Guest viewing is limited

THR different leg length post op

Hi AfterCare,
I can't say that I recall hearing of LLD pre-op. I don't know that significant leg length discrepancies are as common as minor ones and feel the OS's concentrate on the more serious possible risks or complications such as blood clots or infection as examples. Many want to hear of every possible issue that can develop post op, but my guess is just as many don't to avoid feeling unnecessarily anxious or overwhelmed. I fall into the latter category, but we're all different. I'll be watching to see what others have to say on this topic.

I hope you have a nice Christmas and I thank you for sharing your healing journey with all!
@AfterCare
 
I had no idea about any of it never mind just leg a little shorter.
When I spoke to NP early on about LLD she explained that after the surgery they put the legs together & measure to be sure they are same length. Now I have no idea if my OS did that or not.
I did have shorter operated side for a few months & it did work itself out.
 
So glad to hear that it will still move into place. If there is anything I can do to help the process along, I would sure like to know about it!

Over here, this LLD not only completely throws off my balance, now that I am trying very hard to get more active, it also causes intense shooting pains in my back every time I take a couple of steps. Given that one of my major goals with this surgery was to be able to get more active again, this definitely does not help...
 
I think your body just has to realign itself after the surgery, & you are still in very early stages of recovery.
However do discuss with your OS when you have the opportunity.
 
anything I can do to help the process along,
You can't hurry the healing process. It can take up to 12 weeks for ligaments and tendons to recover from the trauma of surgery. And, after that, all the soft tissues need time to adapt to the new structural alignment created by the corrected hip.

As we've noted before, the best therapy for hip replacement recovery is simply walking -- and even then not to excess. If you need it, use a walker or a cane to help with balance and gait.

Your body has its own timeline and you can't change that. My surgeon likes to say: the most important muscle to exercise during this recovery is your Patience Muscle. :wink:
 
I felt the same, leg length difference but I really was “off”. My surgeon was hoping I’d settle but never did. I had to have certain Xrays done but insurance eventually paid for lifts to be put on my shoes.

Four years later, I had hip #2 done. When they stood me up for my first walk, I said “holy sh*t, I’m even”!

Marie
 
Yeah, that really seems to have been his calculus - that I'd eventually have to get the other hip done as well. However, in contrast to the knees my left hip is not bothering me at all at this time - but I'm afraid the current situation may hasten the issue. It may also prevent me from going back to work when I need to - which is 12 weeks post-op or I'll lose my insurance. And I checked on the exchange, what's available there really cannot be called 'insurance' at any stretch.

I contacted my back doctor as well, who responded to ask for exercises specifically targeted to correct the LLD at this point as things are still malleable. Relayed this to my in-home PT, who seemed to have never heared of such exercises. What is everyone else's experience with this? I am of course very eager to work with a therapist who is experienced at correcting these differences following replacement, which seem to be surprisingly common (and then it's especially surprising that this would not be mentioned to us as a possiblity prior to having the surgery!). Would it be worth it to ask to be released from in-home to work with other therapist or are those who are really experienced with exercises targeting LLD following hip replacement just too few and far in between? Does anyone know of anyone in the San Jose, California area?
 
I felt the same, leg length difference but I really was “off”. My surgeon was hoping I’d settle but never did. I had to have certain Xrays done but insurance eventually paid for lifts to be put on my shoes.

Four years later, I had hip #2 done. When they stood me up for my first walk, I said “holy sh*t, I’m even”!

Marie
Thanks, Marie - do you remember what type of x-rays they were?
 
I felt the same, leg length difference but I really was “off”. My surgeon was hoping I’d settle but never did. I had to have certain Xrays done but insurance eventually paid for lifts to be put on my shoes.

Four years later, I had hip #2 done. When they stood me up for my first walk, I said “holy sh*t, I’m even”!

Marie
Thanks, Marie - do you remember what type of x-rays they were?
I don’t. They were taken to get an exact measurement. Sorry, it’s been a long time.

Marie
 
@AfterCare, I just read your posts about leg length differences. My first hip replacement was in 2017. There was a slight difference in length after THR.
Dec. 10, was my 2nd THR, THE SAME date as yours, (and a few others onBoneSmarrt). I asked O.S. prior to recent THR to be sure to make both legs equal length. So far, it's hard to know if length is the same, as I'm walking with walker, and still favoring the other leg. Time will tell if they match same length when I'm walking on my own. . Try to Give it time to heal a bit longer.
2nd Hippy
 
I had the issue as well after surgery which absolutely terrified me. I spoke with the surgeon who advised that i did have a leg length difference of 1.5cm. Typically even with a big variance like I had, if you give time(took me about a year), your body will actually adjust on its own with said variance, and you wont notice it anymore.

If you want to fix it, my surgeon gave me the option to go get an insole for the now shorter leg. It did fix the issue, however anytime i wore different shoes or walked barefoot it felt 10 times worst.
 
Happy One Month Anniversary, AC!
I hope you have a nice weekend and a great 2025! :flwrysmile:
@AfterCare
 
Thank you for the well-wishes and kind responses.

I was able to complete a leg-length study today. The narrative shows that the difference has grown from 8mm to 1.5 cm. I thought it was going to get Smaller during recovery?

Well, that certainly explains why I'm still so unstable, I still need a walker to move around at this time. It also explain all the pressure I am feeling in all my other joints on the operated leg (including in the knee replacement). Plus I appear to have developed a severe bow leg.

I sincerely hope that you lovely ladies here will tell me that this is still early days, it's all still normal, will resolve itself and that yes, I will get my lost mobility back.
 
Well I'd speak to surgeon about the discrepancy seeing it has increased & you are concerned about it. As far as still using a walker, I was on one for close to 4 months when I finally "graduated" to the cane.
Keep us posted.
 
Yes, can't wait for my next post-op visit with him, though even at the last visit he has been very evasive, trying to deflect the topic. He also no longer answers my emails. I am reminded of the difference with every step I want to take...

Glad to read that still using that walker is not completely out of the ordinary. I was so looking forward to putting all these mobility issues behind me and be able to go back to work. I am almost out of leave time at this point.
 
Back
Top Bottom