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FSP - Experienced Femoral Stem Pain post hip replacement?
After my second hip replacement, I started getting a strange pain mid-thigh. Mostly right in front but now sometimes on my outside thigh. I did some research and hit on Femoral Stem Pain. My doctor said that it is possible and it should resolve in 6 to 12 months.
From what I gather, the stem implant is less flexible than the bone and that causes a problem or pain. The doctor says that when the bone near the implant beefs itself up, the pain should go away.
I notice very slight improvement day to day, but the femoral pain has slowed my recovery. When it hits I can just shuffle, not walk. If I apply constant pressure to that pain point, I can stop the pain as long as I push on it. I also try to avoid any twisting movements - no matter how slight. I think any torsion sets it off.
My hip is a-okay and free of pain. I am frustrated that my thigh isn’t.
Research says that 25% of hip “replacees” report that they have this, but I am having a herd time finding anyone else. A friend with surgical pins for something else said he experienced something like this but got poo pooed by his doctor 10 yers ago but his doctor now says the difference in stiffness is a thing. I did not have this pain for my first hip replacement.
For my second, the doctor was very proud of the very tight fit that required more of a degree of pounding on it to get it to fit in place. Maybe that tight fit made the second replacement have FSP. Nobody knows.
Has anyone else had this? Does it get better and go away? The doctor said that if it is still there in a year, they address it surgically. Anyone have to get surgery for this?
It is only about 10 weeks for me so I am still hopeful it will go away.
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That is crazy. I could feel my femoral implant move..it never got better ! Mine could just be lifted out, once my hip was exposed in surgery. My femoral implant was exchanged and when it got infected, the doctor fractured my femur when he removed the implant. He put in a titanium rod that replaced all but 3 inches of my femur...I now have metalosis from elevated titanium. Plz do a lot of research and get multiple opinions from large facilities that do 100's of replacements a uear!
Wow! Sorry you had such a really bad experience. Especially because you are willing to go through the pain and expense to make your life better.
What are symptoms of metalosis? I have so much metal in me (4 joint replacements). I wonder if I need to be concerned.
I didn’t think my implant moves or is loose. But maybe it is loose, and that is why it hurts. My doctor went into detail that it was a tight fit. I hate to think that he was just blowing smoke. I think my doctor is pretty good. I looked into his ratings before I went to him and they were all exemplary. My gut feeling is that he is a good surgeon. Time will tell.
This may not be relevant to your situation but for a year after one of my hip replacements, I had occasional pain on the outside of my thigh. It would last a few minutes and really hurt.
I assume this pain was caused by a large nerve being stretched during surgery. If I pushed on the painful area, it would go away. It’s been 2 years since that surgery and I now very rarely experience that pain. Basically it’s gone.
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2 ReactionsThanks. It gives me hope.
I feel your pain , cause I'm having the exact same one in the second hip replacement and mine was in december of 2024 😥. My right leg has no pain and totally fine and the left leg unless I use the cane then I have to walk like a peg legged pirate from the pain , it's funny but also not. At first the ortho kept telling me it takes a year to heal , ok so I've waited a year and now it's past a year . I came across your post just randomly cause I keep trying to research the cause of my pain and not being able to walk properly and it comes up with so many different things it could be , nerve, muscle and the list goes on and each symptom has a long medical name and I keep screen shotting all the info for my next follow up . When I read your post I was like "wow" this person has written exactly the same thing that I keep saying everyday about my leg and the pain and I also have to push on that same exact spot inorder to relieve some of the pain to be able walk when I don't use the cane . I'm gonna show this article to my doctor . He always xrays the hips on the visits but I'm gonna make sure this visit that it shows the whole thigh to see if the hip stem is pressing on the femoral bone , and also I'll probably do an open mri . I can't go on much longer walking like this and having pressing pain . I always joke with him that I think my replacement needs a replacement and to get out the oil can lol ( like the tin man) , but it's no joke about the pain I have , I have an appt in a couple of weeks so I guess I'll see what happens . I hope your situation gets better, but also take an mri to see what exactly is causing the pain . I wish us both good luck : )