THR Anyone else had to have bone grafting done?

Ebioic

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Heya. I had a left THR just over 3 weeks ago (August 10th) and the surgeon had to graft some of the femur head they removed onto the acetabulum (socket) so I can’t weight bear until the 6 weeks mark. I had my right hip done 5 years ago but I don’t know if my memory is lousy but I feel like even though I had to wait to weight bear then too like my recovery was faster . The activity guides and recovery posts from others that I’ve seen on here also seem very far removed from where I am. So just curious if anyone else out there had a graft and if that’s what’s affecting my progress
 
Hi @Ebioic
I see you started a thread.:) :-) (:
I am trying to think if there are any current active members that also had a bone graft right now....
The last one I remember is @EditorER who did very well but not sure is still hanging about.
Perhaps the tag will alert them to update.

Here is an article we have in our library.

You can also put bone graft into our search feature and check out older hip threads.
 
I will leave you our Recovery Guidelines. Each article is short but very informative. Following these guidelines will help you have a less painful recovery.

Just keep in mind all people are different, as are the approaches to this recovery and rehab. The key is, “Find what works for you.“ Your doctors, PTs and BoneSmart are available to help, but you are the final judge as to the recovery approach you choose.

Hip Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary​
2. Control discomfort
rest
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​

3. Do what you want to do BUT​
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you​
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.​

4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this

6. Access to these pages on the website


BIG TIP: Hips actually don't need any exercise to get better. They do a pretty good job of it all on their own if given half a chance. Trouble is, people don't give them a chance and end up with all sorts of aches and pains and sore spots. All they need is the best therapy which is walking and even then not to excess.

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.

While members may create as many threads as they like in a majority of BoneSmart's forums, we ask that each member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice.
 
Greetings, @Ebioic!
I had my LTHR last Wednesday 8/25, and a bone graft was part of the procedure.
My surgeon used the direct anterior approach. I have no restrictions and am allowed to weight bear as tolerated.
I've never had but minor surgery, so don't have any preconceptions about the healing process for joint replacement, but so far I'm amazed. Also, I'm trying hard to keep it slow and steady. Only teeny tiny short walks for now.
Just for the record: advanced OA, DJD, acetabular protrusio, and osteopenia (deep hip sockets, soft bone, no cartilage). I'm sure it wasn't pretty in there.
 
@Mojo333 Thanks for those resources, especially the bone graft one!
 
@Ebioic Hello !:wave:
I see Mojo has kindly answered your question about the Lounge Doctor pillow.. I remember that same issue with using multiple pillows and having them slide around.

We have a good BoneSmart article that gives some extensive advice on proper elevation, I will leave the link here for you. Further down in the article it shows how to stack three pillow correctly and how they can be loosely stitched or pinned together..

https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/elevation-the-dos-and-donts.7602/

I think I read correctly that you had your right THR about 5 years ago, can you give us the date of that surgery and we will add that to your signature so you get "credit" for that too. :heehee:

I'm sure you are feeling a bit behind with your progress, certainly having a weight bearing limit has to be a strong factor with that, don't you think? You will catch up, it's just a little blip for now.. and hey you are halfway through the 6 weeks already!
 
@CricketHip :wave: thanks for linking here too! The stacked pillows have helped already! And I’m going to see a about the Lounge Doctor one.

Yup I had my right THR in April 2016 and it’s been fabulous, as in salsa dancing fabulous! Fingers crossed I’ll have no issues from hopping around on it for another 3 weeks cause it didn’t start to feel a bit wonky yesterday.

You're right about the weight bearing limitation I think. So I’ve decided I won’t compare myself to others. I’ll just take it easy and use the helpful tips on here about rest, elevation, ice and paying attention to my body’s reactions. :)
 
@Ebioic
You didn't say how deep a graft you have, and I have twenty years on you, so you're dealing with more active bone. Take it slow. I'd forgotten that my husband had grafting with his hip replacement years ago to fill in for necrotic tissue. He was minimally weight-bearing for the first 6 weeks, hasn't had a problem since.
(He doesn't dance, salsa or otherwise. Don't ask him.)
 
@CricketHip Heya. I saw you post about a lymphatic drainage technique in another recovery post. Is there anyway for me to know when it’s starting to work?

Also do you or anyone else have any recommendations on how soon gentle massage is possible? The calf of my operated leg has been feeling sooo tight the past couple of days.
 
Re: Lymphatic Drainage techniques, it can vary.. it depends on how long and how well you can incorporate the deep breathing and hands on portion. During my recovery- I didn't experience huge results until after the 3 weeks time frame. But found it helped me sleep better and I'm sure it was helping in small ways. Meaning the swelling diminished but would return easily, due to the inflammation of surgery.
The best thing for me was to get comfy and elevate my legs, do the manual lymph drainage and then rest or sleep for as long as I could comfortably and let the fluids continue to move.
You could get a massage now, I would imagine.. depending on whether you already have a LMT that you are comfortable with or was recommended to, or know that they have some skill set towards recovery or post op massage.
@Ebioic
 
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Today is the 4 week mark and from yesterday I started having some pain in my knee on the operated side. I’m not sure if it’s from holding my leg in the toe touch position when I do my mini walks (read walker hops) during the course of the day.

I’m trying not to get ahead of myself but I really don’t want to recover from L-THR and then have knee issues. Flashbacks of recovery from R-THR and life being fantastic and pain free for 4 years then boom left hip started being a problem:unsure:
 
I don't know about bone graft or if that's what you'd call it. I had a bone cyst the OS said he could stick his finger in my pelvis. He ground up my femur head and pasted it in there and said I was good to go. I didn't have any weight bearing restrictions.
 
Thanks @Eman85 Read a lot of your old posts very encouraging re your activity levels and ROM. Looking forward to having being weight bearing in a couple weeks.

Very excited for a change of scenery today since I’m going out for PT for the first time and I haven’t left the house since I had my stitches removed 2 weeks ago.
 
Be careful what you wish for! Bad experience today - I stumbled on the steps outside the house on the way to PT and instinctively put my left leg down so there was weight put on it briefly. It didn’t seem to be too bad after but then I had to wait for an extended time to be let into the PT building and then they had no high chairs so I had to wait for them to rig one up. By that time pain started so we ended up not doing anything other than heel slides and abductions and then she iced me up and told me to keep icing.
Pain is still there like radiating down from my glutes to the top of the back of my thigh. I’m really hoping this is temporary and I haven’t slowed or thrown off the setting of the prosthesis and the live bone that the surgeon said would be growing in this 6 week period. I will definitely be having the physiotherapist return to visiting me at home until I can weight bear. Panicking a bit right now
 
Well, phooey! If it helps, several of us have been there and done that. Myself included.. Please do not panic. I remember my surgeon assuring me that by week 4 things are pretty solid in the new hip and usually it's the soft tissues complaining.

I did a weird slip and almost fall with my first hip... terribly painful and it took me a week or more to bounce back but I did and all is well. The fact that the pain increased with time makes me think again, soft tissue.. like in swelling ( even a small amount can cause pain and inflammation).

Hopefully you are already feeling better and still icing? so sorry, @Ebioic .
 
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@Ebioic — So upsetting. My husband took a similar tough blow soon after his hip replacement, was in pain and mildly panicked. His surgeon was very reassuring. And, as time has shown, no damage was done.
Rest, ice, and be kind to yourself.
 

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