Swollen Ankle after Anterior Hip surgery

I forgot to tell you my thigh is still numb 11 months after my total hip replacement. Perhaps the nerves that were cut will grow back but who knows. When I touch my thigh it doesn’t feel like it is my leg. Like I am touching an artificial limb. My hip pain relief is so wonderful I will happily live with a numb thigh. Also my ankle on that hip side still swells after almost a year. I feel like people who don’t need joint replacements are very fortunate. Hope all goes well for you. I need my other shoulder replaced but think I will wait until next year.

Queenie, thank you for sharing! I am sorry you also have the numbness in your thigh. My ortho explained it is caused by retracting the femur nerve, so that such nerve is bruised or irritated. I suppose you are right. Relieving the bad hip pain may be worth the numbness. Also, the bruised nerves do regenerate over a period of time, some quickly but others slowly. Let's hope my next hip does better with thigh numbness because ultimately I will not be able to tolerate the pain.

I also have the numbness in my upper thigh 10 months after surgery. It is not just numb, it is also thicker than my other thigh. It has improved and I go for regular massages that seem to help loosen it up. I feel like it may not ever be quite normal or maybe it will just take more time. I am pain free and back to an active life, so no real complaints.

Swelling is normal after major surgery, and one week is very early days in recovery. UNLESS you develop a hot, painful or red area, which may be a sign of a blood clot, you can do some self-care and see if it resolves. If this develops call the doctor immediately or go to the ER.

From my own experience in hip replacements (5 of them) the tendency is to "feel pretty good" and slack off on icing & elevation. I know that most literature recommends icing "20 minutes, 3-4 times a day." Here is my personal experience - if you ice pretty much full time, whenever seated or lying down, for the first month, you will not see the swelling. Also, especially for the first month, whenever you sit for more than a few minutes (like to eat a meal) your leg should be elevated.

Remember, your body has been assaulted. Never mind the promotions saying "anterior is easier" - you have still had skin, muscle, nerves and bone either cut or moved around - they are NOT happy. The fluid and swelling is your body's response to the assault, a reminder that all is not healed.

To get the swelling down, elevate your leg above your heart & ice - it may take up to 48 hours to calm down. Then follow the icing/elevation guidelines above. While swollen, if someone can massage the elevated leg, "pushing" the swelling from foot toward your groin, it may help get things moving. Don't quit walking unless your doctor tells you to - just make sure you get that leg up whenever you are not using it.

If the swelling doesn't go away in a couple days of doing the elevation & icing, call your doc.

Are you noticing any improvement today?
Sue

PS After my first hip replacement, I went back to work at 4 weeks, tried to keep the leg up at my desk, and even used my ice a few times a day. But I went home swollen every night for the first month. After the second operation, I worked from home weeks 2-6, so I could stay elevated. It was a much better plan!

Hi, you’ve had 5 hip replacements?

Yes - I had severe osteoarthritis, and at 55, the surgeon said I had the hips of an 85 year old. Both hips were done with Metal on Metal implants in 2006, they were recalled a few years later. I had pain, metalosis, tissue damage and a raft of other health problems from them, so they were replaced in 2011 with ceramic & polymer. One of the replacements dislocated, so back into the OR for more repair. Not a fun time in my life.
But here we are in 2024, and they are the most pain-free part of my body - I hope when I'm 85 the ortho will say I have the hips of a 55 year-old!

Swelling is normal after major surgery, and one week is very early days in recovery. UNLESS you develop a hot, painful or red area, which may be a sign of a blood clot, you can do some self-care and see if it resolves. If this develops call the doctor immediately or go to the ER.

From my own experience in hip replacements (5 of them) the tendency is to "feel pretty good" and slack off on icing & elevation. I know that most literature recommends icing "20 minutes, 3-4 times a day." Here is my personal experience - if you ice pretty much full time, whenever seated or lying down, for the first month, you will not see the swelling. Also, especially for the first month, whenever you sit for more than a few minutes (like to eat a meal) your leg should be elevated.

Remember, your body has been assaulted. Never mind the promotions saying "anterior is easier" - you have still had skin, muscle, nerves and bone either cut or moved around - they are NOT happy. The fluid and swelling is your body's response to the assault, a reminder that all is not healed.

To get the swelling down, elevate your leg above your heart & ice - it may take up to 48 hours to calm down. Then follow the icing/elevation guidelines above. While swollen, if someone can massage the elevated leg, "pushing" the swelling from foot toward your groin, it may help get things moving. Don't quit walking unless your doctor tells you to - just make sure you get that leg up whenever you are not using it.

If the swelling doesn't go away in a couple days of doing the elevation & icing, call your doc.

Are you noticing any improvement today?
Sue

PS After my first hip replacement, I went back to work at 4 weeks, tried to keep the leg up at my desk, and even used my ice a few times a day. But I went home swollen every night for the first month. After the second operation, I worked from home weeks 2-6, so I could stay elevated. It was a much better plan!

Hi Sue,

Just curious regarding the icing, did you ice the foot and ankle as well as the hip. I am 17 days post surgery with significant swelling in my left foot and ankle that came on during the first 7 days and has not improved. I have been icing the hip, but not every time I sit down. My sister and brother-in-law both had hip replacements within the last year and neither of them had this kind of swelling. The Doc says it varies from one individual to the next and is normal, just as is the bruising. Just kind of becoming frustrated because it's hard to do the exercises they give you with this amount of swelling. Sorry for the long winded question but what I am after is do I ice the ankle and foot and will that help reduce swelling because my understanding of the issue at hand is the fluid is moving down from the hip so not sure whether ice on the ankle has any value. Thanks