Had hip surgery 8 weeks ago and things seemed to be going good until my 5 week mark . Started getting pain in my groin and down my leg again . I am driving and able to walk although I walk like a penguin As one leg is somewhat longer then the other now . Stopped taking pain meds after 2 weeks pretty much only to be taking them for bed after 5 weeks again . Have slacked off on doing my exercises cause they hurt so much . Do the ones I can but neglect The others . I go see my surgeon again on the 24th but am pretty worried . Any advice . Thanks
I still have the kind of pain you have 6 months out. However I have had both a THR and revision surgery to repair a broken femur, most probably caused by the THR. the best thing my ortho guy advised was to stop PT. When I did that, the pain diminished. He still advised walking as much as possible...even though I too have that penguin gate ( I use a cane). If possible contact your surgeon now and tell him/her what you are experiencing.
I have been walking with a crutch . Unfortunately My surgeon is on holidays and won’t be back to work till Monday .have been trying to do as little as possible till I see him .
There are so many variables when having this operation, your previous state of health, the skill (and luck) of the surgeon, your reaction to pain and various medication .... the list goes on and on.
I am at week 8 now, and have been almost totally pain free from about day 2. I did have some small pain at the very top of my thigh on the inside of the leg (is this what people call groin pain? It was definitely in the upper thigh). I found that it disappeared when I did some extra abduction exercises.
The leg on my new hip side (left) is definitely shorter, it is easy to do left leg standing abduction, but almost impossible to do right leg ones without standing on a thick rug.
It all seems to be a balancing act between too much and too little exercise. At the moment I am doing a fairly rigorous workout at the gym, and not suffering (yet) anything other than tired muscles as they haven't been working much for nearly 3 months now.
Best wishes
Graham
Didn't mean to send that ... meant to add that last time around I used a very good local 'sports physiotherapist', she was an ex-football physio and her hands-on approach has certainly helped me with getting the muscles back into place.
Hi Rocket Man thank you for that info will bear it in mind I if there is no improvement in next couple of weeks. Need to get past the six week goal. I am starting physio end of this week hope it helps.
Hi Rhonda
I had anterior hip surgery 13 weeks ago. Thought I was doing well. Still have pain in groin but can deal with that, but the worst part is that I too now have a limp and I feel that the hip leg that was operated on is longer. The other leg feels much shorter and am limping. So now the other side is starting to hurt. The surgeon is getting annoyed with me. He keeps telling me that both legs are exactly the same length. Hard for me to believe it for why would I be limping so badly. I am very upset from this whole surgery. The horrible pain is gone. No doctor wants to see a patient that is only out of surgery a short time. Hard to believe no one was to see me. I am going for physical therapy, but don't think it is working to correct leg length issue. After a while the doctor is no longer interested in the patient. When something is not right they are not so nice any more.
Lots of people limp after surgery I am limping at 5.5 months, not as bad as before. Lots of people do limp but most say this stops after a few months.
I hope you are right. I cannot stand this limping. Feel like an old person. I am not young, but never expected to have this limp. What does your doctor say about your limp after 5.5 months. I know others who had this surgery and they are not limping. Well hope this stops for don't want to live the rest of my life limping. Please let me know!
My doctor and the second opinion doctor both told me to give it a year. My first THR was without pain or limping.. no problems at all. The fractured femur and revision surgery make this a different animal. I would seek a second opinion if I were you.
First, have your PT measure your legs. Second, cut back on PT...which helped me a lot. Third, find a store that sells shoe insert orthotics to runners....get fitted. Fourth Write a letter to your doctor explaining as you have on this site, how much this is interfering with your life. Ask for a consultation with either another ortho doc or someone whose specialty is pain management.
I saw a doctor at 6 weeks, not the surgeon, my next appointment is May 2019. We do not get to see the one who operated as and when we want in the UK.
