THR Clairebella’s recovery journey

[Clairebella]

Hi! Hmm, I still have pain. The more I do the more I feel it all. I’m still taking a very slow approach.

I had my surgeons appointment yesterday. He said at this point pain is still to be expected and he said I wasn’t taking enough pain relief. He said to take things slow and I can get back to the pool and restrictions all gone except deep internal rotation.

I had PT today. My gait is good and she’s also taking a slow approach. My IT band is bothering me and general pain around the joint - all muscles and soft tissue still healing. My radiating pain is all down to the IT band tendon and the TFL tendon - the later is cut during surgery I think she said.

All in all, I think I shall continue pottering and just bide my healing time!

 

[Esmeralda]

I'm glad to hear your appointments with your surgeon and PT went well. Did you have an x-ray taken to check bone healing ?

 

[Goma]

When your stressed...sit or lie down, close your eyes and take some big deep breaths that expand and fill your lungs.In through the nose..out through the mouth.nice and slow.

Increases oxygen into your body and feels good.

 

[Clairebella]

@Esmeralda no X-ray! Although I had one at 2.5 weeks when I had an extra check up due to severe thigh pain.
He checked my gait and pelvic level and scar. Did not move my leg around. I don’t think that’s necessary anyway as all the range of motion is there now, it’s all the surrounding soft tissue and muscles to still heal and strengthen. He told me to get to a pool and walk through water.

 

[Clairebella]

PT yesterday gave me exercises. I spoke how I wanted a gentle approach and no bridges or clams. She spoke of walking all fine but still need to strengthen the muscles that hug around the hip. And the tendons in my case that need strengthened and not stretched.
What does everyone think about these exercises that I’ve been given.

 

[SurreyGirl]

The use of resistance bands at your current stage of recovery would worry me tbh.

That sit to stand using bands would terrify me!

 

[Clairebella]

The sit to stand she only used a band to keep me feet hip apart as my right leg drifted inwards when I stood. She did say anything that causes discomfort stop. And also it may be more comfortable to do in the pool. I don’t quite feel ready yet though which I did say to her.

 

[Elf1]

@Clairebella I'm just really leary of bands, I personally didn't have a good outcome with them. If you have access to a pool to do some water walking I wholeheartedly recommend it!

Once I received clearance I made a beeline for the gym we belonged to and hit that pool. I swim like a rock but walked a lot, did stretches and used pool noodles to do things like the bicycle and stuff. It really worked wonderfully and healing and building up my strength without major stress on my joints.

Unfortunately had a major set back involving a PT and then the gyms closed due to the virus. Unfortunately the company decided not to continue to maintain their pools which breaks my heart. I was getting in really good shape and felt fantastic.

 

[Hippie Chick]

I am glad it went well at the doctor’s appointment. Yay about the pool! Do you wear shoes in the pool area? I am nervous about slipping on the wet flooring. I see the doctor next Thursday and will check on the swelling.

 

[Esmeralda]

My surgeon did suggest Hydrotherapy to me to help me progress post op. I use to do it twice weekly pre-frozen shoulder to help with my bad hip. Walking in water is good but I found it was easy to overdo it as I was actually working the muscles harder than I realised at the time.

Re exercises, when I left hospital I was given 2 of the same exercises as you, no 2 & no 3 on your list but without the band for no 3 and less reps as well but that was several weeks ago, and I do them intermittently, depending on how sore I feel. For me, exercising is a hard one, I want to progress but I don't want to cause myself any more pain than the normal healing pain I'm experiencing. The last execise on your list, no 4 I think, I use to do it in the hydro pool pre-op.

 

[Clairebella]

I’m going to do them all in the pool apart from chair one obviously, the water will give a bit of resistance. I’ve decided to start that way.
I do have water shoes - I think I’ll wear them to the water edge, or maybe just in the pool altogether. The pool I go to is a Nuffield and there is a section they call ‘the walkers and talkers’ So I’ll stick in that section which a lot of people use who are clearly recovering from surgery or injury.

 

[Esmeralda]

Sorry but I have another question for you @Clairebella, you mentioned the PT checked your gait, was that done when you were walking without crutches ?

I tried taking a few steps without crutches last night and I really felt wobbly and I was hobbling a bit I think, I felt I was walking worse than I did pre-op. I have another (and last) PT appointment later today which I tried to postpone again as I don't feel I've made any progress since the last one but they talked me out of it ! So I will mention checking my gait and maybe checking leg length to see if that might be a cause of the wobbling sensation.

 

[Clairebella]

She checked with one crutch as I’m only using that outside and without. I was waking very slowly and one of my worries to her was that I can wobble and lean to left and need to steady myself when I’m without a crutch (inside). I’ve actually barely been out due to the storm and wind! So I have ultimately been pottering around house without crutch. I still limp going sit to stand and do the marching on the spot and I walk quite slowly and I do the heel to toe walking quite carefully still.

