Hip Arthroscopy 4 Months Post-Op FAI/Labrum Repair

[Sammy-Am]

Hi All,

My name is Sam and this is my first post .

I’m a 31 year old who’s had chronic bilateral hip pain since my mid-twenties due to undiagnosed femoral anteversion. To make a long story short, I’ve always been incredibly active. I’ve been a yogi for the better part of the last decade, admittedly forcing my hips into positions they weren’t meant to be in . Presumably, I tore the labrum in my left hip earlier this year after taking a barre class. The MRI showed it was a small tear (9-11 position), and also showed a CAM lesion.

I started treatment conservatively with 2 months of physical therapy, a cortisone injection into the hip in May, and finally surgery in July. Apparently, my hip was much worse in surgery than my doctor had originally anticipated. On top of the CAM lesion, I also had extensive synovitis, and a PINCER lesion. My surgeon noted post-op that my hip was a complete gut job

I was on crutches for about 6 weeks following surgery. I returned to work about 2 weeks post-op working a front desk position at the PT office I work at for 3 days a week. I also did physical therapy twice a week from the end of July until the end of September, and continued following the home exercise protocol the surgeon gave me once PT ended.

Overall, I would say recovery is going pretty well so far. My biggest complaint is what I believe to be psoas or iliopsoas pain and minor swelling, adjacent to the small hip bone (center towards the midline of the body). I follow up with my surgeon on the 2nd, but he just started me on 200MG of Celebrex to address that, in addition to stopping all PT exercises, icing, and elevating. I try to ice at least a few times a day for 30 minutes, but don’t always have the option when working. I should also mention that I’m on my feet usually 40 hours a week per my work.

This month also, I’ve noticed some minor groin pain, pain on the front hip bone, and some minor popping in the hip which is rarely painful. The pain is usually no more than a 3, whereas before surgery it was at least an 8. I don’t have any pain standing or walking. If I’m sitting too long, it just feels like I’m stretching the groin and I’ll get little zaps of pain in the hip flexors, similar to where the swelling is. I also have a tiny bit of pain in the lower portion of my butt, where my butt meets my lower leg.

I guess being a naturally anxious person (), I’m posting to quell a little bit of my anxiety—especially since I just went for an MRI on Friday and found that my non-operative hip has a tear .

From what I’ve gathered, recover from this surgery is long and can take up to a year. I’m wondering if anyone has experienced similar swelling or symptoms, and if the popping or groin pain can be indicative of a re-tear. Any other guidance, advice, or experiences with this surgery would also be incredibly helpful.

Best,
Sam

 

[Hip4life]

Hello, Sammy, and welcome to BoneSmart!
I understand that having FAI surgery is just as long a recovery or longer than a hip replacement. You sound like you’re about where you should be on the recovery timeline. It’s perfectly acceptable and encouraged to express how you’re feeling here. Who better to understand?

I had similar issues that you are describing after my THR. The suspension of PT and all the other recommendations you received are spot on. I also had a course of Celebrex to help my inflamed iliopsoas. The inflammation could also be the source of the “popping” of the joint. For me, it was initially and usually not accompanied by too much pain. Those soft tissues can really get grumpy while they are healing. As you said, they really didn’t get a lot of downtime after your surgery especially if your surgeon said that it was much worse than he anticipated and therefore had to do even more work.

Good news: continue to rest, ice, and elevate as much as an active young adult person can and you might be surprised at how that works for you. BoneSmart recommends icing for 45-60 minutes at a time at least a few times a day. Always keep a cloth, like a towel, between the ice and your skin. If these measures don’t work and the pain is persistent and interferes in your life, a cortisone injection into the IP tendon might then be recommended. The injection gave me blessed relief. It was only temporary for me only because that tendon was being continually aggravated sliding over my cup prosthesis. That’s not your situation. Fingers crossed that you get relief soon. It’s great your follow up with your surgeon is not too far away. Keep us posted.

If you let us know the exact date of your surgery, we can create a signature for you to better able to advise you.
@Sammy-Am

 

[Sammy-Am]

Hello, Sammy, and welcome to BoneSmart!
I understand that having FAI surgery is just as long a recovery or longer than a hip replacement. You sound like you’re about where you should be on the recovery timeline. It’s perfectly acceptable and encouraged to express how you’re feeling here. Who better to understand?

