Post hip replacement problems

Today squatted 210 lbs for 3 sets of 5 reps. And did 3 sets of overhead presses, 67.5 lbs, and one set of deadlifts at 190 lbs. One of the young guys was shocked that I had a THR and was lifting at 71. Total lifted including warmup sets was 9,187 lbs.
No pain, no soreness, full range of motion. I’m a believer.

I had total hip replacement mid February., now 4 months ago.It was healing well and I am now on my knees in my garden pulling very tough weeds . I had pain in my knee a while after my surgery but it was gone and now it is back as before my surgery.I also have a sharp pain in my hip when I turn over in bed to turn off the alarm clock. Could I have dislodged my new hip?

@alth Wow - not quite 4 months - you might be pushing things a little bit. That new stem and femur are still growing together and the muscles are healing.
You are a Poster Child for hip replacement here on Connect.
So, I am not a doctor, but a veteran of 2 hip replacements and 3 major revisions. I also dislocated my hip (trying to rise from a chair just after surgery.)

It's been some years for me, but I seem to remember some bending and straining limitations that were in place for 6 months to a year. What instructions do you have?

If you can walk and function normally on the leg, you probably haven't displaced anything, more likely strained the still healing muscles, nerves and tendons z the pain is nature's way of telling you to slow down.

If it gets worse, time to call the doc and have an x-ray.
As for the knee pain,again, your body is healing and your gait is probably changing now that the hip pain is gone.
If it continues, you might need a PT eval of your stride. Oh, and if you're in the garden you're probably wearing some old worn-out shoes or a pair of Crocs....while healing, you need good footwear to keep you solidly grounded.
Just know you will be able to do it all, just let yourself heal. Now, 12 years past my last surgery, I can still get sore if I overdo it - this week my hip, shoulder, elbow and thumb are unhappy because in addition to all the planting and weeding, I hauled about 1/4 ton of rock out of my pond to renovate it. My young helper will be in charge of putting it back!

I had a full hip replacement in December, 2021. My physical therapy started the first month. After I came home, the therapists came to me. Two months after surgery I was cleared to drive and I went to physical therapy. All in all I had a lot of physical therapy. I had a wonderful surgeon. I have a small scar in the front. I put Vitamin E oil on it and it is barely visible. I saw the surgeon for two yearly visits. At my last visit he said he would see me again in two years. These visits also have new X-rays so he can see how the new hip is doing.

Hello @alth. I combined your discussion into another discussion from the Joint Replacements support group titled, "Post hip replacement problems" - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/post-hip-replacement-problems/.

It is a bit lengthier discussion, but includes many members discussing their hip replacements and some of the potential issues that can arise from it, as well as success stories and situations that maybe needed further attention.

@susanfalcon52, @darlas1967, @faykatsfour, and @jassy101 discussed having their hips replaced and some of the issues that came after including some knee pain.

@alth, 4 months is still early in your recovery process, were you given any restrictions when you had your surgery or discussed the kneeling in your garden? Some movements, early on especially, can bring about different pains and reactions. How are you feeling when walking and doing "normal" activities? Have you brought up this sharp pain when turning in bed with your surgeon?

Cold will be your friend forever. Get the giant bag of frozen corn or frozen peas. They work fantastic. They cool and back in the freezer to freeze. Can last months or until you think long enough. Lots of ice.

Pain, as you know is relative. But I dont think your pain sounds all that different from mine. I think they oversell “the no pain” or “less pain” and I think it is a crime to give gabapentin to anyone. That makes you confused, dizzy and unsteady. They need to give you real solutions to deal with pain not anecdotal baloney centered around gabapentin. Gabapentin has failed to provide relief in almost every study. It’s like the Tylenol fairy story which American rheumatologists finally admitted does nothing for bone pain.

"Cold will be your friend forever."

I was treated by a chiropractor years ago. He didn't just adjust/crack backs and send people on their way. He used "structural rehabilitation" to try and get the spine back into proper position. The best way I can describe it is he put his patients in a form of traction for 15 minutes, 3x/week.

I had great results with this guy, although the sessions were not easy. Anyway this guy said that only cold should be applied to the back, especially the spine, but really anywhere, to relieve pain and reduce inflammation. He was absolutely against applying heat under any circumstances anywhere.

Why? Heat brings blood to the heated area. It feels good. But with the rush of blood comes inflammation from the increase in white blood cells to the area.

So stick with cold, always. It is, indeed, our friend.

I had left THR in March 2023. My ortho prescribed gabapentin for numb/nerve pain in my lower thigh from bruising my femur nerve. I still have this numb/nerve but a a lesser level than before. I never took the gabapentin and am glad I didn't, especially because of what you report.

I was recently prescribe Meloxicam for some pain in the other hip, which I don't want to have surgery on unless absolutely necessary. What is the experience with Meloxicam? Thank you.

Hello....I have been taking Meloxicam 7.5mg twice daily for past 10 years or so for arthritis pain and it works well for me. I have Osteoarthritis in my knees, hip, hands and cervical spine. I used to take it just once daily, but bumped to twice daily about 5 years ago. I'm 72 years old. Meloxicam is an NSAID like Ibuprofen, etc, although it's a prescription only.