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Painless hip clunk: should I worry?

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@debkakes Hi there ~ nice to see you! It sounds like you are really getting near the end of your real recovery and moving forward in leaps and bounds. Keep up the great work!
 
Great to hear you are doing so well!!! Sometimes not hearing from one of our members is a good thing and it means the person is doing so well that they "forget" we're here. That's just fine! Our wish is for you to get back to your normal life as soon as possible.
 
16 weeks, and I have a mixed report.

I took a 3-week trip to visit my family, and proceeded to eat too much and not get much exercise, and basically completely neglected my PT. Now, at 4 months, I am more uncomfortable, less strong, and in more diverse pain than at 3 months. I am sort of disgusted with myself. Instead of relishing physical activity and doing more and more, I am hobbled, limping, and in pain. I haven't started using a cane again (well, I actually did for a trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium a couple of weeks ago). My piriformis and adductor muscles are stiff and painful most of the time.

I guess a 3 week total break from PT can do this. I am not worried, although a friend of mine who had a mucked-up knee replacement (with symptoms presenting at about the 3 month point) is telling me I should go see my surgeon. I think I just need to buckle down, increase my PT despite my discomfort, get back in the pool (literally), and walk my two miles a day. I have already lost 5 of the 10 lbs I gained just from getting back to normal eating and a little more exercise and PT.

My partner is very supportive, and tells me not to be too hard on myself. So I'm not, I'm just trying to make up some lost ground.
 
I can tell you that pushing yourself to exercise when you're in pain is definitely not the answer. The first thing we need to do is determine where your pain is.

Once you've located the pain point, please tell me if it is constant or does it come and go? Is it associated with any particular movements?
 
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@debkakes Jamie is so right - pushing your PT will only set you back further and bring on more frustration. Walking is the best PT for THR. Do let Jamie know where your pain is located and what brings it on.
 
@debkakes. Your partner is soooo right....take it easy on yourself & don't push too hard.....at 16 weeks your body is still healing and it might have been the long trip that caused your pain not lack of PT.....sleeping in different beds, sitting for long periods, etc. ease yourself back into your schedule & use a cane if you need it. I used mine on and off for 6 months. It may feel like a setback but I hope the pains ease off soon. Chrissie x


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Hi there @debkakes - you might like to read this article when you feel up to it :)

The following is a link to an article which provides the current science regarding the healing beneath and around the implant and approximate timeframes for the healing phases and processes and the relevant nutritional information for each phase.

Healing Phases & Nutrition
 
All is well all around. It took me a while to get my muscle strength back on target. All the pain I was feeling was due to lack of exercise, plus cold and wet weather we are not used to these days on the central coast in CA. I am back on target, and today went on my first bike ride. It felt great! I hope to be winding up visits to the PT next week, and proceeding on my own. Looking to buy a tandem kayak very soon, our first! Very excited to get on the water == also am planning on joining an outrigger rowing club in Spring. Rowing out amongst the whales, otters, and sea lions sounds like a lovely way to spend some hours every week! Very excited to be back on track, feeling stronger, and almost pain free.
 
@debkakes Seems like you're back on track! Congrats! I am/was a very active person too and I am curious about the kayaking. Did you discuss with your PT regarding your intention to start rowing? I don't mean to burst your bubble, but the rowing action taxes the hips A LOT. I do realize that abs, lats and arms do most of the hard work but wouldn't the repetitive action of leaning forward be putting a lot of stress on your hips? Please let me know what your PT advises.

I'm at the 6 weeks mark and will follow your advice to not give up on daily exercising and good eating habits! Hopefully my recovery will continue without any setbacks! I am currently walking with walking poles, they help me maintain proper posture and allow for me to go at a much faster pace than on crutches! I also am doing many daily glute and quad exercises as well as modified yoga poses! I intend to go to the gym and hop on a stationary bike later this week. Also planning a trip to the pool for some aqua-exercises!
Feeling stronger every day!

Cheers!


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I probably should have told my surgeon about this a long time ago -- I am 3 years with my left HR, Zimmer unit, very successful surgery. I have no pain, and am a relatively active person. My hip does clunk, though, but only in the following circumstance: when I am lying down, raise my leg to 90 degrees. It clunks when I lower it. I think it's been well over a year (I had my right hip replaced about a year ago, no problems at all with it); since it doesn't hurt, I haven't really thought about it that much, but I told my husband and he got really concerned. Now I've been reading up on what can be wrong, and am getting nervous.

I'm heading to the doc for my 1-year follow up for the right hip, and will definitely tell him about it then; husband says try to get in earlier. Has anyone had this symptom be an indicator of a faulty replacement, and had to have a revision? It doesn't clunk in my normal activities (walking, biking, swimming), only with the leg lifts. I'm only about 10 lbs overweight, so I don't think it's that. Thanks for your input!
 
Hi Debkakes,
I would call the OS office and let them know your hip has a painless clunk when you raise it to 90 degrees. If it were me I would quit the leg raises until after you see the OS.
Others will be along who are more familiar with hip clunks and advise.
All the best,
 
You may notice that I have merged your post into your previous recovery thread. We like to keep our members' recovery posts all in a single thread. That way it's easy for us to go back and read your history before responding to a question or concern. In addition, the thread becomes a journal of your recovery for those who come along later and want to read about you. So, please post in this thread from now on when you want to give an update or ask a question. If you decide you'd like a different thread title at any point, you can change it by using the Thread Tools button at the top right of your screen or just post what you want here and we'll get it changed for you.

The fact that there is no pain with the clunking sound you're experiencing would tell me you don't have anything to worry about. But for sure discuss it with your surgeon when you see him so he can take a good look.
 
That sounds to me like it may be a tendon snap. If so, that's harmless. I have a tendon snap, just like you describe, in my non-THR leg. My THR leg doesn't have it. I do think it's worth mentioning to your surgeon when you see him though, just to put your mind at ease.
 
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