THR Made it to the Hip Side!

[Momo Lee]

Thank You @benne68 and @Layla for the encouraging words. Thank You for reminding me that I’m still in the early stages of recovery and there’s a whole lotta healing that still needs to happen. My patience muscle needs to start working again.

I am not pushing too hard with PT.

 

[springs12]

Got your message on my thread! I love it! We are Hippy Sisters for Life!

I was reading about your stiffness and trouble straightening. I am able to stand up straight, but I attribute that to two things. I have been gently stretching for two weeks which has felt so good, but like I said, super gentle. I also would attribute it to the fact that I have always been a bit more bendy in my hip area because of hip dysplasia. Like others have mentioned, it seems like as you continue to progress, things seem to slowly start to work themselves out.

Keep up the good work! You got this!

 

[Momo Lee]

Hi @springs12 my Hippy Sister! Hope you are having a great day as you continue your upward path to recovery!
Thank You for sharing about the gentle stretching and the bendiness in your hip. Makes sense.
Yep, @Layla and @benne68 are totally correct that patience is key and I do notice that as days go by I’m not at stiff.
Take care my Hippy Sister! You’re Amazing!

 

[springs12]

@Momo Lee Thanks for checking in and sending a little love on my thread. I keep checking in to see how you are doing. I'm guessing progressing well....at least that is what my hope is. . How is your standing up straight going? How is PT? How's the groin pull upon lifting your leg? My PA had me doing some different movements to try to figure out if it is my psoas or rectus femoris. I guess those are often the two culprits for that nagging groin pull.

I hope you have a lovely weekend, and again, thanks for popping in an giving a little encouragement.

 

[Momo Lee]

Hi @springs12, Hope you are having a wonderful weekend and experiencing less discomfort. Time has passed quickly, and we’re already past our 6 week mark. Sending you lots of positive energy as you overcome your healing challenges.

I am doing well. I still experience quite a bit of pain at night, so I continue to take Gabapentin right before sleep. I am able to stand straighter than before, PT seems to help a lot with my range of motion. Thank you for asking.

However, my non-operative hip (right side) is now having groin pain. My OS said my right hip X-ray looked normal. I have a question for our fellow hipsters: Can osteoarthritis occur a few months after a normal X-ray?

 

[Jaycey]

Can osteoarthritis occur a few months after a normal X-ray?

In my case it was in an area not well identified by x-ray or a CT scan. I was lucky that my surgeon trusted that the pain I was having was an issue. Sure enough, once they accessed the joint they did see OA.

 

[Momo Lee]

Thank You @Jaycey for your reply. Kudos to you and your OS for pushing forward to identify the root cause of your pain.

 

[springs12]

@Momo Lee Saw your post on my page! You are so sweet! How are YOU doing?

 

[Sammy-Am]

@Momo Lee Thanks for checking in and sending a little love on my thread. I keep checking in to see how you are doing. I'm guessing progressing well....at least that is what my hope is. . How is your standing up straight going? How is PT? How's the groin pull upon lifting your leg? My PA had me doing some different movements to try to figure out if it is my psoas or rectus femoris. I guess those are often the two culprits for that nagging groin pull.

I hope you have a lovely weekend, and again, thanks for popping in an giving a little encouragement.

Hi springs!

I’m lurking on here, but am curious what different movements the PA had you try.

Best

 

[Momo Lee]

Hi @springs12 Thank you for checking in!

Overall I’m doing well. Still icing regularly and taking Gabapentin at night.

I’ve had knee issues prior to the THR (due to long distance running for 35+ years) and now my knees are acting up. Going down stairs are a killer. I’ve read in this forum that it’s common for knees to hurt after THR, so I’m going to keep monitoring it.

I would love to hear comments from anyone who has experienced anything similar. Thank You!

 

[springs12]

@Momo Lee I'm glad you are overall doing well. It's definitely a journey. You may have mentioned, but do you have a lot of nerve pain from the procedure then? I still like icing, but I don't do it too much anymore. I did it today a couple times because I was way too active, but I didn't really have a choice unless I wanted to run out of food for a 5 and 9 year old. Then I'd be really miserable. Haha.

Sorry to hear your knees are acting up. My back really acted up, but my PT has done a ton to help bc it was impacting my ability to walk.

 

[Momo Lee]

@springs12 Yes, it’s truly a journey of recovery!

Glad that your PT has helped with your back pain.

