I know they do some work on that issue during surgery BUT after we are closed up and start our healing our BODY will shift and shift and shift for some time.....
A podatrist found this issue and he added a 1/4" lift in my right shoe and now I've added 1/2" more so NOW, I have 3/4" in right side foot.
The first lift was probably 2 yrs out, I probably needed it sooner.
Whether I need more of a lift don't know, I'm not very happy with my surgery outcome so dread seeing my OS again.....
yes, the dreaded leg length...it has been one of my main cconcerns, and now can see many many people have an issue with it, some sort it self out and some not so lucky, but all didn't really have the support of their doctors...I think once surgery is over they want to be rid out you (and any potential problems)....also I'm picking up the other main side effect is nerve damage, that they seem to say is all part and parcel of surgery and it will go away and it doesn't and then the third is the dreaded "revision"....unfortunately it doesn't seem to matter where you live (from reading this site), some doctors are great and some not so great...and in the end you really have to advocate for yourself.
Pays to do your homework on your surgeon! For the life of me I have no idea why people do not use the NHS choose & book system? You choose your surgeon, you choose where you have the op done & yes you can choose a private hospital, I did all this & have 6 FREE sessions with the Physio afterwards! Do not, REPEAT do not, let your GP fob you off & say they don't use the choose & book system. Where I had my THR they charge £12k, that includes everything & considering it's £500 per night just for the hospital, well, you kinda see where it all adds up! My leg length is about 1cm longer, I don't find that a biggy but yesterday was given a shoe insert which goes into the shoe right up to the heel & is about one third the length of an insole. I'm 6 weeks post op. I was told the leg length will sort itself out, but I'm not holding my breath. Not sure if the sho insert will help? Only time will tell. I live in Surrey & a friend of mine who lives nearby needed his knee sorted, he done TONS of homework & had the op done in Wiltshire ( I think) thanks to the choose & book system. There are surgeons & there are SURGEONS I suppose but the dreaded leg length happens to all of us no matter who we have, I was warned about it at my first meeting with the surgeon, but he has a 100% record of no infection & came recommended! He does 300-500 ops a year to boot! Yes I would like both legs the same length & I feel lucky that it's not too bad, but generally feel I'm on par, a 'normal' hip op is what the Physio said I had. Hmmm, is there anything normal about theses things?
You can have the greatest surgeon, get the best recommendations and still come out with issue from these surgeries....any surgery. These replacements are major trauma and what is done while we sleep, good grief, who would want to see things.
I have a friend and even my daughter who had other surgeries and they still have nerve damage numbness from their surgeries, years later...
Maybe with more time and years the nerves will restore.
I don't care where you are, it's a real gamble, some call it a crapshoot. You hope for the best and live with what you get.
I can't see a revision for this nerve damage, more nerve damage is not what I want. My surgeon says the nerve damage isn't affecting the replacement parts ....and how things work for us.
I can still hear my mom saying "they will never cut me open"...she had horrific OA as did her sisters but no surgeries for these ladies.
I often think my old pain would be better than what I'm dealing with..
my sentiments exactly Joy, the old pre THR pain was far less than the now, ongoing, pain. Unfortunately we can't turn back the clock but I guess, as there is no other solution, we can keep egging each other on to coping with a painful future.
I'm just at a loss knowing what to say about your limited options with your health care system. The only way the body "shifts" is the more you walk on that leg, the more you develop stronger muscles as you grow around the new implant and envelop it. It is true that with each revision more bone has to be removed to sculpt our a position for it to fit and so the hardware itself is larger. Since I'm not a surgeon I'm only guessing that the last thing they do is measure length once they are satisfied that it's all in place to be sure it's as equal as possible. Then they start with all the layers of reconnecting so good blood supply can nourish the healing muscles, tendons, and skin. Personally, I have not had time to Google "How does surgeon accurately make sure leg length is equal during hip replacement" but I bet it would be interesting. Then there would be input from DR.s from both sides of the pond. You should NOT have to live your life with lifts in your shoe. Of course the podiatrist gets a good deal of business from this.
For Dawn as she was asking about leg discrepancy. j