THR not what I expected

[Mr.fun]

46 yr old male. I had anterior RTHR feb 8 2023 zero restrictions. I am now 11 weeks PO. If I am to be honest those youtube videos got me good that I watched. lol I told work see you in 8 weeks. NOOOOT. MY story goes as such...wake up from surgery and ouch legs is numb and pain that I was not expecting. I told the nurses that I am supposed to be enjoying this recovery and I have to much pain. They gave me pain meds. Nighty Nighty. Discharcherd a few hours later. At home the nxt 2 week are miserable. MY entire thigh is numb and painful. Leg swells to my foot and some bruising along this side of foot. Transferred to cane at four weeks and at 6 weeks I bring the can in case leg gets tired. 1ST Problem is from sitting to standing my hip muscle contract like they are in a vice. I can t straighten up. I wait a minute for them to relax and start to walk. I fight a limp for a few steps. My hip flexor is extremelt tight and My numbness goes halfway down my thigh. did I say my thigh hurts. ouchy... 2ND issue I cant tie shoe or put my socks on the operated side. Not from lack of trying. Feels like the crease in my leg, where thigh attaches to my torso is jammed. When I sit on a chair I can bend forward if my knee is bent and my foot is under the chair. If my leg is at 90 its jammed in the crease. I can sit on my knees but cant have my knee bent infront of me with my hand on knee. Same position when we played sports and the coach asked us to take a knee. I feel like i hit 6 weeks and just stopped progressing. I cant lift my leg high enough to put clothes on. sitting to drive sucks. Any sitting sucks. extreme pain in crease of thigh. PRE OP i was able to get dressed and sit with no pain. I had the surgery because i had some pain, weakness and a lot of catching inside the hip. Electric shock. However I was not disabbled like this.. looking for advice

 

[djklaugh]

@Mr.fun Welcome to BoneSmart! I am sorry to hear you are having such a tough time with your recovery! What are your usual daily activities and are you doing any PT exercises? Have you had any follow up visits with your surgeon and if yes, what did he say about your progress? Did you limp for a long time before getting the hip replacement? It can take quite a while to get muscles and tendons around the hip back to functioning as they are supposed to.

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.

 

[Mr.fun]

I do some light stretches and walking. I was doing some very easy phsiotherapy but not sure i will continue. I was not limping before surgery. I had no issues to put shoes or socks on and I was working. Surgeon just keeps telling me to be patient and It will get better. I have my 12 week follow up may 9th. My family doctor feels that its is odd that I am struggling because of my age and my fitness level.

 

[JenaS62]

Hello Mr. Fun. I am having similar issues but maybe worse. I am a 60 year old female and I had THR on right hip. I have femoral nerve damage from the surgery. My inner leg from groin to ankle is numb. My entire knee is numb and buckles on me. Now have to wear a knee brace. My thigh feels like one big bruise. Can’t even touch it. I am 5.5 weeks post op and have to use a walker. My hip is extremely tight and when trying to focus on walking without the walker, I have a terrible limp. I am seeing a neurologist on June 1st and I’m hoping that they can determine how bad the damage is to my femoral nerve.

I also feel like I was sold a bill of goods. I went into this surgery walking and came out an invalid.

I hope that you start to see improvement soon.

 

[Eman85]

Sorry to hear you're having problems. I had a tightness with my right that I did not have with my left. I could not bend if I bent my knee. It was like there was a direct connection from my shoulder to my butt and it hurt at my lower glute. Took quite a while before it released at all and still will get sore from certain movements back there.
Just my opinion but because they do so many of these operations it's taken lightly by the health professionals and the patients. The success rate is very high but any surgery where they are replacing parts with man made stuff just ain't natural and shouldn't be taken lightly.

 

[Caison113]

It's sad to hear your stories @Mr.fun and @JenaS62. To say the least, these are not the outcomes anyone wants. I know each approach has its risks and with anterior, it's that nerve aggravation/damage leading to numbness or pain (or both). Unfortunately it's not simple to tell if it's surgeon error or just how your body reacts to the normal procedures. I hope both of you find relief soon.

 

[myglasshalffull]

Mr. Fun,
Sorry see you do have your own thread...
I think it just takes awhile to start feeling the positive effects.

 

[Layla]

Leg swells to my foot and some bruising along this side of foot.

Were you icing at all? Are you icing currently? It definitely helps with pain and swelling. Standing up and navigating from a sitting position is slow for many. Sometimes it takes several seconds and can be a slow go initially as you take those first few steps.

I cant tie shoe or put my socks on the operated side. Not from lack of trying.

This is not uncommon. Give it some more time and try again. It will come.

