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Loosening of hip after a total hip replacement
I’m 30 years old, and a year ago I had a total hip replacement. I wanted to share my experience since then — it hasn’t gone the way I hoped, and I’m looking for support or anyone who’s been through something similar.
Ever since the surgery, I’ve had groin pain that just never went away. I did physical therapy for 6 months with no real improvement.
My doctor referred me for an injection to see if that would help — but unfortunately, it didn’t. The pain stayed the same.
After that, I had an MRI. It showed “edema tracking in the iliopsoas muscle and into the musculotendinous junction and proximal tendon.” Based on that, my doctor thought I might need an iliopsoas tendon lengthening surgery and referred me to a different specialist.
That doctor agreed it might help — but before jumping to surgery, we tried another injection and also ran blood work and a bone scan to rule out other issues. The bone scan came back showing signs that the prosthetic might be loosening — which was honestly devastating to hear. Now, my doctor is consulting with other orthopedic surgeons. He believes I may need another surgery to replace the socket. Hearing that just one year after my first surgery… I was heartbroken. I feel lost and unsure of what to do — I really just don’t want to live in constant pain. The pain has gotten worse and now radiates down to my knee. I’m still waiting on the next steps, but I’m sharing this in case anyone has been through something similar. If you’ve had complications after a hip replacement, or dealt with iliopsoas issues or a loose prosthesis — I’d love to hear your story. Right now I just need some guidance and hope.
Thanks for reading. It’s hard to be so open, but if this thread can connect me to someone else out there in the same boat, it’s worth it. 💙
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My wife had total bilateral and nine months out had to have a revision on her right hip because it became loose and could have done more damage if not done immediately is what the surgeon shared. You and you alone, know your body and if something does not feel right, be a strong advocate for yourself. Not sure on what materials they used on your implant but my wife also came down with Cobalt and Chromium poisoning from her implants twice! If something honestly doesn’t feel right search and seek until you feel better. We ended up changing orthopedic surgeon because the first one kept declining to do a cobalt blood test and we felt something was wrong, had the test done by or through her primary and found her cobalt level to be over 17.5; very toxic. The second orthopedic surgeon was better to start out with but did not seem to have patients for long term care so my wife now sees a third orthopedic surgeon with hopefully no real complications! Best of luck, stay positive and again, be a strong advocate for yourself!
Hi -. I hear you on the disheartening outcomes of what is promoted as a highly successful solution. I had my second hip replacement on May 6 so am just over 2 weeks into recovery. Unlikely my first hip (done at age 50 - I'm now 64), groin pain has been my chief complaint. I've been told by multiple practitioners it's related to the arthritic hip and will heal once I have the surgery. So - now weaning from pain meds - the pain is there and I'm trying to be optimistic about the slow reality of strengthening the muscles post-surgery. But I appreciate you sharing your experience as I don't trust that the typical PT exercises will address it. This morning I am barely able to move my leg at all - and the pain is once again radiating to my knee, lower back, and just feeling inflamed. The joint feels inflamed- so of course now I'm worried about issues with the healing process. I see surgeon again in 2 weeks. Any resources you discover for healing over-stretched ligaments of deep muscles I'd be interested in- and am here to offer moral support to keep listening to your body. Amazing breakthroughs are happening for healing ligaments - a lesser-researched field but one I believe will benefit women especially for pelvic health as our hormones play a key role in this area of the body. You are so young - you will learn through this experience and perhaps in the long run understand what your body needs for your future health as well. Wishing you a miraculous breakthrough soon! Stay with it.