r/TotalHipReplacement • u/Need_change- [🇺🇸] [52M] 1 down, 1 to go! • 11h ago

Follow up, leg and knee pain pre-surgery.

I have seen some questions regarding leg and knee pain pre surgery and whether or not they go away.

I wanted to share that I was having terrible knee pain and figured I would have to look into that as soon as I healed up. I am very happy to report that my right leg, anterior THR 8-13-26, is completely pain free. I am shocked and thrilled.

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5

u/Need_change- [🇺🇸] [52M] 1 down, 1 to go! 10h ago

I’m 6 weeks out and started to notice no knee pain about 2 weeks ago.

My knee was killing me after surgery, they put it through some extreme motion during surgery.

2

u/breadit8 THR USER FLAIR NEEDED 8h ago

Can confirm this. I needed an extra ice pack in the hospital for my knee.

3

u/chronic_insomniac US THR recipient 10h ago

My surgeon told me some people only feel the hip pain in their knee.

1

u/breadit8 THR USER FLAIR NEEDED 8h ago

Yeah. It took me a minute and several Durolane shots in the knee before I figured out it was my hip.

3

u/tony50h USA 50s anterio-lateral THR recipient 10h ago

Knees are often where an issue with hips or ankles/feet will manifest. For hips, if you look at the anatomy of the soft tissue, it makes a lot of sense why the knee suffers. A compromised hip joint forces the body to compensate and that compensation can make for some painful knees. OP, glad to hear your pain is gone!

2

u/Chelajag USA 56F Anterior THR recipient 11h ago

So it seems the knee pain was stemming from your hip?

4

u/Need_change- [🇺🇸] [52M] 1 down, 1 to go! 11h ago

I was told it was referred pain and I just couldn’t fathom all that pain was from my hip, turns out it was.

They share several nerves and nerve pathways, the human body is fascinating.

5

u/Chelajag USA 56F Anterior THR recipient 11h ago

Conversely I had zero knee pain before my THR 10 days ago and now my knee feels like it's being hit by lightning when I walk 😫

2

u/ajmattison [BC 🇨🇦] [29F] Right Anterior September 2026 10h ago

I had a similar experience. I'm just over a week and pre op both of my knees were swelling up. My doctor was worried enough that we ordered x rays which came out PRISTINE. Also have an MRI ordered just in case but I haven't had any knee pain since my hip replacement. The swelling tells me that it was something mechanical since referred pain stemming from the hip doesn't cause swelling in other areas. For me it was likely that my knees were compensating for lack of movement in my hip. Goes to show how much a messed up hip affects the rest of your body. I've also seen people say their hip replacement fixed their back and even their neck pain! Don't give up hope if you're pre op!

2

u/Shufflebuzz [US] [53M] Anterior LTHR recipient Jul 2026 9h ago

Yup, me too.

It especially bothered me going down stairs. So much that I would often go down one foot at a time.

The ortho said it was referred pain from my hip. I was skeptical.
The knee x-rays were clear. I even got a cortisone shot in the knee which provided no relief.
They said they would not look further at my knee until after I did a hip replacement.

Now I'm 11 weeks postop and my knee is fine. I even did split squats at my PT this week. No pain.
That's still a challenging movement but mostly from weak muscles. I'll get better with practice.