knee pain after hip surgery

liverpool sue

hi. i had a lot of discomfort with my knee after my first hip op. couldn't straighten it when lying down and slept with a cushion under it for a while. it gradually settled down though, and i put that, and some rather colourful bruising, down to the way everything is manipulated during the op, it is a rather brutal one, more like carpentry!! can't help with the leg length difference though as i didn't experienced anything like that. you're only 11 days after surgery so maybe you need to give it all a bit more time before you start to get worried? best of luck.
sue

Larimergirl

I had some knee problems in the few weeks after surgery. My doctor told me ahead of time that I would have a leg length discrepancy that he would fix when I got the other hip done. There's only a 1/4 inch difference between legs. At my first follow up office visit after surgery, he examined the knee and told me that the structure of the knee was fine but that I was having referred pain from my non-0perated hip. He advised me to get some inserts from the drugstore. My knee started to feel better almost immediately upon use of the lifts. I found I didn't really like the lifts from the drugstore and found a type I really liked online. I ordered about half a dozen and have them in all my shoes. I found that if I wear sandals (obviously without lifts) for several days, my knee starts to hurt, but if I wear them alternately with my regular shoes (with lifts) then, knee is fine.

1 1/2 inches is a big difference. It is possible that this difference will even out/be reduced as you get used to the new hip and as your pelvic muscles realign themselves. Check with your doctor. It may be that your eventual leg length difference will be minor. The doctor will probably not want you to use lifts till he is sure that everything has evened out (so to speak).

Maggie

bossygirl

I am into my 6th week now post THR and had tremendous pain and bruising behind my right knee(operated side). I believe it was from the manouvering in the operation also, gave me so much terrible pain,much more than the hip. With a bit of massage from the physiotherapist, exercises, and time, it seems to have gotten much better. For me , the knee pain was the worst part of the whole thing. When I got home from hospital, my legs were different lengths also and it was very scary to think it might be like this forever but like the knee pain, with time and exercise, mine seems to be levelled out pretty good. I see my surgeon next week for my 6 week post op so imagine will get measured then. Have faith, do your exercises religiously, keep moving but also rest(not like me who overdid it from day one out I think).
This board has been a Godsend to me and others!

WindieOne

I had my hip surgery 5 weeks ago today. I too am having pain in my knee and had a lot of bruising behind the knee after surgery. The knee mainly bothers me when going up stairs. What is bothering me more is my incision site. It's about 10" long and has healed completely on the outside and looks real good. The problem is that it is very sensitive, the area hurts, and the incision itself is red and feels warmer than the surrounding tissue. I understand that the tissue inside is still coming to terms with the upheaval of the surgery but, how long can I expect the incision to continue hurting? At what point should I be concerned? (I don't go back to see my doctor until the middle of June)

Larimergirl

My incision was still tender till about 12 weeks after surgery. It got less and less gradually till one day I realized that it didn't hurt. Even after that, it still hurt if someone bumped into me or if I got a massage that was too firm in the surrounding area. Actually even now, at 9 months, it can sometimes still feel tender if bumped --but most of the time, I don't notice it at all.

sandy7705

Thanks Maggie,
I think a lot of this will resolve itsself but I'm very impatient. After 2 years of limping and discomfort I'm anxious for some relief and to get a good nights sleep for once!! Also, I'm only 41 and still have 2 boys to keep up with--sitting still is not my style. I see my doctor tomorrow so I'll have my list of questions ready.