THR Schaargi Hip #2 Nov. 2

Okay, another week of exercises ... Done! :curtsey: (Ta da!)

The pain in my "good" hip flexor continues to get worse. It fluctuates on the pain scale from a 2 (when I'm not doing anything) to an 8 when I pivot or turn on it the wrong way. I am icing 2-3 times a day and it hurts as much as the surgical hip did just before my surgery.

The article I posted above doesn't seem to be the issue. My adductors seem to be working ok and this seems to be a slightly different issue.

Is it appropriate to contact my surgeon regarding pain on the non-operative side or should I go to my GP?
 
I think it is appropriate to inform you OS about your other hip issue....
Hope you get some answers, dear Schaargi :fingersx:
 
@Schaargi You should see a doctor about the other hip ... whether it's your GP or the surgeon who replaced your L hip sort of depends on your insurance. Does your insurance require a specific referral for any new issues not related to your L hip? If yes then you should start with your GP to get x-rays and a referral to the surgeon for consult on the R hip. If you are not sure what your insurance requires then either surgeon's office or your insurance provider may know or call your GP to inquire.
 
Hi everybody! I am now at 7 months and I just made it through another week of home exercises. I'm feeling a little stronger every month.

My former "good" hip is giving me a lot of trouble. Any movement that isn't slow and controlled had the potential of shooting my pain level up to an 8 or 9. It happens when I change direction or turn. Stabbing pain. The other time it hurts is any extension to the back, so any time I take a step. Ugh.

I sent a message to my surgeon explaining it and I attached a diagram. I didn't hear back from him so I called the main office and made an appointment. The first available appointment is Feb. 8. I will call my physical therapist this week to see if I can get in sooner.
 
:oyvey:Do be careful not to fall...
dear Schaargi
You may want to try some heat on your back when resting if you aren't already.
:fingersx: for earlier appointment.
 
@Schaargi It has been a while - how is your left leg doing these days?

I also had femoral nerve damage from my last surgery (7/21/2020). I regained the control to the quad and now I have no problem in walking, light aerobic exercises (like step touch, butt kick), etc. I feel it is still weaker than the other side though. The numbness hasn't improved a lot either. My surgeon said it will take "months" to regain sensation - wondering how you are feeling at this point.

Best of luck to the other hip. Sorry to hear that both of them are bothering you now. :( Hope you got to see your surgeon soon.
 
Hi @chialiyu!

Nice to see you here!

As for the nerve damage on my surgical leg, I have regained my leg's ability to respond to my brain, but that leg is much weaker than the other leg and much smaller in circumference. It's coming along, though. My surgeon said the nerve would take a year to heal, as it heals about a milimeter a day. Of course, my engineer husband measured my thigh and did the math to confirm the estimate.:umm: It continues to improve, so I am just practicing patience.

The numbness is still here but it's not bothering me. My OS's physician's assistant had nerve damage years ago and never regained full sensation. At first, I was horrified when she said that, but now I couldn't care less. So what if my skin is numb? My leg works!:)

I was doing pretty well with walking and gentle exercise (same as you) until my "good" leg flared up, so it sounds like we are at about the same place in that area. So, at 7 months... progressing slowly but still progressing, which is good!

I'm still pretty tentative when walking on uneven terrain or in winter weather, and am afraid to walk my 50-lb. dog lest she see a bunny, but I'm hoping it will improve with experience.

Do you have home exercises to build strength? I do, and am completing them religiously, although I still struggle with the monotony of them.:bored:
 
@Schaargi My experience is similar to yours! :cheers:

Like you, I also feel the affected leg is weaker. I am doing exercise to keep strengthening it but I branched off from the prescribed workout from my PT. These days (before my surgery), I was doing Youtube HIIT low impact workouts. If the workout I picked for that day doesn't exercise my quad, I add additional quad set, leg lifts, to make sure I get them active everyday.

I had my left hip done yesterday by the same surgeon. Afterward, my surgeon told me - you are the first patient getting the other side done after what happened! Call me brave!

What caused the pain on the "good side" for you?
 
I had peroneal nerve damage after my hip replacement. In my experience, it's a different nerve that was damaged then yours, it will never fully recover. It's almost 4 years since my replacement. While I have regained some movement it is not anywhere near normal. I had all those sensations you described and was also told that the pins and needles and itchy feelings where a good sign. They gave me hope, but, in reality they meant nothing. I was told by a neurologist that it would take years if at all for the nerve to heal.

Even with the nerve damage the surgery was life changing for me. I was near immobile due to the pain. Now I live a full life and while I can't do some of things I used to do I have found other things to do.

