Bilateral THR IT Band Lengthening?

Thank you jwadds and Layla. I am doing very well. My only complaints are that my legs feel heavy when walking and my ankles and knees are still pretty far apart. I had no trouble with that prior to surgery. I do think I have had some improvement in the last few weeks. I am working very had on my glute muscles and relaxing the IT bands. I very rarely take anything for pain. Occasionally I overdo and have some achiness deep in the bone it seems on my left side. Mostly in the evening. I am pretty much back to normal energy level in all other activities except walks. I get very tired when I take walks as keeping my gait and posture right is exhausting on my leg muscles and lower back. I can sit on the floor cross legged etc and flexibility is great. I have worn some higher heeled boots when going out on occasion so that has been fun.

If anyone else can remember how they were around the 4 month time frame I would love to hear your experience. My current PT is familiar with bthr and has not had any other patients with the same problem I am concerned with ( inability to close legs when standing or lying straight.) I just walk like a cowboy, lol!

Thank you for your responses and interest!
 
Hi All, I am now 8 mo. post op and doing well except for the distance between my legs. Nothing has improved in over 6 months. I can not pull my knees together and if i try, my feet and legs slowly move out again. Difficult to walk in socks for sure! I also pronate now and shoes are wearing on the sides. I never had any of these problems before. 3 months ago I met with my doc again and he seemed confused as to the reason and said I should correct but it isn't happening. Pt's have also never seen this before in a patient. It is pretty depressing sometimes for sure. I wonder if I should seek a second opinion soon. Any advice?
 
I wonder if I should seek a second opinion soon.
I agree you should seek a second opinion.
Recommend you seek a second opinion for your THR, from a surgeon specializing in Revisions, they have the education and background to determine what is happening with troubled hips. Look for a surgeon specializing in complex joint reconstruction or revisions. They should have no relationship with your present OS, not even golf buddies.

You may find some surgeons will not see you until a year has passed, I was able to obtain second opinions for my knee at 9 months.

You can start with our surgeon locator link at the top of the page in the blue banner.

Good luck in your search for answers.
 
18 month recovery update:

I still have not progressed with the tightness in my legs. I can not get my ankles and legs together. The straighter I stand up and try to have good posture, the wider my feet become. Walking long periods or distances cause pain and stiffness in my lower back and IT bands. I have had extensive PT and neuromuscular massage. I get relaxed somewhat but the tightness comes back. Due to the tightness I am unsteady and trip a lot as my legs feel like they weigh a ton. It feels as though the angle or size of my hips are wrong. My surgeon and PT's have all said they have never seen this outcome before - Go figure!
On the good side- I don't have any pain in my hips and have good flexibility there.

I do a lot of stretching to help but at this point I think this is my new normal.
 
Gosh, @DollyS

That is really bizarre. Did you ever get a second opinion from a revision surgeon?

How do you get around? Do you use walking aids? I'm sorry you are dealing with this odd outcome. I hope it can get better!
 
Hello Dolly,
I’m sorry you’re struggling with pain, stiffness and slower progress than you most likely imagined. Aside from your surgeon mentioning he’s never experienced an outcome such as yours, does he have any idea what may be causing the symptoms you described? I don’t think you should assume or accept this as your new normal, but instead seek a fresh set of eyes to look at your case and hopefully formulate a plan to relieve your symptoms, allowing you to get back to a full active life without the pain. Please consider that and stay in touch. We’re here if you need us.
@DollyS
 
I don't need a walking aid, I just suck it up and try to walk with good posture. Stretching very often helps. I went to another doctor about 9 months ago and he said my hips looked great and there was nothing he could do. My OS said he thought that my body's muscles overreacted and tightened up unusually because of the stress of surgery. After many months of paying for therapy and massage and I am not sure about this. I will seek another opinion. My gut tells me that the angle may be off or something to that affect.

Thank you for all your support and comments. If I weren't so stiff and unsteady on my feet I would accept the difference but I just trip and fall too much too feel comfortable. I am too young and active for that!
 
Yes, I agree, Dolly, you’re too young to settle for status quo. I’m sure you’ll find someone capable of diagnosing any issue and then formulating a plan to get you to a better place. Stay in touch, we’ll always be here for support.
Best of luck to you as you seek answers.
@DollyS
 
Has your PT therapist offered an observation that something feels unusually tight when you try to bring your knees together?

I went to another doctor about 9 months ago and he said my hips looked great and there was nothing he could do.
Same medical group for the second doctor?

I would think a physiologist, rather than a surgeon, should be where to get your third opinion.
 
Yes, physiotherapist agreed that I am unusually tight but says that something is wrong to cause it. Suggested “q” angle could be wrong? My OS is well respected and has done over 3000 hips.
 
Totally different medical group for 2nd opinion but he didn’t spend much time before telling me he couldn’t offer any solutions.
 
After 2 1//2 years post op and still issues with daily activities, I finally have a recommendation to have IT band lengthening surgery. Apparently, this is a rare issue for thr. Has anyone out there had this surgery? How did it go? I am very reluctant but don't know what else do as I have exhausted all recommended treatment with no progress.
 
@DollyS, YES! I've had it. In fact, my OS was just sure the IT Band lengthening procedure would take care of the issue with my left hip but, of course, it did not.

The outpatient procedure was easy, didn't take long, I was under general light anesthesia and I had no ill effects from resuming daily activities. The incision was on the upper outside of my left thigh and, since it was eight years ago and I used vitamin E oil on it once it had healed, there is no evidence of the scar.

Don't be afraid to try it. Among all of my different surgeries, this was, by far, the least invasive and the easiest to recover. Hardly a speed bump....
:thumb:
 
You'll notice that I have merged your newest thread with your original recovery thread but I changed your thread title to hopefully get some response from any members who have gone through this procedure.
For several reasons, we prefer that you only have one recovery thread:

  • That way, we have all your information in one place. This makes it easier to go back and review your history before providing advice.
  • If you start new threads, you miss the posts and advice others have left for you in the old threads, and some information may be unnecessarily repeated
  • Having only one thread will act as a diary of your progress that you can look back on.
So please post any updates, questions or concerns about your recovery here.

I am sorry that I cant think of anyone and I believe that @beachgal had her procedure done prior to her THR.
Glad to know it doesn't sound like the recovery was very tough.
Hopefully you can get some feedback!
 
I did have my IT band release before my first hip surgery but I don’t think it would have mattered insofar as interfering with my recovery/rehab from THR. The release procedure just gives you a little more flexibility in the IT band sort of like easing out a rubber band with little snips going in opposite directions. If anything, it should help. Hope you’ll Google the procedure and decide on your comfort level with giving it a try. Like I said, it was one of the easiest outpatient procedures I’ve ever had.
 
@beachgal Thanks so much for the response. This is very helpful information and I really hope this surgery solves many of my mobility issues
 

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