Hip Arthroscopy 3 yrs. post op and exercise has not made much difference

[Mojo333]

@frogger
Happy Wednesday!

Oh the ebbs and flows of hip surgery recovery.. Especially at the one month mark, I was ever so anxious and peppering my thread with "is this normal?" and "why is this doing this now?" questions.

Sometimes while walking it's a sudden instability as I try to walk on the right leg. A pain fires along the front of the hip from the hip flexor.

I had the same... And you likely will have some different pains fire up elsewhere as you are more active.

while lying down, then lifting my right leg a bit and then moving the right leg outward to the right (like opening scissors) that this easily caused the pain to fire. At one point it fired quite sharply. almost like a shooting pain.

I think performing this movement is hard on a newly operated hip and too soon for having so much weight for those still healing soft tissues to contend with. Likely to cause groin strain as you compensate...at least that's how I felt.

When I stand up after sitting, I'm finding a very tight and resisting pain from the hip flexor towards the TFL. It feels like muscles/tendons are stuck together.

Good old "stutter steps" as it's been called by many.
This too is normal and will keep improving

I've noticed that the area around the hip flexor and the inguinal ligament is quite tense and bulging at the moment.

Some of those leg lifts might not be helping this so be gentle right now. All normal....

It felt like it got better throughout the day as I stayed a little bit active.

It never hurts until we stop.
Which makes it hard to find the lines of enough but not too much. I always felt better when moving about too... But after a rest... The stiffness inevitably returned. Again, quite normal so try not to worry.

I just wondered if anyone knows what this is and why it would manifest 4 weeks after the surgery. Did I ice too much for example?

Things pop up at different times in our journey and you are the best to know how your body is reacting to certain exercises and activities.
Still early days, my friend.

One thing I can say for certain... It is not from icing too much.
This was my best therapy after activity and I iced constantly when sitting for the first three months.
One month out is primetime for cabin fever and concerns over whether there will be residual repercussions from our surgery.
Stay patient...it gets better and many of these issues just take time.
Hope you have a wonderful day.

 

[frogger]

Hey @Mojo333 ! Happy Thursday and thank you for your thoughts.

Oh the ebbs and flows of hip surgery recovery.. Especially at the one month mark, I was ever so anxious and peppering my thread with "is this normal?" and "why is this doing this now?" questions.

It definitely feels like every week has something new

On a positive note, I feel like a lot of the inflammation has dissipated. My only problem is this sensation of hip impingement I'm feeling. I know that shouldn't be "possible" but I feel that my luck has not been very good so far, if there's a chance that this could be true I want to verify it I think.

I think performing this movement is hard on a newly operated hip and too soon for having so much weight for those still healing soft tissues to contend with. Likely to cause groin strain as you compensate...at least that's how I felt.

Hmmm. Today I woke up and felt instability immediately within a step or two. And definitely now whenever I sit up, if I use both legs equally, I'll have pain in the right hip:

Exactly at that moment I would say.

Good old "stutter steps" as it's been called by many.
This too is normal and will keep improving

Ok. I hope this really is just temporary but... it feels like it has been getting worse this week even though I've been resting a lot and being careful.

Things pop up at different times in our journey and you are the best to know how your body is reacting to certain exercises and activities.
Still early days, my friend.

Yep, I totally understand it's early days. I spoke with my physio though and she couldn't really identify why it would have gotten worse like this. She recommended I speak with my surgeon so I've emailed him today.

One thing I can say for certain... It is not from icing too much.
This was my best therapy after activity and I iced constantly when sitting for the first three months.

Ok. Well I really don't feel inflammation right now so I'm holding off on icing more. Just being careful and resting when I feel I need to. I don't know if it's possible that this "impingement" feeling is actually the labrum being inflamed again though and maybe icing would still be helpful, I don't know.

Stay patient...it gets better and many of these issues just take time.
Hope you have a wonderful day.

Definitely with a lot of the pain and inflammation now gone I'm feeling waaay more confident about it all. But this new impingement sensation is definitely critical to resolve I can tell. If it disappears on its own, that's great but I'll see what the surgeon says and report back

Thanks again everyone for your thoughts and support

 

[Mojo333]

I do hope that it is something that will settle...I hope your surgeon will get back with you or suggest a hopefully reassuring followup.
You know your body best, so even though it IS early days, I would voice my concerns over issues unabashedly.

 

[frogger]

I do hope that it is something that will settle...I hope your surgeon will get back with you or suggest a hopefully reassuring followup.

Me too! After 4 weeks I can see how things really do improve with time. But as I mentioned, this feels like something a bit more "new".

This morning I am not feeling the sensation of hip impingement but I have some inflammation back, very minor amount. And I still have this pain across the hip flexor in particular movements.

