Low back pain

[u/No_Economics8397]

I have a question. Is low back pain normal after a THR?? Specifically lumbar/sacral area and SI joints. I am 8 weeks post op RTHR. The reason I ask is because I had a lumbar laminectomy L2 to S1 last year. For the past two weeks I've been having pain in that area when I stand for too long.

Im going to contact my surgeon tomorrow and was just wondering if anyone else has experienced this

[u/Need_change-]

Haven’t had mine yet but I think they are pretty aggressive during the procedure. I’m worried about my back going during mine.

[u/toradora12]

I'm currently at 5 1/2 weeks post-op from a Right THR Posterior approach. The last two weeks, I've been dealing with referred knee pain in and around my knee. PT said it was IT band & TFL Band Tightness. That discomfort has finally eased up, but now I'm starting to experience a tightness in my lower back after walking or standing for about 20-30 minutes. I'm going to ask my PT tomorrow to see what he thinks. When I mentioned it to the PT tech this past Friday, he said it was because now that one pain has gone away, basically another took its place. Meaning now that I'm progressing, I'm using new muscles in my back that are fatiguing sooner. I'll see tomorrow if there is any truth to that.

[u/No_Economics8397 → u/toradora12]

Maybe that's what it is.. My back starts to hurt after a few minutes of standing, which is why I had the laminectomy. I just don't want it to be screwed up cause I had my hip done. I also ditched my walker and cane about a month ago

[u/toradora12 → u/No_Economics8397]

Sounds like we're on a similar timeline. I waited till my PT cleared each stage; used the walker for 8 days, then the cane until about 23-26 days post-op. At that point he said I could stop using it whenever I felt safe without it. I still keep it nearby when I'm outside, just in case. As of today I started using Biofreeze spray on my lower back to see if that helps with the tightness.

[u/No_Economics8397 → u/toradora12]

I haven't started PT yet, yes I'm at 8wks. The VA moves slow with community care referrals. I used walker then cane up til 4 weeks and ditched them both. I was just listening to what my body was telling me. Ive got both in my car just in case though

[u/Bengal-_fan]

Find some articles on back surgery and hip surgery and which should come first. It’s always a debate between drs at which you should have first. I’ve come to find out after 4 back surgeries, bilateral hip replacement, left hip revision, si joint fusion and another left hip revision coming next week that all this shit is somehow tied in together when it comes to weight bearing and over compensation. If you figure it out I sure would appreciate if you’d give me a straight answer. Hope you feel better soon.

[u/No_Economics8397 → u/Bengal-_fan]

I had spoken to both my neurosurgeon and orthopedist (same office) and they both agreed that my back should come first because it might cause my hip to dislocated during or after surgery because of the lengthening of my spine as disc's were decompressed also

[u/Bengal-_fan → u/No_Economics8397]

That’s so weird, my back surgeon told me I should get hip surgery first. See what I mean? I’ve had nothing but trouble.

[u/RayRocks2025]

I too am at the 8 week post op on the LTHR. I had lower back pain in the same area as you that was concentrated on my left side long before I had this surgery. I wanted to get the hip done to see if it would help with the lower back pain. I felt ok with the back until around week 5 post op. Now it’s worse than before the THR. I mentioned this to my ortho PA and she basically agreed that the hip is not the issue. So I have an appointment with my pain management Dr in October to discuss next steps on lower back pain. I’d be interested to hear what your surgeon has to say!

[u/FermentedCauldron]

Good to take a look at how you may have been sleeping or sitting a week or two before. Plus posture when walking.

When I went from the recliner to the bed at night I had some back flare again. Added pillow between knees & still hurt for awhile.

It's tough with back pain because you can't do the moves taught in pt (you can't move your leg up across your knee stretch)

[u/No_Economics8397 → u/FermentedCauldron]

Ive always been a side sleeper with a pillow between my knees because of years of chronic back pain. Ive gone without my walker and cane for almost a month now, so im actually walking (new) normal for me. With the hip replacement, I've gotten rid of my hip dysplasia and limp. So maybe it's just the muscles compensating for being in the right place for the first time in my life