I had similar issues that you are describing after my THR. The suspension of PT and all the other recommendations you received are spot on. I also had a course of Celebrex to help my inflamed iliopsoas. The inflammation could also be the source of the “popping” of the joint. For me, it was initially and usually not accompanied by too much pain. Those soft tissues can really get grumpy while they are healing. As you said, they really didn’t get a lot of downtime after your surgery especially if your surgeon said that it was much worse than he anticipated and therefore had to do even more work.

Good news: continue to rest, ice, and elevate as much as an active young adult person can and you might be surprised at how that works for you. BoneSmart recommends icing for 45-60 minutes at a time at least a few times a day. Always keep a cloth, like a towel, between the ice and your skin. If these measures don’t work and the pain is persistent and interferes in your life, a cortisone injection into the IP tendon might then be recommended. The injection gave me blessed relief. It was only temporary for me only because that tendon was being continually aggravated sliding over my cup prosthesis. That’s not your situation. Fingers crossed that you get relief soon. It’s great your follow up with your surgeon is not too far away. Keep us posted.

If you let us know the exact date of your surgery, we can create a signature for you to better able to advise you.
@Sammy-Am

Hi Hip4life,

Thanks for taking the time to reply! It definitely gives me some ease of mind! My surgery was on 7/15/22.

I just started the Celebrex a couple of days ago and it’s helping a little bit. Ice and elevation are helping too. My biggest complaint at the moment is that it feels almost like a large muscle knot in the psoas/iliopsoas region, which I believe is pulling on my groin. I’ve taken to rolling on a lacrosse ball every couple of days to release the muscle, but it still feels incredibly tight.

I’m curious if you had any visible swelling associated with iliopsoas. Mine is right along the hip bone. I’m wondering if the bursa is inflaming the area? I had the same swelling before surgery and it went away completely after the arthroscopy. I’ll attach a couple of images below to better illustrate the problem area. The muscular image shows where my swelling is and the “body” image is a pretty good indicator of the pain pattern.

Thanks for the patience

 

[Hip4life]

@Sammy-Am Thank you for the helpful images. I did not have any specific swelling related to my pain. The problem with the groin area of the hip is that it can be a slow process of elimination before you can pinpoint a cause for the pain. All that area can be traumatized with the surgery. Everyone heals at different rates with varying degrees of swelling and inflammation. It’s all those soft tissues-muscles, tendons, bursa-that could be contributing to your pain.

It may take a few more days or so for you to start seeing some effect from the Celebrex (which is an anti-inflammatory medication if you weren’t aware.) I’m really hoping that the tincture of time will work in your favor here. Your best resource is your doctor, of course. Your appointment is only about 10 days away. They might have a better idea by then what might be going on depending on any improvement in your symptoms. In the meantime, ice wherever it hurts and try not to worry too much or get too discouraged. We’re here for you.

 

[JusticeRider]

Hi Sammy-Am, welcome to Bonesmart! I had the same surgery as you when I was 37 and a revision surgery at 43 (first surgeon missed some of the impingement). It is a long and difficult recovery. At 4 months out, you’re still relatively early on.
It sounds like your work keeps you on your feet and extremely active. That sounds like a lot for a newly operated hip! I’m guessing your symptoms are a result of all that stress on your hip joint.

I had similar symptoms appear during a period of overwork and panicked thinking I had re-torn my labrum. But after having extensive work done on your hip, it can really tighten up and become painful if you overdo it. In my case, once I focused on resting, stretching, and icing, the symptoms went away.

If you can ice for 45 min to an hour at a time while elevating it will be so much more effective. I understand it’s hard to do that at work. Can you bring ice packs with you and keep them in a freezer? If you could ice during your lunch break it would probably make a big difference in your discomfort and swelling. And for sure ice in the morning before work and a couple times in the evening. You can multitask…ice while you’re eating breakfast and lunch, while you’re putting makeup on, while you’re answering emails, making calls, etc. Ice is your best friend right now, and for the next few months. The more you can do it the less pain you’ll likely have.

