FSP - Experienced Femoral Stem Pain post hip replacement?

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.

Thanks. 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 : )

I also have had two hip replacements. Original operation had too short of a stem, First replacement developed a fracture at the base of a longer stem. Second replacement used the longest stem they make. With all three surgeries, the pain has been constant and in the same place, in the middle of my thigh. Numerous tests etc., no answer. This was all done in a 2 1/2 year period.
Dr. Recommend pain management. It’s been 5 months since the last surgery and I still use a cane and drag my leg. I’m not into injections or drugs, so use Voltren which helps a little. Even told to give it a year.

It is now 9 months since my posting and over a year on my first hip. I don’t get the femoral stem pain anymore although I do get pains if I sit the wrong way. It is manageable. I hope yours gets better too.

I had both hips replaced (22 mo and 19 mo ago). I still have discomfort in both, feels like around the top of the femurs (or in the muscle, hard to tell) when walking, exercising, or standing on one foot). Had imaging done (CT, MRI, and bone density) and all came back ok. Doc says implants are fine, so I'm not sure what to think. The pain is inconsistent, fluctuates between 2-5 (on a 1-10 scale) but rarely completely gone. Usually weightlifting makes it worse for a day or three, but sometimes it feels better. I feel like I have no choice but to keep exercising as much as the hips will allow me to. Hopefully the pain will fade over the next few years. But I know that laying around on the couch (like I did for 1.5 yrs) won't make it better. I also had trochanter bursitis on one side for a whole year before I tried crutches for 11 days and this finally allowed it to heal.

Found your reply very informative.
I gather from other people, this constant pain in the left side of my thigh is common. I am very active and get tired of dragging my foot around. Still no answer as to why terrific pain wakes me up every night, regardless if I have been active or not during the day.
Found a chiropractor that really listens. He has helped my walking and loosened up the IT band. (Which was very painful). I have found that using a 4 wheel walker has made my balance issues easier. Only do that in the house. Seems to help with the training of my left foot to
remember to put the heel down first. Only use the cane if I know I will be walking a distance. Otherwise, I walk very slow and carefully, looks like I’m tipsy.

From what you described, this is probably not femoral stem pain which is more of a pain in the thigh where the stem is. I find I still get the ache, now and then, when I put my leg in a twisting situation but it is fine otherwise. While I equate sitting in a chair as kinda waiting to die, I wonder if you are maybe going too far the other way, although by almost 2 years your body should probably be mostly healed.
Everyone is different. Your doctors can only advise you on what works for the majority of people. Most people who go through TJR are hoping for being painfree and able to do everything they could before their joint became rough. But that is not the case usually. It is a double continuum that goes from still hurts, to hurts less, to doesn’t hurt any more - as well as - still weak, stronger, can do (almost)what I could before, to strong as a bull.
My body still surprises me. I have started doing my “house projects” these past few weeks and find that I can bend down to pick up things off the floor and I can climb ladders - although I know I probably shouldn’t if I want the implants to stay happy. But on the other hand, it takes more energy and I get exhausted easily. In some ways, it is like being a baby - you have to learn about your new body.
I will give you the advice that a doctor gave me while I was lying in my hospital bed after upchucking and pooping my body dry. I think I have (had) what is now called alpha-gal but no one knew about the meat allergy after tick bite back then. He said that he didn’t know what caused my reaction but, “Just don’t eat what makes you sick.”. So I say, “Exercise as much as you can/want, but don’t do what makes your joint hurt.”. Your job is to find your sweet spot. It sounds like exercise is part of your life style or identity but maybe try something different like swimming, tae chi, biking, etc if what you are doing now hurts. Maybe in time, you can reintroduce those old activities again.