Hi,

I have had AS for some 20+ years now, affecting mainly my right hip and back.

I just had my hip replaced about 11 months ago and things went very well. I have felt normal for some months now. Also, except for the bad hip, my AS in my back seems to have been rather dormant. I have also been off all medicines since the hip operation.

The last few weeks my AS has been affecting my upper back and neck. I do stretches to keep things moving. I have to lean back in a stiff chair and push everything back in the place, with a crack. No pain, just stiffness.

A little after my neck/back got more stiff, I noticed my replaced hip is also feeling a bit weird. No pain. X-rays from a month back look fine. I have been having weird feelings in the muscles, like something might go painful, or an occasional tingle in the leg, either left or right side of the affected thigh, or the buttocks. Also when I walk, the muscles seem a bit looser than the other leg. This was the case after the op, however, it feels more so recently.

So far I don't match the symptoms of the two main post-op hip complications: loosening or infection. There has been no pain.

I've already been to my surgeon about it, however, he said as long as I didn't have pain and the x-rays look ok, I should be fine.

Has anyone with AS and a hip replacement had such an experience?

Many thanks!

Hajimemashite, ASgaijin! ( Nihongo o wakarimasune....?)

I'm answering this more from the point of view of my experience gained from my "day job" as a physiotherapist rather than my "24/7" medical condition......

I wonder whether you have some high level hip weakness / pelvic dysfunction???

Did you do loads of rehab after your THR? You would have been deconditioned prior to undergoing this surgery due to pain limiting physical function..... The thing is that with AS affecting your spine as well, you are likely to have some muscle imbalance around the pelvic region, unless you did hardcore rehab!

You know that old song: "the backbone's connected to the hip bone, the hip bone's connected to the thigh bone, the thigh bone's connected to the knee bone..." well, it's quite true!

I frequently see folks who have been given exercises for the "affected part" and therapists have completely ignored the fact that NO joint operates in isolation, as we are in fact a series of functionally linked chain segments, so to speak.

Can you go to a good PT and get them to assess high level gait function, spinal and pelvic strength, endurance and power?

Hope you find some answers locally, otherwise you are MORE THAN WELCOME to organise for ME to come and be your very own personal physio - I promise I can take care of myself and would be happy to supervise your ( l-e-n-g-t-h-y ) rehab provided you pay me a small allowance to cover basics such as lots of yakitori and a few trips to Mitsukoshi and that wonderful 6 level craft emporium whose name currently escapes me!

ASgaijin,

Welcome! Glad to have you here, but sorry you have to be here.

I had both my hips replaced about a year and a half ago. Both my hips had completely fused before I had them replaced, I had no movement in them. Because of this my hips were quite stiff and tight for many months after my surguries. But now they do feel quite loose.
I have also recently had strange feelings in my hips, almost like they might dislocate or something. I have these feelings mostly when I am sitting or lying down, usually when I move my hips. I guess I just assumed it was normal, but it still worries me.

Also, right after I had my right hip replaced it would pop and crack. I could hear it and feel it. I talked to my surgeon about it and he said as long as I didn't have pain, it should be fine. Since then it has stopped popping, but it has never felt the same as my left hip. Most of the strange feeling I have are in my right hip, only some in my left.

Hope this helps some.

Hajimemashite! Ohenji o arigatou gozaimashita!

Thank you for your reply!

Up until recently, I have had an uneventful recovery. I have very little pain after the hip replacement and recovered fairly quick. For the first few months, the muscles in my hip seemed weaker than my good side, but by about month 8 or so, everything felt "normal." I would say the only thing I noticed was better motion on the operated hip and the feeling the whole thigh's mass was flapping when I walked, as if it wasn't secured as well as the other side.

As for rehab, I did what I was told to do. I was given a simple set of exercises for home and did them for the first few months until I was basically normal again. I discontinued some months back.

I have an office job, so I do sit most of the day, but I do get in walking for my commute -- at least 40 mins a day. I often do 1 hour walks several times a week in addition, but have cut back recently due to the change in my hip recently.

I am thinking this may be AS related -- pinched nerve in my back? My back is a mess, but has been stable for some years now.

I have appointments for my surgeon and AS doc upcoming, so I will ask about seeing a PT again.

Japan is a bit weird about PT. For a hip replacement, you stay in the hospital for a month and see a PT daily after the op. Once you leave, unless you have problems, you never see the PT again. From what I see of other countries, the PT is much more involved for a longer time.

Seems like you have been out here as you know about yakitori. :-) Where was your favorite place?

Thanks again for the help!

Hi Becca, thank you for replying with your experience.

Wow, you had both hips done at one time? That's a rough ride, but I guess considering your hips were fused the new hips gave you some relief.

So you too got well, then had some regression of sorts in feeling? i.e. feeling good then move back a few notches to a more stiff/tight feeling? For me, the stiffness/tightness in the hip went away around month 7 or 8. I just passed 11 and it seems its back, mixed in with a few occasional shocks of very mild pain.

When I am sitting down, I feel nothing out of the ordinary most of the time, except the occasional shock. I feel the stiffness in the hip when I walk as compared to my normal hip.

I also have some crackling noises. I thought this was coming from midway in the thigh. After some testing and having another pair of ears listen for me, turned out to be my knees crackling when I get up. My knees pop a lot more since the THR and I do get the occasional pop in the new hip when I raise my leg.

Do you keep active or keeping seeing a PT regularly?

Thanks for sharing your experience as it does help to see someone else has a similar experience to me and I am not going crazy!

Cheers!

Yes, AS pain from inflammation in other areas of your spine can transmit pain into your hips causing concern that your THRs are hurting or injured.

I've had bilateral THR nearly 30 years ago and had each revised about 7 and 8 years ago respectively. After the replacements I played a lot of golf and tennis. As inflammation and fusion occured in my spine I would get sharp pains in my replaced hips eerily reminiscent of the pain they suffered as they fused.
X-rays always but my conerns to rest. GOod luck with those hips. THey are a treasure and added lots of life back to my life.

I had both of my knees replaced six years ago. I have noticed that sometimes I get pain and swelling in them. My ortho doc said that the problem is from inflammation in the tendons and ligaments. While we get joints replaced, we still have the old inflamed tissues that are caused by AS.

ASgaijin,

I didn't have both my hips replaced at the same time, I got one done and then a month later I got the other one done.
My hips will feel stiff if I have sat for to long and then stand up, but they don't really feel stiff when I walk. Unless I walk for a long time and then when I go to sit down my hips get really stiff. They sometimes get painful when I stand too long or walk too much. Lately, I have had weakness in my left hip, like my leg is about to give out. Also my bones have been hurting about half way down my thigh to just above my knee.
My hips had felt really good about 7 or 8 months after my surguries, but now they are more painful.

I had been seeing a PT off and on for about 5 months after my second surgury. I don't go to a PT now, but I try to stay active. For a while I was riding several miles a day on a stationary bike. I got out of the habit of biking because of my knee hurting when I did so. Now I try to walk a lot and do some stretches for my hips.

If you're going crazy then I guess i'm going with you
A word of advice: never let a doctor tell you it is all in your head. That is partially how I got into such a mess with my hips before my surguries.

Steve, thanks for your reply. This puts me a bit at ease.

Wow, you have had 22-23 years per hip? That's pretty amazing. I am hoping the cross-linked poly on metal will last me a long time as well.

I agree on the hips being a treasure! I have been living with hip pain for years and now it's gone. I just need to get comfortable with the new gear I think.

hi avonidy!

how often do you notice this and how long does it usually last? Is the pain steady or come more in random shocks?

Thanks for your reply!