Leg & foot swelling after surgery - Knee & Hip Problems Message Board

boz · 06-26-2007, 02:18 PM

My husband is recovering from a total hip replacement.
The surgery was fine, he has made a good recovery, and can walk well with his arm crutches without pain.
But his leg & foot are swollen, with some area's of redness on the foot and leg. There is discomfort from this swelling
He has his legs up on a stool when sitting in the armchair, but after just a short walk or time with his legs down the problems back. So every morning & afternoon he spends on the bed, ......
Is it usual for the swelling after surgery. How long will it go on for.
He has at least 4 more weeks before he see's the Consultant in O.P.D.
Any one else had this problem.
Regards.

SpineAZ · 06-26-2007, 07:06 PM

I'd reccomend you call the doctor to see if the symptoms are normal and try to be seen by someone in the medical field for an in-person evaluation. A blood clot, for example, could cause these kind of symptoms.

neurowreck · 07-02-2007, 05:33 PM

I looked like something from CSI for weeks. My leg was swollen, bruised like I'd been run over by a train, and all sorts of weird colors. The swelling made moving hard (3 minutes to put on one sock), and it felt heavy, tight, and painful- BUT, it did go down with elevating it between therapy sessions, and using cool packs. There's a lot of manipulation of tissue and muscle during these surgeries, and the body reacts with swelling and weird bruising. These ortho guys are docs with power tools...literally. It's amazing the bones put up with it at all !!!

Tobias · 07-03-2007, 07:53 PM

Some swelling isn't unusual after THR. But redness and heat could indicate DVT [deep vein thrombosis] and there is a danger that the clot could break loose and go to the lung and cause a pulmonary embolism which is potentially fatal. So, if in doubt - have it checked out.
I had swelling in my thigh and foot that persisted for a couple of weeks after one of my hip replacements. Strangely enough, I had absolutely no swelling after my second THR. I don't know what accounted for the difference unless it was the fact that I was up and around and doing more things sooner after the second surgery so didn't get as much swelling.