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7 Weeks Post Op Anterior THR: Oh What Fun

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cheddarveil said:
Each week as the degree of difficulty in PT exercises has increased but I know there is alot of recovery ahead
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Actually, no there isn't! Hips need very little in the way of exercising and generally manage to get better without any help from us if given half a chance. The most they need is simple everyday activities and some moderate walks. One of those situations where less is definitely more!
 
ststyle59 said:
my home care PT had "no mercy" on me yesterday
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@ststyle59 read my post above and never let your PT cause you pain. It's unnecessary, counter-productive and doing such things to you without your consent is also an assault which, last time I heard, is actually against the law in any country!
 
......@josephine, thank you, I will surely take your "info" under advisement, guess it's just gonna be a "slow road to recovery".......again, thank youfor your input!
 
Actually I think you will find you recover faster if you don't over do things. Rest, ice and elevate and let that area recover from the trauma of the op. Exercise if you feel like it - but only if you feel up to it. Slow and steady!
 
You know what? There is plenty of time for PT or just reasonable exercise after you're off pain meds. Walking often and as far as you're comfortable is about all you need to do. My PT tried to get me to do straight leg lifts on my operative side and it hurt like heck and didn't make sense to me to be stressing an area that had just had major surgery. I said "…. no." After a few weeks, no problem, I could do a hundred of them.

Y'all need to listen to Josephine. And if the PT won't listen to you---say goodbye.
 
14 weeks post op. got to be careful........tonight I walked upstairs ( 7 or 9 steps) with 3 or 4 bags of heavy groceries with no cane, was a little sore for a while. every single day is an improvement though
 
.....oh, one more restriction they fail to tell ya about, especially when you are only 8 days out of the hospital, DO NOT SNEEZE, and if ya do, be sure NOT TO HOLD YOUR NOSE......thank you....
 
I just got through 2 very long and uncomfortable days. It seems my quad muscle is SUPER angry at me, and is so tight and spasming that I thought I would be sick to my stomach I hurt so badly. I requested a refill for the pain meds on Monday since I knew I would run out over the holidays. Still waiting for the doctor to OK another ref. Talked with the dr's office this morning about it so hopefully relief is on the way. Very disappointing to feel like I have taken a few steps backward.
 
I had crushing spasms between 4 and 6 weeks out. I hope you are able to get that refill today. Does heat or ice on your quad help at all? Please keep us updated!
 
Thanks Jacey......the only time the leg feels good is when I am in the shower. At PT today they hooked me up with some electro- stimulus machine and put a moist hot pack on it. It felt pretty good until I got outside where the 15 degree weather didn't help it any. I cried like a baby at PT, I am so uncomfortabe. I am putting moist heat on the leg and went back to using a crutch, just to give that quad muscle a bit of rest. I am getting ready to call my doctor again as the pain pills have not yet been refilled. I feel like I am supposed to justify my need for the pain meds and hate having to chase the doctor down for pain relief. Today has not been a good day. I am very thankful for this site where we can get support for such times as this.
 
Cheddarveil, my quad muscles were a source of a lot of pain for me. What helped me was 1. Celebrex 2. Having the physical therapist help me achieve a good long gentle stretch...I simply couldn't do it myself nearly as well.
3. Manual manipulation of the muscles to help loosen them. 4. Ice...a lovely 15 minutes of ice after every PT session.

And you need to assert yourself at PT. I had a particular problem with leg lifts. After paying for it with a big flare up of pain, I told my therapist....I don't want to have that happen again. I need to cut back on those. I will as many as I can until it hurts. And then I'm stopping. He agreed with me, and also suggested a way to modify them so I could manage better. I had done 45 the day it hurt so much. This time he asked for 30. I said I'd try. I did 25. I was quite prepared to stop at 1 if need be.

You're at a month out. The worst truly is over, and in a few weeks you'll start to see great progress. But until then, pamper yourself. Use your meds to their full advantage, continue to get plenty of rest times, ice ice ice, and if you're going to do PT, make them take it more slowly.

