THR New Pain 3 Years After THR

[myglasshalffull]

I had bouts of bursitis in both hips even though only one has been replaced.
I alternated with heat & ice & just kept moving & seems to go away.
However, early on I had mentioned to PA & what she told me is if I wanted to do injections to relieve it they do an ultrasound to find precisely where it is & then inject that area, I'm guessing it's some type of steroid they inject. And from how it was explained you go somewhere to have it done not something they do at OS office. I never went any further with it, just did my own ice/heat & it goes away.

 

[Elf1]

@Chocolatine sorry, had power issues here at our house so our internet was sketchy at best. Finally up and running again.

Hoping you got a chance to try a heating pad and got some relief. Also try ointments/sprays that have lidocaine mixed with them, might prove to be helpful. The PA at my new OS office said that you need to be consistent when using the Icy Hot, Ben Gay, etc. You need to put it on everyday, multiple times per day.

They've never really used an xray to diagnose the bursitis. They just do an exam, move my legs this way and that and take into account what I've told them about pain and symptoms. And I'm like @myglasshalffull I have been diagnosed on both sides though have only had right hip replaced.

The shots are a steroid and usually have a little bit of numbing/pain medication mixed in. The OS office that I've had them done in did not use X-Ray or ultrasound to assist. They just basically felt around, took into.account where I said it was painful and administered the shot that way on the outside of my hip. They are pretty good at getting it into the hip joint area by feel. The OS I go to now basically has been doing my knee injections the same way.

 

[Chocolatine]

No worries, @Elf1 I meant to get back to you earlier, but ended up traveling over the holiday weekend. I appreciate the tips on bursitis. I really don't know if that's my issue. When I read the BoneSmart articles on a few conditions, they all ring some bells.

I am writing this out mainly for myself as a record- I go to see my orthopedic surgeon in six weeks or so and I need to have a clear description of things.

I am getting increasingly frustrated with this pain. I have spent a decent amount of time and effort to figure out what triggers it, but it's not clear to me.

The typical pattern has been for me to fall asleep easily at night on my non-operative side and wake up to pain in the early morning. I switch to my back and a brief pain in the front of the hip wakes me. If I get up and walk to the bathroom, I don't feel any discomfort with movement. On my return to bed, I cannot get comfortable on either my side or my back. If I lie on my side, it feels like the tendons of the operative hip are being pulled painfully hard against the prosthetic. Sometimes I get pain just behind the joint, sometimes at the top of my glute. On my back, it feels difficult to straighten my leg. I eventually doze off again, but my sleep feels very disrupted.

I find myself unable to do exercises that I was able to do painlessly two months ago. The bridge is a notable one- I get pain in my groin and the front of my hip if I try. I have not done much PT at all, but if I do anything that resembles a clamshell- like lifting my leg to put a pillow between my knees- I get immediate pain. I am not pushing myself, but it's a big step backwards.

I just can't tell if activity or rest makes things better. Usually I feel much better after an afternoon walk, but I will still wake up in pain. I don't want to make anything worse.

 

[Elf1]

@Chocolatine I'm sorry you're dealing with this and hope you can get some answers, better understanding when you see your surgeon. I know it can get so frustrating, you just want to be back to normal and living your life.

I know it felt like my incision was being pulled, ripped when I would sleep on either side for the longest time. Finally got to where I could sleep okay on my left side but seems like it took forever for my right. Plus we have a tendency to stiffen up when we're sleeping, not moving and that can cause some pain. Wish I had some magical fix to share with you.

 

[Chocolatine]

Hello! I am now six months post-op and things are going pretty well. I have days where I don't think about my hip at all, which is amazing.

Today I went for my first bike ride since surgery and it felt so great. I am still a little leery of getting on and off my bike, but it was fine. Our town has a large network of bike paths and I am looking forward to taking longer rides.

I have been walking, walking, walking. My step counter says my average is about 8500 steps a day, though I had one day that topped 15k. Through experimentation, I have found that my more sedentary days result in increased pain. Has anyone else had the same experience?