I am sorry you were mislead by Youtube videos. Please understand that this recovery can take a full year for many and even longer for some. Your'e not even three months post op yet so I believe you have progress to look forward to. Hopefully your surgeon will be able to offer you some reassurance as you discuss all of your concerns on May 9th. I wish you only the best. Please let us know how your appointment goes.

 

[Klaudia]

I am 58yr female. I had anterolateral LTHR feb 15 2023 zero restrictions too. I know it's hard but you must ignore pain and fight muscle atrophy. First month was hell, my left leg was so weak, but now I am fine. I hike, do pilates etc.
Tight muscles are weak muscles, resting won't make them strong. Good luck

 

[Mr.fun]

3mnths today. still cant tie (R)shoe or get my right sock on.
I feel like I progressed to 6 weeks with my range of motion(ROM) and it has stopped. I notice when I take a shower I can only wash down to the same spot on my right leg since the 6th week mark. no matter how hard I try to lift my leg.. on its own or with my arms. it just wont get passed that jam in the front crease. it is almost like the hip isnt tracking properly. same with going up the stairs. it has this pinch when my knee comes up. sitting in a car has pinch in crease. Any knee to chest is painful. it just won't stretch. it gets to 70degrees and hits a block. Bàm jammed .....Range of motion worse know then pre surgery. same with pain.
Appointment is tomorrow which im sure surgeon will take an xray and say looks good be patient. I will keep posting on here right up until I can hopefully say its true we all need to be patient.
I find it frustrating when reading people's post that they are incomplete. I reàd their story for 15 pages and then they ghost the forum. leavings us to guess the outcome. I will keep my page informed so when It does get better I can give guidance on what has helped me in recovery. A lot of us on here have similar issues. would be nice to hear more final outcomes.

 

[MeowWoofMomma]

Hi, sorry you're having such pain. I agree with you that it would be helpful if people would follow through on their postings more, so we could see the outcomes. I guess the assumption is that if they were still having problems they would likely keep posting, so their issues probably resolved. But it would be nice to know how long it took, and what measures helped them recover. Please keep posting. I am interested in your recovery journey.

 

[KittensMom]

3mnths today. still cant tie (R)shoe or get my right sock on.
I feel like I progressed to 6 weeks with my range of motion(ROM) and it has stopped. I notice when I take a shower I can only wash down to the same spot on my right leg since the 6th week mark. no matter how hard I try to lift my leg.. on its own or with my arms. it just wont get passed that jam in the front crease. it is almost like the hip isnt tracking properly. same with going up the stairs. it has this pinch when my knee comes up. sitting in a car has pinch in crease. Any knee to chest is painful. it just won't stretch. it gets to 70degrees and hits a block. Bàm jammed .....Range of motion worse know then pre surgery. same with pain.
Appointment is tomorrow which im sure surgeon will take an xray and say looks good be patient. I will keep posting on here right up until I can hopefully say its true we all need to be patient.
I find it frustrating when reading people's post that they are incomplete. I reàd their story for 15 pages and then they ghost the forum. leavings us to guess the outcome. I will keep my page informed so when It does get better I can give guidance on what has helped me in recovery. A lot of us on here have similar issues. would be nice to hear more final outcomes.

Hi Mr. Fun, I’ve been following your thread as at about 4 weeks post op I had similar concerns, namely that I couldn’t bend my hip more than 90 degrees (also no restrictions). The front “jam” is exactly what I felt (and still to some degree feeling).

My situation is a bit different because I had no mobility over 90 degrees for 20 years due to bone spurs and osteoarthritis. It was nonetheless terrifying to think that surgery may have not fixed things, and I could be stuck with limited ROM forever. So I relate a lot to your frustrations, and I imagine since you had better ROM before surgery, this is a much more difficult situation to deal with for you.

See what the surgeon says but if there is nothing wrong mechanically with the hip (which is likely the good news you will hear), I would recommend finding a good PT what will both work on exercises but can also help with massage and stretching.

This is what is slowly helping me. The jam feels a lot less jammy. And I’d say I am probably at 110 degrees now.

There maybe a long road ahead of you, and as much as it is unfair and not what the internet promises, or even the usual outcome, it’s better to accept it and work towards a solution than ruminate. This is advice also for myself

Also it could be a case that some swelling goes down internally and you will get a quick result with your ROM. It’s hard to predict. Either way, I am sure eventually you will be back to normal activity

 

[Mr.fun]

@ChickensMom. @MeowWoofMomma thanks for responding. I start at a new PT MAY 23. The new place is more hands on. I had been to them pre surgery. I went to another place post surgery only becasue I was looking for a more gentle approach. Thanks you for taking the time to respond and your kind words.

