Last Saturday I ran outdoors for the first time since surgery, around 8 miles (feels sooo amazing to be running again, by the way). As a result, I've had a lot of soreness and pain in the glute and hamstring, some limping involved. It feels like it has improved since Saturday, been cycling instead since then. I was cleared by the Dr at 2 months to go back to all previous activities, so I assume the implant is solid at this point.
Since I am new to having an implant, how can I tell the difference between just muscle pain and actual implant pain? If I have damaged the implant at all, I am assuming the pain would manifest itself similar to the arthritis pain I had before (feeling of a pulled groin muscle, lower back pain, etc)? Also maybe the pain wouldn't subside with time, like muscle pain does?
I am at a point in my recovery now where I can really push the hip to its limits and I am worried about possibly damaging it. Are there any signs I can look for to make sure that I am only putting stress on the muscles and not the actual implant?
My BHR is a week older than yours, I started jogging a bit at 8 weeks but running properly at 3 months, just 5k once a week. In the last month I have started adding an hour+ extra run so I am training again. This is coupled with walking a lot and cycling a bit. The BHR hip can feel a bit sore at times, but it is like the scar tissue is tight or rubbing on something. It always recovers overnight. The OEM hip is the limiting factor and complains if I do too much too often, and I take the odd Ibuprofen tablet to help settle the inflammation. I don't believe we are going to damage our new hips now, apart from falling off the bike of course!
I've got to say I'm shocked that surgeons are clearing running at 8 weeks
Quotehow can I tell the difference between just muscle pain and actual implant pain?
My guess (and it's just that) is that implant pain would be persistent and muscle pain would ease over time. We all worry about the implant for the first few weeks but besides biking accidents and procedures performed by under-qualified surgeons, I'm not sure I've seen anyone reporting problems with the implant itself.
I'm 4 months out from BHR and just returned from a check up with my surgeon. He said that the pain is completely normal. My left hip hasn't given me any pain (my better hip pre surgery) but I do get soreness on the right hip.
The pain is primarily on the inner hip at the top of the adductor. When I first started rehab the pain would run down the adductor to the knee, and sometimes the inner hamstring. It was worse when I got up from inactivity with my first couple of steps limping, but would improve when I started moving.
The pain is mostly gone now but does come back in a very minor way if I push the exercise too much. I go to the gym most days and I've been getting out on the bike now that it's finally warming up. The soreness now is just at the very top of the adductor and sometimes radiates around to the bottom of the glutes.