Clunking question / reassurance

[Juno]

Can those of you more experienced than I please talk to me about the clunking? I am almost 5 months post op and get ready for HR number 2 in 3 weeks time. I am overall really happy with my right hip--- I have no pain in the hip and my ROM is slowly improving.

But I feel like the clunking in my right hip has gotten more prevalent. When I'm sitting on the floor with legs straight out in front of me and kind of "shake" my leg out, I get this awful clunking sensation...one clunk for every shake. It's a bizarre feeling.

I'm trying to work all the small glute muscles in order to gain more stabilization in the joint. I know it's going to take a year or more --- does this clunking every go away?

Any other advice or clunking stories. By the way, Dr. Gross did my surgery, so I feel really comfortable that I've got good alignment and cup placement

Thanks!

[hernanu]

The clunking will mostly go away, turn into clinking ... sorry 

It persisted with me for almost a year where I noticed it. Sometimes I noticed it more during quiet times (brushing my teeth seemed a favorite time for it to happen). Or shaving.

I think it's tied to strength, flexibility and overall a more well structured capsule around the device. I think it just takes time for the strength to grow appreciably, and the more active we are the more likely it will clunk until it gets strong enough to tamp that down as well.

I'm now at three years, just had an hour long yoga class yesterday, doing all sorts of poses and stretches that I could not even have imagined doing again. When I do them, I don't have any problems with clunking during or afterwards.

Once in a great while, I get a weak clunk. I think... So while it's a hippy fact of life for some of us, it does pass and attenuates to the point of unimportance. The second one may clunk as well, my second did.

[Jason0411]

I can still clunk occasionally.

[woldaudio]

 I am 2 years post. I clunk but it is very, very infrequent. The clunking was many times a day for the first 6-8months, then 1 or 2 times a day up until about 16 months. But now it seems to never occur. I do a lot of weight bearing leg exercises.

[Juno]

Thanks. I was getting nervous since it seemed worse. I was still very flexible until about 2-4 months prior to surgery and I wonder if those looser ligament and tendons plays into the clunking.

[kate71]

hi

I am now 6 months post op and still get clunking - quite often when dehydrated (something I realised from a conversation on here) then I drink loads of water and it stops!

gettting some quite strong pains on walking this week - has anyone else had that at this stage - it does this periodically for a few days then goes away again - could it be the cold weather?? thanks for any advice on this as well as all the clunking stories!!

kate

[keepmovin]

Hi Juno,
First - Hoping for a successful and fast recovery on your second surgery!  I know how you feel right now as I am done both and so glad this is all behind me.

As for the clunking you are experiencing, this is a typical sensation I have all the time on my first (left) which is now 2 1/2 years out.  There is no pain with the clunking just the movement sensation.  I think this has a lot to do with weakness in perhaps the small muscle group around my joint capsule which I have been having difficulty in strengthening.  I am also very flexible, my ROM is very fluid to the point I've been told may be too fluid.  Everything looks fine on the X-rays and my Dr. doesn't seem concerned.  I feel it most when doing my exercises and need to concentrate on keeping my joint area tight when doing strengthening exercises.  My second feels tighter at 5 1/2 weeks out and so far no clunking - this is my right hip which has always been stronger than my left.

I go in for my post-op check up in two weeks and may bring up the subject again with my surgeon.  If there's anything to share, I'll pass it on!

[Debbie]

I am 4.5 years out on my right hip and still experience clunking.  It is not as frequent as it was in the beginning, and I have gotten used to it.  I too feel it is related to strength and hydration.  Dr. Ball does not see any explanation for it after several xrays, metalosis testing, reexam, etc.  I am more flexible than many people and have some "notching" on my bone from the new cup but this does not seem to be related to the clunking.  Some other people (not sure they know what they are talking about) say that it can be a sign of a loose cup, misplacement, etc.  However, mine just seems to be "one of those things".  I have no detectable metal in my blood and placement looks great with no movement.  As long as it does not hurt and you attend follow up appointments, I would not worry too much.

[bosoxgordon]

Everyone here has pretty much given you the best answers but I thought it would help to mention that I spoke with Dr. Gross' nurse about this and thought I'd share her feedback with you. I am only three weeks out of surgery but am feeling at times what I expect is the "clunking" sensation. It can be a strange feeling. I have no pain with it. It just feels like there is a little bit of movement there. Anyway, she said that this is a very common occurance with patients. She said that because the hip capsule is partially dissected during surgery there is some instability until the capsule is able to heal again. She said the capsule is fully healed by 2 to 3 months but the clunking can continue for up to a year or so. I guess it just takes time for everything to tighten up again around the hip joint. I would imagine it would depend on how much strengthening exercise your doing as well.

[chuckm]

Bosoxgordon, it is the sacrotuberous ligaments that clunk which are deep in the pelvis. They clunk as they  slide around after resurfacing and other very traumatic hip events. I just passed a year post op and can reproduce the clunk at will but it has never happened during any normal activity.

Chuckm

[Baby Barista]

Ditto what Chuckm said. Most "clunking" is not the prosthetic itself, but the sacrotuberous ligaments, plucking back and forth over the ischial tuberosity.

[Kevin Warr]

I have just started to notice ta clicking sound in my hip. I rang the surgeon and said it was normal, not the implant but the surrounding tissue. As the hip strengthens the clicking will go away.
I am only at 31/2 weeks postop

Kev

[whyme]

Hi Kevin, not sure what the clicking is, but is not the same as clunking ... Clunking is a weird feeling, the hip "shifts" or moves quickly from one position to another, like if it just dislocated (or came back into place), but with no pain involved whatsoever.

If your clicking doesn't involve pain or discomfort, that's probably nothing to worry about. I'm not too ahead of you in the recovery process, just 4 months, but 3-4 weeks is still very early days...

[larry2458]

my hip will be 6 in October and I used to get the clunking on a regular basis but it stopped without me realising I had a check up and blood test last October and was told everything was satisfactory.
I mountain bike and go out walking on a regular basis and coach boxing 3 times a week.the operation has been a 100% success for me even though at first I was as worried as everybody else seems to be and that's why I came on here.
cheers pat !!!!!!