THR THR tell me about your recovery

[Eman85]

Hello, I had my THR on 2/13.

Long story leading up to it but I've waited most of my life for this. it was a challenge for the surgeon as 50 years ago pins were inserted in my femur which had to be removed to install the joint. Due to this it was a longer surgery and a bigger posterior incision. All I can say is it has gone well and exceeded my expectations.

I was walking the day of surgery and went home the next afternoon. Stopped for a Mexican on the way home and been progressing from there. Managed my pain for the first days and it's not been a problem, a few Ibuprofen now and then do the trick now.

I'd like to compare PT and see what others are doing. My surgeon recommended against outside PT unless I felt it was necessary. I was given the PT exercises weeks before surgery and started doing them pre surgery. Pre surgery I attended a class that gave me all of the pre and post surgery info and the therapist was there explaining what would happen. The day after surgery the hospital therapist held a PT class and we started from there.

My PT consists of basic post THR exercises 20 reps of each 3 times a day. Basics like ankle pumps, quad sets, gluteal sets, abduction and adduction, heel slides, short arc quads, straight leg raises, knee extensions, standing toe raises and standing knee flexion. Also walking 300 ft. and climb and descend a flight of stairs.

So far I've followed this religiously for the first 2 weeks. Now have added standing rock over, mini squats and bridges. Along with that I'm walking a minimum of ¼ mile and riding my exercise bicycle along with climbing stairs. All of my PT sessions are followed by icing down with the recirculating ice water polar care cube.

Looking for any and all PT exercises that will benefit my recovery. Any suggestions as to what worked to improve the recovery? I can say the greatest thing for me is the polar cube. It reduced swelling and bruising quickly.

 

[Layla]

Hi and Welcome to BoneSmart Congratulations on your new hip!

Please find the Recovery Guidelines below which contains many useful
articles. You can also access additional information in the Library which is located under the blue header at the top of the page. Please take notice of the "Big Tip" for an understanding of the BoneSmart philosophy on exercise. We'll add your February 13th surgery date as your signature.
Wishing you the best on your healing journey!

Hip Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary
2. Control discomfort:

rest
elevate
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​

3. Do what you want to do BUT

a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.​

4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these

BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy​

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this

Activity progression for THRs​

Pain management and the pain chart
Healing: how long does it take?
Chart representation of THR recovery

Dislocation risk and 90 degree rule
Energy drain for THRs
Pain and swelling control: elevation is the key

Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

BIG TIP: Hips actually don't need any exercise to get better. They do a pretty good job of it all on their own if given half a chance. Trouble is, people don't give them a chance and end up with all sorts of aches and pains and sore spots. All they need is the best therapy which is walking and even then not to excess.

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery. While members may create as many threads as they like in a majority of BoneSmart's forums, we ask that each, member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice.

 

[Josephine]

@Eman85 you're doing too much there, pal! I have found it a repeating fact that those who do PT and exercises at allare those who inevitably end up having aches and pains. Please hear me - hips don't need PT or exercises. They just need walking in moderation. And ¼ of a mile being there and back in total, is just about right.

Read the articles Layla left you. Read them and remember them. They will give you a really nice, smooth recovery.

 

[Mojo333]

I can say the greatest thing for me is the polar cube. It reduced swelling and bruising quickly.

I bet that polar cube does help if you are doing all that. Poor leg.
You are injured and trying to heal.
Can't you do all that later?
PT won't help it heal faster, especially at that amount.
Please give it some time...just because you can doesn't mean you should!
Healing hugs

 

[MammaT]

Hi @Eman85. Sounds like you are doing lots of pt exercises. I will say I did more of the pt exercises with first hip than I have with second. I find the basic stretches helpful. Os and pt see no reason for me to do any outpatient pt. Had pt come to house for 12 visits, finished today. Her final advice to me was “walking is what is going to get your hip back in shape.” She said do the exercises we had been doing on days when weather keeps me from walking, but otherwise increase walks and use my bike as I want.

Having done it both ways, I believe recovery with second hip is going better taking it easier. I know I will get back to more stuff as time goes on, like yoga. I just want majority of healing to happen before I push too much.

Ice is still a wonderful thing!

 

[dlp]

For me, PT wasn't about getting the hip better. Did the basics like ankle pumps, heel slides, etc. that seemed to be just fine. However, once I was off restrictions, I needed PT to deal with super troublesome/tight adductors. I think I've mentioned here that my surgeon considered doing an adductor release but decided against it. So PT helped get the adductors back to behaving themselves. (They feel - as does my new hip - great now!)

PT also helped get my glutes in shape. But I was already a mess before surgery thanks to the hips - having done a lot of PT leading up to the surgery in the first place So YMMV.

