THR Anniepops THR Recovery

[Anniepops]

Thanks Alex.....you have a great way of explaining things, it's appreciated.xxx

Have been trying the walking fast thing more,also the fields are very muddy as I mentioned earlier and so it is very rough ground to walk on, I'm presuming this is better for rehab as I am having to work harder to walk over all the lumps and bumps and very watery bits...thank God for Wellies!!! Fortunately I quite enjoy having a good old plodge through the puddles

Still have the sticky out leg below the knee thing. This doesn't bother me so much but I do find it very annoying that my foot twists so that the inside is up and the outside goes down IFSWIM. This is when I lift my knee up. I have been trying really hard to not make it go loopy but it's that darn foot that bugs me most. I can feel myself using my ankle to lift the knee or so it seems anyway.

Had my Hubby hold onto my foot and keep it in the right position whilst I lifted my knee( I was sitting down) This did not ache or cause me any pain or muscular discomfort but.... i could really feel the new hardware turning, it didn't hurt but was a weird sensation, felt like it needed a squirt of WD40 to loosen it up. So....I know I have the equipment to do this but presume just not the muscle power. Very frustrating when I have......except for the recent period of not having time to do my exercises and therefore feeling a bit lazy..been doing everything religiously.

This is something I really have to work on, perhaps it just isn't an option due to wasted muscles or very poor ROM since forever but I am going to continue to work on it, continue with the exercise using Hubbies strong hands and fingers crossed I see an improvement

 

[alexthecat]

Well, now I have a lovely image of you tromping through the muddy fields, carrying your trusty hula hoop, of course.

I agree with you that the loopy foot is probably largely due to muscle weakness. I found that my own muscles got up to speed fairly quickly once I got them to engage and reminded them how to do their job. I know it's frustrating, but try to keep at it. I do think you will get there.

Back on page 16, we were talking about adductor stretches. Are you doing anything like that now? I think you would benefit. If you can't do the stretch Cardie shared then, let me know and I'll show you something gentler.

 

[C Mac]

Hi Ann,

So was this foot/knee thing the valgus and did we talk about that a while back in your thread -- or was that in Angie's thread?

It looks like it has to do with the external rotation of the hip joint alexthecat maybe there is something that you can do that helps with this???

Fascinating, what Alex wrote about the speed of walking -- I think we need to spend more time walking with our teenagers, they have a fast pace, long legs and don't seem to slow down unless it's demanded...

Take care,
Cardie

 

[alexthecat]

Cardie, we want external rotation and abduction at the same time. Take a look at #311 in this thread. That's the motion, but it requires lumbar strength and flexibility. Stretching the hamstrings (both sides) can help in approaching that pose.

 

[Vida]

Hi Annie
I have a similar history to yours and some of the other lovely, supportive CDH folk who post here. I have backslid at 8 weeks after coming out strong and have been feeling gloomy over the last couple of days, Tonight I read through your thread and was very inspired. I'll bet your determination, optimism and sense of humour, plus the amazing support you've received along your journey has inspired a great many of us. Thanks for your honesty --even when things aren't as perfect as you'd like. Keep fighting, I hope this is a fantastic year in which you can leap through the fields, muddy or otherwise.
Vicki.

 

[Poppet]

Hey Annie, lovely to read that you are out walking and in your new wellie's - puddle jumping.. I love that vision, good for you honey

 

[tashia]

Now that I am spending more time on other sites I sometimes miss hearing from my friends so I thought I would just drop by and see how you are doing. I hope things are better now. Drop me a line. Do take care. Tashia

 

[Nannyannie]

Hi Anniepops from NannyAnnie "down south"!
I am so looking forward to walking out over the North Kent Marshes (Charles Dickens country) again but would definitely need wellies at the moment. I used to be the one striding out at the front - nickname "the Marine" - with the family trailing behind, no wonder I wore my hip out. I know I am at the start of my journey but I have to learn how to walk without throwing my left leg out sideways and waddling from side-to-side like a penguin! Maybe if I try to walk faster it will help.
We will get there!
Anne

 

[alexthecat]

Nannyannie the limp you describe is common after THR and tends to resolve on its own, with time and healing. In your recovery thread you said that you are no longer using walking aids. Is that the case? If so, you really should use a crutch or stick until you are able to walk independently with no limp. There are no awards for giving up walking aids early, but you do risk this becoming a habitual limp which can be hard to eliminate.

