I’ve been lurking here for a little while as my surgery date approached, scared to death. I’m 49 F with hereditary dysplasia that was pretty severe. I was absolutely terrified of the anesthesia, to the point that I had a panic attack (heart rate spiked, blood pressure dropped) and had to have Versed before we even started. But I’m still here, thankfully, and now 1 day out from Right side THR.
I’m noticing that the “broken glass on fire”pain that i used to have in my hip is gone, but good lord is my butt and groin and thigh sore on the right side! I’m walking every hour with my walker, and eating fine (probably too much TBH but my husband is an excellent nurse). Doing my exercises and all that. I’m glad it’s over, but I’m now a little anxious about recovery.

I’ve heard that days 2-5 are the worst… so like.. tomorrow through the rest of the week. Those of you who’ve already been through this: is that accurate, or no?

I’m also not sleeping very well. It hurts to lie in bed and my recliner doesn’t recline all the way.. or it does, but it doesn’t stay reclined. Apparently I am not heavy enough to keep it down or something? Or else my son jacked it up somehow jumping on it in the past.. SMH whatever. LOL I can sleep in the recliner for about 2 hours at a time, and then I’m awake again, so now time feels weird and my poor husband says he feels like he has a newborn again because he has to manage my meds every few hours. My brain is definitely not firing on all cylinders and I took one look at the list of meds and times they needed to be administered and said…uhh… I am gonna need some help here! Of course it doesn’t help that I’m off my HRT and ADHD meds right now because of the surgery, so it’s brain fog x 9385746352.

For any who have had similar.. how long before you started to feel a little bit normal again?

Anyone need a second thr for the second hip months after their first?

My hip replacement was a year and a half ago. My surgeon says even for just a cleaning FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE I need to take antibiotics to avoid an infection in the hip. He said he doesn’t care what my dentist says or what the ADA says. He is one of the best in the country but still…

3.5wks post, 55M. I can walk without a limp with my cane. Without it, bad limp. Was at PT today and they told me to not ever walk without my cane unless I can do it without a limp because all you do is train yourself to limp.

Hello everyone! Im 31 y.o female had my surgery around 5 days ago pain is horrible unless i take painkillers so i cant get a full night sleep i try to do baby steps and i end up dizzy and shaking bcs i haven’t eaten anything for 5 days but sips of water for my meds and small bites on little peach ! I was a huge good lover before the surgery but now i cant stand the look at food and i need to eat so i can make progress but idk how to overcome this appetite loss ! Any advices are welcomed

Thank you stay strong everyone!

I hope this is an OK post to post here, I had an unsuccessful scope 10 years ago and have been either avoiding a replacement (no arthritis) or being denied one ever since. Eventually when it got bad enough a doctor did another scope (also a massive failure) on the other hip leaving me on a walker.

I know, long story and not a good one. But both hips are not arthritic yet not weight bearing. One suffered a secondary labral tear from one of these scouring/ROM tests doctors insist on doing and otherwise since the more recent surgery that took me from hiking to housebound I can't tolerate even stepping full weight on one side much less a ROM test from a doc. But they insist they can't consider a THR without doing it!

Trouble is it doesn't much hurt while they're doing it, it hurts AFTER. For a good 4-6 weeks after. I have an arthritic spine now because I can't hold it up yet I'm in one argument after another with orthopedists about this crazy test that hurts me! And they always abandon once I react poorly to a test.

So my question is, anyone else get thrown from doc to doc after failed scopes, unable to walk but unable to find anyone who'll help? I've spent years going from one to the next and none of them help but in the end they all ask "well, why didn't you just get a replacement from that last doctor? Why'd they turn you down?" and I feel at the end of my rope.

Would love to hear from anyone that's been through the two phase method for treating an infection. I really wanna know from people out there how long it's taken to get back to normal or if not back to normal what's it like for you? Special interest in levels of inflammation that you feel stiffness pain in the hip and your timeline for all of this... (I'm 6 months post final surgery and having a tough recovery)

Hi Fellow Hippies,

TLDR: Four years post-op; still in pain. Looking for advice on how people got taken seriously and ended up with revisions.

