THR Confused on getting back to “normal”

[dmckenzie03]

Right THR 2/18/22
Hi everyone. I’m new here. 50 year old female almost 18 weeks post op. I was just cleared from post op restrictions but he told me I can’t ever do anything excessive like bringing my knee to my chest or turning my foot inward. Well. I do Zumba which is a lot of turning the foot and pivoting and he said that was fine. I’m really confused what excessive is. Should I be able to lift my foot to my knee and toe my shoe? Can I now roll on my side to sleep without a pillow? Can I cross my legs at all? He said to be careful swimming too and I’m confused why. I did send him a message but he’s slow to respond if at all. Right now. I’m having a lot of groin tightness and knee pain especially when I push the precautions.

 

[Mojo333]

@dmckenzie03 and to the forum.

I can understand why you are confused and I would want clarification from my OS who obviously has intimate knowledge of my anatomy and of the particular "construction" work done.

I can tell you that just because you have restrictions lifted, the best advice is to resume the activities slowly and incrementally and listen to your body.
It can take up to and over 1 year for our bodies to heal and soft tissues to adjust, so not doing anything to excess, to me, is not to do things before your body tells you its okay.
Sleeping on your side, easing into exercise, attempting to tie shoes are all things your body will be able to tell you if it likes it right now.
At this point in my recovery, I could do most of those things you mentioned...although I think I still found propping my foot up on an object to tie was much more comfortable... but found I also had some niggles.

He said to be careful swimming too and I’m confused why

It is very easy to overdo in the water with weightlessness and many of us new hippies find it never seems to hurt until we stop.

I’m having a lot of groin tightness and knee pain especially when I push the precautions

If you have been relaying these discomforts to your OS, it might be the reason he doesn't want you to overdo right now.
I'm sure you are familiar with the tightness from still healing soft tissue, and the knee pain likely is a tight IT band.
Groin pain is also common and both of these complaints can benefit from very gentle stretching especially before any exercise.
Here is a helpful article in our library you might want to check out.
Slow and steady...and you will find you will get there!

 

[Eman85]

Just my opinion but he's erring on the side of caution. After all he just dissected you and implanted an unnatural replacement joint into you. Just the fact that we can eliminate the awful pain and be mobile should be more than enough for us to celebrate, but we all want more. Just how much you can do post op has a lot to do with each individual. There are some that have come on this board that have dislocated sitting on the couch and some did it doing Yoga. Much depends on just how much risk you want to take and accept the outcome.
I can do all of the things you mentioned, but it took time and it does cause some pain and stiffness even today. I do things that my OS wouldn't recommend and I've survived them. Some have caused aches and pains and some haven't. My Avatar is what I do most weekends and I've given my OS a winners circle pic to show him how good he did. He didn't say I couldn't do it, just told me to be careful!

 

[dmckenzie03]

Thank you so much for your replies. My OS said he will have his staff schedule another appt but I know he’s booked a couple of months out. Right now I’m afraid to try things. I have really bad anxiety so im questioning every movement now. I haven’t even tried to get on the floor to do some of these stretches because I’m afraid of rolling my leg the wrong way. Is that still a big risk at 18 weeks in?

 

[Snoopy55]

Hi and welcome! Just a question: Did your OS have you see a good PT? I didn't have a THR but rather a hip pinning four months ago so a little different but I think quite similar in what we can do. My PT is working with me to get my leg muscle stronger and we build on the exercises so I am just wondering if you've had any time with a PT? Some days I think I can't make it to the PT let alone do the exercises but he now knows my body well enough to know what needs to be stretched and how much and what exercises I need to do if I have mastered last weeks ones. I know doctors are so hard to reach these days but I would push and say you need to see him ASAP because you have pain/discomfort whatever and they need to fit you in. I think swimming is ok if you only walk in the pool and do some bicycle movements. But if you are confused don't be shy and ask him to clarify exactly what you can and can't do if anything to ease your worries and anxieties.

 

[dmckenzie03]

I had PT 4 times the first 2 weeks I was home. More of a what not to do than anything. That is one thing I’m going to ask for.

 

[Eman85]

There is a chart somewhere on this site that gives a timeline for risk of dislocation, the risk drops over time as the soft tissue heals and strengthens. I found that understanding just what they do to us and what causes the dislocation risk helped me to make good decisions about what I could do. I was cautious to do gentle stretches and not force anything.