Hi
@IrisMariah33
to the Healing Side and the forum.
I know after the shock of learning I needed my hips replaced...the anxiety leading up to the operation....the relief when it was done with....
then, came the Is this Normal? concerns
This forum -with its community of hippies who have been on this journey - was a great resource during my recovery.
Perceived Leg Length Discrepancy is a very common concern after THR.
After years of dealing with bad hips, the body often compensates for the shortening of the leg due to arthritis or AVN tilting the pelvis down on the involved side.
The tilting of the pelvis for a long time however leads to contraction/tightening of the muscles around the pelvis and the hip joint.
During the surgery, the surgeon replaces the diseased ends of the hip joint and restores the leg length equal to the opposite normal leg.
However, due to the preoperative tightness of the muscles on the operated side, the pelvis continues to be tilted down. Our bodies, as djklaugh mentioned, need time to adjust and this needs to happen slowly and mindfully as you heal.
The continued tilt of the pelvis after the surgery leads to a perception of the operative leg to be long after the surgery but with time and - after more healing has happened - gentle stretching and proper gait and posture eventually resolves the issue.
We have an article on this concern you can check out
Here.
Stick around... lots of friendly advice and support.