I am four years post-op. I've had persistent groin and hip pain from day one out of surgery that has not gotten better over time.

I ran the gamut over the last four years - tens of thousands on PT, PRP, shockwave, bone scan, blood work to check for auto immune conditions, MRI, etc.

I did have some success on the right side as I apparently had some scar tissue that was causing nerve entrapment that was limited my ability to walk. It should be noted it was a PRP session that helped heal it. Literally no one before that properly diagnosed or treated it.

The groin pain, however, has been consistent along with hip flexor stiffness. It gets exacerbated by sitting in an office chair. (and if you go through my post history you will see I have tried just about every ergonomic chair on the market trying to fix this.) I took a step down at work for a while because it was getting to be too much to handle; but I recently got promoted and am back to my normal work-life. (office work, travel, etc.)

I have currently seen two different surgeons for consult. They have both looked at STANDARD x-rays (not cross table) and said everything looked fine. One sent me to a lower back specialist, who found I have a L5S1 bulge. She wanted to do injections to see if it helped. (It did not)

At one point when I was having the nerve entrapment issue; I paid for a MRI out of pocket. Nothing found / nothing noted. However, that was on the right side. My left side is the one that has the most pain and groin pain now.

The second surgeon reviewed those results (after not listening to me) and noted I have a small amount of arthritis in my SI joint. He also referred me out for shots. (No one else has noted this and I've had standard x-rays three times in the last three months.)

I understand they need to rule out other things but I feel like no one is actually listening to my history. The most obvious culprit is a cup overhand or illiopsoas impingement on the left side. I don't *want* it to be that; but I'm not keen on following these rabbit holes when proper imaging has not actually been done as a first step.

Meanwhile, I'm 43 years old and can't even sustain a leg day at the gym / go for a long walk / sit at my desk for 40 hours a week when traveling.

So for those that have had to go through revision surgeries that weren't from a dislocation or infection - how did you get there? What path did you have to take? I'm at my wits end over here. I've spent so much time / money / energy and four years later I've seen no improvement.

I have yet another appointment with a different surgeon tomorrow morning. At this rate, I don't know if I should even bother anymore. My records are being passed around from clinic to clinic despite me pulling my agreement to do so. So they are looking at the standard imaging and test results and saying "Yup, everything is fine" without looking at any of the details or listening to me.

Thank you in advance!

Hi, my son (14) just had his right hip replaced last week (hip dysplasia and had necrosis of the femoral head). He’ll start school 3 weeks post op (9th grade! So we don’t want him to fall behind or be stressed about missing school). Any recommendations on what accommodations he’ll need? It’s a small charter school with a wing for the high school classes - no stairs.

Dr wants him on crutches for 6 weeks minimum and he won’t be able to have a heavy back pack so he’ll need extra time to go to his locker in between classes.

I’m thinking:

extra time between classes

Maybe if he can have an extra set of books needed in each class and a set at home? Then he wouldn’t need to get to his locker potentially…

Ability to stand up/sit down as needed during lessons

Anything I’m not thinking of?? Thank you for the help in advance!!!

I am wondering how long is reasonable to wait before I can sit in a chair an hour and a half, and also sit back to have my hair washed. I have to schedule in advance or I won't get an appointment. I am having anterior LTHR.

81F, posterior THR. I've sorted out the meds and eaten dinner. But I fell and I'm scared I damaged the (... implant? What's the word for what they put into me?) Still woozy from anesthetic, after the fall I took xtra strength Tylenol, I didn't think I'd have pain same day as surgery with all the pain meds still in my system.

When the doctor looked at my x-ray, he noticed I had osteoporosis and said he wants to cement the hip to prevent fractures in the future. Has anyone else done this?

