Thigh pain after THR

Norny

I had a right hip replacement 12 weeks ago, off crutches at 6 weeks seemed to be doing well. At 10 weeks started to have front of thigh pain which is worse when walking. I had a cementless hip replacement has anyone else experienced this and does it go away?

Nurina

Is it acute pain, soreness, discomfort? Around three months after the surgery, things start to feel more "normal". If you do some new exercise, like a new workout or walking a longer distance, you could feel muscle pain. Anyway if you think this isn't a normal pain, maybe you should visit your GP or physiotherapist.

Norny

@Nurina it's not acute in that I'm having to take painkillers. Going to speak to Physio had increased my walking maybe doing too much if doesn't settle will try and get appointment with consultant.

Nurina

It could be you've done too much. Take a rest, gentle stretching and short walks for a couple of days.

Janlyn

@Norny that sounds like muscle pain, but best checked out by a physiotherapist.

That's exactly how I felt at that stage and I was advised to walk/exercise little and often and to stop if I started to feel that groin/front of thigh pain. If I didn't I would start to walk awkwardly to compensate and cause more problems. I'm eleven months post-surgery now and am stronger than I had ever dreamed possible. I'm enjoying life, around 11,000 steps a day, but if I overdo it then that groin/thigh pain does come back until I stop and have a few minutes rest.

Take care and listen to your body - it is early days and the work you put in now should pay dividends in the long-term.

Norny

@Janlyn did you have a cementless joint? It starts in mid thigh and moves to groin. Will talk to physio, have an appointment with consultant on Tuesday will see what he says. A bit worried because the day after the surgery a physio tried to get me up on a walker when I was feeling faint I nearly fell ( my blood pressure was low) I'm now worried the implant moved and the bone can't grow round. Going to do less walking and gentle exercise to see if it settles.

Janlyn

@Norny It's good you will see your consultant on Tuesday. It sounds unlikely your implant moved but only your consultant can confirm.

Mine was very similar, still can be if I overdo it, but it's definitely muscular. Mine is cemented but looking back I don't think I've had any problems with my hip, only getting my muscles back to some kind of normal. Certainly the groin pain is totally muscular, it happens now if I walk too far/exercise too much and I've realised it's then that I start to limp and that sets off the groin pain. I really can have a good life though and easily manage 10,000+ steps a day, it's just I can't do it all at once.

Hope you get some reassurance on Tuesday. Take care.

Norny

@Janlyn I have developmental hip dysplasia only diagnosed last year which has caused arthritis in both hips. In could be that my muscles were so weak and my gait abnormal its going to take me longer to get over the operation. Will keep you posted what he says. Thanks N

Nurina

@Norny If you've been bad for a long time, it could be weak muscles. It could take longer but you will recover well. I had developmental hip displasia too and my operated leg feels better than ever. I had to do a lot with exercises with my physio who, after several sessions, confessed that at the beginning he thought I would never recover well due to my issues but he was pleased to be wrong. Maybe you'd need to do more strength and stretch exercises to get good muscle tone before increasing walking distance. Good luck

Norny

@Nurina it was a shock I had been back and forward to doctor was bring told by physio's the problem was my back, ended up going private, waiting times were too long on NHS here and I couldnt walk. Got xray and mri did have back issues bulging discs etc but also dysplasia. The physio did tell me it could take me longer to get over my hip replacement because I have back issues too having been walking around 59 years with dysplasa. He said the muscles are probably so weak I'm hoping that is the case and with time they will strengthen. Going to discuss how much I should be walking with Physio this week.

Janlyn

@Norny I'm not surprised it was a shock and it does sound as though you will need very specific exercises to strengthen your muscles and it might take some time but worthwhile asking the right questions now to make sure you are doing all you can.

I was around nine months post-op before I realised I had more strength than I'd had for years. Apparently I had not been walking properly, probably since I was a child and had a cartilage operation and that led to my arthritis.

Take care.

Norny

@Nurina @Janlyn had my appointment today with Consultant he arranged for an xray, said joint looked good, bone has grown around the implant. Checked range of movement said he had no concerns and was probably tight abductor muscles in inner thigh. Going to ask Physio what exercise can do for this, consultant showed me one to do. So relieved all looks good!

Nurina

@Norny What a relief! Abductors can be really tight because of the tilted position of the pelvis and the bad habits to compensate for years. That's why, in some cases, it's recommended to do strength and stretch exercises before walking long distances. If you are going for a walk, try to do regular stops and stretch those muscles. You'll notice a big difference.

Janlyn

@Norny that's such a relief and @Nurina is absolutely right. Definitely do have regular stops when walking. I can walk as far as I want but I suffer without regular stops. It's worth taking the time to get fully fit - it will take time but so much better to be your best possible self. Thanks for letting us know.