superior overhang of the acetabulum cup

[LoriBender]

I am 6 months post-op and although I was doing fine for awhile I have been in chronic pain for 12 weeks now. It is mostly in the groin, sometimes in the side of the hip and sometimes in the butt (piriformis, i think). I am totally frustrated and upset. I looked at the operative notes from the surgery and it says that "inspection of the acetabulum revealed this to be somewhat shallow resulting in somewhat of superior overhang of the trial cup, but this was stable nonetheless." So, they used it anyway.
What does this mean!!! And, could it be the reason Im in pain now!? What confuses me is why it was good for awhile - no pain 3-4 months post op, then it came back with a vengeance.
Im wondering if the groin pain is from iliopsoas tendoinitis resulting from the tendon rubbing against the acetabulum rim. What sort of tests need to be done to determine this. Ive had xrays, Ive had blood work done and all came out good.

[Dannywayoflife]

Hi lori how big is your over hang? I have a slight one as my actabulum
Was also shallow I think mine is around 6-8mm I'm not worried about it. I've seen some x rays with metal work really sticking out so I figured mine was fine. Speak to your surgeon if your worried.
Danny

[tennisgirl]

Hi Lori,

I haven't posted in awhile, but I am having similar pain issues that haven't resolved and I'm eight months post op.  I am waiting to get bloodwork results back, as my xrays look perfect, but I am hurting.  I did have a shot of cortisone in February, but it didn't help much.  You have my sympathies!

Mindi

[Baby Barista]

This could be the issue, but lets hope not.

I do know that my surgeon, Dr. Pritchett, is of the opinion that many doctors are mistakenly sinking the acetabular component too deeply. There is less likelihood of impingement and rubbing or the psoas tendon... but there is greater likelihood that if you need a revision, you'll also need a bone graft and have a greater chance of failure. Dr. Pritchett does a lot of revisions of other surgeon's work and told me a lack of acetabular bone is one of the most frequent problems he runs into.

That doesn't help your pain, but may explain why your surgeon was comfortable with a shallower placement.

[Dannywayoflife]

I don't think it's a shallow placement per say it's just the shape of peoples pelvis. Mr T told me that it's one of the reasons that surgeons have in the past raised the angle of inclination so as to not have any over hang. He did say that boring out the acetabulum more can indeed cause impingement and other issues.