Dull femur pain 15 months after hip replacement

Due to my hip replacement, I have Meralgia Paraesthetica. My femoral cutaneous nerve was damaged. My leg is numb and painful.

@dwyatt74 When you say "I've been lifting weights with my legs the past 12 months...", what kind of weight are you talking about, and what machines?
I wonder if you need to consult a PT highly trained in post-surgical rehab. Perhaps lifting weights too early has impeded the growth of bone into the implant, and you need to back off. 4 months after surgery, the bone and femoral implant were not yet completely grafted together. (I would not rely on trainers at the gym.)

Ouch! When was your surgery? Do you know if the nerve was damaged or completely severed?

Damaged nerves can repair themselves, but it is a long, slow process - think many months to a couple of years, not weeks or months.

Wht does the surgeon say, and have they referred you to a specialist for an evaluation?

The surgeon said it could get better in 2 years or never. He said it happens to about 15% of patients with anterior hip replacement. I’d love to chat with anyone in this 15%.

hello
i had a typo in initial post. i had surgery in August of 2023. So it's now been 15 full months. About 6 months ago, i saw the surgeon who did the operation and he said this dull femur pain was not totally uncommon and should fade with time. I saw another hip surgeon who pretty much said the same thing with the addition that whatever i have in terms of this feeling after 2 years - i'm stuck with. i also get the burning sensation in thigh etc when i'm out for an extended walk so maybe all related to nerve issues?? anyone - everyone - please advise as this is really worrisome given i'm only 50. ughhh thank you!

After a torn ACL/MCL and knee surgery, it took over 2 years for the damaged nerve between the knee and the foot to heal completely. That was about 350 millimeters, so maybe 1/2 mm per day of healing? I was in my 40's then, and thought it would never be OK.
After 2 hip replacements and 3 revisions in a period of 5 years, ending 12 years ago, I thought the burning would never go away, but it finally did after 2 years or so, all except 2 spots that alternate between being numb and painful, one on the outside of each thigh.

If the femur pain continues after 2 years, in your shoes I would be pushing for further imaging and testing. It could be failure of the rod and bone to graft fully, cement failure if it was used, evidence that the bone did not heal , microfractures in the femur or the sign of a metal allergy.

If you can find the exact name of the femur implant used (it should be in your surgical record) you can Google to see if problems have been reported with that specific device.

I crushed the tip of my femur in auto accident in 1979; doctors said there was nothing they could do at that time. I was 27 at the time and was told it would heal in time BUT with age to expect some pain, most likely in the form of arthritis. I led very active life, coaching hs basketball & soccer, with periods of running mixed with the two sports. As I turned 60, I began to experience pain in the hip. Living in Phoenix, I saw two different orthopedic surgeons, the first wanting to xray/scan my back. I was stubbornly adamant that it was my hip, from my auto accident so I sought another opinion. The second surgeon ordered mri and it did show some moderate arthritis so I opted for hip replacement in 2019.It was performed posteriorly and I followed up with pt. The surgery has never felt right - there's always been some pain in the area. I've moved from the phx area to a small town in se N.M. where health care isn't the best. 2 orthopedic surgeons have xrayed the replacement and the x-rays show the replacement to be good. I still remain active, just recently retiring from coaching, playing pickleball and walking. The problem, now, is I not only have chronic pain deep in soft tissue that radiates down my leg specifically behind the knee. After pb, my leg becomes extremely weak. I have difficulty sleeping because of pain. Not sure where I'm going with all this, but I'm hoping that someone with similar experience can share AND if you're considering hip replacement, my suggestion would be to consider the other approaches available.

thanks for all your help! In follow up visits, the surgeon said the bone looked healthy and, if anything, perhaps the rod was too tight. Basically, it was a situation where my discomfort was just the bone getting use to the titanium rod. ughhh. Are there solutions to things like 'metal allergy'? would you recommend seeing an Ortho or some other type of specialist? thanks and take care, darin

Our bodies all adjust in different ways - unless you are a person who tends to have a lot of allergies, I would not worry about that being the case.
One approach to regaining full use is to see a Rehabilitation Physical Therapist who can work with you to design a training program to meet your goals. Once we've been chopped up and put back together, it is quite usual to face challenges like yours - I had to do several months of weightbearing, light resistance leg work after my 4th and 5th hip surgeries to get everything back in balance.

One other suggestion - you may be favoring the leg, causing an imbalance in your gait - the same PT can do an evaluation of your walking.

Finally, the best advice I ever got was from my Mom - after a joint replacement or repair, get brand new athletic and everyday shoes that are not "worn in" to your previous way of walking.

Have you talked to a PT (not a trainer at the gym unless they are a registered PT) about the issue?