She did explain about Proprioception - and how you lose that in your op hip overnight essentially. When I stood on op leg only ( holding onto something) my leg wobbled like jelly.

You should ask PT about that too and what gentle things you could do that will help balance ??
As well as having a full check up, let us know how you get on.

 

[Esmeralda]

Thanks @Clairebella for your helpful reply.

Well as far as my poor hip is concerned the PT session didn't go well as I'm now laying in bed, iced up and back on the Co-Codamol (after being on only paracetamol the last couple of days) and I was only there for 30 mins. I did ask her to check my gait, and she didn't seem overly concerned, even though I was hobbling quite badly without a crutch. She just wants me to strenthen my muscles doing the same exercise as last time but using a stronger resistence band even though I told her I didn't like the previous weaker band, so hadn't used it. So I definitely won't be doing that exercise any time soon.

Also I had been struggling with rising and sitting down in average height chairs without arms, so we worked on that which was helpful but most probably has contributed to my groin pain.

I'm quite relieved it was my last session as although some of the advice I received was helpful, the exercises weren't right for me at this stage of my recovery.

 

[Hippie Chick]

My appointment is this week- I am scared to try standing without pushing up. I can rise from a tall stool and ease off of a tall bed. I don’t think I look great but can manage a few unaided steps now.

 

[Esmeralda]

@Clairebella I'm guessing that at your PT session the other day, you did the full set of exercises whilst there and if so, how did you feel afterwards ? Did they cause you any discomfort that day or the next day ?

 

[Clairebella]

No, I didn’t, she probably had me do 5 practice reps of each one. I then went to the pool on Thursday and did 1 round only 10 reps. My muscles were aching after that and the effort of getting to pool, getting into water etc and dried and showered after gave me an awful energy drain. I’ve not been out since!

I’m not convinced I understand why she just gave you a stronger band! But good to hear some advice was useful. You are going to need stronger medication on days like that, I know I do.

 

[Esmeralda]

I definitely prefer the idea of your PT to mine, I only had 30 mins with mine and she spent at least 2 thirds of that time having me do the same 2 exercises, one similar to the hip abduction and getting up and down from sitting, it was just too intensive, so much so that I woke up in pain at 1.00pm this morning and hit the 15mg co-codamol, which I haven't needed to do for a long time.

Going to the pool is hard work without even doing the exercises, I think you are wise to start off slowly with them and build your reps up, otherwise you will end up going backwards. I wish my PT understood that as seeing her was helpful in some ways but not on the exercise front

Hope you have a good and ache free weekend.

 

[Mojo333]

my hippie friends.
I was given resistance bands and they were truly very unhelpful for me....
At less than 2 months post op, there is alot of healing soft tissues STILL and retraumatizing them was keeping me sore.
You really shouldn't have to take extra pain meds to deal with the PT.

I just had to remind myself often -
Tightness is a normal occurrence after this kind of major surgery. Your surgeon did major carpentry work and disturbed every millimeter of soft tissue in this area. You aren't tight because your muscle is underused and needs to be stretched and rehabbed.

Those muscles and tendons are injured because of the surgical process, and honestly when I tried to force them...other sets of muscles tried to take up the slack causing new aches and issues (groin pain, glute pain...)

I did alot of those exercises and just dropped the bands. If done mindfully and slowly and with enough reps, it is helpful without pushing it.

At about 4 months post op, I went to some strengthening with bands.

We all have to choose our own path, but in my experience -
2 months out really isn't the time to do anything to excess. Baby steps now, and lots of patience, pays off big time later.
Recovering from self-induced tendinitis can end up taking weeks or months. Consider yourself as still recovering from surgery and structure your return to your life as a slow, gradual process where you introduce very small increments in activity, and then give yourself time to see how you react to it.

All temporary, nothing lost that couldn't be regained and well worth the patience. I am certainly glad I am able to get back to a full happy life

 

[Clairebella]

@Esmeralda as I came downstairs this morning I am aching and thigh feels tight. I’ve had to take 15 mg codeine alongside my paracetamol and will be going nowhere today. I actually put this down to remembering yesterday was quite busy in the house and my teen had friends over and I did a touch more tidying that usual with bending and stretching after being told no more restrictions. So don’t feel you are behind.

@Mojo333 thank you for such a helpful post. That is so reassuring and to think you yourself only felt ready for a step up of muscle strengthening at 4 months puts it all in perspective.

I’m definitely ditching the band. Plus, I haven’t done those daily PT exercises since Thur in the pool( and one set at that rather than 3 sets of 10 reps) which made me feel last night anxious that I’m not powering on with rehab. This is reassuring for me and I’m going to stick with baby steps.