It's been six weeks since surgery,all seems to be well. I had a THR on left hip now left leg is longer than right leg. My back hurts when I walk cause I'm leaning on shorter leg. Doctor prescribed shoe insert doesn't seem to help. I'm getting discouraged. Has anyone else had this problem. I'm 40 years old and had to have the because of arthritis.
Hi lanessa
I am 3 months post op and did have a leg length discrepancy also. It seemed to gradually slip back into place with exercise and just walking. I still have a slight limp but nowhere near what it was. Give it time. You have a lot of healing yet to do.
Good Luck!
I explained to my consultant I had.one leg longer than the other before the op. He said he would make them even
i am 4 1/2 weeks post op and my legs are still uneven. At my first checkup consultant said the difference woul "settl down". I am very sceptical as to wether this will happen and will leave judgement until the end of Physio in another four weeks time
this has been discussed quite a lot on here With quite different stories
i don't know how to get to archives of topics
let me know how you get on as I would like to know if yours does "settle "
good luck
best wishes
Carol😄 Xx
Hi all,
When I was whisked into a and e last week, I had my hip xrayed. The doctor expksindcy that he could see that the 'ball hadn't tightened into the socket' and he went on to explain that eventually the muscles and liigaments would strengthen and tighten up the joint.
So maybe in time, small leg length differences will improve? I know that mine felt longer when I first stod up in hospital. And since my slip up, it feels longer again. But I'm hoping it will settle down again given time and exercise.
Anna x
Good morning Ianessa ...
Welcome to this wonderful forum ... there is no better place or group of fellow hippies to ask questions, concerns, rant and share your accomplishments with !
we are all in different stages and share our personal experiences ...
What is the difference in length? how was it before surgery?
I had R hip THR and that leg already was shorter before surgery - last time I saw the surgeon, there is still about 1 cm difference -
Unfortunately now my Left hip needs THR too, so my walk is uneven - pinguins would be jealous of my wobble ...
Give it more time to settle ... we have to learn to walk all over again and be more aware of our posture, lift and put down our feet properly, all in slow motion !!!!
Walking with an insert has other challenges ...
Take it easy, one step at a time and be gentle with your self ... You are doing great ...
warm hug,
renee
The doctor explained ll
Hi Ianessa
Silly question - is there definately a discrepancy or does it just feel like it?
My leg was definately shorter according to surgeon who did my op due to loss of cartilage pre op.
Post op I felt as if my operated leg was longer than the other one, although it wasn't!
My surgeon says that the brain has to adjust to having two legs the same length after all that time of walking with a dodgy gait. The pelvis also has to realign itself to accomodate the new and normal walking pattern. So may be early days.
Try putting the heel down first and following through on to ball of foot on operated leg. Also standing really tall when walking as if a string was attached was attached from your head up to the sky. I have a slight limp and when I do this, I walk normally with no crutches. Still getting there - it doesn't happen all at once!
Kind regards and wishing you well Linda xx
My surgeon sa
Hi Ianessa
After 13 months after hip replacement and leg discrepancy of a cm I was told. I had to almost fight to get finally seen by a specialist who actually measures the difference which is 1.5 cm, which means that a lift within the shoe of this difference does not work well and I keep walking out of the shoe. there are 2 choices for me. That I divide the difference between within the shoe and the rest on the outside heel. Or I get the whole difference on the outside (I feel that this is too noticable). The NHS will do either on 3 different shoes right away and 1 shoe anually .thereafter, but its incredible they took so long to get it right. You can acually buy replacement lifts off the internet, In my opinion the leg difference does not improve as time goes on as the docs tried to convince me it would, your only damaging your back, knees, and other hip by trying to persevere over a long period of time without getting properly measured and the proper lifts inserted
Hi Lanessa,
I too experienced (what I thought was a profound) leg length discrepancy when I had my right hip replaced. As a makeshift measure, I would wear one shoe around the house, so that I would be a bit better balanced. Sadly this is harder to do outdoors 
.
As others have mentioned, over time mine did 'settle down' a bit and the difference didn't seem as profound as it did in the beginning, BUT I do (8 months later) still continue to feel the difference.
According to my surgeon (who did X rays six weeks post op), my difference is only .25 of a cm, but even small (ish) differences like that can make you feel like you're way off balance. I did find over time though, that my body was 'getting used to' the way it was compensating for the imbalance. My back started to hurt less, as well as my knees.
8 months post surgery I am fully functional-despite the difference. Does it drive me nuts sometimes? Sure it does, but hey... I've got a new hip and it is waaaaay better than the old one!
All the best with your recovery.
Jordan
Hi Vanessa,
very probably your legs have still the same length!
But out of my experience as Orthopaedicshoemaker Master, please check your shoes. It's possible that you can't wear your shoes with a heel any longer or you have to wear shoes with higher heels.
That depends to how the doctor could fix your hips (that's normal)So please try shoes with lower or higher heel which you have used to.Sam.