THR My thigh muscle is too weak

[Grammy57]

I am back and sorry to say my hip has been aching for the past 2 weeks. It is waking me at night. Usually doesn't hurt during the day but it is today. It is cold and chilly today and I'm wondering if that is a factor. It hurts at the outside but not over the greater trochanter, more towards the front. It also aches along the edge of the hipbone into the upper thigh and groin area. In the groin area, it aches just along the pelvic bone. I'm not sure what's going on and hoping it ends soon.

 

[Layla]

I hope it ends soon too, @Grammy57
Get some rest and take it easy and hopefully what you’ve described will ease. Try to think if there is anything you may have done to aggravate it.

Let us know how you’re doing after a few days of taking it easy. If it continues, consider checking in with your OS’s office for advice.
Best wishes for your comfort.

 

[Grammy57]

Thanks

 

[Grammy57]

I've been absent for quite some time. My hip still hurts most days. Usually, if I've sat too long and when I go to bed at night. I'm just trying to ignore it the best I can. Now my knee hurts most days. Trying to ignore that also. I had plica removed a few years ago and my knee was great for a year or two. I've had 3 surgeries since last November and feel I need a break before tackling anything else.

 

[Grammy57]

I have a question, has anyone had the muscles in their thigh spasm? My muscles have taken to spasms for no apparent reason. The last one was once I sat in the car and had no place to move to relieve the spasm.

 

[Jaycey]

@Grammy57 Many of our members report muscle spasms. Gentle stretches usually relieve this. In addition, a magnesium supplement might help. Here's an article from our Library Magnesium is a star.

 

[Merrimay]

@Grammy57 , I had a terrible time with muscle spasms, especially getting up from a chair or out of a car. Painful!! Jaycey suggested Magnesium, so I got a bottle of Magnesium Oil and would massage the area 3 times a day and/or during a spasm. Improvement was noticeable but took about two weeks until they became a thing of the past. So sorry you're experiencing it.

 

[Grammy57]

@Grammy57 , I had a terrible time with muscle spasms, especially getting up from a chair or out of a car. Painful!! Jaycey suggested Magnesium, so I got a bottle of Magnesium Oil and would massage the area 3 times a day and/or during a spasm. Improvement was noticeable but took about two weeks until they became a thing of the past. So sorry you're experiencing it.

Thank you. I will try magnesium. The last one was in the car and I could do nothing to ease it.

 

[Debru4]

I experienced muscle spasms after my hip replacement surgery, and want to second (and third.....) the suggestions to try magnesium. In fact, years later I still take it each night, as I found it also helped with restless legs and with helping me relax to sleep better.

Are your spasms related to a specific surgery, an ongoing issue, or just out of the blue? No matter the cause, they are so painful, and once they take hold it's hard to manage the pain.

After my hip replacement, when I first stood up out of the chair or the car, I gave myself a minute to gently stretch and kind of work the kinks out before I charged off walking. When riding in a car I tried to do ankle rolls and gentle leg flexes to get ahead of the tightening. I continue to do these when I ride long distances in a car or plane.

Another supplement to ask your doctor about is turmeric/curcumin, which is an excellent anti-inflammatory. It helps with pain relief and a number of other issues. While it has been well researched, it's always good to make certain that supplements are compatible with your other medications.

I found that the muscle spasms, "log leg", and feeling like I was sitting on a rock or hard tennis ball on my bottom, gradually left. Sure hope the same happens to you. Take care.

 

[Grammy57]

I experienced muscle spasms after my hip replacement surgery, and want to second (and third.....) the suggestions to try magnesium. In fact, years later I still take it each night, as I found it also helped with restless legs and with helping me relax to sleep better.

Are your spasms related to a specific surgery, an ongoing issue, or just out of the blue? No matter the cause, they are so painful, and once they take hold it's hard to manage the pain.

After my hip replacement, when I first stood up out of the chair or the car, I gave myself a minute to gently stretch and kind of work the kinks out before I charged off walking. When riding in a car I tried to do ankle rolls and gentle leg flexes to get ahead of the tightening. I continue to do these when I ride long distances in a car or plane.

Another supplement to ask your doctor about is turmeric/curcumin, which is an excellent anti-inflammatory. It helps with pain relief and a number of other issues. While it has been well researched, it's always good to make certain that supplements are compatible with your other medications.

I found that the muscle spasms, "log leg", and feeling like I was sitting on a rock or hard tennis ball on my bottom, gradually left. Sure hope the same happens to you. Take care.

My spasms are definitely related to my THR. It is just over the anterior incision. It happens if I stretch my leg or just out of the blue. It's frustrating because my surgery was years ago. I occasionally still get groin pain also. I had the THR and about 18 months later I had psoas tendon release. I've never felt 100% better. I'm better than before surgery, for sure but not as I expected.

 

[Arjay]

That has to be so worrisome and frustrating. But having just finished reading a thread here about someone whose post-hip issue turned out to be spinal (after a very long period of sleuthing), it does make one wonder…..

I have a thread somewhere here, from more than a year ago, of a very painful front-of-thigh spasm issue that started up about 6 months after the THR. It lasted (in various manifestations) for about 9 months. And then…..disappeared as mysteriously as it arrived. Our bodies really can be befuddling.

 

[Grammy57]

That has to be so worrisome and frustrating. But having just finished reading a thread here about someone whose post-hip issue turned out to be spinal (after a very long period of sleuthing), it does make one wonder…..

