Anyone experience anything like this, does it sound like bursitis?

[kleary12]

I've been a reader of this site for a couple years but never posted anything.  Had a BHR on my left hip last Sept 20.  I had had arthritis from a previous hip fracture accompanied by severe IT/knee pain.  Post-procedure, everything had been going extremely well--I was following the fairly conservative recovery program prescribed by my doctor (no lifting or weight training, no high impact for a year post surgery) and I felt really perfect, but all of the sudden one day a couple weeks ago, it felt like I had some kind of insect bite on my front quadricep.  I kept itching it and wondering how a mosquito bit me through my jeans.  Then I realized what I was feeling was a tingling sensation which eventually became a greater tingling and numbness down the front of my thigh. And then I noticed that the area around my incision was kind of tender and I have some sensitivity in my buttock area.  I don't have any actual pain in my joint and even the other sensations aren't really painful--it's more discomfort than pain.  However, it is REALLY scaring me thinking about something going wrong that might require a revision.  I've been so looking forward to my first anniversary, getting off all restrictions.  So I wanted to hear from the experienced group at this site.  I did call my surgeon's PA and he said it sounded like it might be bursitis.  I've never had bursitis before (and don't want it now!), but my understanding is that it is quite painful, and this is not really painful.  I've been taking Aleve and icing and trying to do more of the prescribed stretches (which I admit I had slacked off on a bit), but it is not getting better.  I also can't think of anything I did to trigger it (though I did do some lipo-laser, that silly, non-invasive paddle thing, and micro-current sculpting, which my surgeon's PA cleared and said would be totally unrelated--which I certainly hope is true). It feels like an overall weird, buzzy sensation--just very unpleasant and scary.  Not something I've ever felt before.  Anybody ever experience anything like this?  THANKS!!!!

[hernanu]

Hi and welcome to being an (active) poster.

First, if you feel nervous about it, call up your surgeon and ask to come in early, get inspected and clear your mind.

As to what it is I can just speculate (not being a medical type), but it could also be IT band issues. You could have irritated your IT band.

You could try the foam roller to loosen up the area...

Anyways, good luck, and like most setbacks (I've had a few later than one year), do the best you can to clear your mind and then deal with the issue so you can go back to enjoying this hip.

[kleary12]

Hi Hernanu--thanks for replying.  Yes, I completely agree that putting my mind at ease is at least as important as dealing with whatever this is, but unfortunately, my surgeon is over 200 miles away and between now and my one year appointment, there are only a few weeks, so I'm not sure it makes sense to try to go early.  I should probably just try to relax and follow what my doctor's PA told me to do--Aleve and ice.  I just thought someone might recognize these symptoms and say, oh yeah, I had that too!  I've certainly experienced all kinds of hip and IT band-related pain (which are gone now, thank goodness), but have never felt anything like this.  Looking at a diagram of the thigh muscles, it seems the numbness and tingling is more centered in the rectus femoris muscle--the front quadricep--than the IT band, but who knows!  Thanks again!

[kleary12]

Also to be found on a thread about Meralgia Paresthetica.  Update from 1st year follow-on appointment.  The whole Meralgia Paresthetica issue--there really was no answer to this.  My hip device looked perfect and there was no real conjecture as to what was causing the numbness and tingling except that I might have irritated sensitive nerves with other activities and that it would likely go away over time.  BUT, it turns out I do have bursitis!  The PA had me lay on my good side and pressed the usual spot for bursitis and yeoooow!  It was so odd, because I could never feel that myself when poking around my incision area.  So I got a cortisone injection to that site and it will take about 4 days to take affect.  That will probably relieve the overall discomfort I was having and he suspects it may relieve the numbness and tingling.  I also had a metal ion level blood test just to be on the safe side.  So we shall see.  So why bursitis now?  He said it could be anything--he's known people to sprain an ankle, then get bursitis in the other hip from the limp.  But the main thing is, the hip device looks good, so in a couple weeks, after the cortisone does its thing, I'm off restrictions and working back up to my normal activity level.  Woo Hoo!