I’m taking Gabapentin at night, and the nerve pain has really subsided.

Keep up the good work!

 

[Momo Lee]

Hi Everyone!

I’ve had knee issues prior to the THR (due to long distance running for 35+ years) and now my knees are acting up. Going down stairs have always been painful. I’ve read in this forum that it’s common for knees to hurt after THR, so I’m going to keep monitoring it.

I would love to hear comments from anyone who has experienced worsening knee pain after hip replacement.

Thank You!

 

[Hippie Chick]

Very new to this process- please keep posting updates! They are answering questions really well! I am storing the information for when I get to that stage

 

[benne68]

anyone who has experienced worsening knee pain after hip replacement.

That would describe me! About a year after my RTHR in 2019, my right knee went downhill rapidly. Because of COVID, I had to wait another year -- until 2021 -- to have a TKR.

Sometimes, post-op discomfort can be due to our body learning how to realign itself after surgery. It's not uncommon to have pain and discomfort in knees, ankles and back after a THR.

However, the fact that you have a history of knee problems, it's also possible that the arthritis in you knees is advancing. Unfortunately, some of us with bad arthritis in one joint do eventually develop it in other joints. if you scan the signatures on some of our long-time members, you will see multiple joint replacements.

If it's simply the body realigning, the pain should lessened with time and movement. It it doesn't improve, though, you might want to have x-rays done to see if it is arthritis.

 

[Momo Lee]

Hi @benne68
Thank You so much for your informative reply!

Oh my, that must’ve been so rough for you to have to wait so long for your TKR!

I just completed 9 weeks of PT. I couldn’t do some of the exercises because it hurt my knees, but I still reaped the benefits of PT for my hip recovery.

I looked at my knee X-ray notes from 2011, and it showed mild patellofemoral joint space narrowing and some swelling in the knee joint. At that time, no action was taken (other than Tylenol), and I kept running.

I will monitor my knee pain and will request for X-rays if needed.

 

[benne68]

knee X-ray notes from 2011

That was a looooonnnggg time ago in joint years!

In addition to monitoring for pain, it's a good idea to take a look at your legs in a full-length mirror. If you notice that one (or both) of your knees is curving out or in (bow-legged or knock-kneed), you'll want to have it checked. This can happen as the medial or lateral joint space narrows, and can be a sign that you have reach bone-on-bone in one of the compartments.

If you do notice that, don't wait too long; if it becomes too severe, the surgeon will need to straighten your leg during the knee replacement to correct the condition. That's what happened to my poor knee because of the pandemic wait. The leg was badly bowed -- but now I have a nice straight leg!

 

[Momo Lee]

Thank You @benne68 for always replying to my messages, even when I ask silly questions.

That was a looooonnnggg time ago in joint years!

You’re right, a lot can happen to our joints in 12 years.

In addition to monitoring for pain, it's a good idea to take a look at your legs in a full-length mirror. If you notice that one (or both) of your knees is curving out or in (bow-legged or knock-kneed), you'll want to have it checked. This can happen as the medial or lateral joint space narrows, and can be a sign that you have reach bone-on-bone in one of the compartments.

If you do notice that, don't wait too long; if it becomes too severe, the surgeon will need to straighten your leg during the knee replacement to correct the condition.

I will take a good hard look at my knees. Thank You!

That's what happened to my poor knee because of the pandemic wait. The leg was badly bowed -- but now I have a nice straight leg!

So glad your leg is nice and straight!

 

[benne68]

@Momo Lee There is no such thing as a silly question!

We've all been there and for every one of us, our first joint replacement is like a "journey through the wilderness." Asking questions helps us find our pathway through the rough.

Keep asking! Your questions help others who are just starting their journeys.

 

[Momo Lee]

I believe this is unrelated to my LTHR, but I twisted my right knee 10 days ago, and it’s still bothering me. The X-rays show Tricompartmental osteophytosis, with small suprapatellar effusion. The OS said my knee looks great, so there’s no action needed. She said if it continues to hurt I should consider a cortisone shot.
I had 4 cortisone shots in my hip, and it didn’t help. I started getting Cushing Syndrome symptoms because of the frequent shots, so I will probably not get the shot in my knee.

I am icing, elevating and taking ibuprofen, and there’s no improvement. Should I monitor it for a month and hope for the best? I do low impact exercises, so I don’t think going to PT will help.

Welcome any thoughts?