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Post hip replacement problems
I had hip replacement 6 days ago and the first two days went according to everything I was told but on the third day I tried to walk around and I had excruciating pain in my lower leg down the tibia or shin bone and my knee and the side of my knee was horrible burning pressure tingling just a deep deep ache. I kept trying to walk but it would make me cry out. Went back to orthopedics they did an x-ray and there was no fracture. But they really don't know what's wrong he put me on gabapentin for possible nerve damage somewhere and this is my first day taking it I'm not feeling great on it in fact I feel like I couldn't even get up and try to walk for feeling a little unstable. I just wondered if anyone else had that problem and did it resolve on its own or did they find the right solution? I go back next week for my first visit and I'm praying for some progress as I take these pills and get through the next days of hopefully being a little active.
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If i sit too long, i limp when i first get up. After about ten steps it goes away. Four months since hip replacement.
I still want to know - why does no one ever speak of left hip replacements?
I don't know why they never speak of the left - I have had mine done - twice. Many friends and family have had both hips replaced. A few have had just the left hip done...
Sue
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2 ReactionsGlad you are doing so well
Please keep up your restrictions 😊
I had right done in 2020 and am finally s heckling the left as we speak. Scared but also excited at the end result.
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2 ReactionsI had my left hip done in March. It has been a painful recovery to say the least. I ended up having bursitis in the muscle next to the replacement, and had a injection for that last week. That has seemed to help. Like you, mornings are hard. So painful and stiff. Dr. told me to lay in bed and swing leg a few times before getting up. Yesterday, was the first day I have felt more relief and accomplished more things. I think I am finally getting better. I was worried about that for a while. Also, my Dr. has me on muscle relaxers, which really help. If I overwork my hip during the day, I may take one late in the afternoon. Otherwise, I take it when I go to bed. I think there's light at the end of the tunnel, thank God.
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3 ReactionsI had right hip replacement 5 years ago. I guess you can call it successful since the original pain is gone. However, I now also have bursitis in that hip. I have fifteen inside stairs in my house and it's very painful to walk up them. I have had injections in that bursa and sometimes it helps and other times it doesn't do a thing. I believe it will be one of my chronic conditions.
Ow, I ffel your pain. I too have had bursitis in my surgically replaced hips, and my house also has 15 stairs to go up and down all the time.
My surgeon kindly did injections, which helped, but he also took the time to show me a series of stretches to permanently fix the problem (Tip: Once the pain is gone, keep doing them at least 3 times a week to maintain.)
Here is a slightly different set that you might like better:
https://www.gomberamd.com/blog/4-hip-bursitis-stretches-and-exercises-to-decrease-pain-14543.html
Yes, I know, it HURTS! I wasn't really a believer, but I completely trust this doctor, so I tried. At first, I would be in agony doing them, but after a few weeks things got better. Now, if I get lazy, that left one actus up again, and I get back to the stretches. But, you can fix it and keep it fixed by strengthening the surrounding muscles and keeping them strong.
Are you willing to give it a try? Not as quick or easy as an injection or a pill, but a way to help yourself.
Sue
PS Maybe get it injected again, and when you get a little relief do the exercises - or do them after a hot bath or shower?
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1 ReactionThanks Sue. I am a walker and i also have bone on bone on my left knee from falling off a treadmill 30 years ago. I've noticed when I'm out walking that as long as I'm on a level service my knee doesn't bother me but my hip starts to hurt about 1 mile in. I also have Cervical Radiculopathy. (nerve compression in neck). But I've made it to 82 this month. I will certainly try the exercises you told me about. Anything to help.
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2 ReactionsI’m four months out from right hip replacement and still going to PT once a week. I was out of town last week and did a lot of walking on nature trails. All doable.
Now that I’m home, I’ve had some pain in that hip - also, on two occasions, it felt as if the hip was going to “give out.” This was while walking the dog.
Thoughts?
Susan - -I see you are still in PT once a week. The feeling you are having is not unusual. I had it both after hip replacement and after my knee tendons were repaired/replaced. I felt it occasionally when dancing for nearly a year after one hip was done - the other one. replaced only six weeks earlier, was never a problem. The muscles around an implant are often weak after surgery, and sometimes tendons can le a little "loose" if leg length or position was changed at all.
Here is what I would do - explain what you felt, and maybe demonstrate where the feeling was to the PT at your next session. PT's know the body structure, bones, joints, muscles and tendons, and how they work together better than anyone else I can think of, even surgeons. See what they suggest.
There are some exercises that help, but should be selected specifically for you. If the PT thinks there is a bigger problem, they can send you back to the surgeon with their assessment of the situation. If you go straight to the surgeon you are likely to get an x-ray and be told "everything looks fine" - but you know better.
Will you let me know what happens next?
Sue
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