It has been 2 weeks since my THR and things are progressing way better than I ever thought. The main concern of mine is that the knee of my operated leg sticks out passed my good legs knee by a good 2 inches when I am seated. My operated hip now curves out much like a ladys while my other hip is straight like a mans. My operated leg is only slightly longer as was expected. Any insight?
What happens if you very gently try to move the knees into a realignment? When you are lying in bed, does one leg seem longer than the other?
The operated leg is slightly longer, but I knew about that going in. It just seems like the hip joint is to far ahead to me. Looks a little odd. Don't know if it will effect my walking later???
Two weeks is still too soon to expect lengths to be equal. Mine are only just and I'm 13 months. It just seemed to go home after 10 months of shoe raises. But like you mine sticks out at the hip and I am a lady with a quite different shape to the one I had pre surgery. And I'm an inch shorter. It's to late now but we should have asked which size we would be getting and how the calculations are made. Not very cosmetically minded. And imagine the Stetching of those underlying tissues over the prosthesis if it's wider than your original structure. Oh well hindsight and all that.
Ask the physio or osteo about the pelvis being forward. They can lie you down and have a feel and can tell just by looking at you stood up straight. She said mine was tilting forward also. It could all be down to a too large implant or just badly placed. It may resolve a bit over the coming months. The surgeon will say Wait and See. Hope it's a good outcome for you.
I had a THR in August of this year, and the first time I walked, I said my leg was shorter. When I sit, my right knee is several inches shorter. At my 6 week post-op, the surgeon confirmed I had a leg length discrepancy. Turns out it was because the surgeon put in a part that was too narrow. I found out my femur neck is 146 degrees. The manufacturer they use only makes 127 and 132. Who would have thought we'd have to ask what size our femur neck is and what size their supplier makes. Plus my femur bone is abnormally long, and my stem is sinking into the bone and pulling down the femur neck.
I would ask that question ... what size is your femur neck and what size did they put in. I think this happens more often than the doctors what us to believe. It's 2014. They have computer-guided surgeries. No one should have LLD after surgery. Sureons are just too lazy to measure the patient.
It is unforgiveable that we should be questioning sizing so long after the event. How many sizes are there. It should be standardised sizing like bras, shoes, dental crowns which all come in many permutations. something so crucial as our skeletons being treated with the nearest or closest fit! Pathetic. I wonder when we sign the indemnity forms it covers incorrect sizing. .....I am probably child sized but why is it so haphazard as to be the nearest equivalent. .Had I heard of the 3D computed fitting I would have waited but it never crossed my mind fit might be compromised. .. my list of advice to those contemplating surgery is getting longer. ...
I am definitely calling the hospital to as those very questions. My exray shows a lot of femur neck bone sacrifice to accommodate the over sized stem. Too too ghastly. ..
I knew nonthing about diffrent sizes and all. I was told that the surgeon would install the proper implant to fit weight, age and activity level. I didn.t know there were any questions to ask. The surgeon asked me a few times if I had any questions, now I think I should of asked "Like What"
Why should we all have to be experts in everything in order to get what's best? Surgeons are paid a lot of money to get it right. More than that I think it's important that they know you are a person with a life and not just a body part. I wrote to the surgeon telling him how vitally important the hip replacement was going to be for my life and that under no circumstances did I want to be left with a limp. I also wrote afterward to thank him. He said that no one ever does that.
We shouldn't have to be experts in everything. I've had many surgeries, but this is the first one where the wrong size has affected my lifestyle. I will ask a lot of questions before any future surgeries ... I have to be my own advocate. And you all do too. Obviously my doctor wasn't looking after my best interests. I have my allergies tattooed on my wrist because a few years ago an anesthesiologist gave me a drug I'm allergic to, even though it was in the computer and I verbally told him what my allergies were.
You're exactly right ... the replacement parts should come in multiple sizing. I am 5'8', or 5'6 1/2", depending on which leg I'm standing on, and a size 6. I'm hardly large or hippy! I never would have thought to question the size. I would have thought the surgeon would have measured length and width and picked the exact size. Turns out some of the manufacturers only make two sizes. Personally, I thought a class action lawsuit of the manufacturers should happen because they're the ones who cause all the problems, especially when the surgeons are in bed with their supplier and who can only use their products.
well the nurse had no problem with my shape. Give it time to settle in,,,,it will come out in the wash.
Hello Lynn
I am having my THR end of January which I am dreading. I have been reading about the procedures which is daunting.
I though that I should get in touch with someone who had the surgery and get a first hand advise.
Could you give me an insight what to expect . I definitely will ask about the descrepency which you have mentioned
Mulu
You must ask which size implant you will get given and how close that is to your personal measurements. It seems that a lot of bad outcomes originate from bad sizing. Ask to see the calculations and the actual STEEL STEM YOU Will BE given, Do this as it seems there are only a couple of options, not many as in shoe size etc. the femur will be excavated and the implant forced into it, so better we know what's going in and the width of that implant as your body will change shape. Think of it in terms of a 3d hologram rather than Lego ... It is 3d in your body not one dimensional
Exactly! It's too bad we can't tell the world about asking these questions BEFORE they have hip replacements. Maybe the doctors will do a better job of putting in the proper width and length if the patients were better informed.
mulu,
Do all the exercises they give you repeatedly before and pratice doing all the things the way you will have to afterwards. And get the house ready so you get used to it before. Thats my best advice.
LIke any surgery, you're going to have pain for the first few days, so take the pain pills! I had both knees replaced, so I thought the recovery from the hip replacement was a breeze. I could walk with little pain compared to the knee replacements. I don't know if you're in America or elsewhere, but be sure when you go to your pre-op, ask what size your femur neck is and what size they'll be putting in. You should ask about the length of the femur bone also. Just to be sure. If their supplier doesn't make your size, ask your doctor to use another supplier. Don't let him/her make the decision based on what his supplier has! If you don't have limb length discrepancy, you should recover rather quickly. By my second week, I was walking unassisted (no walker). It was just my LLD, scoliosis, sinking stem and sciatica that brought me down.
Thank you so much for your prompt reply. I am not sure where you .
As I live in london I walk an average of 10 miles a day and swim every other day. I have been told to carry on which I am doing .
Wishing you a speedy recovery
mulu
Thank you for your prompt reply. Definitely I will be raising the question about the size of the fumer neck and the length of the fumer bone when I do see my surgeon.
It is such a comfort to receive first hand advise from those who've had this surgery.