3 1/2 months post surgery

[jmags]

Initially, my recovery was terrific. At 3 weeks my surgeon said I was one of his fastest recovering patients, he didn't need to see me for a year and I was free to resume any activity.

Needless to say, I pushed myself harder in rehad and started doing spin/cycling classes and within a week I had severe weight-bearing pain. It hurt the most after exercise and healed slowly afterward. After 2 weeks it was constant weight-bearing pain so I went back to the surgeon.

He took x-rays, bone scans, blood tests and was unable to diagnose any problems outside of a possible fracture (small/hairline--difficult to see on x-ray) or just possible excessive acuity to bone growth. He suggested limited activity and using a cane for 4-6 weeks to see if the weight-bearing pain went away.

The pain did go away and I have resumed activity. I can walk, swim, cycle and have begun playing golf again.

My only issue now is that I feel discomfort/stiffness when I get out of bed in the morning and when I get up from a chair if I have been sitting for a while. It usually takes about 5-20 steps before my hip feels normal again. Is this normal? Will it improve over time? Or is it somehow related to my stop and go recovery?

 

[Josephine]

I would very much say it is related to your stop and go recovery. Just keep pushing though - I am sure you will find it will loosen up in time.

 

[Ginny]

wow! at 3 weeks your Doctor said come see me next year!? Seriously!? I can't believe it!!

At 3 weeks I was still on crutches!

It just goes to show that EVERYBODY has a different experience and every doc has their own set of rules. My doctor is very conservative...I was on toe touch weight bearing for 6 weeks, no driving, not even as a passenger, on crutches for 6 weeks, then moved to a cane, used that for about 2 weeks, and at 3 months post-op check he said I was good to go and come see him next year.

Did you have a cement free implant?

I'm glad you're feeling great!
Ginny

 

[jmags]

I am also learning that each recovery is different. My surgeon operated on me in the morning and I walked out of the hospital that afternoon at 3:30 on a cane.

I used the cane for 1 week and then walked on my own and barely had a limp. When I visited the surgeon at 3 weeks he had me walk in front of 3 other surgeons and none of them could guess if I had a hip or a knee or of it was right or left side.

Two weeks later I couldn't walk without a cane. I had severe weight-bearing pain and we spent 6 weeks trying to find the cause (everything was inconclusive).

6 weeks on the cane and I could walk again. Now I am resuming activity with only minor discomfort (for 5-20 steps) when I get out of bed in the morning or when I get up from sitting for a while.

My implant was cement-less and my surgeon suggested that it may have been the cause of some of my discomfort.