Also nice to meet you.
 
I'm not sure what is causing my pain on the other side. It feels really similar to the pain I felt on my surgical hip before my surgery, but my surgery was instigated by a torn labrum. I had only minor arthritis.

Wow, I can't believe you had the other hip done so soon! Who knows, that might be me.

My appointment with my surgeon is not until February 8, which was the first in-person appt. available.
 
Wow, I can't believe you had the other hip done so soon! Who knows, that might be me.
I have hip dysplasia. Left and right were equally bad and right was slightly worse.

Best luck to your right hip. Keep us posted!
 
Hello. It's a long time since I popped into the forum. The nerve was damaged in my leg during my hip replacement nearly two years ago. I really can't believe it's been so long. I don't think my leg will ever be fully ok but it's come a very long way since my op. My knee remains very weak and I still get nerve discomfort below the knee. Not quite pain but certainly not comfortable. Your recovery sounds as though it's happened a lot quicker than mine did. I do count my lucky stars that mine has recovered even if not fully. . Everyone here was wonderfully supportive before and after my op and I'm not sure I would have coped as well without the support of the lovely people on this forum.
 
Another week of exercises done!:chuckmarch:

I've been staying away from everything that aggravates my right hip and was ok until today, when I decided to bake a cake. Bustling around the kitchen angered it, just like at Christmas.
I think it's pivoting that makes it angry.

Other than that, all ok this week!:) :-) (:
 
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Hi @Fairydell ! I'm glad to see you here! Honestly, I don't know how I will be doing at 1 year, but it's likely I won't ever be back to how I was before my hip started hurting. I'm still optimistic that I will be able to get back to some normal activities. Thanks for popping in!
 
I think even knowing that my op would go the way it did I don't believe I could have made a different choice. The pain in my hip pre op was so bad that I could hardly walk. At least now all the hip pain has gone. Keep on keeping strong. You will get there in the end. x
 
Another week done! I skipped two days of exercises to see if I could pinpoint where the "good leg" pain was coming from. No changes, so I am continuing the home exercises except for the ones that use the good leg hip flexor.

Really good news- in the past 2 weeks I have felt a marked strengthening in my surgical leg, and a slight lessening in numbness!

Also good news- my appt with the OS got moved up to this week. I made the appointment to try to figure out the "good leg" pain. I'm pretty anxious about the appointment, as I have not had successful communications with him. I can tell he's frustrated.

Will let y'all know how the appt goes.
 
Had an appointment with the surgeon today regarding my formerly "good" hip. He looked at my x-rays and determined that there wasn't significant arthritis; a little, but not enough to cause the pain I'm describing. He had me lie down and manipulated my leg to see what hurt.

After that, he said he thought it might be torn cartilage (Nooooo! Not again!) and suggested a cortisone shot as a diagnostic tool. He said he would be able to tell a lot by seeing if it worked and to what extent. Has anyone heard of this?

So I got a cortisone shot. The lidocaine that came with it enabled me to walk better and turn my leg out for a couple of hours, so I'm hopeful the cortisone will relieve enough pain that I will be able to do some normal things, like walk without taking mincing steps. Fingers crossed. He said it would take a couple of days to kick in.

I know cortisone shots are not permanent fixes, but it could buy me enough time to build a little more strength and prepare for a second surgery if needed. It feels good to have someone acknowledge my pain and take some action other than telling me to warm up and stretch more.
 
Hi @Schaargi
It feels good to have someone acknowledge my pain and take some action other than telling me to warm up and stretch more.
I am assuming that the possible torn cartilage he referenced was in your hip joint and that is where the injection was placed?

The cartilage would be the hip labrum and I've heard that is indeed painful.

After that, he said he thought it might be torn cartilage (Nooooo! Not again!) and suggested a cortisone shot as a diagnostic tool. He said he would be able to tell a lot by seeing if it worked and to what extent. Has anyone heard of this?
Cortisone injections are a common tool surgeon's use to pinpoint hip joint issues and to make sure that is actually where the problem originates.

so I'm hopeful the cortisone will relieve enough pain that I will be able to do some normal things, like walk without taking mincing steps.
I am hopeful also, however...as you said, the shot doesn't repair anything and you will want to be careful not to overdo while the under the numbing effect of the lidocaine.

Not sure when you are due to check back, but I wonder if an MRI will be on your surgeons list of diagnostic tools to confirm the labral tear?
The good old RICE method is often the first line of therapy...I know, I know:bored:

Hope today brings you some relief, my hippy friend.
 

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