THR Popping sensation in my hip

Jolaw

junior member
Joined
Apr 19, 2021
Messages
21
Age
64
Country
United Kingdom United Kingdom
Gender
Female
Hi everyone, I am 4 weeks post THR and have been up and down with recovery. I live in a very hilly area so my walks have been challenging, I find downhill worse than up. Last night in bed, I started to turn over (very carefully) and felt a pop in my hip area - obviously I was terrified and thought I had dislocated but it was painless and I could move my leg ok. Have managed to get downstairs with one crutch and without pain, have done my physio exercises with no pain so I think everything is ok. Has anyone else experienced anything like this and should I be worried. Thanks for reading, this is a great forum to read for reassurance and info!
 
@Jolaw Welcome to BoneSmart and the other side of surgery!

That popping sensation is very common post THR. All the soft tissues, muscles and tendons still need to firm up around that new joint. You may feel this for awhile.

Please don't worry about dislocation. If you dislocated you would be in agony and could not move.

Easy does it on the physio. Hips don't really need a lot of that. Walking is the best exercise for a new hip.

Here are your recovery guidelines:
Hip Recovery: The Guidelines
We are all different, as are the approaches to this recovery and rehab. The key is, “Find what works for YOU.“ Your doctor(s), physiotherapist(s) and BoneSmart are here to help. But you have the final decision as to what approach you use.

1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary
2. Control discomfort:
rest
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​
3. Do what you want to do BUT
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you​
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.​
4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of this BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy
5. Here is a week-by-week guide for Activity progression for THRs
6. Access these pages on the website

Pain management and the pain chart
Healing: how long does it take?
Chart representation of THR recovery

Dislocation risk and 90 degree rule
Energy drain for THRs
Pain and swelling control: elevation is the key
Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

BIG TIP: Hips actually don't need any exercise to get better. They do a pretty good job of it all on their own if given half a chance. Trouble is, people don't give them a chance and end up with all sorts of aches and pains and sore spots. All they need is the best therapy which is walking and even then not to excess.

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.

While members may create as many threads as they like in a majority of BoneSmart's forums, we ask that each member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice.
 
Thank you so much for the reassurance and advice, I really appreciate it x
 
@Jolaw What date was your surgery and which hip. I'll put the information in your signature for you.
 
Hi Jaycey, My op was on the 22nd March 2021.
Thanks so much
 
Sorry, it was right hip
 
J you will as I have found 4 to 6 weeks an acceleration towards better mobility, you were brave kipping on your side 4 week (or was you just turning) it seems from my limited experience all these idiosyncrasies and fears are common and it’s comforting (sorry folk) most people suffer / experience .
I mentioned the dreaded D word to the surgeon (exactly like that) and she laughed and said it was rare as rare, in fact she hadn’t seen if for it too happen and if you do get really really unlucky, you will know about it.

Icing does good when any little incident as such happens, even in bed in the wee small hours. Next 2 weeks you will feel a lot better.
 
Thank you JohnWilky. I think I’m over anxious as I met a guy in the hospital, just as I was waiting for my post op X-ray, he’d had 6 dislocations!! It frightened the life out of me even though the surgeon said it was very, very rare and usually because of some underlying problem or the fact that someone vaulted a wall or similar. I was told I could sleep on any side but, I must admit, I don’t usually sleep on the operated side. I don’t think I’ll do that again in a hurry! Thank you for the reassurance and I hope I’m about to turn that corner!
 
Hi @Jolaw

I, too, was terrified that I would dislocate. I was worried when I sneezed while my hip was near a "prohibited" position. My surgeon put the fear of God in me about it and my physical therapist kept reassuring me that I would have to exert major force to dislocate.

Looking back, I wish I had relaxed a bit. It wears on you to be worried about EVERYTHING (and I was!).
 
I didn't feel a pop in my hip when I first rolled over but it was very uncomfortable like it was pulling out of the socket. I did get an odd clicking sensation at times when walking, I believe it was just a tendon rubbing something and it went away. Walking in hilly areas was really tough early on for me. I live in the mountains so there is no flat ground unless a bulldozer made it. I went to the park for the flat walking track to avoid the hills early on.
I don't think being extremely aware of the restrictions early on is a bad thing. It gives the area directly around the joint an easier time to heal and secure the joint.
 
I feel the same as you and I am quite tense too, it’s taking its toll on my lower back. I will try to relax a bit more and not worry whether I’m not doing enough or doing too much, it’s all been one big worry fest. It’s lovely to be on here and find I’m not alone. Thank you for your support, i really appreciate it.
 
I think the hills are really tough to deal with early on, I find it hurts a lot after I’ve been walking the steep one so I tend to do circuits of the village, which just has inclines not actual hills. You’re probably right, being a bit more cautious and aware is protective early on and stops us from doing too much. I hope you have fully recovered now and are enjoying your walks a lot more.
 
Hi Jolaw, just a tip - if you want to answer a members post there is no need to quote. Just scoot down to the empty posting box and tag that member. To tag put the "@" symbol in front of their user name and a dropdown box will appear. Select the correct member and you are there. Like this @Jolaw . The tag will show in blue when you post the reply.
 
Ah, thank you - I couldn’t see how to do it, now I know
 
Hi again, Sorry to post again so soon, I have SO many questions! I had my THR one month ago and I have a crunchy, popping sensation around my scar and side of hip when I walk or bend my knees. If I put my hand on it you can feel something moving around with each step, my husband could also feel it. I’m trying to increase my walking but this is making me a bit cautious as I don’t know what it is. It’s not terribly painful but is a bit uncomfortable and I’m not sure if it’s scar tissue or tendons. Has anyone else experienced this and should I be worried? I called the hospital physio but he just said to mention it to the surgeon at my follow up phone call, which is next month. There’s not an awful lot of support at the moment due to Covid restrictions and the fact that there are no face to face appointments.
 
Ask as many questions as you need to! That's why we are here!

This is related to the "popping" sensation you reported earlier. Everything needs to firm up around the joint. At only one month out this process is just beginning.

You will notice that I merged your newest post with your original recovery thread. For several reasons, we prefer that you only have one recovery thread:
  • That way, we have all your information in one place. This makes it easier to go back and review your history before providing advice.
  • If you keep starting new threads, you miss the posts and advice others have left for you in the old threads, and some information may be unnecessarily repeated
  • Having only one thread will act as a diary of your progress that you can look back on.
Please post any updates, questions or concerns about your recovery here. If you prefer a different thread title, just post what you want and we will get it changed for you.

If you need an urgent response to a question, just tag a member of staff.

Many members bookmark their thread in their computer browser, so they can find it when they log on.
 
Thank you Jaycey, I wasn’t sure it was the same thing as I have been having this whilst walking and moving around, not just an isolated incident. You have reassured me that it is the same cause so thank you very much for your speedy reply.
x
 
Happy One Month Anniversary!
Glad, Jaycey, reassured you on this special day. Hope it’s a good one! :)
@Jolaw
 
Thank you so much Layla x
 
I think you're feeling what I felt, in my case it went away when things healed. It's kind of like when you stretch a rubber band to it's limits and it just gets limp. Luckily we're not made of rubber bands and somehow our tendons and muscles regain their form and heal if we allow them.
 

BoneSmart #1 Best Blog

Staff online

  • mendogal
    Staff member since November 10, 2023

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
65,179
Messages
1,597,053
BoneSmarties
39,363
Latest member
HikerWalker
Recent bookmarks
0
Back
Top Bottom