u/Expensive_Network_73

I (24F) am 5 months post-op right hip arthroscopy (cam + 3 anchors). By month 3 I was doing so well, walking as much as I wanted, had my life back. But around month 3.5 I started to have really bad swelling and similar pain as pre-op but in my left hip, so the ortho ordered an MRI and turns out I have cam + labrum tear on that side as well, and will be having surgery soon on the left.

I’m feeling really dejected right now, because I was hitting my milestones ahead of time on my right side after surgery, but starting around 4 months in I’ve been regressing in the side I already had surgery (in addition to new pain on the side I’m now getting surgery on). A lot of the compensation pain in my knee and shin that I felt before surgery on the right side are back with a vengeance, and PT isn’t helping the same way it did right after surgery.

I’m feeling so depressed, and wondering if anyone who’s done bilateral surgeries has experienced something similar. Did the pain eventually go away after both sides were fixed? What did you tell yourself to motivate yourself through PT?

I’m ~4.5 months out from R hip arthroscopy, which went very well. My pain and muscle spasms (from the hip all the way down to the knee and even down the inside of my leg down to my calf) pretty much completely disappeared by month 3. However, my L hip has been aggravating me (similar symptoms as my R hip before surgery), so my PT suggested we decrease the frequency of my home exercises, so I went from doing exercises 5-7 times a week to now only 1-2. But now much of my pre-surgery pain is back on the right side, and this current flare up has been going on 3ish weeks now.

Has anyone else experienced this with bilateral problems? Did it go away after surgery on the other side?

Also, for those who have recovered— did you continue to have flare ups? Did they eventually stop? Are there people here who are able to maintain being pain free after surgery without having to do PT regularly?