THR Buttock pain 3 months post op<

[lalo]

Just read your whole thread and it sounded all too familiar. I had my hip replaced a little over 2 years ago. The replacement followed a "pining" that did not work. I broke my hip as a result of bike accident. I had an anterior approach. I had the same butt pain you describe perhaps not as intense. Here are some suggestions that helped me.
I bought several doughnut type cushions and used them at home and at work. They really help.
I started getting professional massages about 9 months out: don't know if they are trigger point or what but they were very helpful
I fortunate to have access to a fitness center that has an indoor pool with structured excercise programs and I go 2-3 times a week; I'm still going. Having said that, I discovered that on my operated leg my ability to bend my leg (heel to butt) was very limitted. I have worked ward to increase the range of motion thru exercise.
I don't take them on a regular basis but I found that muscle relaxants helped a lot.
I did the icing and heat and still do the heat when I go to bed.
I would say that the severe butt pain was significantly reduced in about 9 months to a year.
It has never gone totally away but I can sit at work all day without any significant discomfort. It took about a year to quit using the dounught cushions.
The one thing that remains a challenge is driving for a long time. I can do 4-5 hrs and don't push past that.
In every other aspect my surgery was a success but either in the pinning or the replacement something went bad and like you the Drs don't want to hear about it.
A year out I had an MRI done to see if it was back problems but it was ruled out.

I think my main message is; be patient and do everything you can and with any luck you will be able to live a fairly normal life.

 

[Rkeilb]

Thanks @lalo

I bought some cushions but not crazy about them. Can you give me any info on where you got yours or a pic or something?
I would give them a try
Thanks for the support it's not always a smooth recovery and after so long mentally becomes challenging. I try to stay positive but as my wife would attest that is not always the case
My recovery was slow from the beginning but took a big step backwards around 3 months that I still have not regained. I'm on STD again and working 4 hours but that is even challenging. Just want some improvement even the slighest and it would mentally help a lot.
Just will keep trying and hopefully things will get better
Thank you

 

[lalo]

After trying almost every cushion that Amazon sells I settled on 2 different styles. Here is the one I used for my chair at work, which has a fairly hard bottom. I'll send the other in another post.

 

[gwenc]

Hang in there @Rkeilb. One thing that I didn't know is that you have been on the hydrocodone for over 3 years? Since its not doing much for your situation, I'd try weaning yourself off of that, and, if needed, try something completely different, like Tramadol. I also agree with @lalo that heating pad, especially at night, is extremely helpful. And swimming - or at least standing in a pool and moving your legs about - OMG - it really did wonders for me. Also you might try something like meditation or focused breathing to try and keep yourself calm and positive. YOU WILL GET THROUGH THIS!!!

 

[lalo]

I used this cushion for driving. There are several brands so the make doesn't matter. With this style I found that the key is to inflate it just enough to keep you bottom from making hard contact. If you overinflated the cushion it will rock and drive you crazy.
By the way I have screws attaching the cup to my pelvic bone. Wonder if you have that as well. I sometimes wonder if the screws are the culprit. They look so long.

 

[gwenc]

I have screws in my cup as well. Sometimes I get a "pinch" right where I think the screw would be. So far it has been infrequent and I have been able to ignore it.

 

[Rkeilb]

Yep screws for me too. Must be normal. They told me it was to make sure nothing moved during initial healing stages.

I will try one or probably both cushions maybe they will help
Thank you Sir

 

[Josephine]

I'm considering an injection in that Piriformis if that doesn't settle down. Thoughts on that?

Only that I've never heard of it being done. Principally because the piriformis is right on top of the sciatic nerve and trust me, you do NOT want to experience a needle stick in a big nerve like that! Which is also why sensible surgeons won't do them! You can see the injection site (yellow star) and proximity to the sciatic nerve in thsi image.

Let me tell you of an experience I once had. I was in ER (patient) and the doctor wanted to take some arterial blood. He chose to do this in the wrist from the radial artery. Unfortunately for me, the radial artery runs cheek by jowel with the radial nerve! He miss the artery and hit the nerve! I felt like I'd had an electric shock, screamed the place down and felt like I was having a seizure. It took about 2-3 minutes before it settle down! I would hate to even imagine what that would be like from the sciatic nerve!

 

[Josephine]

By the way I have screws attaching the cup to my pelvic bone. Wonder if you have that as well. I sometimes wonder if the screws are the culprit.

I have screws in my cup as well. Sometimes I get a "pinch" right where I think the screw would be.