I have a thread somewhere here, from more than a year ago, of a very painful front-of-thigh spasm issue that started up about 6 months after the THR. It lasted (in various manifestations) for about 9 months. And then…..disappeared as mysteriously as it arrived. Our bodies really can be befuddling.

I so agree. I am dealing with cervical spine issues myself. I had 3 level fusion 11/22 and the lowest level did not fully fuse. I am back to wearing a bone growth stimulator in hopes of avoiding a 2nd surgery.

 

[Debru4]

I had back surgery in 2009 to repair a ruptured disc and clear out bone that was impinging a nerve, causing horrific sciatica. (laminectomy) Per the back MRI that were done prior to my surgery, I also had 2 additional bulging disks that we opted not to treat in order to avoid a fusion, since it was clear the pain was coming from the L4/5 area. The surgery was a great success.

9 years later when I found out I needed my hip replaced, my surgeon cautioned me that I might still have pain/sciatica after the surgery, since part of the pain might be coming from my back, as well as the hip. He said the two things often existed concurrently and while he was 100% sure I needed the hip replaced, he couldn't guarantee complete pain relief, as the MRI of my back that they did prior to my hip surgery indicated the bulging disks still were there. My hip replacement was a huge success, and the severe pain had indeed been coming from the hip.

However, I continue to have some back pain that is worse at some times than others. I suspect that at some point I will need PT or further surgery. But I hesitate to push my luck with another surgery, as I know there always is a risk that things won't go as well. Given your pain has remained for so long, have you considered requesting further tests to rule out other possible causes? Lab work, MRI, etc.??I feel badly for you that despite all of your best efforts and your positive attitude you continue to deal with this ongoing pain.

 

[Grammy57]

I had back surgery in 2009 to repair a ruptured disc and clear out bone that was impinging a nerve, causing horrific sciatica. (laminectomy) Per the back MRI that were done prior to my surgery, I also had 2 additional bulging disks that we opted not to treat in order to avoid a fusion, since it was clear the pain was coming from the L4/5 area. The surgery was a great success.

9 years later when I found out I needed my hip replaced, my surgeon cautioned me that I might still have pain/sciatica after the surgery, since part of the pain might be coming from my back, as well as the hip. He said the two things often existed concurrently and while he was 100% sure I needed the hip replaced, he couldn't guarantee complete pain relief, as the MRI of my back that they did prior to my hip surgery indicated the bulging disks still were there. My hip replacement was a huge success, and the severe pain had indeed been coming from the hip.

However, I continue to have some back pain that is worse at some times than others. I suspect that at some point I will need PT or further surgery. But I hesitate to push my luck with another surgery, as I know there always is a risk that things won't go as well. Given your pain has remained for so long, have you considered requesting further tests to rule out other possible causes? Lab work, MRI, etc.??I feel badly for you that despite all of your best efforts and your positive attitude you continue to deal with this ongoing pain.

I'm sorry for your problems also. I have thought about it, but I have other issues as well. I thought my next thing would be to have my knee looked at as at times I can't even bend it and other times it is perfectly fine. But, my cervical spine caused so much pain that I addressed that issue first and both of those issues are worse than my hip. I'm just so disappointed that it didn't turn out better, I guess. Thanks for the info and I will update if I go forward with this. The other thing about going forward is finding a new Dr as my Dr moved to state.

 

[Naps]

@SaraK
" I recently had to get a special pillow for side sleepers using a CPAP (just got my first CPAP recently)."

I know it's been very long and you might not see this, but if you do, can you tell me the pillow that you bought? I am struggling with the same c-pap issue and would love to try such a pillow.
Thanks!

 

[SaraK]

I don’t have the specific info available but search cpap pillow on Amazon and you should have several options. Mine is a memory foam shaped pillow

 

[Grammy57]

I am just over 4 years post-op with anterior total hip replacement. It has not been an easy journey. First I had a lot of pain for the first year. They then did a tendon release. That helped with the constant pain but my thigh muscles are so weak. I can only lift my leg, when standing at a 45-degree angle at best. I have also started to have muscle spasms if I stretch the muscle. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for the spasms. I've had so many other things going on I put this on the back burner so to speak. I'm afraid to wait too much longer as the weakness is increasing. My original surgeon moved out of state. The surgeon in the practice who did the tendon release just isn't a good fit for me. Any suggestions or things to try? I'm wondering if it could be scar tissue. If that's the case I'm not sure how to address it as more surgery would form more scars. Thanks.

 

[Jockette]

I am almost 2.5 years post-op with anterior total hip replacement.

I see you had a THR on December 5, 2019. Have you had another one since then?

 

[Grammy57]

@Jockette , no, I got my ACDF and THR mixed up. I will have to fix that. So, it's been just over 4 years.

 

[Jockette]

I am just over 4 years post-op with anterior total hip replacement. It has not been an easy journey.

I’m sorry you’ve had such a tough time. My almost 7 year PKR journey has been tough, also.

By the way, I merged your newest THR thread with your original THR recovery thread, as we prefer that members in recovery have only one thread.

This benefits you because all your information is in one place, easy to find, and maintains a nice journal for you.

This also benefits our staff, as your information is all in one place, and we often go back through your thread for previous details, so we know what you‘ve been through which helps us advise you better.

So, please keep all your posts in this thread. If you’d like a new title, let us know what you want, and we’ll change it for you.

Many members bookmark their thread in their computer browser, so they can find it when they log on.
How can I find my threads and posts?

Best wishes on your continuing recovery!