THR In recovery mode

[Mojo333]

Great to see your updateand glad you are sharing your recovery advice and encouragement.

I think it freaked him out a little when I hinged over with straight legs and planted my palms on the floor in front of my feet... lol

I bet!

Your recovery seems to be much like mine and the tightness hangs around for a while but gets better and better with time.

We discussed how that with healthy hips we're working to loosen them up but with artificial hips we want to do the opposite and we need to be careful as we've lost the nerves that help us to judge how far we're pushing that hip. Basically strengthen the muscles and soft tissue to prevent the affected hip(s) from being loose and dislocating. Apparently excessive external rotation coupled with hyper-extension of the hip joint will be a surefire dislocation with the anterior approach

I love, love this succinct explanation from your doctor and will be bookmarking it for future reference.
I am 5 years post bilateral THR and am so grateful for it.
Life without hip pain is So Sweet.

 

[hhhooray]

Life without hip pain is So Sweet.

It so is Mojo! Transformational, truly.

I wonder if surgeons get as much joy, gratitude and satisfaction from the results as I am experiencing. I couldn't express my appreciation enough!

 

[Layla]

Happy Three Month Anniversary!

I wonder if surgeons get as much joy, gratitude and satisfaction from the results as I am experiencing. I couldn't express my appreciation enough!

I never tire of a grateful heart. Happy to hear you’re doing so well, may it only get better. Enjoy the weekend!

 

[Layla]

Happy Four Month Anniversary!
Enjoy the week!
@hhhooray

 

[Hip4life]

@hhhooray I do hope surgeons get some of the same feelings as we do. I think most do. I just returned from a long postponed vacation to Yellowstone (last big postponement was due to my hip.) Everyday on each hike or climbing over a rock or log, I thanked Spirit for giving the knowledge, skill, and compassion to those surgeons. It never gets old or diminishes for me because I remember how small and painful my world got. Keep the faith and many continued healing blessings.

 

[hhhooray]

Thanks Layla and hip4life!
Kind of conflicted, the hip itself feels solid and I don't have pain and very little discomfort walking. However, I still have some soft tissue and muscle weakness and the increased and frequent walking is really helping that.
My psoas, however, is not happy and the discomfort appears to be getting worse over time. I'm beginning to not be able to do some core work i need to support my spine. Simple stuff like dead bugs, leg lifts, bicycle crunches, etc. The psoas starts hurting when I just stand for a while too. I'm taking a week off from any exercises and taking ibuprofen to see if it the psoas calms down. If not, I may need to see if my OS can check my psoas and cup placement. The thought of a revision or psoas release stuff is not optimal for my mental disposition. Lol.

 

[Layla]

Best wishes!
I hope it doesn't come to the need for surgery. With any luck rest and OTC meds will help. Please stay in touch and let us know how you're doing.
@hhhooray

 

[JohnWilky]

Hip hip , where and when exactly do you experience the pain , are you ok when relaxing?

 

[hhhooray]

Hi John, when resting it can be good. Sitting is generally OK unless I've aggravated it through too much standing, too much walking or doing any core action that requires the hip flexor to engage. Standing knee raise isn't too bad but anything like a lying leg raise or leg being raised at full extension has become near impossible to perform due to pain. Discomfort is worse the more externally rotated the leg is.
@JohnWilky

 

[hhhooray]

Wow, been a long time since I posted.

In September I took a steroid shot to the flexor bursa area. About the same time as the shot I also pulled a muscle(s) in the same area really badly (amazing the power of a sneeze... lolol). It took weeks to make any noticeable difference but I think the shot coupled with the forced rest due to the pulled muscle made all the difference. After the discomfort mostly subsided I started strengthening the hip and hip area and that is all pretty well healed up. My left hip and leg is still not quite as strong as the right yet (there is still a noticeable difference in size and strength) but am getting stronger every week. Occasionally I'll feel some soreness, typically if I don't get enough exercise and stretching in the flexor area, but I no longer have the debilitating soreness and pain as before. I can get in the vehicle without pain or having to pull the leg up with my hand, I can put on pants from standing and I can step out of the tub... it's always the little things... ha!

I had my one year check up yesterday and given my progress and strength in the hip the doctor didn't even bother to do the xray. I do still have some numbness with the trochanter and my iliotibial band ligament is still sore and sensitive to touch/pressure but the doctor said it's still pretty normal for this stage of recovery (key words there...) and should subside with time. I have a rather aggressive exercise regimen and we laughed when he told me he didn't want to hear exactly everything I've been doing. He again cautioned me to not over work the hip and surrounding area as he knows I'm my own worst enemy and then told me he'll see me in a year!

 

[Gloucestergal65]

It’s interesting to hear from someone a year out that even when things have generally gone well, there are still niggles. The main discomfort I feel at coming up to 4 months is in the muscle around the incision site. I stood in my operated leg today to put my trousers on and realised I wasn’t holding on. Small details moving forward.

 

[hhhooray]

It’s interesting to hear from someone a year out that even when things have generally gone well, there are still niggles. The main discomfort I feel at coming up to 4 months is in the muscle around the incision site. I stood in my operated leg today to put my trousers on and realised I wasn’t holding on. Small details moving forward.

thanks ggal! It is those small things that really help your mind confirm that things are moving in the right direction! I spoke with a guy not long ago who told me his wife had both hips replaced at different times and she said that each took at least a year and a half for things to start to feel "normal" to her again.

Given that we're in and out so fast now and the almost "routine" nature of the surgery it is still a MAJOR, MAJOR procedure. They cut you open, wrench your hip out of its socket, cut the top of your leg off AND then take a hammer and pound a metal spike down your thigh bone and a metal cup into your hip!!!!

I'd say it could be reasonable to expect a couple years as a sufficient amount of time to recover enough to feel somewhat "normal" again....

 

[Newhip_Pol]

Thanks for the 1yr update @hhhooray
Great that your making good progress and your doctor is happy!

 

[benne68]

I'd say it could be reasonable to expect a couple years as a sufficient amount of time to recover enough to feel somewhat "normal" again....

True that!