Question
Hi Sharon,

My 65 yr old father had hip surgery on his right hip three weeks ago today. He is currently going attending therapy 3X a week.

The Hip pain has dramatically reduced, though his right leg from the ankle to the hip is still quite swollen (though it has improved over the past few weeks). The issue is the pain in the leg muscles-  My father would rate the HIP pain as a pain level (1)  (scale of 1 to 10) though the muscle pain hovers around a (7).  

A "doppler"  (sp?) was performed today, which depicted that my father was clot free. The doctor's office stated he should return to their office at the next scheduled appointment in 7 weeks.

My concern was if this type of pain is normal three weeks post surgery. This pain has certainly slowed his rehab, whereas he is still quite slow when attempting to move around. He continues to wince in pain whenever he puts weight on his leg (though he will tell you, it is not the hip, rather the leg muscles.) He is able to walk with the assistance of a cane and walker when outside, though even he feels this muscle pain is interfering with his rehab.

I worry about cellulitis (sp?), and waiting 7 additional weeks for his next visit. Is this additional pain/swelling a typical response for some with the hip replacement?

Thank you for your time.  

Answer
Charles

Swelling can take up to three months to go away, and maybe longer depending on the difficulty of the surgery.  That's completely normal.

When the hip was put in the large muscles are cut to make room for the surgeon to operate and it takes a long time for these muscle groups to heal.  The most important thing for him to do is keep ahead of the pain and take his pain meds before the pain gets too bad.  

He also may not be walking normally yet and due to that alone, he can be feeling a bit more pain.  Have his therapist check his gait to make sure he's walking correctly.  Have the therapist also look at his leg length to ensure that the legs are the same length.  If not, he can get a lift put into his shoe which will even out the length and improve his gait.

Also ask his therapist if he can undergo Trigger Point Massage. That type of massage is not traditional massage but can help with pain management.  But always double check before doing any type of massage with is doctor.

Have him use heat for muscle pain and maybe even cut down on exercise for a bit of time as well.  Ask the therapist if he can do pool walking.  That is a good exercise to build muscle and being in the water is very soothing.

I hope I have answered your questions.

Best of luck to your dad.

Sharon