Stretching also made a huge difference for mine and still does. It’s so easy for your hip to tighten up. One great stretch is the ‘mini cobra’ stretch, where you lay flat on your stomach and push up on your elbows to stretch out your hip flexors. You can also lie on your back at the edge of the bed and hang your leg off the side to stretch the front of your hip.

Ice, stretch, and rest as much as you can and I think you’ll see a big difference. Best of luck in your recovery! Let us know how it’s going

 

[Sammy-Am]

Hi Sammy-Am, welcome to Bonesmart! I had the same surgery as you when I was 37 and a revision surgery at 43 (first surgeon missed some of the impingement). It is a long and difficult recovery. At 4 months out, you’re still relatively early on.
It sounds like your work keeps you on your feet and extremely active. That sounds like a lot for a newly operated hip! I’m guessing your symptoms are a result of all that stress on your hip joint.

I had similar symptoms appear during a period of overwork and panicked thinking I had re-torn my labrum. But after having extensive work done on your hip, it can really tighten up and become painful if you overdo it. In my case, once I focused on resting, stretching, and icing, the symptoms went away.

If you can ice for 45 min to an hour at a time while elevating it will be so much more effective. I understand it’s hard to do that at work. Can you bring ice packs with you and keep them in a freezer? If you could ice during your lunch break it would probably make a big difference in your discomfort and swelling. And for sure ice in the morning before work and a couple times in the evening. You can multitask…ice while you’re eating breakfast and lunch, while you’re putting makeup on, while you’re answering emails, making calls, etc. Ice is your best friend right now, and for the next few months. The more you can do it the less pain you’ll likely have.

Stretching also made a huge difference for mine and still does. It’s so easy for your hip to tighten up. One great stretch is the ‘mini cobra’ stretch, where you lay flat on your stomach and push up on your elbows to stretch out your hip flexors. You can also lie on your back at the edge of the bed and hang your leg off the side to stretch the front of your hip.

Ice, stretch, and rest as much as you can and I think you’ll see a big difference. Best of luck in your recovery! Let us know how it’s going

Hi JusticeRider,

Thanks for all your replies and tidbits! Working at a PT office, there definitely isn’t a shortage of ice or beds LOL, so I can definitely ice for several short intervals throughout the day, but not longer which I know would be more effective. Maybe I can find a hip pack with a strap or use a patch to help calm the area.

Yes! I have been experiencing more pain in the front of my hip while sitting and sensitivity during hip flexion. I think at the moment the swelling, though minor is what’s concerning me the most. I know the healing process takes time, but I just want the inflammation to go away and for my hip to feel normal again LOL.

Thanks for the icing and stretching suggestions.

 

[JusticeRider]

I think even icing in shorter stretches throughout the day is better than nothing! Especially if you can get some longer icing sessions at home. It is great that you work in a pt office! You must get a lot of understanding about your condition and rehab.

Talking about strapping some ice on your hip at work reminded me of a time before my first surgery when we tried a cortisone shot in my hip. My body apparently does NOT like cortisone at all and it caused a big flare with heat and swelling and intense pain. I was icing it constantly to try to ease the pain. Anyway, I remember going to the gym was the only thing keeping me sane at the time, so I went in spite of the pain to do upper body work. I had an ice gel pack stuffed down my shorts and tucked under the hip of my underwear and was just walking around with it. I just didn’t care!

But just do whatever you can to ice as much as possible during the day. Hopefully that, along with stretching and resting, will get your swelling down and relieve your discomfort.

 

[Sammy-Am]

Hi Again,

Sorry for going MIA within the community. The past few weeks have been a little bit of a struggle.

I saw my surgeon for this morning for another follow up appointment where he looked at both my hips—the left (my surgical side), and the right where an MRI showed a fresh tear and both CAM and PINCER deformities.

Overall, my left hip is doing okay. As I mentioned previously, I’ve just really been struggling with continued hip flexor pain. Pain in the psoas region/iliopsoas and pain/tenderness on the front hip bone. And to be honest, I shouldn’t even use the word “pain,” because overall it just feels like the muscles in my hip are “clenched” and that’s what’s causing the dull, achey, even sometimes snapping sensation? Has anyone else been through this?

