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Why continuing pain three years after a successful hip replacement?
My wife had a hip replacement three years ago. The surgery was, by all measures, successful. Yet it became painful starting after three months and the pain has gotten worse. All kinds of treatments have been tried, including physical therapy, steroid injections. The implant has been examined by the surgeon and by other orthopedists. No one can find the cause of the pain. A Mayo post by Liza Torborg has suggested three possible causes: infection; a loose ball in the socket;; and psao tendinitis . The first two have been ruled out. What specialist at Mayo Clinic can diagnose the third possibility?
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@frankcat a loose implant could cause issues that are hard to detect as well! Be sure, if your levels test high to perhaps seek legal counsel before revision! Just a suggestion!
Try a few sessions with an MFR therapist. Look around for a really good one and they will be able to help diagnose where the pain is coming from.
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1 ReactionI have had recurring pain for 2 years--doing every imaginable PT/yoga. Just had a potential diagnosis for psoas tendonitis for diagnosis the do a CT guided injection into the tendon. If that gives you relief and comes back there is a arthroscopic tendon release. I had the injection--relief lasted all of 5 days--waiting to see if they want a second one or just try the tendon release. I don't have an infection and they keep telling me the implant looks good. It is confirmed that it is rubbing against that tendon. Sure hope this is my solution. The pain is annoying but the real problem is the lack of ability to strengthen that hip and leg, and the accompanying lower back ache.
I still have hip pain from my total hip replacement in 2015/now pending another new provider. Have you explored "Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome", surprisingly, a frequent occurance apparently following a
total hip replacement. I am still in the process of clarification as to what is actually happening with my hip.
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1 Reaction@cd8 I would suggest you both have an MRI to rule out things such as lose component and / or a Cobalt / Chroumin blood test to rule out toxic levels from your implants; my wife had both! Good luck! And a Second opinion never hurts!
@cs53 my wife started with total bilateral hip replacement. The femur nerve on left leg was compressed requiring a mobilization of her left leg. Once the nerve started to activate emergency surgery was required for the right hip due to a fractured pelvic fracture; never had a fall outside of falling during rehab in the shower because they removed the mobilizer from the left leg. 6 years later, still experiencing pain in both hips, they did a revision on the left due to extremely high Cobalt and Chroumin levels. 4 years later a revision of the right hip due to staph infection and continued high levels of Cobalt / Chroumin. They removed the whole component, placed a medicated spacer for 8 weeks, revision. That is at least 6 epidurals in her lower back. Today, 4 years later finally no hip pain. There is nerve damage and leg length issues. Between the leg length difference and all the epidural injection she now has a lot of issues with her lower back. They were going in and burning the nerves in her lower back with little improvement, so she chose to stop this procedure. Now only goes to the gym 3x a week. This has not improved her mobility or lessons the pain but hopefully does keep her with the ability to walk. “The Golden Years” and she is only 65 now!