Maybe I have "just" injured myself in the recovery (my physio thought it must be muscular). I do recall that there a couple of times that I accidentally sat up or moved my hips a bit too quickly after week 2 and felt a muscle pain in the groin / inner thigh area. So maybe that really is all it is.

Whatever this issue is, it is only really a problem during flexion of the hip from sitting to standing it seems. When I'm walking I'm ok, and when I'm sitting I'm fine as well. I'll ice again for the inflammation and be very careful during any flexion movements. I think walking is safe right now.

My surgeon suggested I come in a bit earlier than scheduled so I'll see him in a week and report back!

Thanks again @Mojo333 !

 

[frogger]

Actually... one more question!

If this is a muscle strain in the groin, is ice still a good idea or is a heat pack better for muscle issues?

 

[Mojo333]

Rest and ice are recommended for groin strain injuries boring part of recovery
Alot of recovering hippys complain of groin discomfort....
Hopefully you can get some reassurance from the doc and if you strained something, will be able to get back on track soon.

 

[frogger]

Ok. Thank you @Mojo333 !

Yesterday I started feeling better in the afternoon. The inflammation having disappeared. I decided to try walking without the crutches again... I think I was out for about 20 minutes and... well, yeah. It was a mistake >_<

By 5pm my hip was very uncomfortable and by 8pm it was basically on fire with pain. Inflamed again. I iced of course and took paracetamol to sleep.

Today I just rested all day, icing and took another paracetamol. It’s approaching midnight and I’m feeling much better.

Tomorrow I’ve been invited to a lunch for Easter but I’m thinking of skipping. Even with crutches and taking the metro I feel it’s likely to delay my recovery.

I’m still so shocked that after 4 weeks I still can’t walk 15-20 minutes without crutches though. Is there anyone that can tell me how long until I’ll be able to handle that?

I still have this pain across my hip flexor when I try to sit up without using my good hip.

 

[frogger]

Just a bit of an update. I’ve been resting at home for the past week. Always using the crutch if I need to go out. Day by day there’s less swelling and pain.

I still have the weakness and pain across the hip flexor if I try to use it. Specifically it fires if I try to sit up from a chair.

Also if I sit and work for an hour my hip is especially tight and stiff.

Overall there is still a stiffness across the thigh and feeling of inflammation in the glute.

Tomorrow I’ll see my surgeon for the first time since the surgery and I’m hoping for some insight into what has gone wrong.

I don’t know how we are meant to know or measure whether we’re ready to go “the next step” and stop using a crutch for example. Should I just rest until I feel zero inflammation and wait a few weeks like that before trying?

 

[Mojo333]

Hi @frogger and Happy Thursday.

I certainly hope you can get some feedback from the surgeon about whether your current issues are all in the realm of his expectations for a recovery timeline so you can get some reassurance.
Since I don't have personal experience with hip arthroscopy...all I can offer is the experiences I have gleaned from others with similar surgeries who have shared on the forum, and I believe all felt the first 3 to 6 months were particularly difficult.


If I remember, you had a labrum reattached and bone spurs shaved, and certainly that is a lot of work that was done and lots of healing is still happening.
I'm glad you have been babying it more and using your crutch.
Maybe the surgeon can also tell you how long an assistive device is recommended.
Regardless of the procedure, we say use it when it is needed (and helping)

Alot of the timelines are going to vary as each person's recovery is different.

I am sorry often we aren't given more realistic expectations but please don't assume something went wrong.
Would love to hear your update... And I hope that today is a better day.

 

[Ric A]

Hey @Mojo333 ! Happy Thursday and thank you for your thoughts.

Oh the ebbs and flows of hip surgery recovery.. Especially at the one month mark, I was ever so anxious and peppering my thread with "is this normal?" and "why is this doing this now?" questions.

It definitely feels like every week has something new

On a positive note, I feel like a lot of the inflammation has dissipated. My only problem is this sensation of hip impingement I'm feeling. I know that shouldn't be "possible" but I feel that my luck has not been very good so far, if there's a chance that this could be true I want to verify it I think.

I think performing this movement is hard on a newly operated hip and too soon for having so much weight for those still healing soft tissues to contend with. Likely to cause groin strain as you compensate...at least that's how I felt.

Hmmm. Today I woke up and felt instability immediately within a step or two. And definitely now whenever I sit up, if I use both legs equally, I'll have pain in the right hip:

Exactly at that moment I would say.

Good old "stutter steps" as it's been called by many.
This too is normal and will keep improving

Ok. I hope this really is just temporary but... it feels like it has been getting worse this week even though I've been resting a lot and being careful.

Things pop up at different times in our journey and you are the best to know how your body is reacting to certain exercises and activities.
Still early days, my friend.

Yep, I totally understand it's early days. I spoke with my physio though and she couldn't really identify why it would have gotten worse like this. She recommended I speak with my surgeon so I've emailed him today.