 

[Layla]

I am sorry this three month anniversary is not where you expected to be on the journey. I stopped by to wish you a Happy Three Month Anniversary, but since you're likely not feeling that way, but have graciously decided to hang out with us until things are progressing more smoothly, I'll try for the "Happy" again next month.

I reàd their story for 15 pages and then they ghost the forum. leavings us to guess the outcome.

I will venture a guess that some of those with slower recovery's, that just disappear, do so because they are doing well. They're likely back to living and enjoying life. People normally stick around for an average amount of time and then unless they're experiencing an extremely slow recovery, or a complication, they become scarce. Many do return months later, or upon a big anniversary (one year, two year) sharing how wonderful life after joint replacement is.

I wish you all the best with your appointment tomorrow. Make sure you write all your questions on paper or store in your phone so you don't forget any. Another pair of ears may be helpful at the appointment also. I am one that easily forgets all doctors have to say because at times the visit can feel rushed making me a little anxious.

Good Luck!

 

[Mr.fun]

had my appointment yesterday. xrays show heterotopic ossification. Was put on naproxen 3 times a day for 3 months and to follow up in 2 months. Surgeon down played it. GOOGLE says differently. fingers crossed it doesn't get any worse.

 

[Jaycey]

GOOGLE says differently

Google always says differently. Trust your surgeon.

Here are some articles from our Library. Sounds like your surgeon approach is the norm.

Here are some articles from our Library on this:
Heterotopic ossification
Heterotopic ossification prophylaxis – an updated review

Please keep us updated!

 

[Layla]

GOOGLE says differently.

Keep in mind, Google does not have a medical degree. Take, Jaycey's advice.

 

[Divipops]

Hello Mr. Fun. I am having similar issues but maybe worse. I am a 60 year old female and I had THR on right hip. I have femoral nerve damage from the surgery. My inner leg from groin to ankle is numb. My entire knee is numb and buckles on me. Now have to wear a knee brace. My thigh feels like one big bruise. Can’t even touch it. I am 5.5 weeks post op and have to use a walker. My hip is extremely tight and when trying to focus on walking without the walker, I have a terrible limp. I am seeing a neurologist on June 1st and I’m hoping that they can determine how bad the damage is to my femoral nerve.

I also feel like I was sold a bill of goods. I went into this surgery walking and came out an invalid.

I hope that you start to see improvement soon.

Hi JenaS62. I am having exactly the same problems as yourself with the knee buckling under me, they have now told me that they think femoral nerve damage is causing the problem. I am 2 half years since surgery with Dynamic Hip Screw. I am finally walking cautiously unaided but with a terrible limp.

The only way is up

 

[Constanze]

Hi @Mr.fun , I'm sorry you're still in pain and can't use your leg 100%. I'm not one of those people who ghost the forum. I still write on here occasionally.
My left hip replacement was in 2015. I stayed in hospital for 7 days. I had physiotherapy in hospital. Then I went to a rehab centre for 2 1/2 weeks where I continued physiotherapy, then another 2 weeks at home, back to work at week No 6 (I drove to work). After being released from the rehab centre, I continued physicotherapy another 12 times in an outpatient setting. In this setting, they mainly gave me massage and work on my gait. I'm a marathon runner and resumed my run training at week No 13.
Even though I went to work at week No 6, I was not quite better then. I still had to work on my gait, was still stiff on occasions and limped. I used two crutches until week No 4. The muscles on my left thigh had atrophied and needed to get strong again. Many advisrs here on Bonesmart say 100% recovery can take up to a year.
I must say, I have no problems now. I don't feel stiff and I can do my normal sports activities - running, swimming, cycling, and even a bit of ice-skating.
I truely hope your pain and stiffness will resolve over time, and maybe they will. If you want to ask me any more questions on recovery experience, go ahead.

 

[Mr.fun]

@Jaycey @Layla thank you for posting that HO information it is what i read on web MD. When I do use the search engine "google" for medical advice. I would only be interested in the medical links it brings me to, such as web MD. I believe that WEB MD has been created by doctors. I wonder why surgeons are not running a protocol right from surgery for HO instead of waiting for the signs on an Xray to appear first. At that point bone has started to form and you can only get rid of the abnormal bone growths by surgery. My surgeon said to me on May 9th that I will never be 100% and to give it until the 6month mark from surgery. He said that I will be better then today.
In my head i think maybe I won't be better then today especially if there continues to be bone growth in the soft tissue. Having the surgery to remove it after it has matured could also lead to it regrowing again. To bad this body could not regrow that cartilage it wanted to grind away and eat. my body is doing the opposite of what is should be doing. Silly body needs a time out. lol