 

[Anniepops]

Hello lovely Ladies and a special hello to Vida; and Nannyannie;, thanks all for popping by

Vida, I lolled at your 'leaping through the fields' idea, definitely not leaping but I might stretch to a small 'prance'. I'm sorry to hear you are feeling rather down but please be assured that this is completely normal for us hippies. I think many of us expect miracles quite early on which unfortunatly, more often than not, do not materialise immediately but what is happening to you and indeed all of us is a kind of miracle just a one that takes a bit of time to unfold. Things will improve but in a topsy turvy way, one minute you feel fantastic as all is going well and the next you feel stuck in a rut. The best way to go forward is using the power of positive thinking, it really does help, that and a lorra lorra (lot of ) patience. I need to do a lot of catching up as I have missed out on lots of peeps threads, hoping when I visit yours that things are looking up and you are moving onwards and upwards again.take care.x.

Nannyannie...aka 'the marine' ....love it. I must also visit your thread to read about your recovery. It is difficult changing to entire way you walk and takes a fairly long time for your body to adjust to all the changes but you will get there. Definitely listen to our resident 'oh wise one' Alex, it is best to use the stick/crutch until your walking is much improved as we don't want to continue with bad habits, not when we have our shiny new hips to support us properly now Come the summer you will be striding ahead of the best of them over those North Kent Marshes.....I bet that is a fabulous walk. Take care.x.

 

[Anniepops]

alexthecat; and C Mac; I still can't do the abduction exercise, yes Cardie it is the external rotation which I have always had a problem with......could never sit cross legged with my bad leg and still cannot get that operated leg foot past my ankle when trying to bring it up to my knee in a lying position on the floor, even less in a sitting position. I can do that exercise (post 311)somewhat if I lean against the couch to keep my back supported but it is still a struggle. I am coming to the conclusion that the CDH has had an unchangeable effect on this movement. I have considered that it could be my patella tracking problem stopping it or perhaps a bit of both, who knows eh! I am just one complex lass.lol. Alex, yes I would appreciate an easier exercise if you could recommend,I am still up for learning and trying anything new

Thanking you.xxxx

 

[Anniepops]

And last but most certainly not least Poppet; and tashia; I hope you both are doing okay, will be doing some catching up over the weekend so will see how you both are doing. Tash, during my very quick visits recently I have noticed you are posting quite a bit on other threads, that's great, your post are very encouraging to other members and yes, I will be in touch Sandy, I saw you have been a bit poorly, really hoping those antibiotics are doing their job and that you are having a nice restful weekend. Bye for now.xxxx

 

[Vida]

Wow, I so identify with your range of motion issue anniepops. Like you, my problems were lifelong, so trying the post surgical abduction exercises were, for want of a better word, vile. They literally brought me to tears. Over the years I've tried yoga, stretching, physio, all sorts of exercise classes, chiro, massage, you name it, and could never get the bad leg to open wider and flatten. (That sounds bad but you know what I mean.) And I had serious leg-crossing envy. I'm hoping that will change as I'm starting to see a wee bit of movement. But until Wednesday when I go back to physio and try again, I am just riding a stationary bike on zero because it gets my hip moving and it feels so good! Don't you love ordering online? Now I don't even have to go to the gym. My new cheap but super-sturdy Walmart bike (thanks oldyellr) was delivered to the door yesterday and after a lot of cursing by Mr.Vida, was ready for a test drive 15 minutes later. My drugs are now level again and my spirits are back up.. what a difference from last week. If I have to take four percocets a day until my hip flexors are behaving themselves, then I will. And I will then do a lorra (I'm originally from Leeds) gamboling towards wine bars around the world. Have a great w/e!

