THR Chocolatine's New Hip

[Hotchocolate]

I'm sorry to hear you'll need another surgery. Healing from one is bad enough.

One easy thing you can do for your glutes right now is glutes squeezes. You can do those while icing or resting. Your can probably also do pelvic tilts. Most straightening exercises should wait 12 weeks (but get your surgeon's okay first).

 

[Chocolatine]

I'm sorry to hear you'll need another surgery. Healing from one is bad enough.

One easy thing you can do for your glutes right now is glutes squeezes. You can do those while icing or resting. Your can probably also do pelvic tilts. Most straightening exercises should wait 12 weeks (but get your surgeon's okay first).

Thanks- I am crossing my fingers that I can have the surgery before March just to get it over with.

I need to keep up with my glute squeezes- I stopped doing them for some reason. I'll ask my doctor next week if pelvic tilts are ok now.

I think I would also like to get an assessment from another PT. The one I was assigned to had very little experience with THR patients.

 

[Mojo333]

Sorry about the grumpy gall bladder @Chocolatine
I went to a PT at about ten weeks out as I had some weakness and gait issues.
My glutes were lazy and my conservative PT wanted me to strengthen them mostly by concentrating on How I walk.

One way to activate your glutes while walking is by rolling your foot from heel to toe with each step you take. This helps recruit the glutes and increases power in each stride.

Additionally, squeezing your butt cheeks together when making contact with the ground can help keep the glutes engaged throughout the duration of a walk.

Aiming for 100 sweeps and squeeze steps during a walk can help build strength and tone in this area.
However, anytime we start "training" our new hip... start slow and rest and ice after to see how you do.

Still early days, friend.
Slow but sure..we get there.
Happy 2024

 

[myglasshalffull]

Sorry to hear about the gallbladder but I had mine out 20 years ago, went in at 5PM & walked out of the hospital next AM. Only had laparoscopic removal so just laid low for about a week but fairly easy surgery so hopefully yours will be as well.
I have a hernia that needs attention but been putting that off, did see surgeon last summer but like you who wants another surgery???
All my best.

 

[Chocolatine]

Sorry about the grumpy gall bladder @Chocolatine
I went to a PT at about ten weeks out as I had some weakness and gait issues.
My glutes were lazy and my conservative PT wanted me to strengthen them mostly by concentrating on How I walk.

One way to activate your glutes while walking is by rolling your foot from heel to toe with each step you take. This helps recruit the glutes and increases power in each stride.

Additionally, squeezing your butt cheeks together when making contact with the ground can help keep the glutes engaged throughout the duration of a walk.

Aiming for 100 sweeps and squeeze steps during a walk can help build strength and tone in this area.
However, anytime we start "training" our new hip... start slow and rest and ice after to see how you do.

Still early days, friend.
Slow but sure..we get there.
Happy 2024

This is a great idea- thanks! I have been trying heel to toe walking, but I had not considered adding a glute squeeze.

I definitely need to work on my gait. I limped for a long time before surgery, and now I am walking with my legs very wide apart. I don't feel like my stance is wide, but both the PT and my husband have commented on it. So I am trying to be conscious of that as well. A lot to think about.

 

[Chocolatine]

Sorry to hear about the gallbladder but I had mine out 20 years ago, went in at 5PM & walked out of the hospital next AM. Only had laparoscopic removal so just laid low for about a week but fairly easy surgery so hopefully yours will be as well.
I have a hernia that needs attention but been putting that off, did see surgeon last summer but like you who wants another surgery???
All my best.

That's encouraging to hear that your gallbladder surgery went so well.Hoping mine will be equally uneventful.

If it helps, my 82 year old dad had an inguinal hernia repaired a few months ago. It went incredibly smoothly and he feels so much better now.

 

[benne68]

I had my second (and apparently final) post-op PT session on the 27. The public healthcare system went from four sessions to two,

The good news is that hips don't really need physical therapy to recover. The best therapy is walking.
In fact, my surgeon wouldn't even prescribe PT after my THR (although he did after both TKRs).

I have to have my gallbladder removed. It's full of stones and needs to go,

I'm so sorry to read this. I hope it isn't giving you a lot of trouble and that you can hold off until March.
Thankfully, they are able to do these surgeries laparoscopically now. My incision is only about an inch wide and recovery was relatively quite (especially compared to joint replacement!).

