Fractured Neck of Femur/Pinning Recovery question after DHS surgery

Andy123

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Hi Guys . I am a male , 27 years old , fairly active and in good shape . Unfortunately fractured my femoral head while ice skating a month ago , it was non displaced and surgery done in about 14-15 hours . I've been weight bearing 20-30% second day after surgery . After 5 weeks i had my first scan which showed soft callus and good healing therefore the doctor told me to start going on one crutch outside and no crutches inside house if i can (which i can with little limping) . I was doing now for 3 days 1 hour a day walking in the swimming pool and 1 hours walking outside with 1 crutch . I sometimes feel a little stinging/stabbing pain at some steps in the groin/hip area , i would say the pain is a 3/10 so not too bad , it's not always , after the swimming pool when it's well warmed up i have no pain , doctor told me whatever pain i may feel its unlikely to be the bone . So i wanna ask if it can be muscles or nerves? It can be that im overdoing it? I'm living in UK and im supposed to be contacted by a PT soon.
 
Hi @Andy123 and Welcome to the forum.

I'm sorry to hear about your accident but it sounds like you are progressing well.

Would you mind giving us the date of your surgery and which hip so we can add this information to you signature?
Here is the link to an index of threads that might be helpful for you. You can search by any prefix by finding a thread with the prefix you want, and clicking on the prefix icon. The search will bring up all threads with that prefix. In this case I searched for "Fractured neck of femur/Pinning."
I sometimes feel a little stinging/stabbing pain at some steps in the groin/hip area , i would say the pain is a 3/10 so not too bad , it's not always , after the swimming pool when it's well warmed up i have no pain , doctor told me whatever pain i may feel its unlikely to be the bone . So i wanna ask if it can be muscles or nerves?
It very likely could be soft tissue (muscles, nerves) which were disturbed during surgery and are tight and still healing.
It can be easy to overdo activity (especially in the pool) so just make sure you balance it with rest and ice.

Here are some articles you might find helpful.

Pain and swelling control: elevation can help

Using Ice
Recovery Aids
How to Use Crutches
Warning about Armpit Crutches
Energy Drain
Sleep Deprivation
Post Op Blues
Accepting Help
 
Hey Mojo , thank you for the reply . I had the surgery on 14th February on left hip . Seems like after 2 days of rest and one ibuprofen there is no more discomfort when walking . I will try to raise the effort more gradually .
 
:wave:@Andy123
Hoping you are doing well and seeing steady improvement.
This recovery business and the patience it takes can be frustrating and Bo-o-oring:bored:

Slow and steady will get you there.
Hope your weekend is Sweet!:SUNsmile:
 
:wave:@Andy123
Hoping you are doing well and seeing steady improvement.
This recovery business and the patience it takes can be frustrating and Bo-o-oring:bored:

Slow and steady will get you there.
Hope your weekend is Sweet!:SUNsmile:
Hey Mojo . I think I'm doing slowly but steady progress, few ups and downs , good days and bad days. Last week at my first physiotherapy appointment I've been told that I'm well ahead with my progress and mobility , even tho I try not overdoing it, sometimes I do it without noticing.
The exercises such as squats, lunges, bridges are not painful so I do them daily, weightless. Had to take a few days break after overdoing cycling which gave me an annoying buttock pain. Now I have some groin pain after walking for 3x10mins yesterday without assistance.
Today, just ice and rest, start again tomorrow, maybe just 2x10mins. Always hard to tell when is too much as I feel it easy but the next day comes the consequences.
 
:SUNsmile: Good morning @Andy123

There are definitely ups and downs to deal with, especially the first three months...
even tho I try not overdoing it, sometimes I do it without noticing
Yes, this is how it seems to be with most of us recovering from hip Surgery.
The exercises such as squats, lunges, bridges are not painful so I do them daily, weightless.
These exercises done very early can also seem benign, but can come back to bite later.
Had to take a few days break after overdoing cycling which gave me an annoying buttock pain
Glad you are willing to back off when you see it is increasing your discomfort.
Now I have some groin pain after walking for 3x10mins yesterday without assistance.
Today, just ice and rest, start again tomorrow, maybe just 2x10mins
Glad you are giving your body a reprieve today...:ice:

My suggestion would be to drop the exercises first... lunges and squats especially and the walks will be the most helpful.
You are doing well... just need more time and not to stress that healing soft tissue.

Hope your Easter is happy and healing.
 
Thank you very much for the answer , happy Easter to you too !
 
Hi Andy :wave: Happy Three Month Anniversary!
I hope all is going well and you're pleased with your progress.
Leave an update next time you're around if you feel like it. Wishing you a good week!
@Andy123
 
Hi Andy :wave: Happy Three Month Anniversary!
I hope all is going well and you're pleased with your progress.
Leave an update next time you're around if you feel like it. Wishing you a good week!
@Andy123
Hi Layla . Thank you . I'm doing pretty well , i think im progressing alright . I started working back part time today , done 5 hours shift . It's a hospitality job so i require standing and walking most of the time but i would sit 5mins every hour even if it doesn't hurt . I get pain in the hip just ocasionally , mainly in the evening if the day was busy but a paracetamol sorts it out . I'm trying to keep up with my PT exercises and im walking around 8-10k steps a day. I'm getting a little limp after few hours of walking , those hip muscles still recovering the strength . Every week seems to get easier . I'm having a big trip to Japan in 9 days and im hoping to be able to keep up with my fiance .

Edit: forgot to mention, my x ray couple of weeks ago showed very good healing . Doctor told me the only risk of breaking a bone would be the mid section of the femur where the plate is located due to the elasticity of the bone . Shouldn't be anymore risk at the femoral head as he said.
 
@Andy123 Sounds like you are doing really well!

Just a note - if you are working and doing all that walking you probably don't need to continue the PT exercises. Your daily living is giving that area plenty of exercise.

Have a lovely trip to Japan. I have been there many times (on business). An amazing country!
 
Hi @Jaycey . The trip was amazing . Had around 20.000 steps done every day. Had some pain in hip for the first few minutes of walks every morning probably due to the long effort . I have a question tho , i get a discomfort feeling (cannot really call it pain) in my groin area when i try to stretch too much on a split position , same discomfort i get in my buttock when i walk with too large steps . Is that normal ? Can it be due to the bone remodelling or scar tissue around the hip ? I am just a bit skeptical not to damage anything due to too much walking . I have no pain or discomfort when o am walking normally . I am 4 months post op .
 
@Andy123 All that you are feeling is the hip joint complaining about you putting demands on the area. The healing process takes 12 months or longer. Walking will not damage anything. Frustrating I know - just listen to that hip. It will guide you as to what is too much.
 
Thank you for the answer . I will try not to stretch it where it feels uncomfortable .
 
Can I ask why you had a DHS rather than three cannulated screws if you had a non displaced neck of femur fracture?I’m not questioning the chosen solution, just interested as to why the choice if they explained it to you, as you are so young. There does seem quite a lot of different approaches depending on the surgeon etc.
 
I didn't knew about the 3 cannulated screws option up until few weeks post op . Doctor told me that the fracture had minimal displacement , i personally could just see a crack and no displacement . I guess the surgeon was more comfortable with the DHS . I'm planning to remove all the metalware at 1 year post op if everything looks fine . So far everything goes alright.
 

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