Different leg lengths after hip replacement!

i had THP on left leg just over a year ago, i now have to wear a built up shoe on my right foot (which i only got last month) as the hip replacement is 6cm to long. still in a lot of pain constantly. the surgeon has denied all knowledge of any thing being wrong. but joked that he would level me up when i needed my other hip doing! has any body else had this happen to them?

All the time at this site people have the same problem and the surgeon days the same thing.I think he is arrogant.

Does seem to understand how that affected you every day.sad

6cm? Do you mean 6mm?.. if not that is criminal You perhaps need to ask to see his calculations

and ask him how they are so WRONG. I would think you certainly have a case the NHS need to answer. I would recommend the PALS office but now realise that they perform a damage limitation exercise and bring in the NHS lawyers due to there being so many outstanding negligence claims.  You may have to set about the thankless task of finding medical negligence solicitor. Believe me they will already have a counter defence file building up. .... The behind the scenes legal teams in hospitals are more populated than the medical teams. ..

I have had a very similar experience to yours and have a third hip replacement to right hip in February this year due to leg length discrepancy.Mine is a long story and has taken me 10 yrs to sort it out from 1st hip replacement.

I had to wear a shoe raise also but mine was 2.5cm and has caused me terrible back pain for which I am having surgery in Janauary for scoliosis. I am 66 and had back problems already but it  has really aggravated it

6 cm is an awful big shoe raise to have and If I were you I wouldn't put up with it. I was told nothing could be done but when I took my xrays and scans to show the surgeon what had happened to my spine after 5yrs of pain he finally said he could refer me to someone who could help me, That man has been wonderful and without him doing my 3rd hip replacemnt I couldn't have my spine surgery.He is one of a very few surgeons that can do this type of surgery in theUK and thankfully it has been a sucess. It is till about 7mm out but I don't notice that an don't need a shoe raise anymore. 

I forgot to add that al my surgery was done privately but the same doctors do work for the NHS 

I had this happen.  14 months after my second THR, I finally got a second opinion far away from my home because in my area in Tennessee, U.S., the doctors will not touch another doctors patient.  Evidently, friendship means more than the well being of their patients.  The emergency room doctors are the same way.

My first THR was perfect and still is.  But the other has left me crippled with excruciating pain and a longer leg.  My new doc showed me the images of my THR's and the second one has come loose!  It is not even close to looking like the good one.  And each prosthesis sits at a different level!  The loose one is hanging lower.

Every time I went to him to complain about the pain that makes me involuntarily scream, he would take an x-ray of that hip and tell me that everything looked perfect.  Time after time he did this and this pain has been the same since the surgery, 14 months!  Then his practice kicked me out, cancelled all future procedures and appointments because I missed two payments in a row and now demand full payment which I cannot pay.

Now I have to have a revision, but with a new better surgeon.  So franmilmoe,  work hard to find your answers.

I wish you the best!

Dawn

So frustrating!

I have to say Dawn Dee, The thought of that prosthetic coming loose is a great great for me too.

Sorry you had to suffer so much.

Oh Beryl65!  What a long time to suffer so and one mistake affected other parts of your body so extremely!   So happy that in the end things have worked out well.

Hugs

Dawn US

Thanks Ginger.  I am almost afraid to move around now after seeing that picture.  Even the screw has been pulled a little out of its place.  It is frightening.  

Hugs

Dawn

It would certainly be fighting.

When is your revision.hugs

February 27th.  The hospital is a 600 mile round trip and as far as I can tell, I will be there alone.  I hope I do not meet up with unfriendly nurses.

Oh sad you will be alone, so was I.my son didn't even call.we live about 129 miles from the hospital.surely your not going to drive your self home.

No I cannot drive myself home, someone will need to drive me there and back, but I know of no one who can actually stay the whole time with me.

I am going to check to see if there are other forms of transportation.

Hugs

Thanks for all your comments.Yes it is 6cm longer.I also have lower back problems due to long term Steroid use and nursing for 33 yrs which i have now had to give up.All i get offered is physio and all they say is sorry we can not help At 53 all i have to look forward to is pain

Oh you poor thing. It us unforgivable. I thought as a nurse you had recourse for your back problems. Being on steroid for ages brings so many problems like cushings entre autres.  6cm is criminal. In your position I would start getting a file together. You must have colleagues in the profession who can direct you. How can you even exist with a 6cm difference. Have your bones thinned on all that steroid over the years? At 53 you should have at least 25 years with a new hip. Are you worse than before the surgery.... It us depressing to feel so helpless. Get on line and start researching. These stories make me feel sad as well as sick. You should be compensated for the years of nursing retroactive when they let all you women do heavy lifting which is illegal now. Wasnt there a class action which compensated you all.  I guess it's difficult to prove...   Young nurses today don't realise how their predecessors made their lives easier. Name and shame that callous surgeon. Publish his "joke"

IT is not the happy ending by a long way as I have several more surgeries to go before I can say that. It was all made much worse with the hip not being done correctly in the first place, Thankyou for your reply anyway

Hi DawnDedee It is a good job here in the UK that Dr's will operate on patients already seen by other Dr's as my original one who is a professor has now stopped doing surgery. He  hasn't retired as he is still a youngish man an di would lov eto gind out why he isn't operating anymore.

My husband ha smentioned sueing the ffirst 2 due to all the pain i wen tthrough and had to give up my job which I really loved but at the end we decided against oit as they could close ranks on me and henI would not have found the wonderful surgeon who got it right in the end. Good luck with your revision, I found them much better than my initial surgery and no bruising an dheeled much faster.

I guess I was thinking of the success of no more shoe lifts needed.  Small victories is how I train my thinking.  I hope for the best outcome possible considering your extreme challenges.  You are strong!

Hug

Dawn

Hi franmilmoe i don't know how you cope with a 6cm leg diffrence i would certainly be complaing to my Dr about it as my 2.5cm leg differnce ha scertainly contribte to m ehaving scoliosis in my spine and no wi hav eto have 2 more major surgeries for it. Don't let them tell you there is nothing ey can do about it, there are surgeons who can