hip replacement difficulties

I recently had hip replacement surgery. My follow-up xray showed my prosthetic hip was longer. When the surgeon tried to draw a line connecting the normal hip with the prosthetic one the incline was at a 30 degree angle. Should I expect long term complications ie., pain in hip and back..Thank you, Dian

[Dr Arora]

Hi, a difference in leg length can cause inconvenience requiring shoe lifts. It can cause a limp, weakness of the hip muscles and chronic back pain. Sometimes the surgeon will deliberately lengthen the leg a little for stability. It is vital that the hip be stable, even if the patient has to wear a shoe lift on the opposite side to achieve that aim. For all the above reasons, the leg length can be off by a quarter inch or more, and still be within an acceptable standard of care. You may take opinion of your doctor to see how much difference in the shoe size is required in order to make a balance. Regards