 

[Mojo333]

Agree PT can be helpful ...but when did you begin that @dlp?
(Love the hat)

 

[Eman85]

The majority of the PT I'm doing is all lying on my back in bed. I did it all the day after surgery and the only exercise that was a little difficult the first 2 days was the leg raises. The only thing that causes any discomfort is after walking or bicycling, legs are weak. I do the stretches/exercises on both legs to keep my R leg up to speed.

 

[Mojo333]

legs are weak.

Not weak, injured.
Easy does it. You are worrying me.

 

[Suttree]

I think you need a Netflix subscription for your next dose of PT. Relax and let your body heal up some. I had my right hip replaced last summer and just followed the simple PT of walk, walk a little more, ice up, and rest. My recovery process was and continues to be awesome.

Trust the what the mods preach on this board ... they speak truth.


Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart Forum

 

[dlp]

Agree PT can be helpful ...but when did you begin that @dlp?
(Love the hat)

Thanks!

I began PT in late 2015. I had arthroscopic surgery for FAI on my left hip in July of that year. The hip felt much better, but as winter rolled around the 2 bad hips had really had taken a toll on my back. It got so bad, that just standing up would take me 10 or more seconds to get fully upright and straight. I couldn't really bend over to pick up anything that I might have dropped. My neck always felt stiff and sore.
I worked with a super duper great therapist for over a year to get my back in shape - and my neck, as a happy by-product of a better back.
As the beginning of 2017 rolled around, the same hip again started singing it's song of pain, so I continued with the PT (New therapist - also great) to get more core strength to prepare for the THR in June of 2017.
During the THR procedure, my surgeon noted the super tight adductors. He thought about performing a release surgery on them, but he decided that PT (since he already knew I had been going pre-surgery) should help get it under control. I don't have exact dates handy, but I think I started back with some massage and light stretching of the adductors about 8 weeks out.
In the months since, focus has grown to get glutes back in shape, keep working on core, and to get ready for the next THR coming this summer.

So yeah, lots of PT. It's helped me immensely, and along with getting new hip(s) it's given me a good chunk of my life back.

 

[Mojo333]

During the THR procedure, my surgeon noted the super tight adductors. He thought about performing a release surgery on them, but he decided that PT (since he already knew I had been going pre-surgery) should help get it under control. I don't have exact dates handy, but I think I started back with some massage and light stretching of the adductors about 8 weeks out.

I think that sounds better than 2 weeks. Just my opinion.

 

[Mojo333]

Hope all is going well with you @Eman85.
It's so hard not to want to DO something to make this better faster.
Unfortunately sometimes doing just regular minimal daily things is enough for our body after all that trauma.
Wishing you a wonderful day

 

[hikejunkie]

I was given all the basics you mention. I think they’re all ok just to keep moving except for those straight leg raises. I told PT I would not do them. They agreed they’re one of the harder ones but “recovery takes some work”. Sorry but no, no and no. I got the impression they didn’t like me much. Oh well. Personally I think those leg raises put too much stress on a new hip.

 

[SaraK]

I refused to do straight leg raises as well - just inflamed the hip flexors. Luckily my PT doesn't believe in them or in doing anything that hurts! Heel slides were also problematic.

 

[Eman85]

The straight leg raises I do are lying on my back, raise leg 10" for 2 counts 20 reps. I had no problem doing them the day after surgery, did 3 sets that day. It is the only exercise of the bunch that does require strength. Heel slides the day after surgery the PT had to stop me from going past 90*, it was no problem. My muscles feel good and I'm walking without a cane, I take it just in case on longer walks. I can go up and down stairs normally and I haven't taken even a Tylenol in a week or so.

 

[Mojo333]

Great news. You sound like you may be one of the ones who can do alot quickly without suffering any consequences.
Hopefully all will keep going onward and upward.

 

[Layla]

Great update @Eman85
Keep up the good work.
Hope your weekend is great!

 

[Eman85]

4 weeks out and all is well. I've been walking, started at the 300' mark went to 1/4mi and now adding to that. I started side stepping up onto a 2x6 and along with the standing rock over have really helped my gait and stair climbing. Added clamshells and standing march and balancing on each foot and now stacked the 2x6's so it's 3" high.
I found a trick to help with the sock aid, it was hard to pull up my bare foot especially after a shower. After putting the sock on the aid I put some powder in there and it slips on easier.

 

[Eman85]

I wanted a better chair to sit in and found a power recliner at a good price. The Ashlet McTeer recliner is what we found. It's not one of those ejector seats, just a very plain chair with arms that sits comfortably and then power reclines. For the price it was a deal and makes the time stuck in a chair a lot more pleasant. We were lucky a local store had it and I could drive my truck to go get it, they do sell online and deliver also. If it lasts through my recovery it will be well worth the money spent as I was uncomfortable on the sofa and it was too low.