One thing I can say for certain... It is not from icing too much.
This was my best therapy after activity and I iced constantly when sitting for the first three months.

Ok. Well I really don't feel inflammation right now so I'm holding off on icing more. Just being careful and resting when I feel I need to. I don't know if it's possible that this "impingement" feeling is actually the labrum being inflamed again though and maybe icing would still be helpful, I don't know.

Stay patient...it gets better and many of these issues just take time.
Hope you have a wonderful day.

Definitely with a lot of the pain and inflammation now gone I'm feeling waaay more confident about it all. But this new impingement sensation is definitely critical to resolve I can tell. If it disappears on its own, that's great but I'll see what the surgeon says and report back

Thanks again everyone for your thoughts and support

How do you know if inflammation has gone, just wondering.

 

[frogger]

Hey @Mojo333 ! Happy Thursday and thank you for your thoughts.

Oh the ebbs and flows of hip surgery recovery.. Especially at the one month mark, I was ever so anxious and peppering my thread with "is this normal?" and "why is this doing this now?" questions.

It definitely feels like every week has something new

On a positive note, I feel like a lot of the inflammation has dissipated. My only problem is this sensation of hip impingement I'm feeling. I know that shouldn't be "possible" but I feel that my luck has not been very good so far, if there's a chance that this could be true I want to verify it I think.

I think performing this movement is hard on a newly operated hip and too soon for having so much weight for those still healing soft tissues to contend with. Likely to cause groin strain as you compensate...at least that's how I felt.

Hmmm. Today I woke up and felt instability immediately within a step or two. And definitely now whenever I sit up, if I use both legs equally, I'll have pain in the right hip:

Exactly at that moment I would say.

Good old "stutter steps" as it's been called by many.
This too is normal and will keep improving

Ok. I hope this really is just temporary but... it feels like it has been getting worse this week even though I've been resting a lot and being careful.

Things pop up at different times in our journey and you are the best to know how your body is reacting to certain exercises and activities.
Still early days, my friend.

Yep, I totally understand it's early days. I spoke with my physio though and she couldn't really identify why it would have gotten worse like this. She recommended I speak with my surgeon so I've emailed him today.

One thing I can say for certain... It is not from icing too much.
This was my best therapy after activity and I iced constantly when sitting for the first three months.

Ok. Well I really don't feel inflammation right now so I'm holding off on icing more. Just being careful and resting when I feel I need to. I don't know if it's possible that this "impingement" feeling is actually the labrum being inflamed again though and maybe icing would still be helpful, I don't know.

Stay patient...it gets better and many of these issues just take time.
Hope you have a wonderful day.

Definitely with a lot of the pain and inflammation now gone I'm feeling waaay more confident about it all. But this new impingement sensation is definitely critical to resolve I can tell. If it disappears on its own, that's great but I'll see what the surgeon says and report back

Thanks again everyone for your thoughts and support

How do you know if inflammation has gone, just wondering.

Good question. Maybe I’m feeling something else but for me, if the labrum is inflamed I get a feeling of tightness in the muscles around the joint. Especially in the glute. If you’re familiar with the piriformis it’s right there I feel it tightest.

 

[frogger]

Hi @frogger and Happy Thursday.

I certainly hope you can get some feedback from the surgeon about whether your current issues are all in the realm of his expectations for a recovery timeline so you can get some reassurance.
Since I don't have personal experience with hip arthroscopy...all I can offer is the experiences I have gleaned from others with similar surgeries who have shared on the forum, and I believe all felt the first 3 to 6 months were particularly difficult.


If I remember, you had a labrum reattached and bone spurs shaved, and certainly that is a lot of work that was done and lots of healing is still happening.
I'm glad you have been babying it more and using your crutch.
Maybe the surgeon can also tell you how long an assistive device is recommended.
Regardless of the procedure, we say use it when it is needed (and helping)

Alot of the timelines are going to vary as each person's recovery is different.

I am sorry often we aren't given more realistic expectations but please don't assume something went wrong.
Would love to hear your update... And I hope that today is a better day.

Thanks for all these thoughts mojo!

Yes you’re right. My labrum was reattached and bone was shaved, etc. I should’ve realised this meant I needed a lot of rest but it wasn’t really emphasised to me originally. Oh well.

I had to run an errand today and I was on my crutch the whole time. I’m not feeling bad yet so I think my hip will be fine. I was curious to see if I’d have backlash as it’s probably the longest I’ve been out on my crutches so far.

I’ll see how it goes with the surgeon tomorrow and report back!

