THR Bionic Woman has a shiny new hip!!

[BionicWoman2]

Hi Teacat. Thank you for well wishes. You are right - I was in tremendous pain before surgery. I'm so glad I had it done. Up to today, pain level dropped to a 2 or 0 at times, and recovery has been excellent. Today I have taken a bit of a back-spin. I stretched in the middle of the night and must have pulled one of the muscles - as pain on my side is in need of full meds today. I must have done too much yesterday, so today, I will rest and ice.

 

[BionicWoman2]

I had the anterior approach, but still have bending restrictions and no driving for 6 weeks. I also cant reach accross my midsection or cross my legs or ankles. Part of my exercise routine is to swing my leg behind me. I guess each surgeon is different. I find that when i don't use the reacher, that I overextend the stretch - so not bad for me.

For anyone who read this post previously, I was wrong, I had a lateral incision. Based on restrictions, wish I did have anterior, however I realize there are not a lot of surgeons who do this procedure. If I have to get my right hip done, i'll see if I can find someone to do anterior.

 

[BionicWoman2]

Hi everyone.

I am 10 weeks post-op and have been doing my physio exercises. I just started going to the gym and have a question. My doctor has advised that I do not run - ever - except if a car is going to hit me lol; and running in the back-yard with grandkids is ok too - don't have those yet. Does anyone know whether there should be concern about jogging on the spot in an aquafit class in the water? Would this be different than running because of the water? I want to ask the doctor - but it will be a while before I see him again. Any info/suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks, Tracey

 

[alexthecat]

He doesn't want you to run because the impact may not be good for your new hip. Running in water is low-impact, so that's not a problem. It's more strenuous than it may seem, so do try to ease into it. A lot of people overdo exercise in the first few months and end up with various soft-tissue problems. Just take it slow and I'm sure you'll be fine.

 

[Poppet]

It is a good idea to have a flotation belt on when in the pool in the deeper water when performing the cycling movement. It helped to keep me steady and upright and that seemed to be the most comfortable position.. As Alex said take it easy though one doesn't realise the effect of no gravity in water and can overdo it.. Done it many times myself - good luck

 

[BionicWoman2]

Thanks for the advice re using the floatation belt - I also spoke to the instructor at the beginning of class and she said the same thing. I do think I overdid it a bit yesterday, my first day at the gym, because I have groin pain, which I felt in the water today. It is hard to take it easy, as much as I know that is required for a smooth recovery.

 

[BionicWoman2]

I spoke to some people at the pool today - and they were surprised that I was venturing exercising so soon - is 10 weeks too soon?

 

[alexthecat]

No, it is not too soon as long as you don't overdo. What else are you doing in terms of housework, physio, exercise, work, etc? All that adds up.

 

[Poppet]

Hi BionicWoman2

I have merged your three recovery threads into this one, this is your primary thread.

We prefer to keep your recovery journey in the one thread for context. Many thanks

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One thread for your recovery please?​

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[BionicWoman2]

I haven't returned to work yet. I am doing physio and normal household chores, nothing too strenuous. My biggest challenge is walking with a normal gait - my legs swing around with each step. I think part of my issue could be that I have bunions - which cause my push off at toes to be incorrect.

I don't feel that I am ready to return to work, even though it is not a physically demanding job. Doctors say I can return after 12 weeks, but I'm not confident I am ready to do so. Guess I'll see how the next couple of weeks go.

 

[alexthecat]

You might benefit from the "horse walk". As you walk, lift your knees high in front and tap them with your palms. This will help your hip remember to flex when you walk, rather than letting the leg swing out to the side.

It's sounds like you are doing fine with activity. If you find that you wake up sore from the previous day's activities, give yourself a rest day. Remember that we get stronger on our recovery days, so it's important to work those into your schedule. You may find that you need to scale back your other activities when you return to work. That's typical, but you're lucky you don't have to hurry back to your job before you are ready.

 

[zauberflöte]

the "horse walk".

alexthecat would I be right in thinking that for me at 3+ weeks, this would not be a good exercise? I'm walking way better than I was pre-op, and I think it's a "normal but slow" gait. I'm not doing too much flexion exercising, I've read too much about tendinitis here recently, and the movement hurts in the groin. So I don't do it LOL.

 

[alexthecat]

zauberflöte Chris, I'd recommend not bothering with it for now. I expect your gait to smoothe out a lot in the coming weeks, regardless of what you do. You're right where you need to be right now.

 

[zauberflöte]

thank you alexthecat !