THR Double hippy happy<

[SarahUK]

Quick update. Still limping without crutch so sticking with it. Right leg does feel slightly shorter than left, hoping it's not LLD. I'll give it more time and see if it evens itself out, if not then I may invest in a shoe/heel lift and see if that helps.
Spent two days doing as little as possible because my left hip is giving me hell, almost gave way this morning which I dont need. Had to start sleeping on the sofa again as I couldn't manage the stairs due to pain in left hip.
For some reason, my previously un-itchy scar is now itching like mad, E45 helps and it's the only cream I can use without having a reaction to it.

Sending healing thoughts and prayers to everyone

 

[SarahUK]

Hey all, hoping everyone is recovering well

Had a visit with my GP last week who, having seen me walk a few steps without a crutch, thinks I may well have LLD. My idea for having my left hip done in two years is nearly out the window as it's giving me so much pain, clicking with every step.

Right hip feels a bit tight and if I lie on my left, I feel pressure in the right side. Pillow between knees doesn't help much. Also have pain at the top of my thigh on the outside edge, manageable with painkillers but annoying nonetheless.

I have another appointment with my GP this week as I think I may have a small tear in my Achilles tendon, there's a large bruise on the back of my foot that wasn't there a few days ago. @Josephine what's the treatment for an Achilles tear if that's what I have?

Feeling a bit down to be honest, felt like I was doing ok and then all this happened.
Managed to get a copy of my x-rays and my hip pre-op looked a mess.

On a brighter note, I have a new sofa suite arriving on Thursday, so something to look forward to Will be fun watching the men get it through a narrow dog leg hallway :D

 

[Layla]

Hi @SarahUK
Sorry your unoperated hip is on the decline sooner than you'd hoped. I have a feeling that story is all too familiar to many.
You mentioned the possibility of a small tear in your Achilles' tendon. My Achilles' tendon on my non surgical side really bothered me before my hip replacement. I was told it was due to my changing gait to accommodate the deteriorating hip. It was mentioned it would disappear after surgery which it did for about a month. It's back again and has been for a time. I inquired about it and was told it's because my gait is changing again with the new hip??
So..... I'm wondering has anyone looked at your AT or are you assuming you may have a small tear due to the visible bruising? I seems believable that the AT could take on stress as our gait does change with painful hips. My brother in law suffered a torn Achilles' tendon and the recovery wasn't easy. If I recall there was greatly reduced weight bearing involved.

On a happier note....Congrats on the new furniture! Its fun and uplifting to freshen things up once in awhile.
Hope you enjoy it. Wishing you a great week!

 

[Josephine]

Had a visit with my GP last week who, having seen me walk a few steps without a crutch, thinks I may well have LLD.

LLD cannot be diagnoised by watching somebody walk! It has to be measured properly as described in here Leg length differential - LLD

I have another appointment with my GP this week as I think I may have a small tear in my Achilles tendon, there's a large bruise on the back of my foot that wasn't there a few days ago. @Josephine what's the treatment for an Achilles tear if that's what I have?

Oh dear! Well a small tear can be resolved with rest and possibly a splint.

Right hip feels a bit tight and if I lie on my left, I feel pressure in the right side.

Also have pain at the top of my thigh on the outside edge

Perhaps you would tell me the site of these areas of pain using this chart

 

[SarahUK]

@Josephine V & W-R1F is where I feel pressure lying on my left side, almost like the right hip is trying to push itself out, if that makes sense.
T - R2F is the site of pain.
I'll have a look at the link you left as well @Josephine
As for the achilles, a splint I can live with, I just don't want surgery if I can avoid it. Seen enough anaesthesiologists for now :D
I'll keep you updated on what my GP says when I see him later this week.

@Layla Yes, new furniture is long overdue, the old suite is 8 years old so high time it got replaced. The bruise is on my operated side achilles, the one that felt really tight at the start of this thread, could they possibly be related somehow.

Time to go do what I do best - coffee and rest :D

 

[Josephine]

As for the Achilles, a splint I can live with, I just don't want surgery if I can avoid it

Don't worry - surgeons prefer to avoid them too! Simply because Achilles tendon repairs are infamous in their poor healing. So the tendency is to only operate where the tendon is completely severed. Yours is not so it will be conservative (non-surgical) treatment only!

Red spot is an easy one! It's Trochanteric bursitis

The blue spot is more likely muscular. In which case I'd really like to offer you some structured advice but in order to do that, I also need to ask you some questions. Are you willing for me to do that?

 

[SarahUK]

@Josephine Of course you can

 

[Josephine]

Here y'go then!

It would be very helpful if you would answer each one individually - numbered as I have done - in as much detail as you can then I'll come back as see where you are

1. what approach did you have for your surgery? Anterior, posterior, lateral? You can look here to see the various types THR approaches or incisions

2. what are your pain levels right now? (remember the 1-10 scale: 1 = no pain and 10 = the worst you can imagine. And don't forget to factor in other forms of pain such as soreness, burning, stabbing, throbbing, aching, swelling and stiffness).

3. what pain medications have you been prescribed, how much are you taking (in mg please) and how often?

4. are you icing your painful area at all? If so, how often and for how long?

5. are you elevating your leg. If so how often and for how long?