 

[frogger]

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

An update from my trip to the surgeon:

• He doesn’t think I could’ve screwed up the surgery.
• He agreed that I strained or lightly tore my hip flexor. He gave me more details about the surgery which explains why the hip flexor has felt particularly sensitive, basically the location of the main labrum tear was right across the front of the hip. And so he shaved a fair bit of the bone across the front and the muscles and tendons there are still adapting he said.
• He explained that at 5 weeks, only the surface has healed and that I need to be more patient for the internals.
• He said things would improve, then plateau a bit and then usually be unstable until the 6 month mark of recovery.
• He asked me to come back in July for a checkin. And to get new X-rays then.
• He gave me more anti inflammatoires and paracetamol in case there are more spikes.

I asked if something had really gone wrong, could it be scanned or fixed. He explained there’s too much noise right now to see if something went wrong. And that yes, it’s possible to adjust it in a year if there is a big problem.

Since Monday I’ve been timing my walks outside and being much stricter on when to take the crutch and when not to. Now it’s Sunday night and I can say it has been improving every day so far. I haven’t even needed ice since Thursday. I also went out for about 14 minutes today without the crutch and feeling fine tonight!

 

[Layla]

Hello @frogger
Aside from the probability you suffered a strain or slight tear, your update sounds as though you’re doing well. I hope it was reassuring to receive more detail about what your surgery involved and hear your surgeon’s expectations and timeline for the next several months. You’re progressing nicely. Take it slow, easy and enjoy those walks without overdoing it.

Thanks so much for updating. Wishing you a wonderful week!

 

[FCBayern]

Pretty early to stop icing @frogger. I used it consistently for at least 2 months. Even if it doesn't show you still have internal swelling.

 

[Jaycey]

Great update @frogger ! I agree with FC - ice is still your best friend. As your surgeon said, lots of internal healing going on.

 

[Mojo333]

Glad to hear things are improving as you readjust your activity and got some reassurance from the surgeon.
Hope your week is easy does it and keep chilling
I didn't have alot of outward swelling but I've was a great help for months after my surgery.

 

[frogger]

Hello everyone, just wanted to provide another update on my progress in case it helps other people recovering from hip arthroscopies in the future.

It’s been 3 weeks since I saw the surgeon and my last post.

My first week was good, slowly getting better and walking longer distances.

After one week, I accidentally overdid it again by walking a longer distance. It was about 35 minutes. I had about 6/10 pain that night and then still some pain in the next day. I was going to start taking some anti-inflammatories but by the time I reached the evening the day after I was feeling good, so I decided against the anti-inflammatories.

For two weeks after that incident it was much smoother sailing. I was getting better slowly - able to walk down stairs completely normally and could even start going up some stairs a bit. Just another hiccup though, 2 days ago I pushed myself too much going up stairs. I’d slowly been adding more steps every few days but this time I just went too far. I think about 30 steps. I know that was silly.

This latest hiccup is also giving me a lot of back pain as well. I think over the last year of lockdowns has contributed to my back muscles becoming a lot weaker (very little walking, harder to exercise, etc) and so I think that’s part of it.

I’m starting to feel better now 2 days later and I’m about to go to bed so I’ll see how I am in the morning.

Overall, I’m definitely feeling more positive 2 months out from the surgery. I think that things are improving overall but things still crack and pop fairly often. Sometimes it’s just “by accident” and it’s a surprise but also feels good. And sometimes, when I’m in discomfort I feel that desire to crack the joint again.

Side note: I still haven’t really iced at all in the last few weeks. I’m not sure if I just should ice either way to speed up the recovery or not.

Thanks again everyone for your support! I’m looking forward to reflecting again at the three month mark, the four month mark and so on!

 

[frogger]

Hi everyone. I’m feeling a bit blue today. In a weeks time it will have been 3 months since my surgery and today I’m feeling pain for no clearly discernable reason. I didn’t “go overboard” on anything in the past few days.

Overall I’ve been a lot more careful. I still attempt to go up stairs regularly and treat it as a goal to be able to go up my whole staircase without assistance but I’m still not able to.

It seems that anytime I try to climb stairs I am basically putting my hip at risk of pain.

I realise my labrum tear was right across the front of the hip. So I imagine that it makes sense but boy does it feel temperamental… it doesn’t fill me with confidence that I’ll be able to run pain free again.

 

[Layla]

Hello frogger,
I‘m really sorry you’re feeling blue. Please don’t lose sight that you’re in a recovery that can take quite some time and I think it’s too early to make predictions about what you will be doing in the future.

Side note: I still haven’t really iced at all in the last few weeks. I’m not sure if I just should ice either way to speed up the recovery or not.

If you’re still not icing, please give it a try in the areas that cause you discomfort and see if it helps.

Wondering if it would give you peace of mind to check in with your surgeons office, speaking to your surgeon or a member of his care team to obtain reassurance in regard to your progress? Something to consider as it may make you feel better.
I hope today is a good one for you!