Keep us posted!

 

[dnordo220]

Happy New Year, good luck to your with your procedure.

 

[Chocolatine]

@benne68 Thanks for the well-wishes! Did you have your gallbladder removed before or after your joint replacements?

 

[benne68]

It was quite a few years before any of my joint replacements, @Chocolatine, but was memorable because I ended up in the ER in excruciating pain right before Thanksgiving and had to wait 3 days for surgery.

I'm glad you will be able to have your surgery done soon.

 

[Catmomma]

Hi Chocolatine-I am sorry to hear about your gall bladder. You definitely need to get that taken care of first. I had to postpone my hip surgery for 3 1/2 months for a large ovarian cyst that was possibly cancerous (it wasn’t thank heavens). It was upsetting but I am glad I waited.

 

[Chocolatine]

So glad you got good news about the cyst, @Catmomma ! That must have been scary.

I am actually almost 8 weeks post THR, so my gallbladder surgery will come second. Not exactly what I would have planned, but not much I can do.

 

[Chocolatine]

Ugh! Three days of pain? Poor you, @benne68

The ER scenario is exactly what I am trying to avoid. Fingers firmly crossed!

 

[Chocolatine]

I am so frustrated right now. My right hip was replaced, but I have had pain in my left hip all day today. That's supposed to be the good one! I have never, ever had pain in my left hip before. It started very suddenly too. Bizarrely, I have almost zero pain in my right hip- a big improvement from last week.

It's a sharp/burning pain on the side of the hip. It worsens when I walk or use the stairs. Feels like bursitis. I iced it, which helped. I also took some Tylenol, which did not. I have been sleeping on that hip, which may be contributing to the issue.

Anyone dealt with this? Is it because of the surgery- changing mechanics, etc? Do I need to avoid walking for a little while?

Trying to avoid this turning into a long-term thing.

 

[mendogal]

It's very possible that your pelvis and left hip have been making subtle adjustments to accomodate your right hip. Over time "subtle" adds up, and the tendons, ligaments, and muscles either tighten or loosen to accommodate. With a new right hip, structure, angles, weight bearing, gait are all different again, so... yes.

With luck and a little TLC to that newly complaining L hip (rest periods, ice, oral or topical OTC meds) things will settle.

If not, a visit to ortho (and perhaps a PT referral for *gentle* work on rebalancing your two sides?) would be a good idea.

 

[Chocolatine]

You make a good point about subtle things adding up, @mendogal . I have been dealing with pain for years and years- my body has been compensating in all kinds of ways, not all of them subtle either.

I saw the orthopedic surgeon this week for my follow-up, and he thought the pain in my right hip was bursitis. So I was already trying to relieve the pain on that side when the left one started acting up.

I have a PT referral from my doctor and I would like to get further evaluation. I want to make sure I pick the right person though. Any advice on that?

I don't want to panic about this, but man, did my heart sink when the pain started up.

 

[mendogal]

The main thing about a good PT is they understand that
- it's a collaboration between the two of you and you get all the decision making
- every body has its accumulated patterns, good and bad, and every person has individual priorities (some PTs gently work to correct imbalances; sadly, some think every human body should be manipulated to fit their own idea of some idealized symmetrical form)
- "no pain no gain" is dubious even for athletes and has no place in a context of post op healing (going slowly to the edge of comfort is ok, pain isn't).

 

[Chocolatine]

Thank you, @mendogal That's very helpful

 

[Layla]

With any luck your right hip discomfort has eased over the past few days.
Best of luck in finding a match in a PT and Happy Two Month Anniversary, Chocolatine!
I hope you have a fantastic 2024.
@Chocolatine

 

[Goma]

About two months after my surgery my left hip started to protest. It was a bit tender and achy. I had been sleeping on that side every night prior to surgery and using it to prop up my right hip every day in every way.

I really think my body was adjusting and realigning for a while after surgery and it's settled. Even my back hurt which I never had and that's gone. My muscles were screaming for a few days on and off not from overdoing it but having spasms sporadically.

I sort of feel everything shifted because things had changed. It's all weird if you ask me and I roll with it and hope it's resolves. Everything is happy at the moment thankfully.

Hope the body and hip settles for you.