Hi,

Tomorrow it will be 4 weeks since having my BHR installed in my right hip. I am a active 52 yr. old man. I think I am about average for where my recovery is at this point. I started one week ago going to the gym and riding the recumbent bike. First for 15 minutes/3 miles/100cal workout, and today I did 23 minutes/5 miles/220 cal workout. I also have been using the other cybex machines such as the abductor and adductor hip machines. I can walk fairly well without my cane. As it gets closer to night though the cane does help with walking.

My biggest thing now is that I don't sleep well. I seem to get a 2-4 hours sleep then wake up with a dull toothache type of pain in my right hip. I have tried to take Ambien to get more rest but once awake with this ache I can't get back to sleep. I have tried also to take one of my Vicodin's without any real help either. Just not sure if this is normal. I did read somewhere that if you have and infection you can get night time aching. But I don't have any swelling and there is no heat around the area. Just wondering if anyone else had experienced this and it is just another thing that will eventually go away. Such as the hip/leg swelling (day 3-6), the evening low grade fevers (day 3-6), the dull front lobe spinal headaches (day 2 - 7).  Note on the headache...  my wife with her google power found this to be somewhat common and that caffeine (not tea) will give relief.  It worked!

Well if anyone has any experiences with this night time hip pain, please share!  Thanks

Hi rcaxtell

I am also 52, 4 wks + 2 days post-op.  I am also doing regular PT (walking, PT ex, + pool time), but I am planning to wait a few more weeks before I start anything like cybex hip work, which I regard as slightly aggressive for PT at this stage (just my opinion).  IMHO I think you are just experiencing a normal reaction to your daily activity - the incision is deep and still healing, and the operation involves an element of hip dislocation, and the PT is bound to pull at the repairing tissue.  Everything stiffens up a little overnight, and you probably roll onto the incision from time to time.

I got my first two nights of really good sleep just this week, before that I was up at 3am watching TV, and sometimes getting a bit more sleep after that.  I'm still using tylenol at night, though I am very comfortable without during the day, but stopped a night time tramadol about a week ago.  I find when sleeping the hip stiffens up and feels a bit more tender and though I'm not getting "toothache" type pain, I know I've had surgery.

My suggestion is to lay off the more "aggressive" PT for a couple of days (cybex) and see if things settle down a bit.  I'm not an expert, but I would think that if you had an infection there would be the other signs that you have looked for (heat, elevated temp) but are absent.  It actually sounds to me as though overall you are doing very well!

Good luck

Yes, I had the achiness at night also.  It goes away eventually.

I will preface this by saying that I am 2 1/2 years post surgery, and very happy with my resurfaced hip. I ski, windsurf, and play tennis on it an average of 4-8 hours per day, basically every day year long. However, I cannot say that my nighttime discomfort has ever completely gone away. It is not serious, but starting about 3 AM every night, it starts waking me up, and I must roll onto my back for a couple of minutes until it goes away, then I go back to sleep for short periods before it wakes me up again. A month or so ago, I thought that it might finally have gone away, but that was just a few lucky nights, so I think that this is just one of those little things that I will live with.
Having said all that, I have heard back from other times that I posted about this, that this does not appear to be common with others. Hopefully you will be like the others. :)

John,

What did Dr. Gross say about this?

Mac

John,

Has Dr. Gross ruled out bursitis?


Chuck

Well I certainly hope I don't have this still going on 2 1/2 years post surgery!! I am really looking for EVERYONE or at least a lot of you, to tell me this is a phase that disappears like maybe after week 5-6!!
I am hoping for you John that perhaps you do have bursitis or something causing this and that this is not a normal leftover side effect.

Having these night time aches was one of my reasons for getting this surgery to begin with. But pre op I was able to take a ambien and sleep through it. And I didn't have them every night.

As for the cybex hip machines I have been doing only 3 reps of 10 each with light weight. The abduction one is the most difficult but I do not put enough weight on to strain. But if I still have problem next week perhaps I will quit it altogether for a bit.

Just wondering ReneeP, do you remember how long 'eventually' was?

