I had left hip replaced 5yrs ago w/o problems. 8 months ago I started

@slinpain Welcome to Mayo Connect, where we're not pros, just fellow travelers in our health journeys. I have had both hips replaced and revised. The one thing my ortho advises is that groin pain needs to be evaluated because it can be caused by a very tight muscle that needs attention or it can be an early sign of implant failure. It can also be caused by other parts of the body being out-of-whack, like the back or knee.

Are you still able to make an appointment to see the original doctor? They will likely do an x-ray to make sure the implant is okay, then a physical exam to try to narrow down the cause. You might then get a referral for PT to try to relieve the symptoms.

You should ask your primary to do a blood test for Vitamin D deficiency, chromium and cobalt poison! Insist on having this done and go from there

I need to decide whether to get left knee meniscus repaired (my meniscus posterior root is torn, and the meniscus is extruded 3 mm.) or get a TKR. I received steroid injections in the front of each knee, and although the pain has gone away, my left knee seems weak and a bit slightly unstable. I walk the dogs at a very slow rate each AM. The ortho doctor says that if I get the meniscus repaired, I'll be on crutches or walker for 6 weeks. If I get TKR I will walk the next day, but I know it involves a fair amount of PT and using a walker a lot. I'm not entirely inexperienced with joint replacement as I've had my left hip replaced (posterior) a few years ago (2016). So, how does one decide which procedure is best? I have no knee ligament damage, just a small Baker's cyst.

This is always a tough decision. We know that age doesn't make our joints better or recovery easier, so that certainly would be a consideration for me.

Also, how much pain do I have after the injections wear off and how much the instability affects my day to day activities and whether the knee itself has wear or arthritis that will eventually need replacing anyway.

I also assume there will significant PT and rehab for the meniscus repair after 6 weeks on crutches or a walker.

Do you feel comfortable exploring the options with the surgeon? What is their recommendation?

The surgeon who specializes in knee operations, says the meniscus repair will take 6 weeks, laying off putting weight on it, and at some point in time needing 2 weeks of PT. She says I could walk on a TKR the next day, but that just seems to cover up the likely pain and effort of rehab, pain and greater risk of post op problems. I'd think the TKR would take a lot longer effort with a walker, and much more nighttime pain. I don't know how long it would take with a TKR to actually feel normal when walking again. in 2023 I fractured my pelvis and the ortho doctor would not prescribe anything stronger than tramadol. So, I spent a few months recovering from terribly severe pain as the fracture healed, then walked each day until finally the sensation of walking became normal (i.e., not requiring conscious mindfulness) once again. I'd say the surgeon supports a TKR, but I think, how many patients just get meniscus repair far more often than seriously more complex TKR (with ligament and/or muscle cutting)? I'm 77 years old.

If it was my knee, and I needed to choose, I would also take a close look at the success rate of an extensive meniscus repair.
Soft tissue repairs are quite slow healers, and success rates can be poor. This is especially true as we age. I had extensiverotator cuff repair nearly 5 months ago, and I can tell that the ligament is not fully healed, even though the literature says it takes 3 months (I'm over 70)

First thing I would do is speak with your primary doctor and see if they would order a Cobalt / Chromium test and test for infection! Your orthopedic surgeon do not like being called out or second guessed! Wife had Cobalt / Chromium poision that went undetected by her orthopedic surgeon who declined to do any further tests. I spoke with wife’s primary doctor and she had it done….long story short, she had to have a revision! Only way she could sleep at night was with 8-10 pillows propped at various places to get her comfortable!