can arthritic hip cause knee pain/swelling

[leggy]

Hi I am a newbie to this site, I found it because I need a hip resurface/replacement.
I am waiting to hear about a consultation, will then have quite a wait for surgery on the NHS, as I am in the UK.
I get pain around my buttock, in my groin, outside of the hip, down to my knee, however this last 2 days, my knee feels tight & swollen.
This is a new one to me, I have been doing more recently, the weather has picked up ( at last ) & I have done a little bit in the garden.
I am just hoping it is because of my hip, not arthritis in my knee as well!!
Anybody know?
Thanks, hoping for some replies...........

[Pat Walter]

Hi

Welcome to Hip Talk.

Any time you have some joint in your body not working properly, it causes the rest of the body to compensate.  Hip problems can cause knee problems, back problems, foot problems, etc.  The body is balanced and hopefully works rather symetrically.  When you are favoring a hip or limping due to pain, the rest of the body is taking on more load and not balanced.  So once you get your hip replaced, hopefully, you knee and back problems will get better.  Often the unoperated hip gets very sore before and after surgery since it takes on a lot more load due to the operated hip.

Pat

[PaulUK]

Hi Leggy,

I'm also waiting for an NHS hip resurfacing op in the UK and have experienced bad pain everywhere in my leg in the past few months - hip, knee, shin and even ankle. Is your knee actually swollen, or just feels bad? As Pat says, once one joint goes, it throws strain on other parts. The op should fix it all!

About the NHS - remember you should have your op within 18 weeks from GP referral under NHS guidelines, and most hospitals manage this about 90% of the time, so you should be lucky. I'm one of the less lucky ones and have gone over 18weeks, but am hoping to be done on 4th May, which is 22 weeks.

Hope all goes well for you.

[leggy]

Hi Paul & Pat, thanks for replying, I got a call last night, I now have an appt for 20th May to see the consultant, so how long till the op, I don't know. I have already seen one ,at a place called Barlborough,near Chesterfield last Nov. He said he could operate soon,there is enough arthritis to warrant it, but he thought some of my pain was coming from my back. I had 4 months of chiro, which helped a little, however I do not want to go back there as I found out they no longer do resurfacing only THR. I too have had pain in my knee & even down to my ankle, this feels different somehow.
My hip is bad at the moment, as I said, I have been overdoing it a bit, but my knee feels as though there is a swelling, inside of it. I am just trying, to rest it, as much as possible, not much. I am also rubbing in Movelat gel,taking paracetemol. It is more of a strange feeling than pain. I suppose it must be to do with my hip.
Good luck on your op.

[atbower]

I am about two weeks pre-op and can sympathize.........I actually went to my ortho for my knee pain, Xray looked ok.  It appears it is the hip throwing everything off.  That was such a relief to me that I cried.  (I could not bear the thought that everything is falling apart this young! )It feels that like there is crushed glass in my knee everytime I would turn over in bed. At this point I feel I could ice down both hips, outer aspect of knees and ankles.  I am fascinated to see what happens in the post operative period.  Hang in there.

[atomicpunk]

I had a lot of knee pain before my surgery, mostly on the inside area too. Also had some swelling around the ankle.
I think since I was not bending at the hip much, I was putting a lot of stress on my knee when trying to bend over or stand up.  the knee pain started going away about 4 weeks post op from my BHR, I am about 12 weeks out now, and have almost no knee pain now. I have some minor knee pain in my other leg, but have the other BHR planned for the end of the year.

[Bionic]

I would try some quad stretching for the knee.  My right quad become very tight before my surgery.  It's still tighter than it should be.  That tightness was causing my patella to track in an unnatural way, which caused me knee pain.  I would occasionally even have problems where the joint felt obstructed--like I couldn't straighten my knee without lots of pain.

So I think quad stretches and front hip flexor stretches might help your knees.  If you're not using a cane, you might consider that as well.  I developed a lot of pain in both knees and in my other (unaffected) hip before surgery.  I even thought my left hip might be shot.  Then I started using a cane and those other problems mostly disappeared.

[leggy]

Thank you all for the replies, it helps.
Bionic, I have just started some stretching exercise, I thought it might help, I am not using a cane yet, but that is also something I have been thinking about, just hate the thought!!!!!!!! still, if it helps, I will have to try it.

[SFHip]

I had knee pain prior to surgery and riding a stationary bike helped tremendously - made it almost all go away. It's one of the few exercises you can do that is somewhat balanced between both sides while not having any weight on the hip.

[leggy]

Most of you seem to have already had your op's, how did it go? I am feeling a bit nervous about the op itself. I have not had an operation since I was 11yrs old, I am hoping for epidural rather than GA, but I understand there is a lot of sedation as well, can anybody tell me about theirs please?
I am also dreading being in the hospital for long, as i am a smoker ( I know, I know ) not a heavy smoker, but it will be difficult. The last time I was in hospital, 10yrs ago, for burns, I could be wheeled outside by visitors for a ciggie, now in the uk, the hospital grounds are no smoking too. I am also a snorer, due to sleeping tabs, so will probably upset everyone else on the ward, if I am lucky they may throw me out early, so everyone else can get some rest!

[atbower]

Leggy ---so sorry, but my nurse side just can NOT pass up the opportunity to chat you up a little about the smoking!  ( I know! I know!)  But just a couple of thoughts....while you are in the hospital, lets say 3-5 days give or take, you will be well on your way to being a nonsmoker!  You should just plan to take the ball and run with it (esp. with your brand new running hip!).  Nicotine is a vasoconstricor which means it will be negatively affecting blood flow to healing tissue- so if there was anytime to get motivated and get a quitting plan togethe,r maybe now?  You can blame all your withdrawl crankiness on your pain and your major surgery and people will have to be kind and loving to you!  Okay, now I am done...................(sorry, it's in my DNA...)

[leggy]

Atblower, I have beeen thinking about quitting, this is obviously a time to try.The patches give me a skin rash, so thought about an inhalator, plus gum whilst I am in hospital.
I have been talking to another nurse in the states on another site, she is 2 packs a day & trying to quit, for dental work, I was quite suprised that a nurse would smoke like that, but we are all human.
The crazy thing is, I gave up, cold turkey, a good few years ago, for 5 years!! I started again, after going to a party, after working a bar all evening, got pretty drunk!! I did not remember smoking until about 3 days later & it crept on again.The thing is, when you are determined to quit for your own reasons it is much easier, when you dont really want to, nothing anyone else says makes a difference.But I know what you are saying,If I have an enforced start, I may just keep it up, so will give it my best shot.

[jack]

Hi Leggy

I can relate to a bit of apprehension about the surgery. I am due for resurfacing in about a month and I see it as normal to worry. Reading about peoples experiences here on this site is surely helpful and if nothing else, you have an entire community in all different phases that can help and support you during these times of uncertainty. I am convinced that this is the right path for me, and it may be for you as well.

As far as smoking goes, my wife and I quit over 4 years ago. She did the patch for only a couple of days then nothing, and I went cold right from the start. I am convinced that cold turkey is the only way to go. It's not easy, but what is in this life? We were grumpy, irritable, and whatever else you can think of that is associated with quitting.... no way around that. It IS worth every bit though and once you get on the other side you will be SOOOooo  happy that you did it you won't believe..... well you probably already know that. I say go for it.... get it done.... your life will be better for it.