Hip, muscle or nerve pain

by Trace
(Cambridge new zealand)

HI, I had a car accident in 2013 resulting in my right hip socket being broken in a few places and my hip being dislocated as well. I had surgery to put my hip socket back together with metal plates.I was in hospital for 3 months and it took another six months of physio for me to be able to be walking on it with 90% - 98% of my full weight. I all so suffered nerve damage down my outer leg, ankle and foot ie Drop foot.


The outside of my hip down to my knee is semi numb and down the outside of my leg below the knee is numb and half my foot is numb on top and I have semi feeling in the ball of my foot. I've managed very well over the last few years with no hip pain and a small amount of ankle soreness every now and then. I can't stand for longer than 3 hours; after that my leg gets tired and I start to limp with my toes scuffing as not being able to lift my foot properly.

So this is my problem; 6 years later and in the last 6 days I've been doing a lot of work using that leg more than normal. I've been doing plastering and painting a big room. I've been doing a lot of going up and down a ladder and standing on the ladder putting full weight on my bad leg more than I have since the car crash. Now I'm in so much pain starting at the side of my right hip and the pain going down the front and outside of my thigh, the pain carry on down the outside of my knee then at the bottom of my knee the pain goes around the front bottom of my knee and carries on down the front of my shin bone.

The pain is unbearable in the morning till I have antiimflamation pills and osto panadol. Then it's tolerable; walking is OK but when I stop and stand it's very painful; it eases when I'm on my bed resting it or if I sit the pain eases after a bit and I can walk OK for a minute or 2 before it starts hurting. I also have arthritis in my knee and a blown Achilles in that leg too. So my question is, is the pain I'm getting muscle, nerve or my hip needing attention?

It's a long shot, Trace, but my bet is a nerve problem, probably in your lumbar spine; however you make no mention of lower back pain, so it's not certain by any means.

If you bend slowly forwards, backwards, to the side do you get any lower back or leg pain?

The critical evaluation would be sciatic and femoral nerve stretch tests.

If you pull your knee to the chest, is it very painful in the groin?

Can you lift your big toe off the ground?

My advice would be to go back to the orthopod who fixed your hip six years ago; he will direct you.

Good luck, let me know what transpires.

Dr B

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