6. what is your activity level? What do you do in the way of housework, cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc., and

7. are you doing any exercises at home? If so what and how often?
This is the most crucial question so please help me by using the format I have left as an example
(which means please make a list and not an essay!)

Exercises done at home
- how many sessions you do each day
- enter exercise by name then number of repetitions of each
etc., etc.

Anything done at PT
- how many times a week
- enter exercise by name then number of repetitions of each
etc., etc.

 

[SarahUK]

@Josephine Here you go.

1 Lateral

2 2-3 soreness in hip area, outer and upper thigh, never higher than a 3

3 15/500mg co-codamol x2 4x a day

4 Stopped icing a couple of weeks back, need to start again. Usually around an hour 3 or 4 times a day

5 Elevating during the day for an hour each time, also elevating overnight every night

6 I do most of the housework, cooking and laundry. I get my lads to hoover, do heavy lifting and loading/unloading the washer.

7 You'll love this one. No PT at all except in hospital, walking up and down corridor, up and down a few stairs and in/out of the mock car. At home all I do is walk, up and down stairs maybe two or three times a day. I do a 30 minute total walk into town and back once a week.

Apologies for the late reply but I've been slobbing it out on my nice new electric recliner that arrived this morning :D

 

[Josephine]

I've been slobbing it out on my nice new electric recliner that arrived this morning

Very nice!

2 2-3 soreness in hip area, outer and upper thigh, never higher than a 3

Hmmm ...

3 15/500mg co-codamol x2 4x a day

And does this do the job for you?

4 Stopped icing a couple of weeks back, need to start again. Usually around an hour 3 or 4 times a day

Don't forget to ice for at least 40-60mins and more than 4 times a day.

5 Elevating during the day for an hour each time, also elevating overnight every night

That's okay

6 I do most of the housework, cooking and laundry. I get my lads to hoover, do heavy lifting and loading/unloading the washer.

Okay

7 You'll love this one. No PT at all except in hospital, walking up and down corridor, up and down a few stairs and in/out of the mock car. At home all I do is walk, up and down stairs maybe two or three times a day. I do a 30 minute total walk into town and back once a week.

"No PT at all except in hospital" is PT! I want to know everything you are doing at PT.

 

[SarahUK]

@Josephine Co-codamol works well with me. PT in hospital was just that, stairs, car and walking the corridor, nothing else.
I've never been referred for PT nor had an appointment for PT.
Got sent home with a few exercises to do, did them once and found them to be uncomfortable so didn't bother after that.
The recliner was long overdue. I can't sleep on my back in bed, I'm a side or front sleeper so sleeping on the sofa gives me no choice but to sleep on my back. It was just the same as when I had a c-section, had to sleep on my back for 6 weeks, couldn't do it in bed so I slept on the sofa.

 

[MammaT]

Recliners are wonderful. I was so miserable before my lthr that I went out and bought a lift chair a couple of months prior (getting up and down was so hard). I spent my early recovery there. Very sensible regarding exercises. As I improved, I would find myself just doing some of the stretches-it was like my body told me when it was time to do the movements (if that makes sense).

 

[SarahUK]

@MammaT I love the recliner, wishing we'd got one sooner. Yes, makes perfect sense, I've only recently started bending a bit further.

@Josephine Had a visit with my GP again, I haven't torn my achilles, it's tendonitis. Lots of rest for me with feet up and doing as little as possible.
Also, something the GP said to me. Would changing the angle of the hip to a 'normal' angle have any impact on leg length. As mine have grown at the wrong angle and the surgery has more or less put the right where it should be, would that be a possible factor as to why I'm limping.

As always Josephine, you are a shining star for everyone who needs your advice and wisdom :D

 

[Layla]

Hi @SarahUK
Hopefully with advice from Josephine and your doctor things will start looking up.
Happy you received some answers.
Wishing you a great week

 

[MammaT]

Tendinitis sounds like it should be so simple and easy to take care of but it can take awhile! While it isn’t “serious” it is definitely bothersome for our mobility. Gp sounds sensible.

 

[Josephine]

I haven't torn my Achilles, it's tendinitis.

Well thank the good Lord for that! But whatever you do, don't start using NSAIDs.

Would changing the angle of the hip to a 'normal' angle have any impact on leg length.

Not really. Usually the LLD is caused by pelvic tilt which is muc more impacting. Read this for more detail Leg length differential - LLD

 

[SarahUK]

@Josephine I'm not a big fan of NSAID's anyway so not using them isn't a problem for me.
I've attached the last x-ray taken pre-op, before surgery a few people have said that I lean to the left, even people I don't know have commented on it.

 

[Josephine]

Here's my take on your xray

You can see all the horizontal lines are not level and your spine is off centre considerably.
This is a very significant pelvic tilt and will be the cause of your LLD

I'm not a big fan of NSAID's anyway so not using them isn't a problem for me.

Pleased to hear it!

 

[SarahUK]

@Josephine How would I correct that? Would getting the left hip done help reduce the tilt or make it worse?
I've attached my last post-op x-ray for comparison.

 

[Josephine]

Well you don't have to because the THR has done so! And it's because it's done so, that you feel like you leg is now longer. It's not really longer but because you've been walking with the tilt for so long, it seems like it is. Okay? But over time, you body will adapt and it will begin to feel normal.