Orthopedics Forum - Ocassional Acute Knee Pain After Hip Revision. Why?

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Q: Ocassional Acute Knee Pain After Hip Revision. Why?

asked by: kevinmagruder on August 20th, 2005

New User

I'm a 56 year old man and last week I had a total revision of my right hip. I have had a few hip revisions over the past 25 years, but this is this the first time that I have experienced ocassional acute pain right above my right patella. The pain occurs as I am shifting weight from my good leg to my affected leg. It also occurs when I am sitting and try to raise my affected leg. It also occurs when the knee is hit from behind.

Note: my right leg was 1.5 cm shorter than my left before the surgery and is now 1 cm longer.

I have two theories, either of which might explain the pain: one is that I have an overstretched adductor muscle that is being stressed where it attaches at the patella. I say this because I can press a trigger point on the adductor in my posterior thigh and recreate the pain at the knee.

The other theory is that my quads were overstretched during the procedure and this tightening is pressing down on the patella which, in turn, is grinding against the tissue beneath it (remember, these are the knees of a 56 year old man with a long history of osteoarthritis in the hips and shoulders ... So there's likely some arthritis in the knees, too.)

does anyone agree with one or the other of these two theories? Is there a better explanation? How long should I expect this acute (but ocassional) pain to last? I have asked my surgeon, but he's of the opinion that it's the adductor and has only opined that the knee pain "should go away" in a few weeks or a few months.

Any help or input is appreciated.

Kevin

Replies(8)

Sonrisa

replied on November 17th, 2005

New User

Post Op Knee Pain

Hi kevin. I had a thr one year ago this week - and the post op knee pain was one of the worst parts of my recovery and I have 30 year old knees!

My theory was also that it was worked over too hard during the procedure in order to get that new joint in.

It was certainly longer than one week for the knee pain to go away. In fact, I was taking my pain meds primarily for the knee for several weeks. Even though it's just my experience, the knee pain did eventually go away.

Hang in there - things will get better!

carolina12

replied on February 12th, 2006

New User

Knee Pain

I am a 27 year old who had her right hip replaced in 2003 due to traumatic avascular necrosis (i fractured my femoral neck, and the blood vessels never re-connected, creating a loss of blood supply to the femoral head) I didn't recieve my diagnosis and subsequent hip replacement surgery until 1.5 years after the fracture occured. During that time, my hip was deteriorating and my right leg lost some length. I continued to walk on it, in severe pain, until my diagnosis was received. Since getting the surgery, I occasionally experience acute pain beginning in my knee and radiating up the middle of my thigh. I have not recieved a professional opinion on it, but my intuition tells me that the muscles were injured as a result of walking on un-even legs and a muscle group trying to protect the hip joint and compensate for the hip pain. It only comes back occasionally and strengthening and stretching the knee and thigh muscles seems to help. If your legs are still uneven in length, you might want to try an orthodic insert in the shoe of the shorter leg. I've found that striving for balance ans symetry have done wonders in my recovery.

towerskin

replied on February 20th, 2006

New User

Re Knee Pain

I am a 30 year old male I had a hip replacement when I as 17 an uncemented total hip replacement, I have occasional pain which last for a few days. Recently I have started a new job and on my feet a lot because my right leg (replaced hip) is 2.5cm shorter then the left im am getting severe pain in that leg up from the knee to the hip. I have read your posts above and will try my insert for my boot (which I have not used for a number of years) hopefully it will make things easier as I haven’t considered the shorting to be the route of the pain (as nothing has shown up on my x rays)

chris

DSLDAW

replied on March 27th, 2006

New User

Knee Pain After Hip Replacement

At 30 I had 2 bilateral hip replacements.I'm 33 now and am having
the same occasional knee pains.One hip is ceramic on ceramic.That
was the first hip done and let me tell you,i love it.No problems or pain.
The other one was a minimally invasive prcedure with a tried and true-
poly on steel unit.The recovery was remarkable.Witin a few months,
i was back at work as a mechanic.I have had nothing but problems
with knee and thigh pains.Sometimes I can't even stand on that leg
because of the excruciating pain.It almost feels like the bone on bone
pain from avn,before my surgeries.The heavy lifting and being on my
feet all day,proved to be too much,even with pain meds.I have been
out of work for 8 months.My pain management doctor said that knee
and thigh pain was normal for what I went through.Why do I always
hear about how every one that has had hip replacements,never is in
pain or in the situation i'm in?The knee pains are caused by the nerves
that run next to your hip being agrivated I suppose.

Please someone give me your take on my situation compared to yours.

Dave

sandyallen

replied on March 27th, 2006

Extremely eHealthy

You know that you can always wear a lift in your shoe to make up a slight difference and if it is more than a slight difference they can build up one of your shoes to make up the difference. I have learned that after any of my sugeries that after a while that I have developed scar tissue along with arthritis as I have had 22 surgeries and I could write a book as both the scar tissue and the artritis is painful and if you have spine or
fusion surgeries, one can weaken the other and so on and so forth good luck to you all.

deniseplee

replied on June 30th, 2009

New User

Sever Knee Pain after THR

I am 48 years old and had a hip replacement 6 months ago. My recovery was much slower than anticipated and disappointing. I had knee pain from the time I woke up from surgery and I have never had knee problems. Every check-up I would tell my doctor about the knee pain. I asked him if one leg could be shorter than the other causing the pain and he told me no. He finally ordered an MRI and they really did not see anything on the MRI, he just said I was having referred pain from the hip and it would get better with time. Well, a month later I could not even stand on that leg the pain was so sever so......they ordered a bone scan which came back fine, he then referred to it as a stress reaction to the stem and the replacement and it would get better and sometimes it could take 8-12 months!!!! It was from doing to much and I needed to understand I now have limitations! I was never told I would have limitations. Anyway today is June 30, 2009 and i am on my way back to the doctor today because after two weeks I can not hardly walk on that leg again! As to the limitations, when I was released to return to work after 2 months I was told i had no restrictions so I went for it!

I was told that runners have hip replacments and go back to running, I just want to be able to walk normal and feel normal again. How long does it take for them to go back to running,that is something they do not tell you.

Any answers would be greatly appreciated. Rolling Eyes

JavaMissus

replied on June 30th, 2009

Supporter

Hi deniseplee and welcome to ehealth...I am so sorry for the pain you are going through...I sometimes wonder if in fitting the hip bone joint, or whatever they do in a hip replacement surgery, that they manuever the leg and knee a bit to get it to fit in right...It is possible that this is the soreness that you are feeling in your knee...Maybe muscles being stretched that need to heal...Hopefully you will be well soon...

Caroline

yasmineabbassi

replied on September 12th, 2009

New User

Dear All,
my name is yasmine and i had a total hip replacement 8 weeks ago today.
i'm 31 and quite active...the surgery was great and i'm already walking w/o crutches (even though still limping due to week thigh muscles) and i can even put my shoes and socks on,,,yaaaayy
BUT: the knee of that same leg is killing me! at my six week post operation check up the doctor asked for an MRI, as he suspected a meniscus tear! the MRI was clear, except for some fluid on around the knee joint.
noone can explain the pain, and it's so frustrating...i finally got rid of my hip pain ( i even managed to squat yesterday) but then my knee hurt so much, i had to get up...
anybody has any idea what that could be? and whether it goes away?

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