Hip Arthroscopy Same intermittent sharp groin pain as pre op but magnified, 5 days post op FAI/labrum arthroscopy.

[Kristian Harley]

Hi everyone,

Happy new year!

I'm new to this forum and couldn't find an answer to my question so started my own post/thread.

So yes as the title says i am having the same sharp searing zaps of inner groin pain in the exact location as before my surgery even when laying down.

I had right hip FAI Cam removal which was much larger than expected and a detached labrum where the cam was pinching up against. The labrum was sewed back to the bone with two sutures. They also trimmed back frayed/feathered parts of my labrum. Articular cartilage damage was reported but not excessive and was left. For the rest my labrum had no tears and was thick and well structured.

So yes i am driving myself insane because i have the same sharp groin pain which is searing and shooting as before my surgery. I'm guessing this is due to my labrum being inflamed from trimming and getting sewn back to my bone?

Note that the surgeon said the surgery was a success.

I read in a lot of places that your symptoms are almost immediately gone after hip arthroscopy for FAI/labrum but this is i dont understand?! How can symptoms be immediately gone if they are poking the problematic area and putting holes in a already irritated labrum to place sutures? Let alone trimming it which would cause more inflammation/sharp pain from the labrum? Im aware this surgery can take years before pain diminishes but i want to know should i be having the exact same pain as before in my recovery? I have the common other painful symptoms such as stiffness and aching, also hard to move or lift my right leg due to swelling in the hip. But this i expect.

Anyhow has anyone else had the same sharp intermittent shooting/searing groin pain as they had before also after their arthroscopy? And did it settle? Could it be that labrum after it took a beating with surgery?

I know im only 5 days post op but it feels like the problem is still there because the same pain pattern is there in the same location but i want to know if this is normal? It's also frustrating that many places on the internet say symptoms should be immediately gone following the surgery. I am not experiencing this.

I will talk to my surgeon in 2 weeks for a follow up appointment. Furthermore i am icing a couple of times a day and moving around gently on crutches with very gentle laying and standing blood flow circulation movements. I am also on anti inflammatory medication.

Thanks everyone in advanced, input here would be highly appreciated as im struggling to see the light here. Ive been fit and active my whole life but had 3 spine surgeries for same herniated disc/scar tissue, a knee surgery for a meniscus tear and now this FAI hip surgery. I will also need my left hip doing in the near future due to a cam growth there as well. As most of you know life can be a struggle when dealing with chronic pain. Life is viewed differently now.

Im not looking for sugar coated answers i just want to know if the pain i feel is to be expected and will settle from other people's experiences with similar surgery.

A little reassurance based on facts would be great!

Kindest regards

Kristian Harley

 

[djklaugh]

@Kristian Harley Welcome to BoneSmart! I am sorry you are still having significant pain following this procedure. You mentioned that the Cam removal was "much larger than expected" and that the detached labrum needed to be sutured to the bone. My (non medical) guess would be that, despite this been a non invasive procedure, you still have a lot of internal healing to do. And healing does take a lot of time and energy. While I am not personally familiar with this, what I've read is that it can take 4-6 months to heal and perhaps even longer to be able to get back to strenuous activities. If your current pain management is not working well, I'd urge you to contact your surgeon's office to discuss the problem.

You can use our search function here to look for other treads that mention this procedure. I am also going to leave you our list of post op articles and suggestions. While the list was developed for total hip replacements much there also applies to what you have been through.


Hip Recovery: The Guidelines
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
elevate
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 these

BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy
5. At week 4 and after you should follow this

Activity progression for THRs
6. Access these pages on the website

Oral And Intravenous Pain Medications
Wound Care In Hospital

The Recovery articles:

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.

 

[myglasshalffull]

Welcome to Bonesmart!
I had THR almost 2 years ago & still get groin pain Here & there, of course it's not same procedure that you had but little aches & pains seem to hang around a little longer for some of us.
I think any surgery to correct hip issues are serious and you probably need to relax & ice for awhile.
I wish you the best.

 

[Layla]

Hello and Welcome to BoneSmart. Thanks for joining us.
I understand your fears, but please realize all that just occurred beneath the surface. There was trauma, although controlled, it is still trauma your leg needs to heal from. I think you realize this through your own words.

How can symptoms be immediately gone if they are poking the problematic area and putting holes in a already irritated labrum to place sutures?

Exactly.

I'm guessing this is due to my labrum being inflamed from trimming and getting sewn back to my bone?

Yes, trauma you're healing from...but it takes time and you're very early days out of surgery.

You can ice more often than a couple times per day for pain, taking care to always place fabric between bare skin and the ice source.

I will leave a link to threads of others that experienced Hip Arthroscopy for you to look through for similar stories.
Best wishes and lots of comfort to you! Stop back often, we'll be here.
Hip Arthroscopy

 

[Hip4life]

@Kristian Harley Our mantra here is that everyone's recovery is different and don't compare your recovery to anyone else. That being said: I only had a tendon released via arthroscopy and it took me a while to not hurt anymore. In addition to the "carpentry" work the doc does, they also fill that space with saline so they can see and work. That extra fluid in there puts some pressure on those tissues as well until your body processes it. The inflammation from just the tissues being disturbed also causes some swelling and soreness.

As far as I'm concerned, as long as you're needing to be on crutches to promote healing, you have the potential for pain. Right now, it may be very hard to determine exactly what is hurting. As time goes along, the pain should start to diminish and you might be able to say "yeah, that particular pain is gone' but don't be surprised if there are other things that start to hurt. Also don't discount the fact that everything has to go back to a normal gait since you've had to compensate for the nasty pain in the first place. Be good to yourself, rest, ice, take your pain meds. Get that leg up to help drain the fluid and exercise that patience muscle. That's the one that none of us likes to exercise! Lol. Best wishes going forward. Keep us posted.