The client was referred to the orthopaedic department at their local hospital with osteoarthritis in both hips, which was particularly worse on the left. She was advised she would require a total hip replacement and following the procedure she made a full recovery.
Due to a deterioration in the right hip, she was advised to have a hip replacement on the right side and the operation went ahead. Immediately after she noticed problems moving her right foot upwards towards her shin, otherwise known as a foot drop. The foot drop continued after she was discharged, and a diagnosis of sciatic nerve palsy was made. She was referred to a physiotherapist but unfortunately made no improvements and underwent a tendon transfer operation a few months later. This did not improve matters, because of which she has been left severely disabled. She continues to suffer from ongoing pain in her right leg, muscle wasting, altered sensation, curling of her right toes and foot drop, and her mobility is very poor.
Whilst it is accepted that foot drop is a recognised complication of hip surgery, due to the nerves around the hip which can be damaged negligently due to the procedure, the evidence suggests that the nerves were damaged lower down around the knee which the experts advised had been caused negligently by positioning or gripping during the operation procedure. A clinical negligence claim was pursued on behalf of her and initially strongly contested but eventually settled for a five-figure sum.