Hip Replacement Ongoing Chronic Pain

Posted by bekifft @bekifft, Aug 2 12:14am

49-year-old Male. I got a RTHR on 1/6/25. Woke up in March with horrible lateral hip pain and have had it ever since. I have to take Oxy daily just to survive as my pain level is often an 8/10. I'm in too much pain to do PT and I use a walker or crutches to go on short walks. My MRI, CT, X-Ray, Bone Scan, and EMG is normal.

My surgeon thinks there is nothing wrong with me and that my pain will go away in a few months.

I got a 2nd opinion who says I have really weak abductors because I have denervation of the gluteal muscles (even though my EMG was normal) and he said there is nothing he can do about it. He recommends PT and says it will be a slow recovery.

Anyone have any recommendations? I'm really confused and frustrated. Would seeing someone at the Mayo Clinc be helpful.

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frankcat | @frankcat | Aug 2 5:53am

I also had pain after my THR left hip due from a vehicle accident, I have deep pain in the groin without going into much detail I decided to go to Mayo clinic in MN , the doctor in IL who did my replacement also said they didn’t see anything out of place meaning the hardware they put in. I did have a MRI turns out I have bursitis around the iliopsoas tendon area causing the pain and they recommended lengthening or cutting the tendon to “release “ it . I decided to have it done Dr Mario Havesi performed the surgery at Mayo fantastic doctor along with his aid . I still have some pain but he did say it could take up to a full year to get the benifits. It’s been 8 months now slow going but it’s going I strongly recommend seeing Mayo the are second to none make an appointment and go you won’t be sorry . It’s over 300 miles from me but well worth it. FYI I may have spelled the docs last name wrong anyway good luck.

mitfit | @mitfit | Aug 2 7:48am

Definitely go to Mayo! I recommend Dr. Perry in orthopedic surgery.

tallbackhip | @tallbackhip | Aug 2 1:12pm

Evaluation by an orthopedic center and rehabilitation program, such as Mayo may have, might be helpful.

A caution on the oxy, it might be part of the problem, which a orthopedic or pain rehabilitation program may be able to help with. Opiods (oxycodone, tramadol, hydrocodone, etc), can paradoxically make pain worse in the long run, and adversely impact hormone levels needed in healing. Every patient and surgeon is different, but hip replacement surgery pain is often controlled with anesthesia, nerve block (for the first 2-4 days), acetaminophen, celecoxib or other NSAID, and possibly other pain adjuvants. Some patients manage without opioids the first weeks, though most use at least a few doses the first week. Pain of a level 8 is most unfortunate.

Anyway, I agree a consultation may help sort things out.

paisley9 | @paisley9 | Aug 2 2:57pm

Hi. I am sorry this is happening to you. All I can say is orthopedic surgeons are terrible at dealing with soft tissue issues. The look at X-ray, everything looks fine so you kinda get dismissed. I really can’t give you advice but for me the answer has been pt (try different pt if you get a canned treatment plan) massage therapy, tai chi and Advil for pain (sometimes larger doses within safety limita)when I need to exercise. Advil works better for me I think some of the problem is inflammation and scar tissue repair. I would try acupuncture also but have a fear of needles. Keep looking. The answer is out there. I also think you need more recovery time and pt though. Took me a year. I am basically writing to tell you that surgeons don’t have all the answers AND DONT DEAL WITH SOFT TISSUE ISSUES WELL. .

fdiane | @fdiane | Aug 3 9:42pm

That’s very unfortunate you have such pain. I also had a THR on 1/8/25. Around May my rectus femoral muscle started acting up and I couldn’t move my leg forward to walk. I went back to PT and had deep tissue massage for scar adhesions. Eight weeks later I’m still having the issue but PT did help tremendously.
What approach did you have for your hip replacement? I would try PT, if everything else looks good, you might find relief from your pain. Best to you.