Thigh pain almost 4 months after THR

Posted by walk4life @walk4life, May 10, 2023

I had a right THR in January. It was complicated by post op anemia. Otherwise recovery proceeded without problems. I went to PT twice a week for 3 months. My movement is back to normal, but I am still working on strength. I go to the gym once a week for weight training, have some PT exercises to do at home and walk 3-4 miles , 2-3 times a week. All of a sudden in the past week, I have been having a dull aching pain on the lateral aspect about mid thigh. That area is also sensitive to touch. Pain increases when I lightly press on the area. Any ideas what is causing this?

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I think this is something you want to reach out to your surgeon about...not a random bunch of users.

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I have an appointment with the surgeon next week. I just wondered if this had happened to anyone else.

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@walk4life

I have an appointment with the surgeon next week. I just wondered if this had happened to anyone else.

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I had a complex THR at the end of January. Surgery was a breeze - recovery brutal. Just met wth my surgeon for a 3 1/2 month post op. He said things could not have gone better. I had an excellent surgeon at one of the best hospitals in the country for orthopedics. The surgeons analysis comes from looking at the x-rays. If the x-rays are good then the results are considered good. I have pain in my thigh from time to time and recently pain in my groin. These things are considered normal for some of us. I am going to cut down on the p/t that I have been doing at home seven days a week twice a day hoping that the groin pain might go away. Not really hopeful though. I am also on the treadmill and averaging about 7500 steps a day in total. In all of my reading, walking is considered the best exercise after a hip replacement. The treadmill is safe and I started out slowly. Your exercise routine seems a bit light to me as I am 74 years old, have had three DVT's, etc. etc. Of course checking in with your surgeon is your top priority. I would also ask if increasing your exercise might be recommended. Good Luck.

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@linnie1948

I had a complex THR at the end of January. Surgery was a breeze - recovery brutal. Just met wth my surgeon for a 3 1/2 month post op. He said things could not have gone better. I had an excellent surgeon at one of the best hospitals in the country for orthopedics. The surgeons analysis comes from looking at the x-rays. If the x-rays are good then the results are considered good. I have pain in my thigh from time to time and recently pain in my groin. These things are considered normal for some of us. I am going to cut down on the p/t that I have been doing at home seven days a week twice a day hoping that the groin pain might go away. Not really hopeful though. I am also on the treadmill and averaging about 7500 steps a day in total. In all of my reading, walking is considered the best exercise after a hip replacement. The treadmill is safe and I started out slowly. Your exercise routine seems a bit light to me as I am 74 years old, have had three DVT's, etc. etc. Of course checking in with your surgeon is your top priority. I would also ask if increasing your exercise might be recommended. Good Luck.

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It sounds like you are making good progress in a complex situation. I'm curious about your comment that the thigh / groin pain are normal for some.
Just trying to make sense of that since I still have pain at times too and want to keep my expectations reasonable.

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@loll

It sounds like you are making good progress in a complex situation. I'm curious about your comment that the thigh / groin pain are normal for some.
Just trying to make sense of that since I still have pain at times too and want to keep my expectations reasonable.

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Thigh pain nearly gone. I stopped the home p/t day before yesterday and so far groin pain very much diminished. I google a lot. There’s so much info out there and I find that there are answers to mostly all my questions. When I first got home from the hospital the home health care worker told me that I was responsible for my recovery. The surgeon did his job and the test was up to me. For almost 4 months I did not miss one day of home p/t. I am now mostly walking on the treadmill and a bit outside. I’m definitely improving.

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@loll

It sounds like you are making good progress in a complex situation. I'm curious about your comment that the thigh / groin pain are normal for some.
Just trying to make sense of that since I still have pain at times too and want to keep my expectations reasonable.

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In addition I had chronic pain for years. I no longer wake up in the middle of the night with severe pain. For that alone I am grateful. Chronic pain is all consuming. It ruled my life. I’d get up in the morning and wonder how I was going to get through the day. All I am allowed to take for pain is acetaminophen. Ibuprofen is out of the question as I am on a blood thinner for life. I’ve cut down on the acetaminophen nearly 50 percent.

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Thigh pain, groin pain and knee pain in a replaced knee started a few weeks after hip replacement. I also have lymphedema that started at the same time. Unidentified bumps , slightly painful, came and went, and a hematoma in the thigh was identified and drained during an ultrasound. Later, an MRI identified fat necrosis and chronic hamstring tendinosis. I never had pain in the back of my thigh, but the groin pain sometimes travels down the inside of my leg to the knee.
I have been doing PT for 18 months. I am seeing some relief in the thigh. The thigh and “knee “ pain have affected my ability to walk., which is limited to about 75 steps.
Now a pain doctor and neurosurgeon are recommending a fusion of L3 L4
Vertebrae, as this could be the cause of thigh pain and knee pain.
I had a lumbar spinal surgery 3 months before the hip replacement and do not have back pain.
I exercise to tolerance in the pool at a rec center, use small upper body weights at home, and have added weights to my PT routine which my therapist describes to be( All horizontal) at level 4.
I am a 73 year old female.
Any similarities or comments?

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@katiemb

Thigh pain, groin pain and knee pain in a replaced knee started a few weeks after hip replacement. I also have lymphedema that started at the same time. Unidentified bumps , slightly painful, came and went, and a hematoma in the thigh was identified and drained during an ultrasound. Later, an MRI identified fat necrosis and chronic hamstring tendinosis. I never had pain in the back of my thigh, but the groin pain sometimes travels down the inside of my leg to the knee.
I have been doing PT for 18 months. I am seeing some relief in the thigh. The thigh and “knee “ pain have affected my ability to walk., which is limited to about 75 steps.
Now a pain doctor and neurosurgeon are recommending a fusion of L3 L4
Vertebrae, as this could be the cause of thigh pain and knee pain.
I had a lumbar spinal surgery 3 months before the hip replacement and do not have back pain.
I exercise to tolerance in the pool at a rec center, use small upper body weights at home, and have added weights to my PT routine which my therapist describes to be( All horizontal) at level 4.
I am a 73 year old female.
Any similarities or comments?

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All I can add is that you get the best surgeons you possibly can because you have gone through a lot already. I never go to any doctor these days without doing as much research as possible. I am 74 years old and have learned my lesson with regards to picking a doctor. The internet did not really exist decades ago and it is much easier to look up a doctors bio now online.

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Hi, 67yo, I have had bilateral THR and spinal fusion. Am as active as my mood allows me (with meds and) breaking through the difficulty of moving forward.
It’s actually 2 years out since my more recent revision~>RTHR.
Had my first RTHR in 2007.
Sometimes I do get painful jabs, or that exact pain and soreness in my lateral thigh too! It makes me wonder- and I push through and stop worrying about it.
It’s not a persistent pain-occasional one.

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