I know this is out of the "child care" realm, but I would really like to know of anyone who has had this or has a family member who has. My mom just had a hip replacement and her operated leg is now 1/4 inch longer. I am now reading that this is pretty common. However, her surgeon and physical therapy person are acting like they rarely see this. He wants to go back in and fix it, which she is refusing. Who wants to have another hip surgery! I would like experiences on how this has or hasn't affected people's lives so I can relay them to her. Thank you all!
Hi, My mom had hip surgery about a 1 1/2 years ago...she is now 64..When she 1st got it done she was in a lot of pain and said she would never do it again...After all the rehab..she said it was worth it...she does still have a slight limp...maybe she has a fitting problem to??I would definitely have her get another opinion...Good Luck..It took my mom atleast 6 months to stop hurting...now she just has some bad days if she over does it...
Hi M.,
This is Mamasource and you are trying to help your Mama. It is totally appropriate to ask this! NO one would want to go thru hip surgery again....and I don't think 1/4 inch longer leg is a good reason to do it. Many people have a leg longer than another and adjust to it fine. Chiropractic can straighten an alignment that may be causing the problem if you want to go that route.
I don't know how old your mom is but if she has any age on her at all, anesthesia can "throw" her into dementia. That is a COMMON fact that doctors don't tell you (but, all nurses in rehab WILL tell you!). I had to "detox" my Mom for over a year to get her back to normal after hip surgery. If I had known what the anesthesia was going to do, we may have made a different decision.
Unless there is a dire need for surgery, I would not attempt it again. A hospital is a horrible place to be if it isn't completely necessary.
I hope this helps and if you need any support in your decision, please don't hesitate to contact me!
M. Howe
My father has one leg shorter than the other for another reason but along the same lines. His was a tractor accident where his pelvis was smashed. His one leg is a good inch to an inch and a half shorter, he wears corrective shoes to even him out. His only complaint about the shoes is that he has to go out of his little town to get them and they cost a little more than normal shoes. He was the same when they told him they could do a corrective sugery he said he had had enough sugeries. Hope this helps you if you have any questions you can message again and I can see if I can help out any more. Best wishes. Please excuse my spelling, not my strong suit.
I am a nurse and this is common. The effects it can have is that it can most likely cause a limp when she begins to walk again. Now the importance of this is up to your mom. If your mom does not mind limping than this is okay.
Hello M.,
My grandmother just had hip replaceement surgery about 2 months ago. Her Doctor told us that 1 leg being longer than the other was possible. And that after all the swelling was gone it may correct itself but at the same time it maynot. She was willing to do that since she had been in so much pain. Of course this is just one person things could be different for your mom. My grandmother is 86 years old so another operation really may not have even been an option for her. Hope this helps some
