Left hip pain and groin 3 years after posterior total hip replacement

Posted by scottjeffe @scottjeffe, Feb 20, 2020

2016 I had total hip replacement via posterior approach. 2017 I had total hip replacement anterior approach. The posterior approach side constantly hurts, but I get intense pain under load (walking, stair climbing, uneven ground), and the intense pain also makes it impossible to sleep at night. Is anyone else having my symptoms after total hip replacement? I now use a cane for stability, and an electric scooter for long distance travel after my fifth fall. I feel alone with issue, but I can’t imagine others don’t experience my symptoms? Am I all alone? I’m at my wits end, depressed, and now suffer with anxiety as a result of last hip pain. Help.

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@mikey2u1950

No you are not alone. I had my left hip replaced seven years ago and have been experiencing pain ever since. I had my right hip replaced 22 years ago and it is fine.

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Welcome @mikey2u1950, Sorry to hear that you are still having pain seven years after replacing your other hip. @sueinmn posted in another discussion what helped her was having her walk analyzed. Then she was was put through a course of gait training, similar to what is described in this article https://www.verywellhealth.com/gait-training-in-physical-therapy-5069884.

Have you had your gait analyzed to see if it may be causing the pain after your left hip was replaced?

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Scott, I just saw your earlier post from a year ago. You are definitely not alone. I had similar results, please see my last post.

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This popped up today . I also suffer from tremendous difficulty after having a posterior THR in 2017. My issue is exacerbated by a fall/dislocation 1 week after the surgery when following my PT instruction, I was walking without a cane and fell. This causes a pelvic fracture and I ultimately had 4 surgeries to the same hip in an attempt to stabilize the joint because subsequent Physical therapists manage to dislocate my hip when pulling my leg off of an exercise ball, and a later dislocation was due to the joint being at a “neutral angle” It has been a comedy of errors dealing with nerve and muscle damage that caused footdrop, constant and chronic groin, low back and sciatic pain. I have difficulty sleeping and although I can ride my bike for miles, walking is a challenge 🙁 I take gabapentin to control nerve pain but that’s it.
The best that my ortho doc has offered is to go in and try to “tweak” my replacement in hopes that he can improve my condition. He has no real plan and I am not up for an experimental surgery on my hip! Meanwhile I had an anterior replacement in 2020 and would never know I had a similar surgery because it has been pain free!
I am moving to AZ within a few months and hope to be able to get an opinion from Mayo docs because it has been difficult to say the least!

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My husband is 4 weeks PO his right hip replacement. He gets stabbing pains in his groin. Has anyone else experienced this?

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Hi @revvy and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. You'll see that I moved your post here: Left hip pain and groin 3 years after posterior total hip replacement: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/left-hip-pain-and-groin-3-years-after-posterior-total-hip-replacement/ I did that so you can connect with other people having a difficult time like your husband.
You might also want to read this one: Total hip replacement: pain 15 months post-op: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/hip-pain-15-months-post-total-hip-arthroplasty/
Reference info: "Doctors at the Mayo Clinic writing in the Journal of bone and joint surgery suggest that a potential cause of persistent groin pain after total hip arthroplasty is impingement of the iliopsoas tendon. Treatment options include conservative management, tenotomy, and acetabular revision (surgery to adjust or replace the hip socket component)."

Have the sharp pains been present since his surgery?

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@amandaa

Hi @revvy and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. You'll see that I moved your post here: Left hip pain and groin 3 years after posterior total hip replacement: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/left-hip-pain-and-groin-3-years-after-posterior-total-hip-replacement/ I did that so you can connect with other people having a difficult time like your husband.
You might also want to read this one: Total hip replacement: pain 15 months post-op: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/hip-pain-15-months-post-total-hip-arthroplasty/
Reference info: "Doctors at the Mayo Clinic writing in the Journal of bone and joint surgery suggest that a potential cause of persistent groin pain after total hip arthroplasty is impingement of the iliopsoas tendon. Treatment options include conservative management, tenotomy, and acetabular revision (surgery to adjust or replace the hip socket component)."

Have the sharp pains been present since his surgery?

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Thank you for the feedback. The pains have been there since the beginning. Started a few days after the surgery. They do seem to be less frequent. We are hoping maybe it will resolve on it’s own. Don’t know if that is possible.

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@tams84

I’ve had 3 surgeries now on my left hip, 1st one was the original thr (anterior) I had a low grade fever start within 6 hours of surgery & I started having extreme ripping sensation in my groin. I went to a new surgeon 8 months later & after numerous tests it was a diagnosis of staph infection & P-acne infection in my hip, I recvd both infections during the original surgery. Had everything taken out, iv therapy, no hip or femur for 19 wks then more tests then a new replacement surgery. I’m still suffering from the ripping sensation in my groin, I now have oozing from the posterior incision (not often now) & excruciating pain down my leg from my pelvis to my knee. I’ve been told by my dr regarding the latest mri that I still have a muscle that’s torn, tendons & ligaments are shredded but no one will repair any of it, dr’s keep blaming on loose hardware which from the latest ct scan there’s no infection or hardware issues! I’m at a lose now as to what any dr will do to help me with the pain!

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try drs that work out of the box,
prolotherapy, dmso. go online and read, read, read. look up everything you can thimk of. reg Drs are very held back from the fda and what they approve the drs can say, or give you. there is tons of other research that has worked since the 20's that they hide from us.
good luck
Art

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@revvy

Thank you for the feedback. The pains have been there since the beginning. Started a few days after the surgery. They do seem to be less frequent. We are hoping maybe it will resolve on it’s own. Don’t know if that is possible.

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I have had left hip pain since 2015. I had a hip replacement then, not much help out there from medical professionals. Many just give me exercises. Gabapentin helps ,so does tramadol arthrotec and cannabis.

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I have had a THR 2 yrs ago and Im tired of the pain both in the groin and mid thigh. I easily get cramps all the time some at night in my leg and other cramps are closer in the groin area while sitting or getting in my auto or sometimes pushing a cart at the store. Usually if Im sitting i stand for a short it goes away but it might come right back as soon as I sit down again. My hip hurts daily and some times interferes with daily living using a dust pan or carrying laundry. My surgeon wants to pawn me off on another doctor or wants me to see if i can learn to live with the pain. As time goes by I don’t want to i would like to be able to garden and go fishing again and of coarse I need to be skinny for surgery

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@diaham57

I have had a THR 2 yrs ago and Im tired of the pain both in the groin and mid thigh. I easily get cramps all the time some at night in my leg and other cramps are closer in the groin area while sitting or getting in my auto or sometimes pushing a cart at the store. Usually if Im sitting i stand for a short it goes away but it might come right back as soon as I sit down again. My hip hurts daily and some times interferes with daily living using a dust pan or carrying laundry. My surgeon wants to pawn me off on another doctor or wants me to see if i can learn to live with the pain. As time goes by I don’t want to i would like to be able to garden and go fishing again and of coarse I need to be skinny for surgery

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One year later, a similar experience, and every doctor wants to treat things differently. I have the pain but also peroneal nerve damage was caused during surgery, and drop foot. Every doctor wants to do something different but nothing's worked. I waited 3 months to see a neurologist and his solution: Lyrica!!! I saw a pain specialist and his solution: nerve block, that lasted 36 hours. Finally, I've made an app't to see the head of the L.A. Nerve Institute, and also to see a neurologist at Cedars-Sinai... I have researched till I am at my wits' end... Stay tuned for results of the Cedars-Sinai app'ts in the next 14 days...

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