My doctor said that it‘s hip flexor tendinopathy and that unfortunately I just have to give my hip time to settle—no intervention at this point in time. He said just ice, stretch, maybe use Voltaren gel for discomfort, and he wants me to start PT again in the new year, when my insurance will approve more visits.

I’m not disappointed, but just a little disheartened by the recovery process. I know I only had surgery in July, but the pain relief I had in September was AMAZING! I was doing amazing with PT and now the tendinopathy just feels like a big setback.

My surgeon wants to evaluate me on a month by month basis to see when my left hip is strong enough to repair the right side. I’m not rushing into another major surgery, but I would like to repair my right hip to get back to yoga teaching and just generally, before the pain becomes debilitating and hard to manage.

I might try a gentle yoga class tomorrow and see how I feel with that. Regardless, this process is definitely teaching me trust and patience.

Thanks for listening again,

Sam

 

[JusticeRider]

Oh yeah, that clenched achy feeling, I remember it well! Any time that happened I knew my hip flexors were too tight. I don’t think I had tendinopathy but certainly part of the recovery from that surgery was tightness in that hip. Stretching was key. Multiple times throughout the day, I had like 3 different stretches that were all about stretching the hip flexors. I spent a LOT of time in cobra. I still do at times…there have been a few times along the way, especially having the knee surgeries which can stress the hip, that things have started to tighten up and it’s just second nature now to stretch it out. And of course this early in your recovery, keep icing it!

He said just ice, stretch, maybe use Voltaren gel for discomfort

Yep!

 

[JusticeRider]

BTW, be careful in yoga…sun salutations are great for the hip, but child’s pose is really tough on it, especially this early in your recovery and especially if your hip flexors are already tight and angry. I would skip that one if I were you, as well as pigeon pose.

 

[Sammy-Am]

BTW, be careful in yoga…sun salutations are great for the hip, but child’s pose is really tough on it, especially this early in your recovery and especially if your hip flexors are already tight and angry. I would skip that one if I were you, as well as pigeon pose.

Hi JusticeRider,

Thanks again for replying!

It’s so interesting because even before my surgery, I struggled with tight hip flexors. With the degree of anteversion in my body, my lower back has always been very lordotic. Hip flexion was a big challenge before surgery and to this day, I’m still trying to find hip flexor stretches that help nurture my hip—many don’t feel “accessible” or even “challenging” enough because of how bendy my lower back is. I know, it’s a weird dichotomy.

Overall, yoga this morning just felt like way too much. I was explaining to one of the doctors that I work with that while my hip flexors feel tight, I don’t want to overstretch my groin. And that’s exactly what I feel like I’m doing in lunges, clamshells, etc. One of the PT’s said it might be a problem with my pectinius muscle being overstretched (see below) and that’s what feels the most uncomfortable right now.

As far as the hip flexors go, yes, the clenching is beyond aggravating. I was explaining to my yoga teacher after class that my body feels great when I can almost pull my hip away from the socket, when I get traction and don’t feel so “locked.” She recommended gentle inverting (if my doctor approves) and trying self traction on the wall.

Cobra helps, as does external rotation, as long as I’m not straining the muscles and rotating externally too much (which feels like a lot to ask for that pectinius muscle at the moment).

I’m curious what your 3 go-to hip flexor stretches are.

I almost feel that at the moment, I really have to train my body to see that less is more right now. That’s a challenge coming from a yogi at heart. But, I’m just trying to keep the faith and be positive that recovery will come in time.

Sam

 

[JusticeRider]

I almost feel that at the moment, I really have to train my body to see that less is more right now. That’s a challenge coming from a yogi at heart

Yes, that is really challenging for us athletic types! Slow and steady is the name of the game here. It really is a year long recovery.

The hip flexor stretches. Two are easy to explain, the 3rd is a little harder to describe because it’s kind of a feel thing and it’s easy to do it wrong and not get the stretch you need.

1) cobra. You’re a yogi so this one is easy. Try it up on your elbows first. You can hold it for quite a while with some prone lying in between. If it feels good, you can go all the way up on your hands, but keep it gentle. It should feel like a mild stretch. You can do this one a lot!

2) bridge. This one will be familiar to you too, I’m sure. Experiment with how close to your bum you place your feet to get an appropriate stretch. Again, keep it mild and gentle. Don’t overdo this one…maybe 3x/day, holding it for 30 seconds, set of 5 or so.

