Pain after hip surgery

Definition

In most cases, pain after hip surgery is localized around the affected hip. In most cases they occur after hip surgery. The pain is usually first felt by the patient a few hours after the operation, when the narcotic and analgesic drugs used during the operation begin to lose their effect. Mostly, it is wound pain and pain due to manipulation and damage to the tissue around the hip. More rarely, pain may occur in other parts of the body due to the positioning during the surgery.

Which pain is normal?

The pain after hip surgery can vary from person to person. Hip operations are associated with a great deal of force being exerted on the hip, pelvis and leg. Strong pain can occur in the surgical area, which does not improve at rest.

The pain may radiate and typically gets worse when the hip is moved. The pain should be manageable with adequate pain management. If the pain medication is not sufficient, the patient should ask the doctor treating him/her to adjust the pain medication. The pain should disappear after a few weeks. If the pain does not stop, a visit to the attending physician is necessary.

Duration of the pain

How long pain persists after hip surgery depends on the type of surgery and the severity of the condition. The duration of the pain also depends on the individual healing process, which cannot always be predicted exactly. After the implantation of a hip prosthesis, existing mild to moderate pain is still the rule for a few weeks postoperatively.

Painkillers should be taken to ensure good mobility and thus rehabilitation. In hip arthroscopy, a minor trauma to the joint is caused during the operation. Therefore, the duration of pain after the operation is usually shorter. There is cause for accurate diagnosis if the pain does not subside after hip surgery for more than two months or if it is still very severe after a few days of surgery. Accompanying symptoms such as swelling, redness and overheating, as well as secretion from the wound may indicate an infection that needs to be treated.