Strange feeling in my hip "again"

[LuvANurse26]

Hello everyone...Me again. For those who don't know, I had an right anterior hip replacement on Oct 28th. So, I'm 8 weeks out this week. At the end of last week, I started having a funny feeling in my hip when I walk.
When ever I try and lay down and do my abduction exercises its so hard, because of this feeling. I'm still walking with the cane. Today at therapy she wanted me to try and walk without it. It was kinda difficult because of that feeling. When I walked it was like I was hurrying to get off the operative leg so that I don't put all my weight down on it. I know I was doing that partially because of the feeling, and the other part was that I was scared to bear all my weight on it.

A couple of weeks ago I had a strange feeling in my hip that lasted about a week. It went away. Will this feeling go away?? I dont wanna be limping around. I've been walking straight up to this point.

 

[JudyS]

I am 6 months out now and a few weeks ago, I started having some discomfort in my hip area. I figure these things will come and go so I never mentiioned it to my doc. I have now been seeing him for my knees. If I remember tomorrow, or if it is bothering me I will ask .
I hope yours clears up once again. I will post what he says if I have enough brains to remember my list of questions.
I too, felt like I was walking funny.
Judy

 

[PRGal]

Hi--sounds like we're pretty much at the same stage & same type of surgery. I had right THR via anterior approach on Oct. 30, so also at 8 weeks out.

I have funny "feelings" too. It's really hard to describe--the best I can do is that I'm "aware" of something foreign in my hip. I've been walking without any assist device since 3rd week, but if I over-do it (like big-time housecleaning or just too much time on my feet), I do have pain while walking. Outside of my upper thigh is tender to the touch (which my surgeon said was normal--I assumed it was because those were the muscles that were spread apart in the anterior approach), but I've also experienced a deeper pain--in the upper femur, where the stem would be, and high up in my butt, where cup would be. I've read that some patients who get cementless stems & cups experience mild to moderate discomfort as their natural bone grows into the porous surface of the implants. Sometimes even the skin in my upper outside feels warm to the touch.

So far, taking Aleve, ibuprofen or Tylenol has relieved any discomfort & let me walk OK. But, like you, I've had it come and go. (BTW, I had no therapy ordered after hospital stay, so I'm curious what kind of regimen you've been doing. I definitely know that my leg & lower back muscles are really out of shape due to the 1+ years of worsening osteoarthritic pain that led up to the THR. I plan to get to the Y after the holidays once they restart pool exercise classes, but in the mean time, all I've been doing is walking, driving, working--everyday routine stuff.) So just what is an abduction exercise?

 

[Josephine]

One where you move your leg away from the other leg.
Abduction = to take away (as in kidnap).
Adduction = to add to (the other leg)

 

[Hippo28Nov08]

Hi
Just reading about "strange feeling in my hip" and I see that you posted these in December and I am wondering how you are now. I am now 9 wks post anterolateral approach left THR. I am still walking on one crutch and went back to my surgeon 10 days ago. I also have got strange feelings in the anterior thigh and wonder if it is the iliotibial band which is a bit tight as I have quite a lot of pain on the anterior aspect just above the knee and this "lifts" my kneecap up when I walk - the kneecap doesn't hurt, but is an odd sensation. I also have pain in the lower left back (I guess the area of the acetabular implant). Has anyone else had this type of pain? I am doing the leg raises, a bit of swimming and walking in the pool. The right leg still seems very short and my left pelvis is visibly now higher than the left one. This was the other way around pre surgery.

I had a bit of a setback on Friday when I sat in a fabric (Director's chair) and the stitching broke so I crashed to the concrete ground and was wedged in the frame of the chair with my knees up by my chest. Thank goodness this happened at 9 weeks and not earlier.

Anyway, interested to know how others are getting on at 9 weeks and who is still out there on one crutch with a bad limp and painful if they don't use it.

Cheers

 

[Josephine]

You wouldn't be able to define the 'area of the acetabular implant' like that, Hippo. It's more likely either a sciatic nerve problem or a soft tissue problem like a muscle or ligament. Maybe contributed to by the leg length discrepancy. I suggest you see a podiatrist and get an insert for your shoes to even things up a bit.