Chuck: Dr. Gross did diagnose that I have occasional bouts with bursitis. He suggested some exercises, which do help. The bursitis issue is only occasional, and not that serious. It can almost always be traced to overdoing it that day. It can sometimes affect sleeping if I lay on that side, but it is not the main sleep issue.
Mac: When I brought up the sleep issue with Lee, she suggested that I use a pillow between the legs. This is something that I have done off and on since many years before I had the surgery. It definitely helps about 90%.
Before people get too worried about my sleep issues, there is no question that part of it is obviously related to a pretty extreme activity level. Eight hours of hard skiing every day, with no lunch breaks or days off, is my routine. Even most twenty and thirty year olds with healthy joints cannot maintain this schedule without some physical issues coming up. If my new hip lets me stay ahead of strong skiers that are 40 years younger, I will not complain about a little discomfort at night.

John, it sure sounds like other than the pain at night you are doing really well.  Skiing puts a lot of stress on the hip and you seem to be quite the skier.

I hope your evening problems improve.  I know bursitis is often the cause of night ache that you describe.


Take care. Glad to see you are still posting and hanging out here and on other forums ;-)

Chuck

Quote from: rcaxtell on February 24, 2011, 07:32:18 AM
Just wondering ReneeP, do you remember how long 'eventually' was?

Well, my resurfacing only lasted 5 weeks until I had to be revised to a THR.  After the THR, I would say it took 6 or 7 weeks before the nighttime achiness went completely away...it was gradual.  However, I still get very tight near the incision (it's anterior) and that pain will wake me up if I'm in a position that stretches it out.

My night time aches are better now. I quite taking my night time aspirin and instead have been taking 800mg of ibuprofen. I think this has helped along with the extra healing time.  Did walk 3 miles today and rode the recumbent exercise bike for 25minutes/6 miles. Pay the price at night time though as now I am limping. Not sure sometimes how much to push. Feel alright while doing the exercise but then am a bit lame in the evening. Will feel better again in the morning. I feel stronger generally each day so I guess whatever I'm doing is working!

Pain in the first 6 weeks is nothing to worry about. I am at 6 months and had a setback while using a seated abduction machine (see my thread if you're interested) so I really can't recommend that exercise. You're quite early to be loading the joint with resistance training, I would concentrate on range of motion and endurance for another couple of months. Good luck, G.

Using resistance bands (i.e., the ones they give you at PT) are great and you can work in all planes of motion doing abduction, adduction, flexion, and extension. This will help strengthen the muscles around the hip joint. Do both legs!

I have to agree with Gary about not pushing the workouts. I am as much of a workout fiend as anyone, and did six weeks of aggressive PT. I am 12 weeks out and have just started doing resistance (level 3?) on the cybex cycles. Before that, with PT, I did 10 minutes per session on spinning cycles with no resistance. It was strictly to move the hip and work on ROM.

I eventually did some wieghts, limited to ankle weights for leg lifts and leg presses at about 1/2 my 'normal' weight. I'd advise taking it easy, you're still recouping. I'm at the 3 month time, and am being really careful, as this is the prime time for neck breaks, something I avoided with my other hip (6 months along). As you've seen from other active hippies, the time when you can do heavy workouts will come in 6+ months.

I am 3 weeks post op and sleeping is the one thing I have not yet got sorted out.  I get a bout 90 min stetrches of sleep and then it can take a while to fall back asleep.  I am not able to sleep on my operated side yet - sometime I lay there for a while to be in a different position but it hurts to much to sleep on that side. - Any suggestions would be great

phillwad,

Unfortunately it takes a while for most of us to sleep on our sides again. I can sleep on either side now, but I still wake up after an hour or so with soreness. (12 weeks post op) Not pain, just a light, dull aching. You could try stacking pillows or a blanket behind you and lean your back against them. In other words try to lay at a 45 degree position, between your side and back. I tried this and it did help if even for a short time. Good luck.

Steve

Good idea with the pillow, I will try that - Phill

3 months post-op. I get the "tooth ache" aching thing at night especially when i've been very active that day. It can be pretty intense and long-lasting. Almost feels like there is something wrong but - it seems to be mainly a nightime issue. I sure hope this gets better!  Is this inflamation?


>> UPDATE : this pain has completely gone away ! It very gradually subsided and now, at 4 months is non-existant!

I am 11 weeks post op and pleased with my new found daytime freedoms.  However I too have nighttime pain, different in some respects to what has been described by others in this post.  Like some others it starts after a few hours of sleep.  Like others it is a dull toothache kind of pain.  However it is not in the hip.  It is on the front side of the lower leg (shin) and ankle.  It is altogether different from a sore muscle pain.  I am having trouble imagining how hip surgery causes lower leg pain.  Anyone out there experience this?  Does it go away?  Any thoughts to its cause?