my hip

[larry2458]

last july when i was told that i would need a new hip i was over the moon.
it was at wrightington hospital in lancashire,uk and then being asked did i want a bhr or thr it was like choosing the colour of a new car.at the pre-op the surgeon said he did more mid-heads than bhr so i agreed to have one.i didn't know that a mid-head was somewhere between a bhr and thr.
the op went(OCTOBER 16th) well but 2 weeks out of hospital i found out that there were redundancies at work .i was sure i would be one of the unlucky ones but trying to get my health and fitness was more important.
i went through the usual emotional ups and downs and found the surface hippy site a huge help.i'd be out one day and think i was walking ok when i'd see my reflection in a window,hobbling and that would put a dampener on things.so then i'd have a look on this site and read other stories and realise i wasn't alone.
over the weeks ,post-op my limp was going and my back ache was only there if i walked up-hill and really pushed it.
i managed to get back to cycling as well as walking and my hip contiues to get stronger but the last few months with having had no luck on the jobs front i'm beginning to have dark thoughts.
as i have mentioned my hip is still getting stronger and am enjoying doing stretches,push-ups,core work and squats which i haven't done for years.
with the new stronger hip has come more and more clunking,especially when i'm tightening my glutes and my other leg is feeling tighter round the front of my thigh/hamstring.
so,is anybody else getting this clunking, more and more,as they get stronger or is it just me and have they experienced any problems with the "OTHER "leg
                           
                                         thanks for reading this
                                                     larry
                                   PS Im hoping to get into the UK moaning team

[wayne-0]

Hey Larry,
Two weeks ago my right hip started to make some noise when I would get up from a bent down position. No pain but some noise and clunking. I did not have that until two weeks ago and I am now 7 months post op. I have noticed the last two days the noise and clunking are becoming less frequent so I will just go with it. Who knows but there is no pain so I'm not worried about much. Here's to our new hips.

Wayne

[John C]

I am one year out, and the subtle clunking persists. It happened less and less over the first nine months, but has now seemed to have hit a plateau. It is never painful or a functional problem, other than a disconcerting reminder that it is a metal joint. My doctor said that he does not know if it ever goes away, but said that patients do mention it less over time.

[larry2458]

i had a bad day yesterday,i think i spent too long sat down.
my non-operated leg was showing the same symptoms that my other one did when it started on the slippery slope to needing an op.
it was aching in the hamstring area when i was sat down and round the top of the thigh too.
this morning i could feel feel a trigger pont in my butt,so massaged it with my finger and it feels better now.i should be seeing the consultant soon so he will give me the heads up on my clunking and the other leg after an X-ray
                                       
                                                        thanks
                                                         larry

[Jed]

Yesterday I was 4 months post op, and over the last 6 weeks have been pushing things more - going to the gym and using various machines. I have also noticed clunkingm whihc I did not have early on. It does not hurt and I just try to ignore it. At the time of my operation on my right hip, my left had moderate arthritis, and it did not bother me. But now that I am waqlking farther than I have in several years, it is starting to hurt - indeed it is the limiting factor on my hikes. So Larry I think what you are going through is par for the course.
Cheers

[larry2458]

Yesterday I was 4 months post op, and over the last 6 weeks have been pushing things more - going to the gym and using various machines. I have also noticed clunkingm whihc I did not have early on. It does not hurt and I just try to ignore it. At the time of my operation on my right hip, my left had moderate arthritis, and it did not bother me. But now that I am waqlking farther than I have in several years, it is starting to hurt - indeed it is the limiting factor on my hikes. So Larry I think what you are going through is par for the course.
Cheers

hi jed
what sort of exercises/stretches have you been doing ??
i can't get my head round the fact that the operated leg feels so strong now.
oh well ! back to the pain killers and i thought i'd taken the last of them
                                  cheers
                                  larry

[fenceman]

Hi Larry, I am 10 month out and having some of the same symptoms.  I had been doing some light weight lifting on mostly upper body but got bored.  My knee on my op leg was beginning to hurt so I switched to a core workout program with leg work.  My Dr. does not want me to do any repetitive squats, lunges or leg presses until a year after surgery but since I was close to a year I have been doing light weight lunges a couple times a week.  This has strengthened my knee so it does not hurt but know I am getting more clunking in the hip. The day after a workout I would be limping and not notice.  I would not have pain in the hip but hobble like you described.  If I rested a couple days I would feel better but without exercising I don't feel like I am getting any stronger.