I will be honest I am not that bothered about it, when I stand with both feet flat on the floor they are level which is good, as pre op they were unlevel, there was a big discrepancy. When I walk heel toe, the limp is not too bad, I just forget.
I am almost 15 weeks. Was also going well until 5-6 week. Now have burning sensation in my upper thigh. I am limping badly and the doctor does not wait to recognize this. I am miserable. I am now hurting on the other side from walking with a limp. I am going for physical therapy twice a week and doing some on my own at home. I don't think this limp will ever go away. What did the surgeon say on your visit on the 24th? They really don't want to be bothered with you after a certain period of time. This is really ruining my life to be honest. I cannot deal with this limp!!!!
Hi Rhonda, I had my right hip replaced 4 months ago and at 6 weeks I felt just like you. I was still on my crutches and the surgeon pretty much told me to get my act together and get off them! I was so worried at the time as I had such a bad limp without the crutches (think drunk penguin imitating a cowboy!) and felt like my right leg was a completely different length! But forcing myself off the crutches was the best thing...it took at least 3 weeks, but my limp gradually disappeared and now I am all but walking normally. What’s more, I don’t feel like I have a length discrepancy at all...it completely went once my walking got back to normal. I know you are off crutches and walking and driving, but my point is that once you master the walking hopefully your legs will feel even again. Even at 10 weeks, I felt so disheartened with pain in groin, struggling with exercise and still limping. I also had terrible shooting pains in my right shin which was worse than the pain from before the op! But once the walking evened out and I kept pushing myself, it got much better and now at 4 months I am finally feeling normal. So I would say, walking is the absolute best exercise you can do. I started doing a lap round my garden and kept building it up, just got back from Wales and a 5 mike hike up and down hills which I wouldn’t have thought possible at 8 weeks! Working through some pain is needed, it will let you know when it’s too much! Take the pain meds you need to take and don’t worry about it and keep positive. It will all come together! Wishing you a speedy recovery. ☺️
Hi Vix1984
I found your post most helpful I am at five weeks and walking though with a limp but after walking for half an hour or more I am finding it painful and need to resort to pain relief which enables me to move more freely. I'm aiming by Christmas I will be pain free and walking normally so reading your post I'm hopeful I might be, thank you.
Good morning
It is now 4 months since my anterior hip replacement. I am going for physical therapy. I do not believe it is helping at all. My surgeon does not want to admit that one leg is longer than another. The operated leg is about an inch longer. My physical therapist is on his side. He spoke to her and they both say the same thing. But I know my body. My right leg is shorter. I went to another doctor who is not a surgeon and he measured and saw the discrepancy. I need to find another surgeon for a second opinion. Meanwhile I am walking with a terrible limp, the good side is now hurting something awful. The doctor is arrogant and does not want to see what is wrong. He practically through me out of his office. Told me to put a lift in my shoe and slammed out. I am hoping to see another doctor in the next few weeks. This was an awful experience. Would have been ok if the results were better.
Hello just for this to some reason everything is going to junk mail. I am now 10 weeks today and still have pain and not hip pain totally Different . I ended up get a lift in my shoe Amy left leg is now 11/2 shorter then the other and I am pretty sure that is why all the pain although the surgeon doesn’t seem to think that should affect it . But yet he can’t explain the pain to me . So frustrated . Just praying it all goes away very soon . Hope you feel better
You and I am pretty much the same. I am 8 weeks too and the only difference between us is that I my legs are the same length. I am not sure about extra abduction exercises for the groin discomfort but I think I'll try it having read it worked for you. My gym work is going really well and I can now do a decent work-out without problems.
I checked myself out yesterday at the gym, I have lost one centimetre ... so more weight to lose as that affects the BMI calculations.
Don't forget that I was walking well before my operation, so I was fitter than most of us are for the initial operation. This will have helped me to recover so quickly, my wife cannot keep up with me if we go out and I go at my 'natural' pace now. 
This did make me smile. Stand on tip toe next time you check your height😀