I am still considering going to more PT. I feel like I should be stronger than I am at this point, but I am not sure how accurate my self-evaluation is. I also have some continuing bursitis type pain. I put PT off initially because I was still recovering from my gallbladder surgery, but I am also just kind of reluctant to make the call. Think I have appointment fatigue.

On a fun note, my husband and I are taking a trip in June and I am really looking forward to going. It will be the first time I've been on a plane in years. Hoping all the walking I've been doing will serve me well- lots of stuff I want to see.

All in all, I am feeling pretty good six months post-op.

 

[myglasshalffull]

Great update, hope you enjoy your upcoming vacation.

 

[benne68]

Hoping all the walking I've been doing will serve me well- lots of stuff I want to see.

It will! Enjoy your travels.

 

[Chocolatine]

I haven't been active on here for a while, mainly because things were going great for 2+ years. Sorry I am going to be long-winded here.

Do you still change thread titles? Maybe New Pain 3 Years After THR

About 3 weeks ago, I went one of my daily walks. There was nothing special about the walk- no challenging terrain, medium pace, I was in good shoes. I took a step and got a big jolt of pain in my right leg (the one with the implant). The pain was in my thigh, maybe four inches from the crease and I had trouble putting weight on my leg. I have to note here that I did not stumble, or trip, or step on an object- it was a totally normal step about a mile into a pain-free walk. My son was with me, and we discussed whether or not he had to go get the car to pick me up. Eventually I was able to hobble back to the car.

Since that incident, I have had daily pain, mostly in my groin. The pain happens when I put weight on my leg. I am really struggling with the stairs on some days. But I will also have hours where the pain disappears even with weightbearing and stairs. I can do a shortened slow walk most mornings without much trouble. I cannot figure out what triggers the periods of bad pain. I took two days off from walks to see if rest would help. Day one was good, day two brought a lot of pain with no change in activity.

I got an x-ray last week, and nothing special was noted. I have seen my PT to see if he had any insight. I am starting to worry this is throwing up red flags for loosening or infection. Or maybe a tendonitis issue? I tried to get an appointment with my surgeon, but it's been long enough that I will have to get a new referral. I might just try to see someone else.

I am extremely depressed about this whole situation. I was finally where I wanted to be in terms of activity after 10 years of pain and it seems to have been undone in an instant. This is mainly a vent post, but if anyone has had a similar experience, I would love to hear about it.

 

[benne68]

Welcome back, @Chocolatine, although I'm sorry it is under these circumstances. I hope you are able to see someone soon who can diagnose the problem.

Since you were last on the forum, we've implemented a two-tier membership program to help us support the important work BoneSmart does. As a non-profit, we rely entirely on member donations to keep the forum up and running.

You are currently a Basic Member, which means you may search the forum and read others' thread. You may also continue to post here in your Recovery thread. However, if you'd like advice from the staff about your recovery, or if you wish to start a new thread, you should consider joining the Insiders Club. As an Insider, you will receive personalized support to quickly answer any questions or concerns you may have.

Of course, you are welcome to remain a Basic Member if you prefer.

In the meantime, I will update your thread title.

 

[Layla]

Hi Chocolatine,
I am so sorry you're going through this, especially after almost three years of doing so well. I can only imagine how discouraging and frightening it must have felt to experience that sudden jolt of pain, left wondering what it means. The fact that your x-ray looks good is an encouraging sign. Please try not to jump to worst case scenario, easy to caution against, hard to do, I understand. Hopefully PT will help identify what's going on and get you back to where you were just a few weeks ago. Please keep us posted.
Sending a warm hug with wishes this is something treatable and temporary.
@Chocolatine

 

[Chocolatine]

Thanks, @benne68 and @Layla. I am doing my best to be calm about this and not catastrophize, but it's gorgeous out there and I want to walk!

Saw my GP today to get the ball rolling on a referral and discovered the x-ray hadn't actually been read yet. I don't really expect the x-rays to show anything, but I am not sure I will accept "no news is good news" from doctors anymore when it comes to imaging.

I'll consider a premium membership.

 

[Layla]

I don't blame you. Even if the X-ray doesn't show anything, I am sure you're hoping your physician will direct your next steps in an effort to get to the bottom of the daily pain you're struggling with.
Wishing you the best, Chocolatine!
@Chocolatine