Hip pain...pelvic fixation

[KathK]

Hi,
I'm 7 weeks post-op and am actually experiencing more pain now than I did at 4 weeks. Earlier my hips felt weak and wobbly; I believed this to be from the big screws going down into my pelvic bones. Now, I am having pain in the same hip area. I had actually stopped taking pain medication during the day at 4 weeks post-op, but am now having to take pain medication again.

Can others who have had the iliac screws tell me about their experience with them? Did you reach a point where you didn't notice them anymore? Do you think that increased pain comes with increased walking activity? Is it normal to experience these ups and downs in pain levels?

I'm discouraged because others talk about 8 weeks being a turning point for them and I feel like I'm going backwards instead of forwards.

[naptown78]

Hi KathK,
I had pelvic anchors placed during my revision in March. I would have hip aching during my recovery. My biggest problem has been sciatica in my right leg and my right butt muscle is very tender to the touch. I was in PT but my therapist but therapy on hold because all the stretches were making my sciatica worse. In my head, I keep thinking maybe the long screw is somehow bothering the sciatic nerve? I am getting a CT scan so maybe just totally off the mark. The left screw doesn't really bother me any more. I hope you improve soon. Pain seems to come and go during recovery and I hope that is your case!

[CamsMomKelly]

I dont have and advice for you ...just wanted to say I hope you get past this soon and get back to moving forward with recovery

[debbei]

Kathy,

I'm only fused to L3, but just wanted you to know that until about month 5 or 6 postop, I had terrible hip pain in my left hip. I had limited range of motion in the joint as well. My physical therapist worked it with me for months. In the beginning, she could only get the leg to a certain spot when I could cringe in pain. By the end of my PT, there was SIGNIFICANT improvement, but I'd say it wasn't totally back to normal until maybe 9 months post op.

My therapist's explanation was that now that my body was straighter, the hip joint wasn't in the same position as it used to be, and that the 'ball' had to find it's right spot in the 'socket.'

Since you have pelvic fixation, I'm not sure if you have something else going on, or this could be part of your problem too. I hope it starts feeling better. Mine didn't happen over night, but now it feels totally normal.

Editing to add, my hamstrings were very tight too, and I'm not sure if that contributed to the whole thing. When the PT tried to stretch my legs in the beginning, EVERYTHING hurt.

[Nitram]

I'm about 6 months post op and had hip pain the first few months...don't have any now, but when i walk a lot or am active, my pelvic screws get painful....but its getting better and better over time.

Nitram

[ADMoul]

Hi Kathy, Boy, do I hear you on the pelvic screw thing. My pain with that started at about the same time, when I was really kind of getting back to somewhat normal activity. Unfortunately, as everything else as healed and gotten much better, that screw discomfort has gotten worse. I am now about 8 months post-op, back to work and very active and the one screw is really, really sore. Some of the surrounding tissue is really inflamed and tender to the touch, too. I just had a check-up last week (and my husband said I wasn't as honest as I should have been about the pain from the screw.)
Anyway, I went to see the local pain mgmt. group that I had worked with pre-op and they're going to do an "SI" injection. I am past the time when steroid medication is an issue and I hope that will give me some relief. I don't go back to Dr. Lonner for 6 months, but if this screw pain continues, I want it taken out, which he said is a simple outpatient surgery. Other than that, I feel terrific. I had hard copies of my before and after X-rays with me and it was almost like a crowd gathered at the Dr.'s office to look at them. They were just blown away with what I had done. I hope your pain eases off, but it's helps to know other people are dealing with it, too. Good luck to you!

[Confusedmom]

Hi Anne,

When you say "inflamed," you did mention that to the doctor, right? Just want to make sure it's not infected!!

Evelyn

[ADMoul]

Nothing is red or swollen or anything like that and both my surgeon and the pain mgmt. Dr. looked at it, so I don't think it's an infection issue. When I say inflammation, I meant more internal, I guess. Maybe the better word would have been irritated.

[KathK]

Thanks, everyone, for your input. It is great to know that I'm not alone with this problem. I have reduced my walking a bit to try to strike a balance between hip pain and distance.

Anne, do you think it is the iliac screw itself that is bothering you or the thingy-bob that connects the iliac screw to the rod? I asked Kelly at Dr. lenke's office about it and she said that about 7% of patients have their iliac screws removed (not until 2 years later she said). It is still way too early for me to tell if I will need that, but I hope not.