THR Corin Mini HIp

[eyeoftgr]

I originally went to see Dr Kreutzer in Houston back in Nov for an evaluation... just to see where I was in the process.

@ 43 and very active, especially tennis, I was having increased issues with tying my left shoe and eating way too many Advil / Aleve weekly to be able to stay active in the gym , tennis , riding in the car , summer hiking... etc...

It was time to get my life back

expecting I was a good candidate for resurfacing, I was quite shocked when Dr Kreutzer told me he was no longer doing resurfacing.Hee gave me a few reasons for the change which I won’t get caught up in the details of his decision, but he did highly recommend the Corin Mini Hip.

I was extremely impressed w Dr Kreutzer and had made the trip from Nola to Houston based on 2 tennis friends recommendation.
One guy had both hips resurfaced w Dr K and the other buddy had 1 done in nola and 1 done with Dr K.
they both point blank told me this guy was the BEST and don't let anyone else touch you.

It is now 17 days post op...
* surgery Fri. dec 6th - walking 4 hours or so after surgery w use of a walker
* discharged from hosp Sat @ noon
- had a drain in my leg during my short hospital stay

the first 3 days are pretty rough (my 1st surgery ever)
- this was not a pain issue and I was down to Tylenol only 1 day post op
- issue is that despite my being in excellent shape and having a very strong core and upper body, I had a very numb thigh with minimal control over my hip flexor.
Very hard to raise that left leg.

Hard time getting in and out of bed seemed to be the main issue because of the strain on the hip flexor - really need someone's assistance to get in and out of bed the first few days.

Walker for 2 weeks - safety precaution after week 1.
Cane or crutches for week 3

I feel stronger than I am going but being safe and cautious!

will see the Doc @ week 7 for a follow up, then 6 months , then annual for a few years


only remaining issue right now is "burning thigh"
it has gotten progressively better each day.

Apparently the incision is rather deep and they do cut through some sensory nerve tissue that can cause this skin sensitivity.
Other possible causes for "burning thigh" may be:
* some swelling still present and putting pressure on the nerve (I am only 2.5 weeks in recovery)
* they move or retract a lot of tissue during the surgery and that may have temporarily irritated a nerve.
* could be micro motions of the stem

Based on my research, this appears to happen to @ 14% of folks having DAA (direct anterior approach)

anyone else has any experience w burning thigh? timeline?

I know that patience is my friend and I am very convinced that I have a great doc and the right procedure for me.

Hope this post may help others set some expectations going into this type of replacement.

Expecting to be back on the tennis court 3/1/14.... We shall see once the bone grows into the metal

 

[Josephine]

Hi there and welcome to BoneSmart
[quote="eyeoftgr, post: 544119, member: 13226"]I had a very numb thigh with minimal control over my hip flexor. Very hard to raise that left leg.[/quote]
Yes, it will be for a few weeks. But don't worry about it as it will get better in time. The numb thigh is because there are superficial sensory nerves that run across the place where the incision has to go so it's inevitable that they will be cut. They may heal up in time or they may not. Only time will tell.

Hard time getting in and out of bed seemed to be the main issue because of the strain on the hip flexor. only remaining issue right now is "burning thigh"

I find it's very common for people to try and pin a pain on a particular muscle or ligament but the truth is that this is nothing more than general post-op pain for which Tylenol along is insufficient. Have you nothing else to take? prescription meds, I mean. You also need to be more careful about your activity. Read these, especially the ones I've emboldened.

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
Activity progression for THRs
Home physio (PT)
Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds.

 

[calikat]

Hi. I had the anterior approach and had the burning thigh also. It does seem that I have some injury to the nerve and my TFL muscle according to my OS on my last appointment after describing my lingering symptoms. He said that it happens some times while they are moving things around. I was 12 weeks out last Thursday. It is a disappointment. I had a very experienced surgeon too, but things happen I guess. It has definitely gotten better, but it still bothers me. Every week I seem to have a bit of improvement so I am going to focus on that. Good luck with your recovery. You know my first three days were really rough too. My leg pain was so bad and difficult to manage. I think now it had to do with the nerve injury.

 

[Jaycey]

Expecting to be back on the tennis court 3/1/14.... We shall see once the bone grows into the metal

I was a bit shocked when I saw this. But then I realized you are in the US and this means March 1 2014 not 3 January 2014. Still pretty aggressive but I assume with the blessing of your OS. Easy does it!

 

[eyeoftgr]

UPDATE - WEEK 6

rapidly improved from @ 3.5 weeks to week 5

off cane , but limping after 3 weeks.
almost no noticeable limp by week 6.

outer thigh still numb, but burning thigh went away @ week 4.

amazing how much improvement I saw from week 3-week 5.

 

[bottomshollow]

@eyeoftgr, sounds like things are progressing very nicely for you. Just be careful not to feel so good that you go out and really over do and then have to suffer for it.

Take care and keep us updated. We care.