I am anxious for my 1 year check-up in August.  Like Big Bill, I am always afraid that I have knocked something loose.  I have not seen or talked to my Dr. since the 6 week check up so a good set of X-rays and his reassurance will make me feel a lot better.
Bill

[bradley]

I am around 6 months post op on my right hip. The operated hip is fine albiet a bit of cluncking every now and then but all the pain dissappeared after the operation. Now the left hip is a different story. It was ok up until I started to become active again and return to the gym. I have mild osteoarthritis in my left hip which never bothered me at all but suddenly I had all these aches and pains around my left hip. I really thought that the arthritis had accellerated and that I would soon be needing another BHR. I was starting to feel really down as so many other people seem to be recovering quickly. Anyway, after visiting three physiotherapists (until I found one that made a difference) I am finally making some progress to becoming pain free in my left hip.
Her explanation was that I put had extra stress and strain on the muscles on my left side ( to compensate for the right bad hip) for years and that now suddenly I am expecting my left leg to fuction "normally" again which has led to the muscles "protesting" . Hence the pains etc. She has taught me a series of exercises and stretches to "re-educate" and strengthen my muscles into functioning "normally" again. I am making slow progress but the pain is decreasing and I suppose I am undoing a few years of muscular stress and strain so it won't be a quick recovery. Have you had any physio?

[larry2458]

hi
i'll be seeing the consultant in a couple of weeks so i'll be asking him about the clunking and movements in the left hip.when i first went to the physios about the problem i also had sciatica and after that had cleared up i was treated for piriformis syndrome.
these are the symptoms that i've now got in my right leg.my upper thigh is tight ,buttock is tight and i get tingling down my lower leg when sat down.i 've still got pretty good ROM though
if anybody else has had trouble with their piriformis or similar i would be grateful for any tips on how to treat it.or it just may be that his hip is on its way out too.
                                           
                                                      cheers
                                                      larry

[bradley]

I am not sure if it is similar to my muscle problems but I was recommended to have massages on my buttock, upper leg and calf muscle (which was really painful) as the muscles were very, very tight. It did help alot (particularly with the back pain) but I had to have it weekly and in between I had to massage my buttock by rolling it on a tennis ball on the floor for a few minutes a day (which is also really painful and drives my pug crazy!).

[larry2458]

I am not sure if it is similar to my muscle problems but I was recommended to have massages on my buttock, upper leg and calf muscle (which was really painful) as the muscles were very, very tight. It did help alot (particularly with the back pain) but I had to have it weekly and in between I had to massage my buttock by rolling it on a tennis ball on the floor for a few minutes a day (which is also really painful and drives my pug crazy!).

bradley
that sounds familiar,as my calf muscle is tight too,as well as my buttock and thigh.
i can't afford to go to a physio at the moment but i do that self massage bit ,without the tennis ball.i might try that though,cheers.one of the physio i was seeing originally used a TENS m/c and that seemed to work.
                                                     larry

[bradley]

You need to massage deep into your buttock, calf and thigh so I am afraid the tennis ball is a must and it is painful but does work. My physio also suggessted using a rolling pin to roll up and down the thigh muscle with pressure.
It takes time - I am a month into all the stretching and strenghtening exercises and self massage and my leg feels much better ( but not yet 100%) but at least I am not thinking that I need an op on my other leg yet! Patience is a virtue here as I imagine it has to take time to re-alighn all your body(core?) and leg muscles to undo all the damage done by compensating for my "bad " leg for years. She(the physio) expained how all the muscles are connected to each other , hence the back pains etc.

[bradley]

BTW I just noticed you are in Lancashire - my husband is from Oldham and I am a Leeds girl myself but we live in Hong Kong now! I do miss having a good old moan !!!This website has been a godsend to me - thanks Patricia!

[larry2458]

You need to massage deep into your buttock, calf and thigh so I am afraid the tennis ball is a must and it is painful but does work. My physio also suggessted using a rolling pin to roll up and down the thigh muscle with pressure.
It takes time - I am a month into all the stretching and strenghtening exercises and self massage and my leg feels much better ( but not yet 100%) but at least I am not thinking that I need an op on my other leg yet! Patience is a virtue here as I imagine it has to take time to re-alighn all your body(core?) and leg muscles to undo all the damage done by compensating for my "bad " leg for years. She(the physio) expained how all the muscles are connected to each other , hence the back pains etc.

bradley
thanks for that,iwould imagine that it would take time for all the muscles to re-align.
i mentioned in another post that i was cycling right up to the op and could still get the leg over the saddle.i couldn't get my "other" leg over though.
since the op i can now get the "other" leg over which i don't understand!!
what with the clunking and the tight muscles in the other leg i've got 2 topics of moaning                                                   
                                                                    larry