Hip replacement

Crizmiff

hello, I am due to have my left hip replaced on 22nd September. I have degeneration in my right hip as well although not as bad as my left but still painful. I have groin pain both sides and some pain in my non operation hip (right) When my left hip is replaced can I expect to lose some of the pain in my right hip? I feel that I have been putting extra weight and strain on my right to compensate for my left.

Trish9556

Hi @Crizmiff

Good luck with your surgery! I had my first hip replaced last year and hopefully following a referral I will be getting my left hip done sooner rather than later.

There are a lot of posts on hip recoveries on here and I have also posted one on the new site, as well as my one on here.

The most important thing to remember is recovery is a marathon and not a sprint. Everyone is different and everyone recovers at their own pace but it is hard work and demands a lot of sheet grit and determination in the early days.

You must also listen to what you are told to do and what not to do. No sleeping on your side until the surgeon or physio tells you you can as you may end up undoing all the surgeons good work. No twisting, bending, sitting feeling sorry for yourself and stagnating, Physio must be done regularly to aid recovery and taking your painkillers regularly in the first few weeks helps, keep yourself topped up.

Trish

Jane18

Hi @Crizmiff, I had a total hip replacement (right side) 3 months ago. I was getting a lot of pain in my groin and glutes on my right side, but also had arthritic pains elsewhere, particularly in my right knee and to an extent in my left hip. Immediately after the operation, the pain in my right knee disappeared completely, so it must have been referred pain. Although there was some pain from the operation for the first few weeks and I also had an aching left hip and leg, possibly because I was unable to put much weight on my operated leg, these have now all eased up. I still had a slight leg length discrepancy after the operation (it was much more pronounced before) but since I've been doing the exercises the physio gave me, walking and getting back to my other exercises, I notice that this has become less noticeable and I am walking more normally. I still use a stick sometimes for longer walks, but am able to walk unaided around the house and for short walks and only feel the occasional ache if I overdo things.

Not sure if this answers your question, but I certainly found that my severe bone-on-bone arthritis in my right hip had affected my gait and also caused pains elsewhere, which have all been corrected since the operation. I would ask your consultant, medical team and/or physiotherapist, as they will be better able to assess your specific circumstances.

Good luck with the operation and let us know how you get on.

Jane