As a Maryland hip recall lawyer, I’ve heard stories of hip implant patients experiencing pain from a defective hip right away and I’ve heard from those who didn’t experience any problems at all. In fact right now with the DePuy hip recall there are many people I’ve spoken with that don’t feel any pain, but they could be suffering from other ailments caused by the DePuy ASR hip.

To find out if you have a defective hip, look for recalls, check with your doctor and pay attention to these 10 clues of a defective hip:

1. Pain near the hip itself. Patients may experience discomfort of varying intensity in the artificial hip itself, groin or lower back.

2. Pain on the opposite side. People may unconsciously alter their stride and posture, causing pain in the side opposite the affected joint because it is carrying a heavier “load.”

3. Weight-bearing pain. Weight bearing-activities cause both pain and a sense of being unstable and off balance.

4. Limping. Many patients say they suddenly “realize” they are limping, but, they have been compensating for failing hip function for some time without noticing it.

5. A “wrong” feeling. Though difficult to articulate, patients say that something is “just not right.”

6. Decreased flexibility. This may manifest as stiffness, awkward movement, or an inability to perform tasks that were previously possible, like climbing stairs.

7. Fatigue and decreased stamina. Regular activities are suddenly tiring because, without realizing it, the patient is working harder to overcome the failing function of the prosthetic.

8. Noises emanating from the hip. While squeaking in and of itself does not signal that an artificial hip joint is failing, a prosthetic that is degrading will often make noises.

9. Inflammation or swelling at the site of the implant. This kind of activity generally indicates advanced deterioration. Normally the patient will have noticed other indicators first.

10. No symptoms whatsoever.

If you feel that you may have problems with your hip you might want to call a local Maryland hip recall lawyer to find out more about the DePuy hip recall.