I had a stent fitted through my groin after my heart attack four months ago. Since then I have had quite severe pain in my leg that radiates down from my groin and into the front of my leg below the knee.
Is this anything to do with the stent insertion or is it just an unfortunate coincidence? I have heard indirectly that this has happened to other people.
Hi, you may have nerve damage. I had an AVR last November and for some reason they did an exploratory incision in my groin - they never really explained why! As a result I had really bad shooting pains down my thigh every time I went to move my leg, from my groin to my knee and the surface was actually numb to light touch. They said a nerve had probably been damaged and gave me gabapentin which is a painkiller for nerve pain, but I only took them for about a month as I got side effects. I rarely get the pains now but the area on the inside of my thigh is still numb to light touch but very sensitive if one of my cats sits on my lap and digs his or her claws in, which feels like being stabbed.
If you’re worried, give the cardiology department a ring, or the BHF helpline, hopefully they should be able to reassure you.
Wendy
Thanks for your reply. I take gabapentin for a separate issue but it doesn't help with the leg pain.
I was on a concoction of painkillers - the gabapentin did stop my shoulder pain though! Might be worth ringing the cardiology clinic or seeing your GP. My thigh feels really odd when I touch it, which is a sign of nerve damage - my husband has the same on his thigh from when he had surgery on a broken leg many years ago.
I’ve had loads of stents but was also born with a heart condition and get leg pains but never had it after a stent but found its valve related.
I have the same, they damaged the wall of my artery, caused a thrombosis, which had completely blocked my internal iliac artery. Have seen a vascular surgeon and require bypass, which not having as complications from this are to high. Waiting to go back at end of month. It happens to 1 in a 1000.
Same. The stent keeps wrapping g my hip joint. And the inner thigh to inner knee hurts so bad even to sleep with a pillow between my legs like they are bruised.
Pain in shoulders following insertion of stent
post heart attack and stent insertion
after a stent… 
angiogram through the groin
Post stent pain
