2 week post op - Severe medial (inner) thigh muscle pain/trauma. How, why?

[ahausheer]

I'm nearing 2 weeks post op and still have fairly severe medial (inner) thigh muscle pain and purple bruising from the groin to the knee and absolutely cannot get through the day without taking 6-8 Norco pain meds.

Why when I stand up does it feel like fluid pressure shoots down the inner thigh muscle and it hurts like hell for a few minutes? 

Also why are these thigh muscles farthest away from the incision damaged so badly?  I did not think they were affected by surgery. 

[jimbone]

Hello Ahausheer-

I don't know if anyone on the forum can give you a definitive answer to the question- even a well trained PT would be working through several possibilities during assessment.  Are you planning to get PT?  It may help you isolate and identify the issue and work up a plan to alleviate it.  I had/have a similar issue with the adductors after the second hip was done.  It had been my "good" hip that probably took a beating compensating for my more deteriorated hip [OA] but went downhill very fast after the first procedure.  During early recovery I had similar- though not matching- pain issues.  At almost 5 months many of the difficulties are much better and I believe will eventually reach a level of function resembling the years prior to the onset of OA but I also expect it to take a full year of hard work in the gym, possibly more PT and regularly scheduled deep tissue massage to get things stretched back out and working well.  Many people are past the point of acute pain at 2 weeks but that's nothing set in stone.  If you need to continue pain meds then use them- I think a lot of people guilt on the reliance of pain meds but if they are a necessary element of your recovery and allow you to do the prescribed re hab exercises diligently then that it the way you recovery is going to go.  2 weeks is still early and recovering has a way of taking very small steps in the beginning and quickly moving forward.  Consistency in doing your prescribed exercises and staying ahead of the pain with ice and meds for another week might just turn the corner for you.  As to the why of it- again hard to say/  Pre operative condition of those muscles and surgical approach and technique come to mind- the leg and the joint are stretched hard and unnaturally resulting in a lot of trauma and sometimes it's just personal anatomy.  It would be best to consult with your surgeon as early as possible to get their perspective if only to ease your concerns.  Maintaining communication with the people here on the forum can be very helpful especially gaining perspective with difficulties in recovery/. Best wishes.

[Pat Walter]

Everyone heals at a different rate. But, if you are so uncomfortable at 2 weeks post op, I would contact my surgeon and ask the questions you asked of us.  He should have answers for you and maybe some recommendations.  At least call his office and ask questions.


I wish you the best.


Pat

[endodoc]

I am also 2 weeks post op as of today.  I also feel the “tightness” and pressure in my thigh which is now progressing to the knee, calf and ankles.  This makes sense as the swelling gravitates down and out.  I am still using a walker and am around 50-75% weight bearing on my operated side (RHR).  There is also pressure discomfort along the incision.  However, I no longer have the dreaded OA pain and I am measuring my progress on a weekly.  Slow and steady. 

[ahausheer]

Just to update everyone -

I contacted my surgeon and was told not to worry. At 2 weeks post op many people still experience quite a bit of pain and it does not always occur at the surgical sight. As some have commented it can occur basically anywhere in the thigh and even below the knee due to swelling or referred pain.  I also suspect for many years I was guarding the hip and essentially walking with a hidden limp which may have caused some of muscles to be a lot tighter than normal and they may have been overstretched during surgery.

As of this reply I am at three weeks and the pain has come down significantly.  The deeper muscles and tendons on the medial and front of the thigh feel extremely tight and, well, like I got hit with a hammer, but it's getting better and better.

[catfriend]

Good to hear. Everybody heals differently. The key is that we all do heal.

[John C]

Hi ahausheer. I had to laugh in response to your comment about feeling like you had been hit with a hammer. In case you have not seen videos of this surgery, you did get hit with a hammer, and more than once; usually a heavy metal mallet to pound the protheses into place. Your choice of an analogy may have been closer to the truth than you realized. :-)