How long do you have minor pain after surgery?

[23109VC]

I'm about 8 weeks post op.

At about the six week point I was feeling really good....I had minimal pain in my hip. If I sat down a while, it hurt when I got up, but after a minute or two of walking it didn't hurt much at all.  I was taking Tylenol throughout the day...but whatever pain I was feeling was very mild if at all.

At six weeks I had relatives visit and they all went to Disneyland.  I felt great and thought I was up to it.  I walked ALL over the place that day...I mustnhave done 5 or more miles.....by the end of the day my hip was very sore.  The next 4-5 days it was sore.  I even worried maybe I did something to it.  By a week and a half it was gradually getting better.  I was having pain on the side of my hip, near the incision but more forward....like where the seam of your pants would be..the pain was vertical feeling.... My neighbor is a physical therapist and he said the way I described the pain, it sounded like maybe bursitis.

At about 7-8 days after that major walking day at disneyland my hip seemed betterm but not 100%.  I never felt any sharp pains or anything I the joint...the funky butt pain I had came back, but it has gradually gone away. 

In some ways, over the past two weeks, post Disney, my hip feels better and stronger.  I am mow able to put my pants on and stand and balance on my new hip while iput my leg into the pant leg....I could only do that in the past few days...that is without using any support...purely balancing on my operated leg....I can feel the muscles feel stronger and I can walk up hills without pain...but I get this off and on pain on theoutside of myhip....it feels like it is on the outside near the surface of my skin....

Is this bursitis?  Can they fix this?  Wil it go away with icing?  For a couple days it went away, the it came back the last couple ays.  Is not a sharp pain, more of a dull one...

If I atke a couple aspirin it is muted and not that noticeable..but as the airin wears it's there.

I recently did my 6 week xrays.. I didn't get them until 7 weeks, and then did my PT veal, and I'm about to mail it off to dr. Gross.  I'll see what he says, but u till hear good news from him, I thought I'd see what all the hippies think.

I have had ups and downs before six weeks..so I'm ot terribly freaked out..but before I walked my a$$ off at dis eland I didn't have this odd pain in the outside of my hip.  I had pain in the direct spotmof the incision....and now that is fading even more...but this outside of my hip..near where my pants seam is...it seems new.  Maybe Disneyland and walking everywhere agitated this and maybe I would have got it anyway.

I'm hoping it's just normal healing pain and it will go away.

Tonight I had to walk up a big hill..a good 10-20 steps uphill....before surgery that would have been miserable...tonight I walked up it pain free....that pain in my side wasn't even there...then an hour later it was there....since it's off and on, I'm assuming it's not something "bad".    But I stil really wish it was gone and I was not having it.

How far after surgery ismit normal to still have some soft tissue discomfort?

Thanks.  Sometimes...it's st nice to hear feedback from all of you to feel reassured...

[obxpelican]

You over did it and you sometimes pay for it.  You must understand your hip is still healing, you probably caused some inflammation --- think about it, you probably have not walked that much in a long time.

I would not worry about it, especially if the trend continues neutral or positive.

BTW, if it's bursitis that can be dealt with.  Is the pain in the outside of your upper thigh?

Chuck

[hernanu]

I agree with Chuck. That much walking probably really challenged already challenged muscles, so you got sore. Sounds like you're recouping already, so, although we've always got to be aware of what our bodies tell us, it sounds like you just pushed it a bit.

[einreb]

How far after surgery ismit normal to still have some soft tissue discomfort?

I'm at 10 weeks and get that a sometimes.  I haven't done that much walking, but within the limits of my allowed PT I've worked it pretty good.

I was told by my PT guy to really work that area.  Twist/pull/push the skin.  You see the scar on the outside, but you need to work that incision down a long way to loosed up the scar area.  There was a lot of damage done 8 weeks ago, your body 'fixed it'... but that's not how it will be long term.  You need to convert it to good flexible strong tissue.  (that's how it was explained to me).

-Bernie

[obxpelican]

Bernie,

He probably over did it, look how much he walked.  He's doing well, he just has to work up to those big walks.  Hope you're doing well.


Chuck

[maxi]

yep too much too soon, i did the same thing (not quite) maybe 3 miles and payed for it severly for around a week, that was at 8 weeks also. i had same pains. now i have different ones in my calf muscles and both buttocks from walking and fishing on the beach, feeling sore after catching fish for easter is ok in my books 
i hadnt fished on the local beach for 2.5 yrs so it was a milestone occassion for me and i had a great time, i fished with my best mate out of his old 4x4, we found the fish and got 11 nice clean flathead which we converted half of them ,in a swap, to mudcrabs, thanks to another mate and his crab catching prowess, so dinner lat night was very special ...

im finding that the more and different things im doing make me sore in different places. i could sleep on op side now it hurts and i find it difficult, its just the process our bodies are going through after major surgery healing.

i massage the wound site regularly and try to get in deep,

Paul

[23109VC]

Thanks for the info guys!

Yes, the pain is on the outside of the upper thigh.....like where my blue jeans seam is... If that helps...I think it's bursitis.

Today it barely bothered me until late in the day...I'm taking aspirin to try and help inflammation,  I'll tell dr gross and maybe he'll recommend more rest, celebrex? Or something.

Overall, I'm improving a lot.  I have that weird pain on the side that is "new" but overall my hip is getting stronger and stronger.

I tell myself.....even if I never shake this bursitis and this is where I am at, recovery wise forever....I'm still 1000x better than before surgery.

The pain is more of a nagging pain than something that worries me....

Hopefully it will get better on it's own.  Is been about two weeks sincemthe Disneyland trip....so I was hopingit would clear up by now, but maybe I really overdid it....and maybe it will ake another week or two for the bursitis to go away?  Or do I need something more to fix bursitis?  Like some kind of medicine?

Thanks guys!

[hipnhop]

i get minor throbbing pain when I push too hard. it usually goes away after a day of rest. 

I do get a "stick a fork in me" feeling on the scar tissue every now and then. It has subsidized some since I've been massaging the area with Vit E cream

[nekko]

Now 2 weeks post op. Now, I can use one crutch instead of two. Pain level is decreasing excepted on the "rear side" of the operated knee, I have read on this forum many topics about knee pain after surgery but was mostly about "front side" pain on the knee. I suppose this is part of the healing process.