"No resolution to unremitting pain after hip replacement"

I had a hip replacement September 2019. Initially I experienced terrible pain on movement but not resting. As weeks went by the pain on walking and alighting a vehicle and getting in and out of bed never diminished. Movement was and is very painful, felt like an impingement, groin pain plus a lot of pain on the lateral side where the repairs to tendons and muscles.

I attended my doctors clinic over a period of three years, during this time he did blood tests and bone scan which were negative and insisted the implant was fine. Although I requested an MRI, this was refused at that time and when I asked to show him how bad my range of movement was, he was not interested to know.

There was no Oxford hip score to assess my progress and although I still walked with an aid after 3 years, and in my opinion was suffering a Trendelenburg gait as well as groin pain climbing stairs etc, there seemed little interest from him.

Subsequently after 3 years he sent me for a second opinion to one of his colleagues at Diana Princess of Wales Hospital.

I would also add that I have all my clinic reports during those years and he did not mention the details of my failure to do well or any of my concerns. According to his reports he had no inkling as to what was causing my continued problems.

In 2023 the second opinion doctor did some clinical tests but still couldn’t commit himself on what the problem could be. At that point I insisted on an MRI and the radiologist's report suggested I could be suffering from ischiofemoral impingement. This was confirmed partially on the scan, oedema and limited space to bones and muscles.

The doctor still didn’t confirm this and didn’t think a diagnostic injection would help. So it was decided I would attend the complex hip clinic in Hull Royal Infirmary.

In June 2024 I attended that clinic having waited 6 months for the appointment. I then had a cortisone injection over the trochanter which eased some pain I was having in that area at that time. Other pain and lack of mobility continued, in fact my hip actually locked up last year and mobility became worse than ever, and I needed a wheelchair to go any distance.

I then emailed for an urgent appointment, which I attended in November 2024. I was totally shocked to see five consultants in clinic, most of the orthopaedic surgeons possibly? Surely I was going to get somewhere now?

But no, no mention to me of my previous MRI or the radiologist report about the ischiofemoral impingement. I described in detail my problems and pain. By this time the Trendelenberg gait was hugely positive, which they remarked on. The only other test was a seated resistance test on my thigh which was also positive. It was suggested to be an impingement but apart from that their engagement with me was nil.

It was suggested to have another MRI which I had the following month. I will see them next in July 2025, seven months from MRI, during which time I have pestered to get an appointment.

Naturally for the first three years I lived in hope I would get better and it might take some time. However in hindsight I now feel that the signs of a failure were there all along. During all this time I’ve nearly read the print off the Internet articles referring to my problems, reasoning on all sorts of scenarios as to the cause of pain etc.

Since last year I have crunching, clicking at posterior of hip below the prosthesis, and pain on sitting is unbearable in that area. I walk as though intoxicated without a walking aid, impossible to fully socialise or take a holiday as I am and getting worse all the time.

This whole experience has led me to believe that when problems arise from hip replacement, no one wants to know. I find it hard to understand why eminent surgeons don’t know of all the relevant problems regarding a painful hip replacement. I can’t believe that any of the consultants I have seen didn’t have an idea on what my problems was.

I have subsequently learnt that misplacement of the femoral stem can cause this problem (anteversion), and possibly need a 3-D CT scan to confirm the degree of anteversion? Of course this hasn’t been offered me either. 

Needless to say, I shall be fully armed for my next appointment. I cannot live like this, especially when there are answers. My search for an arthroscopic surgeon for this problem is proving to be difficult, assuming I get a diagnosis. Sadly I don’t think I am by myself with this problem.