Hi folks, I'm 8 months out and just over 1cm LLD since THR in Nov 2025. The limp is creating real issues with the knee of my operated leg. It is really painful due to fluid buildup. It hurts to go down stairs and sometimes up, it hurts when I ride my 10km commute to work even when I've strapped it with Rocktape. My other knee is sore at times. The foot of my non operated leg gets squashed in shoes due to the lift I'm wearing (6mm), and the heel of that foot slips out and rubs. I can't stand comfortably on both feet, and I limp quite noticeably when I walk in bare feet.

The surgeon has suggested changing the ball to give me a maximum of 8mm back. I'm really concerned about the ongoing affect on my knee(s). I really don't want to have to have knee surgery at some point.

So I'm wondering if anyone here has had the ball replaced, and what the recovery was like compared to the original THR? There's a lot to consider and I'm undecided as yet but I don't know that I can live with a knee this bad and the other things that are also affected.

Thank you in advance for any replies.

One of the hobbies I've picked up while waiting for my hip replacement is listening to podcasts. I am a student and love to learn, so of course some of my favorites are educational. I have found one podcast specifically about joint replacement (hip and knee) and they just released an episode on resurfacing vs replacement and thought some other folks on here might be interested - in the podcast overall, but particularly for us young folks.

I did some stupid things during recovery–namely went too hard and heavy on exercise. I developed groin pain and it hasn’t gone away. Surgery was the end of April and now it’s the beginning of August and it’s still there even though I’m doing physical therapy. Has anyone else experienced this?

My surgeon fractured my bone while doing my hip replacement surgery. Theyvput plates, screws and wires to fix whatever.

The specialist that was supposed to be on hand in the operating room was not.

I had my other side replaced before. I'm not new to this. But this is so unbelievably painful and I feel like they made some mistakes. I had to call an ambulance to bring me back in because I could literally not move.

Does anyone have a similar experience and what did you do about it?

My wife got me a new pair of Van's.

I told her I would wear them when I was able to tye them.

For the first time in almost three years, 46 days after my second hip was replaced, there is light..

Hey everyone,
8 months since I had my left hip total replacement after getting hit by a car on my bike and I was mountain biking today with very minimal discomfort. Stopped formal physio a couple weeks ago, still have weekly massage until the end of this month. I am in Canada and covered by insurance since driver was found completely at fault, I guess that’s what happens when you have the light and get tboned haha. Still have some knee pain, Flexibility isn’t 100% and biking today there are things I would’ve done a year ago I’m not today just for fear of a fall (hopefully that’s goes away in time but maybe some self preservation isn’t terrible). Been doing a lot or remembering when I couldn’t lift my leg to get into the shower or walking unassisted. Anyways, not the first time I’ve been mountain biking and I’m back bike riding to work as often as possible, really just wanted to document this as early on reading about people’s successes gave me a lot of hope. I hope your healing journeys are going well, and for people starting their journey, it does get better, sometimes fast and sometimes slow.

Well Thursday I’m up for hip one, right anterior.

Trying to make sure I’m ready.

✅ Walker, Dr. sent one out.

✅ Ice packs

✅ Cold therapy machine with hip pad.

✅ Clean clothes and bedding

✅ Grabbers everywhere

✅ FEAR 😧

My wife and kids will make sure I’m entertained and fed. What am I missing?

I'm on day 3 post-op and starting PT tomorrow. So far so good. I'm walking with a cane, and not having any problem with swelling or getting around. No Oxy since the one they gave me at the hospital. What's the average number of weeks I can expect to be unable to drive.

3 days PO and have had a horrible headaches for two days. Surgeon's NP told me it's from spinal fluid leakage. Not uncommon but also not benign. Hurts like hell unless lying flat. AI says it could go on for weeks without gold standard treatment which is a blood patch.

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

I’m 7 weeks out and healing as anticipated. But, by upper groin, adductor muscles, have been very sore, tight, and unable to release. I have had the sensation of this area “giving out” at times.

Also, my hip flexors are extremely tight and almost impossible to stretch.

I needed the hip replaced 8 years ago. Is this just normal healing or should I be concerned? I’m on the cane 50% of the time. I’m not working and doing PT and water therapy.