Sharon
 
Hi @cheddarveil, the following is a link to an article which provides some approximate timeframes around the healing phases and processes (and relevant nutritional information) that you may find interesting to read.

Healing Phases & Nutrition

Also, check out the article in the Nutritional section of the library regarding Magnesium - worth thinking about... The link to the nutrition library is in my signature block :)
 
@ cheddarveil Sorry you are having a lot of pain with the muscle spasms.....you don't think perhaps you are overdoing that PT? Especially at only 4 weeks. The only pearls of wisdom I can offer you is that I suffered terrible spasms, stiffness and pain when I pushed my body too hard.....at 4 weeks post op I decided ( god knows why??) that I should up the ante and push my body further...boy did I pay for it...had to have two days resting and icing before the spasms subsided....again at 10 weeks I spent 7 hours shopping plus housework, cooking etc and had the same again ...this time again took a few days to recover. I'm at nearly 12 weeks and can honestly say that my hip tells me when I should cutback and I listen carefully...but life is almost normal...I can do most things I want. Do try to be kind to that lovely new hip and rest and ice, along with pain meds. Do hope the pain wears off for you. Take care..Chrissie xxxx


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I hope you can get those meds today @cheddarveil . Please do not feel you need to justify them. You are only 4 weeks out of major surgery! Talk to someone today and get that refill. No need to go another weekend without your meds.
 
You're getting some very good advice here, but wanted to add my two cents. I'm four weeks post op, revision. My two surgeries are night and day. Don't push yourself. Let that tissue heal. Get up and walk, stretch and keep the blood flowing and the muscles moving. Track your OS down for pain meds. I know we all want to be off of them, and you will be, but for now, they are allowing you to do necessary moving without pain. Pretty sure that before you know it, you'll be moving comfortably without the need for anything.
Think twice about PT. Josephine and the others are so right. Hips don't need much.
 
Tomorrow is the 7 week mark for me. My 6 week exam and X-Rays were great, and my doctor is very pleased with my progress. I am cleared to return to work half time tomorrow. The excruciating muscle spasms are now gone, and have been replaced by mild to moderate muscle spasms that are intermittent. The new pain I am now dealing with is extremely sensitive skin on top of my thigh. Right now the top of my thigh is numb, and it does seem as though the nerves are waking up, but along with that is an increase in skin sensitivity, to the point where just touching certain spots sends me through the roof. My doctor said it could take several months for the nerves to fully wake up. Has anyone else experienced this and what did you do to alleviate the pain? I can say that it seems as though this sensitivity is worse when it is colder out, so maybe once this interminable Wisconsin winter is gone and spring arrives, the pain will go away.

It seems as though there is a progression of various pain in the recovery process. I have no joint pain (yay!) but right now with all the various recovery pains, I still am in the "why did I do this" category. I am much better off than 2 weeks ago, but I guess I keep thinking I should be past all these new pain surprises.
 
@cheddarveil , are you still taking any medication for all those aches and pains? They are very normal at this stage. As you say, nerves waking up and muscles complaining at being used in a different way. Spasms are also normal. All this will ease with time but do take meds if needed so you don't end up limping or shifting your weight to stay off a certain area.

I do hope you will be doing a Phased return to work?
 
Thanks, Jacey....yes, I am taking Tylenol Extra Strength by the clock, and my Nabumetone as prescribed. I also take a hydrocodone if needed, which is about 1 every few nights if my leg is spasming to where I can't sleep. These do seem to do the trick, as does applying heat.

I will be working 4 hours a day, going in about an hour later than my normal office hours, for the first few weeks. I've been doing laundry for the last few weeks and seem to tolerate the activity. I have a desk job and the flexibility to do what I need to in order to be comfortable. I intend to keep my ice packs handy.
 
Sounds like you are taking the right approach for returning to work.

A desk job can be hard for a new hippie. Be sure and get up and walk around very often. The stiffening sets in quickly when you are sitting for long periods. Medicate and ice regularly as well. Unfortunately the biggest complaint for post op members returning to work is the stamina issue. Don't be surprised if you are very tired for the first few weeks. Build up slowly.

Please let us know how it goes!
 
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