in my right shoe helps when I'm walking, but is this a bad idea?
I wouldn't recommend doing so.
As far as Leg Length Differential goes, many feel this sensation post op. In most cases it eases with time. We advise giving it 3-4 months as it can take that amount of time for things to balance. If at that point, you are still concerned we suggest you visit a reputable podiatrist or PT for a measurement.
Here's an article from our Library Leg length differential - LLD.

Best Wishes as you begin healing. Stay in touch, we'd love to follow your progress. Thanks for joining us!
 
Hi Genevive! As others have said, it's too early to really make a call on leg length. Your body has lots of soft tissue healing to undergo which will have a chain of results. Give yourself to 3 months to make a determination.
 
I had my left hip replaced on 8th Feb 23 - so coming up to end of week 3.

Before this op my left leg was shorter following my right hip operations. My surgeon was aware of this and said he was going to try and level them up. I checked with him as I went into surgery that this was still his intention - he said it was. After surgery he said everything had gone well - I was too dozy to ask specific questions.

Is it feasible that my leg lengths feel different at week 3, but will resolve as time progresses. I'm due a phone appointment between week6-8.

My left leg currently feels a couple of centimetres longer. I find wearing an old orthotic in my right shoe helps when I'm walking, but is this a bad idea???
Hi. I had a longer leg after my second THR and really worried about it. Consultant and physio both said, give it 4 months. Apparently it takes a long time for your brain to get used to the new normal, it thought your legs were ok before and now, altho you're even, your brain tells you it's wrong! I found it difficult to get my head round this, but, to be fair, 5 months post op, the legs both feel 90% even so don't panic
 

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