3) This one is sort of like a heavily modified lunge. You’re going to step forward with your non-operated leg. Keep your feet on parallel tracks (don’t put your non operated foot in front of the other). The heel of your front foot should only be about an inch farther forward than the toe of your back foot. Place your hands on the small of your back. Keeping your shoulders back, push your hips forward until your back heel lifts up and just your toe of that foot is on the ground. Tighten your core a little, and think about pulling the muscles in your operated hip and abs on that side inward and upward. You should feel a gentle but deep stretch. It might take some little adjustments to get it, but when you do, you’ll feel it.

 

[JusticeRider]

Interesting about the pectinius muscle (and thank you for the helpful graphic!) I can see how it could be challenging to stretch your hip flexors and not over stretch that muscle if it’s irritated. Try experimenting with the above stretches and see what feels good.

Oh! I almost forgot…another good one is to lie on the edge of your bed with your operated leg closest to the edge. Carefully slide that leg off the bed so it is hanging down. It’s ok if your foot touches the floor. I find I get a little extra stretch if I put my arms over my head and stretch upward at the same time to lengthen my whole body. Be careful not to overdo this one. It is deceptively intense. Maybe a couple times a day for a few minutes.

I’m curious, how do you do self traction on the wall?

 

[Sammy-Am]

Interesting about the pectinius muscle (and thank you for the helpful graphic!) I can see how it could be challenging to stretch your hip flexors and not over stretch that muscle if it’s irritated. Try experimenting with the above stretches and see what feels good.

Oh! I almost forgot…another good one is to lie on the edge of your bed with your operated leg closest to the edge. Carefully slide that leg off the bed so it is hanging down. It’s ok if your foot touches the floor. I find I get a little extra stretch if I put my arms over my head and stretch upward at the same time to lengthen my whole body. Be careful not to overdo this one. It is deceptively intense. Maybe a couple times a day for a few minutes.

I’m curious, how do you do self traction on the wall?

Thanks for explaining the hip flexor stretches. It’s a little challenging visualizing the third one, though. From what I gather, from front to back, both legs are in line with one another?

Traction at the wall is essentially lying on your back with the soles of both your feet straight out in front of you, touching the wall. The non-operative leg slides towards you, away from the wall, with the sole of the foot planted on the floor (like in a bridge). Using the non-operative foot for stability, you flex the surgical foot, lift through your pelvic floor, and gently push your surgical foot into the wall, as if you were trying to push the wall away from you. It’s hard explaining something visually in writing LOL.

Last night, my hip flexors felt okay. I just had a lot of tightness and discomfort in my inner thigh/adductor muscles. I’m getting a massage this afternoon, so hopefully the therapist can help release some of the tightness and give me a better picture of what’s really tight vs. what’s simply compensating.

I’ve noticed that my leg is the most comfortable when I’m laying down with my legs straight out in front of me or in a modified cobra. I usually sleep on my side or on my stomach which seems to aggravate those inner thigh muscles.

Hopefully it’s only a matter of time before I’m on the mend again.

Best,
Sam

 

[JusticeRider]

Hi Sam, you did a great job explaining the traction at the wall. I think I can visualize it. I might have to try that one myself!

For that 3rd stretch I mentioned, you don’t want your legs in a line (like in warrior). You’d start by just standing naturally with feet shoulder width apart or slightly closer, and then just step your non-operative foot forward, not crossing in front of the other foot.

I have one more stretch for you for those tight adductors! Lying on your back with both legs straight and flat, loop a strap around your operative foot and hold onto both ends. Keep your non-operative leg straight and lying flat on the mat. Lift your operative leg up, keeping it straight, with the strap to help provide some pressure to brace against. Lift it as high as feels good to you. You can hold that for a few seconds. Then, keeping tension in the strap and keeping your leg lifted straight and high, let your leg move out to the side (abduction). You want to be pulling it both up toward you AND out to the side so you’re getting kind of a two-way stretch. Hold it where it feels like a nice mild stretch and visualize opening up the crease of your groin. You can let it out further to the side and intensify it a little more if it feels good. Hold 30-60 seconds. Then take it back to straight up for a few seconds, then out to the side and hold. You can repeat a few times, always ending with your leg straight up before you lower it back down to the mat. Hopefully that makes sense! It feels so good if you can get those adductors to release.

