Case Summary  |  Complications of Total Hip Replacement

I had a Total Hip Replacement in 2005 due to advanced osteoarthritis. Of course before the surgery the doctor informed me of all the things that "could" happen and cited the statistics showing that they rarely happen and, in fact, had never happened to this particular surgeon in his 25+ years of practice.

When I woke from the anesthesia it became apparent that I suffered from one of the rare problems, that being Paroneal Palsy, meaning that in the operated leg I had no feeling from the knee down. I also could not even move my toes. At that time the surgeon did not know if I would recover, either fully or partially, from this condition.

A brace was made so I could learn to walk again with my new hip and I worked hard to make sure to "exercise" the ankle and leg even though it had no feeling. A suggestion from my Mom really helped. We took a belt from an old robe and I would hook it around the ball of my foot so I could still do the foot pumps and try and keep the muscles and tendons flexible. This seemed to work as when the feeling started slowly coming back I started getting the range of motion back as well. I did eventually get most of the feeling back in my leg and foot although my toes remained tingly, and still are to this day.

Now right at four years later there seems to be some regression in the numbness and tingling. At this time four different doctors are not sure if it is related to the prior surgical problems or if it is a new problem. I am taking Gabapentin for the pain of the nerves at this point and it does seem to be helping some.