Rookie with thigh/knee pain

[Relaxed]

Hello, 45 yr-old male from Orlando area. I found this forum yesterday and am very excited about it. Had my total right hip replacement 19 days ago. Still on a walker (for 5 weeks), Dr. said due to the bone grafts I needed in the socket. I'm walking (on walker) daily and can do most everything for myself (though I have a wife and two young kids that love to help).

My only real complaint (besides pure boredom) is my thigh/knee get sore quickly. Not when I'm walking (that feels great), but sitting/laying. Especially if my knee is bent for any amount of time. The thigh muscles are REAL tight. If I bend my knee 90 degrees (while standing of course) the pull on the thigh is tremendous. If I keep my leg straight while sitting, it's not as bad, but still gets sore. Is this normal? I haven't seen much mention of it in previous post.

If I could sleep/sit for more than a few hours at a time (working from home, computer programmer), life would be great. But I can't. I'm just sleeping when I can and working when awake (during the week), even it it's in the middle of the night.

I've decide to start taking 2 vicodin again (stopped 3-4 days ago) when I go to sleep. I hate to go back to that, but it does help sleeping a bit.

I assume this will all go away eventually, but would like to know if anyone else had knee/thigh issues and if you think the a couple a vicodin a day after almost 3 weeks is excessive. So far the hip itself has been fairly pain free. Plus, I love the fact my foot actually points somewhat straight when I walk, it used to be at a 90 degree angle.

Thanks for any input.

 

[Jamie]

Welcome, Relaxed! I love your BoneSmart name!!!

I am from the knee side, but I'm sure fellow "hippies" will chime in to your post soon. One thing I can assure you of, being on prescription pain meds at your stage in recovery is just fine if you need them. And from what you describe, it sounds as though you DO need to take them with some regularity. They truly help in your recovery by relieving that constant pain you are describing. And they allow you to sleep better. Both help in your recovery. When your body has to fight pain, it takes energy away from the healing process!!

And so glad to hear that your foot is pointing the way toward your new pain-free life!!! Congratulations on your successes!!

 

[Josephine]

My only real complaint (besides pure boredom) is my thigh/knee get sore quickly. Not when I'm walking (that feels great), but sitting/laying. Especially if my knee is bent for any amount of time. The thigh muscles are REAL tight. If I bend my knee 90 degrees (while standing of course) the pull on the thigh is tremendous. If I keep my leg straight while sitting, it's not as bad, but still gets sore. Is this normal? I haven't seen much mention of it in previous post.

Oy vey!

You had a bone graft and you're cutting back on your pain meds at 2 weeks? Please tell me you're kidding! I take it this was your own bone and not from a bone bank? If it was, the pain you are getting is most likely from the iliac crest (hip bone) where they took the bone from as depicted here

Whether you had an anterior or posterior approach, the iliac crest can be accessed through the same incision but requires the muscles to be pulled aside with some force. Hence the muscle tightness and pain. Yes, that's right - PAIN! Therefore, though you correctly state that such a situation hasn't been the topic of conversation here, it is pretty normal for your situation. And you "hate" to go back on tablets? Why do guys always feel they have to tough this out? Get back on those pills! This is not going to go away on its own, not yet anyway. Being bone it will take a bit longer than the soft tissue to heal. Finally, iliac crest bone grafts are infamous for being painful.

As for the sleep issue - that's very normal and most people have problems.

 

[JudyS]

Welcome Relaxed
Ilove your name too. congrats on the new hip.
As Jo said the pain from a bone graft (I have not experienced that) is prettybad from what I have heard.
My surgeon (who always wants me to cut way back on pain meds) told me when I had cervical fusion that he does not use a person's own bone as it is more painful than the surgery itself.

Anyway I had my right hip replaced on June 6th and surely took pain meds for about 4 months. On a very regular basis at your very early point in recovery. If you look around at the posts, you will see Jo's wonderful pain chart . I is very hard to play catch up when the pain gets strong.
You are in pain , take the pain meds and the stool softeners.
It will get better and you will naturally cut back. But maybe not for a few months.
Sleep is so very important for recovery. It is much easier to sleep if you are not in pain. At your stage, when I would wake up, I did take pain meds if enough time had elapsed. Big difference in sleep.
I just recently had back surgery and was sent to a pain management doc last week. This is my third morning on his meds, I love waking up and being able to walk and do things without waiting for the morning dose to kick in.
Huge difference in mood too.

Ask any questions you have.
Judy

 

[Judles]

Welcome to the Forum, Relaxed! Sounds like you're doing great at such an early stage! You'll recup FAST because your family is there to support you! Keep up the good work & take those pain pills,,,,,that's what they're FOR!

 

[aussie]

Welcome relaxed.

Take those Pain medications it's still only very early days for you.

Chris

 

[Peta]

Hi Relaxed - I'm 16 weeks out from a TLHR - with NO bone grafting and I still take pain relief on occasion! Especially if I've had a busy day or pushed myself too far. In my opinion - your body has enough to do trying to heal, without being in overwhelming pain at the same time! Good luck with your recovery,

Peta

 

[Relaxed]

OK, it's back on the pain meds for me. Yes, it was a graft from my own bone. My surgeon never mentioned it would be more painful due to the bone graft, just I would have to keep my weight off of it longer.

I'll need to get a refill from the Dr. on the vicodin tomorrow (my first refill since the one I got after I left the hospital). I'm assuming they won't give me any grief.

The info (from Josephone) about forcefully moving muscles around to get to the bone graft site makes a lot of sense, concerning the tight/stiffness I'm feeling in my thigh. It is getting a bit more lose, now.

Thanks for all of the great info

 

[PRGal]

Hi Relaxed,

If you're curious about how all those muscles, tendons, ligaments interconnect (and why they hurt) check out the link below.

https://www.getbodysmart.com/ap/muscularsystem/menu/menu.html

I'd guess what you said about your foot turning out so much before surgery would have an impact too. It's going to take a while for your body to re-learn what's "normal."

 

[Peta]

That's a great link PRGal - thank you!

Peta