Revision Dislocation

[RickGreen]

I had a total hip done on my right side in 1994. No problems until April this year. Doc said I had worn through the liner ( poly ) and a hip revision was necessary. Procedure was done 9-11. Third week at home, somehow while sleeping, and wearing a brace, I rolled over and the hip dislocated. Strange thing is I was ablw to get out of bed and I noticed the leg was turned outward and several inches shorter .... I was able to put it on the floor, turn into it and the lenght came back and it was ok. No trip to hospital. I have been walking with a cane for a month, am able to walk 20=30 minutes with no problem. However, I have noticed rotational instability. I stepped on a rock and I felt the leg roll sideways, but it did not dislocate. Well, today, I was standing putting weight on the operated hip while pulling pants up left leg and must have put tension on it because it popped out and I fell to floor. I don't believe was exceeding 90 degrees .... I was able to pull myself up to my feet by using the door, and again was able to relocate by placing foot on floor and turning right while holding weight on leg .... anybody ever heard of this? I have an appointment 11-10 and will discuss with doc.

Rick

 

[Judles]

Yikes? I thought you had a revision to correct the problem in the first place! WHAT fell to the floor? Why are you waiting so lomg??? Go to the ER if your oS doesn't have time to fit you into his busy schedule! This is serious stuff!!!

 

[JudyS]

Welcome Rick. Amazing stories. I thought is was supposed to be extremely painful when a hip dislocates. What kind of pain did you have? I guess you will be seeing your doc in a few days. Please post as to what he says is going on, I have never heard of it.
judy

 

[RickGreen]

This is what is strange .... when I fell to the floor, the foot was turned to the right .... this happened once before when I rolled over in bed ( 3 weeks after surgery ) ... both times I have been able to get the length back just by putting weight on that leg and turning my body to the right. I thought a dislocation required a trip to the ER .... I have been walking since the event and the pain is not really any worse that before the event. There is no point going to the ER as I am walking and the leg is as before. It cannot be coming completely out of the cup or I would not be able to get it back in ( or right ) just by turning into it.

 

[Judles]

And your satisfied with THAT, Rick????

 

[Jamie]

Rick, there might not be any need to get to an ER if you are not in dire pain, but you do need to get to your surgeon as soon as possible. This is not a good situation and it needs attention.

It may be you need a second opinion also if your surgeon does not take some action to fix your problem.

 

[Josephine]

It's not as bizarre as it seems. What you are suffering is an unstable joint which results in subluxations rather than full blown dislocations. This means the head has slipped out of place but is balanced on the rim of the cup so you can get it to slip back in again. There is little pain involved with this.

On the other hand, a full dislocation means the head has come right out of the cup and is riding up above it in the muscles. It would not be possible for a slight readjustment of the leg to make this pop back into place as it needs a strong pull on the leg to get it down there. It's also an extremely painful experience and you would be unlikely to be able to put much weight on it.

I couldn't find images on the net to illustrate this so did my best with some old prostheses out of my box!

............ subluxed THR .............................. dislocated THR
​

.......

The other point is, would I be correct in assuming you had a full joint replacement and not just the liner replaced? Because if this be so, then this is a sign that the cup and/or the stem is incorrectly positioned. This needs attending to by an experienced revision surgeon and, were I in your shoes, I would be seeking a second opinion as well as reporting this to the original surgeon.

Have you got xrays of this new hip and if so, can you post them here so I can take a look? Would be a strictly personal opinion, of course!

 

[RickGreen]

Hello,

Thanks for the info and the pictures. I will get a copy of the xrays on Tuesday of next week when I go to the appt. I am fine today... a little sore in my back from falling to the floor.

Rick

 

[JudyS]

Rick be careful now and can't wait to hear what your surgeon says. Monday look for revision specialists
judy