 

[PRGal]

I know just exactly the spot you're talking about--deep in the upper buttock, right? As my earlier post in this thread said, I felt it at 8 weeks. I'm now at 13 weeks post, right THR, direct anterior. Since I still felt that, as well as the same outer knee pain as you describe, plus a lot of tenderness at outside of trochanter, not to mention extreme sensitivity to touch of my outer thigh (my dog's tail brush felt like electric shocks), I saw my OS last week just for peace of mind. Xrays showed everything fine, in place & bone growing in nicely (I had cementless).

My OS said I probably had some mild trochanteric bursitis (take Aleve, ibiprofen, etc.) & maybe some iliotibial band irritation (again, OTC anti-inflammatories & some stretches). The "cup area" pain may be due to this small muscle called piriformis which is buried under the glutes. He said that was normal too--everything is so close together in there & gets pretty beat up during the surgery no matter what approach! (He actually laughed when I told him I was doing these brutal piriformis stretches I found on a PT site--said it was Ok, but I might be punishing myself too much!) For the hyper-sensitivity, he prescribed a topical cream.

I go back in mid-March, but he basically said (and I quote), "Go back to using and abusing your new hip." I was so relieved I didn't have a revision on the horizon, I practically skipped out of there!

 

[JudyS]

PRGal
Now that I read your post, I realize I used to get those deep in the butt pain/sensations. Now at 7 months I do not know when they stopped, but they are gone. of course I have done practically nothing in the last 3 1/2 weeks, but I do think they are gone.

Glad to hear you went to your surgeon and his advice. Mine said the same thing at one point. He told me to go off and continue to abuse my body!!!

Judy

 

[Laurie]

Hi, I have my 6 month check up for RTHR in a few weeks. Am actually looking forward to it as I haven't been back since close to 8 wks post op. All is great, will just ask about gaining flexibility to match my left leg.

At a little over 5 months, I have not had pain and am thrilled with my recovery. I am responding here because on the rare occasions that I feel anything amiss is in the front part of my lower thigh--deep in the bone. Every once in awhile I have an ache but can usually chaulk it up to overuse or too much exercise. Overall , the aches that I have felt, and they are rare, are different than the awful searing pain with constant stiffness that I had for years.

Hope the strange feeling is now a thing of the past.

Laurie

 

[Josephine]

Me too, Laurie! Are you planning on returning to work anytime soon?

 

[JudyS]

Great recovery Laurie

I am really not a flexible person, but my flexibility in my new hip far exceeds the left (unoperated) hip. I truly think it was swimming and doing the frog kick . See what your doc says and let us know

JUdy

 

[Judles]

Great healing Laurie & Judy,,,,I bet the person who coined the expression "pain in the butt". Must heve been recovering from THR surgery! So NOW we know!

 

[JudyS]

I agree Judles

Judy

 

[Hippo28Nov08]

PR Girl
I was interested to read your post and today when I went to the physiotherapist he said it was a tight piriformis muscle causing the pain in upper buttock. Also a tight iliotibial band causing the pain on outer knee and lifting the kneecap up as I walk. I have mild trochanteric bursitis on the unoperated hip, due to it adjusting to the altered mechanics and the longer operated leg. It feels like I am walking in a hole with the unoperated leg, but I am assured this sensation will disappear in time.

It's interesting to hear your experience and I have also had cementless. I am looking forward to getting out there again on my road bike, but have to do these things one step at a time says the physiotherapist, so I better listen!

Cheers

 

[PRGal]

Hippo28, curious if your PT suggested any exercises/stretches for either piriformis or ITB . . . I never had any PT other than a few sessions during my 2-day hospital stay--my OS doesn't think anterior patients really need it--but sometimes I think it would have been helpful.

Laurie, I sometimes get that upper thigh ache deep in the bone too, which I also mentioned to my doc. He said some cementless patients sometimes feel that for up to 12-18 months as the bone grows into the stem's porous coating. (When I asked if that would be true for a cementless cup too, he said no, because the acetabular bone is "spongier" and grows more quickly than the harder bone of the femur.)

 

[Judles]

Isn't amazing how we all are going through such fantastic recovery processes? I for one, just think all this is INCREDIBLE how the human body copes! Mind boggling!