 

[Sammy-Am]

Hi Sam, you did a great job explaining the traction at the wall. I think I can visualize it. I might have to try that one myself!

For that 3rd stretch I mentioned, you don’t want your legs in a line (like in warrior). You’d start by just standing naturally with feet shoulder width apart or slightly closer, and then just step your non-operative foot forward, not crossing in front of the other foot.

I have one more stretch for you for those tight adductors! Lying on your back with both legs straight and flat, loop a strap around your operative foot and hold onto both ends. Keep your non-operative leg straight and lying flat on the mat. Lift your operative leg up, keeping it straight, with the strap to help provide some pressure to brace against. Lift it as high as feels good to you. You can hold that for a few seconds. Then, keeping tension in the strap and keeping your leg lifted straight and high, let your leg move out to the side (abduction). You want to be pulling it both up toward you AND out to the side so you’re getting kind of a two-way stretch. Hold it where it feels like a nice mild stretch and visualize opening up the crease of your groin. You can let it out further to the side and intensify it a little more if it feels good. Hold 30-60 seconds. Then take it back to straight up for a few seconds, then out to the side and hold. You can repeat a few times, always ending with your leg straight up before you lower it back down to the mat. Hopefully that makes sense! It feels so good if you can get those adductors to release.

Thanks for the added clarification! I’ll have to try both of the stretches you provided.

Another week into recovery and I thought I was making some headway. I was shown quite a few great adductor stretches at work which really seemed to alleviate some of the tightness—happy baby, a diamond variation of child’s pose (where the knees are out and the toes touch in the back), lunge variations, thigh fall outs, etc. Essentially the discussion at work was that given how “pigeon toed” I am, I have to train my hips to go into more external rotation and strengthen my adductors to diminish pressure on the labrum and groin. Obviously, I can’t change my anatomy, but at least I can start to work on the muscular imbalances plaguing my hip.

So, all last week I was chugging away, just really focusing on stretching, icing, and trying to make myself comfortable. I was working on Thursday, standing and walking like crazy as I normally do, and I could feel the tightness in my hip tugging on my SI joint—almost the sensation of my hip “hiking up.” So, I gave the chiropractor a buzz to see if he could even everything out before it got any worse.

The last time he adjusted my SI joint, I felt completely fine. Thursday night, I left his office just feeling gross and completely inflamed, and I immediately regretted going. To make matters worse, we had an office shortage on Friday, so I had to spend the majority of the day sitting at the front desk. I had the usually psoas/iliopsoas tightness/pressure, some groin pain, and that nagging SI pain that flared up and down throughout the day.

I only started having problems with the SI joint when I had the labral tear and after surgery, most of that irritation went away completely. The only battle has been the amount of walking and standing I do at work everyday. When my hip is tight and stiff, my SI joint flares.

As I’ve mentioned before, my hip for the most part, is functioning substantially better than before surgery. I still have a little bit of pain and achiness at the ASIS, which my surgeon believes is hip flexor tendinitis. The groin pain I’ve been experiencing is not nearly as severe as before surgery, and seems to flare when the ASIS pain flares and my psoas/iliopsoas feels tight and heavy. Sometimes when I’m standing on the operative leg too long, the front of my hip feels weak.

I follow up with my surgeon again on January 5th, so we’ll see how everything goes until then. According to the current plan, I’ll start PT once I see him again.

Even with everything challenging going on with my recovery, I’m really happy that I chose the surgeon that I did and that I decided to do the surgery. I think the challenge at the moment is not knowing why I’m experiencing certain aches and pains, which I’ll bring up to my doctor at our next visit.

At the moment, it’s hard feeling like everything isn’t “fixed.” Maybe I should have gotten a second opinion, just to have another doctor look at the anteversion in my hips. Or maybe I should have fought my insurance harder to have more PT visits immediately after surgery, when I was feeling great. Alas, what will be will be.