 

[Anniepops]

Vicki, how funny that I used 'lorra' in your message (I don't often use british slang) and there you are from Leeds and understanding it. What a laugh

So like me there was simply nothing you could do to change that external rotation but boy did you try....kudos for that. For me, having it that way forever was just normal and I didn't think of trying to improve on it. The crossed leg sitting was the bain of my life in school, you know when we are all told to sit crossed legged on the floor and I couldn't do it so had to explain this to every new teacher I encountered....very annoying and embarrasing when I was little. It's fantastc that you are seeing a bit of an improvement. My ROM has definitely improved, I would just like a tiny bit more.

It's excellent that you have your new bike, yes the internet is a wonderful tool for shopping. I hope you enjoy your cycling, you will see improvements in leg strength quite quickly, I know I did and I always took it quite easy, no going daft for me.lol. Pleased to hear you have your medication sorted now too, what did I say about those ups and downs, you never know where you are gonna be from one day to the next in the early days/weeks.

Happy cycling

Take care.x.

 

[alexthecat]

Anne, how about this to decrease the external rotation? Using the couch to support your back, as you mentioned, do the same stretch while sitting something to elevate your bottom above your feet. So, feet on the floor and bottom on this "something". I don't know what that "something" would be. Maybe a yoga block or fat book or a firm cushion. Can you play with that and let me know how it goes?

 

[Anniepops]

Hi Alex, thanks

Had a go of that using two cushions to sit on. It is uncomfortable(in my hip joint) but I can do it better. I can reach to just below my calf, not quite to my ankles. The weird thing is that when I lean forward my top half goes over to the left. I also noticed this in the bath last night when I practised kneeling. The whole top half is off kilter when I do certain positions. It is as if my pelvis is twisted or something. I will continue to practise this and report back after a few days on how it is going.

Xxx

 

[alexthecat]

As long as it's uncomfortable in a stretching sense and not uncomfortable in a very painful sense, I think you're okay. You are so far out from surgery, you know?

I'm on the computer now, so you get some pictures today...


I can do this, with the same ROM as this person, so there's nothing with the implant itself to stop you doing this stretch. I think you know that though. As I recall, I was at least a year post-op before I could do this. I don't think it would have happened if I hadn't kept working on it. My right side had that ROM the whole time though and I felt sort of unbalanced until the left side had mostly caught up.

I know I've posted this somewhere in someone's thread before, but can't for the life of me remember where. I just want to put this here now, so we have a visual reference of what we were talking about over the weekend. Note the nice, straight back. It's perfectly fair to have something behind you to support your back or to increase the height of the thing you are sitting on until you can sit up straight. For me, the bit about the straight back was the hardest part of sitting cross-legged. My lower back really wanted to slouch and it took a while to get past that.

 

[C Mac]

Hi Ann and Vida,
That's why I always like this graphic of the butterfly -- her legs are not perfectly symmetrical, at least to my vision, and that's how my legs go too when I do this pose. My legs don't open as far as the picture that Alex posted -- even on the "normal" side (I can side "cross legged/Indian style" though).

It really is about soft tissue adaptation and stretching -- I, too, thought that round ball and socket joint was going to make me capable of all sorts of normal stuff but my muscles keep me from it...

We'll keep working at it though, right gals!!
Take care,
Cardie

 

[Vida]

C Mac Anniepops Sigh. I can think of times in my life it would have been pretty useful to have been so bendy. Now I'm getting older.... anyhoo, I also look like that not so bendy lady in the illustration but yes, I will keep working on it, new shiny hip willing. What is Indian style? You mean like a yogi... legs on thighs? Good grief Cardie, how can you do that but not flatten your legs down in that above pose?

 

[C Mac]

No, no -- not like a yogi -- more like this. That's what I thought you two meant when you were referring to sitting cross legged as a kid in school. They used to call it "Indian style" when I was a kid.

Believe me your shiny new hip is willing to rotate all over the place -- that's why the OS chose the appliance he installed. It's all the soft tissues that are unfamiliar with those movements that will put up the rebellion!!! At least that's how it works for me but I also have a difference in the length of my femurs and their corresponding muscles have adapted to that difference over 40 some odd years of time. Blah, Blah, Blah -- enough about me....

Back to the hula hoop at all Anniepops
Take care,
Cardie