Yep screws for me too. Must be normal.

Folks, please don't obsess or worry about the acetabular screws. They are normal but only for certain brands of implant. But they are deep in the bone of the pelvis and you will not be able to feel them or be aware of them. It's impossible. Any more than you could be aware of dental fillings!

 

[Rkeilb]

Good morning @Josephine
The reason I asked was the link from your Piriformis Syndrome article mentioned an injection if things didn't settle down. I'm the one who brought it up to Pain Center Dr but obviously I wouldn't want to go through anything like what you describe.
I know they use fluoroscopy guided injections but if it is not worth the risk I will need to continue the more conservative approaches stretching and time
Thank you as always you are wealth of knowledge!

 

[Josephine]

Yes, this is by far the best. Piriformis syndrome - a pain in the butt!

But I must update that article. These are the stretches I would recommend and at this late stage, you should be able to do them with a reasonable degree of safety provided you don't get too aggressive and that you stop immediately if you get any pain in the hip

 

[gwenc]

Hi @Rkeilb -- how are you doing? Please check in with us and let us know if you can!

 

[Rkeilb]

Good morning
I hope you all will be fine with the storm coming. Looks pretty scary on the weather channel. In the last week I have noticed a slight improvement with the pain, not go next by any means but better. I realize as things improve I need to focus on reducing than eliminating my use of the Hydrocodone which hopefully won't be too bad since I have never taken large doses


Anyway I know what I need to do and pain is not gone but better.

Thank you for checking on me

Recovery has been very challenging mentally as well as physically but finally I can say I'm going in the right direction. We just need to keep living our lives and slowly dong more. Try to find that happy medium.

I wish you the best and let me know how you fare through the storm , Good luck

 

[Jaycey]

I need to focus on reducing than eliminating my use of the Hydocodone

Ease off any medication very slowly. The sign that you are ready to reduce is when you start forgetting doses. Usually this is around the midday dose.

 

[gwenc]

So glad to hear this @Rkeilb ! I spent the day dragging stuff inside today. I am beat. Fitbit says I already did 11000 steps and its only 3pm. Gonna ice a lot tonight for sure!!!

 

[Josephine]

I need to focus on reducing than eliminating my use of the Hydrocodone

I suggest you read this for guidance Weaning off pain medication

 

[davewil3]

Good morning
I hope you all will be fine with the storm coming. Looks pretty scary on the weather channel. In the last week I have noticed a slight improvement with the pain, not go next by any means but better. I realize as things improve I need to focus on reducing than eliminating my use of the Hydrocodone which hopefully won't be too bad since I have never taken large doses


Anyway I know what I need to do and pain is not gone but better.

Thank you for checking on me

Recovery has been very challenging mentally as well as physically but finally I can say I'm going in the right direction. We just need to keep living our lives and slowly dong more. Try to find that happy medium.

I wish you the best and let me know how you fare through the storm , Good luck

------------------

Can you update us to whether the pain has gone away or subsided since Fall 2017?
My wife who had THR 5 weeks ago is having the same pain.

 

[Rkeilb]

Hi
Yes it has gotten better! What really helped was the Myofascial release therapy. Not sure if your wife would be ready for that at 5 weeks or not?
Anyway it took around a month at 2 appointments per week but eventually it subsided. I was 5 months post op before I started and wish I would have listened to good advice from this forum earlier on. It is so easy to think the worst when you are in a lot of pain I know but tell her good luck and in some cases it takes what seems like a long time but it gets better

 

[Rkeilb]

Hi
Been awhile since I've posted but have had ongoing pain problems since my surgery 16 months ago.

I recently received a 2nd opinion and was told my offset compared to my original xray had an increase of +10 mm in offset with a LLD of 5mm and that this was most likely the cause of my pain.

I have had months where the pain was manageable but overall it has not been good. I just received an injection for trochanteric bursitis so I am hoping that will help.

I guess I'm wondering if the someone with knowledge in this area could give me some thoughts or advice?
Thanks!

 

[Layla]

Hi there,
Sorry you're struggling with pain and uncertainty. The forum Nurse @Josephine can weigh in on your situation, but it may be several days. She's off the forum currently but is expected back soon. I've tagged her for you so please check back periodically.

Please find below an article on Trochanteric Bursitis in case you haven't read about it in detail.
http://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/trochanteric-bursitis-with-thr.5389/

I hope the injection brings you relief soon.
@Rkeilb