Sam

 

[JusticeRider]

Hi Sammy-Am, sorry to hear about the pain you’re experiencing, the added challenge with your atypical anatomy, and that awful experience with the chiropractor! But I’m really glad to hear that you feel good about doing the surgery! I don’t know about you, but before my surgery I was in so much pain there was no question, I HAD to have that surgery and the sooner the better. My function, pain, etc is night and day from before surgery. No regrets whatsoever! BUT…it’s a long and difficult recovery.

At four months out, even though it feels like forever and you just want to be done, you’re 1/3 healed. I was reading a woman’s blog who’d had the surgery and she said for the first 8 months or so you have to rehab like it’s your job. And it’s so true! Keep icing, stretching, and resting as much as you can.

Also, your actual day job involves sooo much activity for this soon after your surgery that it might make your recovery a little bit tougher. But you gotta do what you gotta do! You will probably experience a multitude of aches and pains along the way. But it’s good you are going to talk with your doctor in case there is anything out of the ordinary. And so great that you work at a pt office and can get great advice! Keep us updated and keep on truckin

 

[ljpviper]

I had hip arthroscopy on my right hip back in 2011. It’s a very tedious recovery. I feel rehab is just as important as the surgery. You really need to have all your muscles working properly especially your glutes as they stabilize your hip. A hip scope might not seem as invasive as a replacement but it’s still a Somewhat complex surgery. Remember your hip/leg is pulled forward in a traction table. It really irritates all the hip muscles as they are held stretched during the surgery.

Hip replacement is a totally different surgery and recovery as very little PT if any is needed. So what works in recovery for hip replacement might not suit a hip scope.

Good luck

Larry

 

[JusticeRider]

Totally agree @ljpviper …I did pt religiously for 9 months after my FAI/labrum repair surgeries. It’s a tough balance though because for us athletic types it’s easy to think ‘if some is good, more is better!’ I fell into over-exercising early in my recovery. My pt would give me an exercise and tell me to do 3 sets a day, so I’d do 10 sets a day. If I could walk 2 miles without too much pain I’d do twice as far the next day. I wanted to get back to normal and my active, competitive life asap. But you have to ramp up slowly and it just takes a long time!

I will tell you this though, the summer after my first FAI/labrum repair surgery I did a 5 day, 50 mile backpack through some incredibly rugged and challenging terrain in the Olympic Mountains, and my hip performed beautifully. I couldn’t believe it, but it actually felt better the further I went. Once you get past the early stages where your hip is reactive and you have to be so cautious, you’ll find it WANTS to exercise. You just have to listen to your hip.

 

[Sammy-Am]

Hi All,

Sorry I’ve been off the forum a while. Hard to believe it’s been a month already since I last hopped on. And as of the 15th, I’ll be 6 months post-op !!

With every month that goes by, I’m leaning more and more into trust—trusting the process, trusting my body, and recognizing that my body knows exactly what it needs in order to heal. Personally, I’ll take that over anxiety any day!

I just followed up with my surgeon last week and he’s happy with the progress I’m making. I still have quite a bit of tightness in my hip flexors and groin, but we’re hoping that will continue to ease with time.

A big topic of interest at my last visit was working with my surgeon to decide when we could do the arthroscopy on my opposite hip. Same situation on that side—a small labrum tear and both CAM and PINCER deformities.

At the moment my right hip isn’t debilitating, at least not yet. The clicking and popping sucks and the pain in the front of my hip is gradually becoming unbearable being on my feet all day at work. I also just started PT again last week and while my operative hip feels great doing the exercises, everything aggravates the right hip. The PT also noted that functionally, I’m almost exclusively bearing all of my weight on my left (operative) side while walking, which could explain, in part, why my hip flexors are constantly aggravated.

I follow up with my surgeon in mid-February. At our last visit, he said that since I’m almost 6 months out, he feels comfortable going ahead with surgery on the right side. But, he’s leaving it up to me to decide when I’m ready.

My left side feels so much stronger than before surgery, and functionally my hip is doing much better. My hip flexors are my biggest concern at this point. I had to wait an hour for another doctor’s appointment this morning and boy, was I in pain from the tightness!

I’m not rushing into surgery on the right side, but boy, I would love to feel normal again! I’ve been dying to work out again, get back to my yoga mat, drop some winter weight, and move again. But, everything will come in time.

Thanks again for listening