THR Deep Breath Reporting for Recovery Duty

[Jaycey]

I am having to basically relearn how to walk correctly. It takes some concentration!

I hear you on this one. I am STILL relearning how to walk correctly 18 months post RTHR. It's so hard to break old habits!

Glad you are seeing a result from resting. I will never understand why PTs feel like they have to pile on silly exercises - most of which are not anything related to hips!

 

[Hip Hip Hooray!]

Hi @DeepBreath, I'm glad to hear that backing off the PT is helping. It usually does. I've found the same thing with Pilates and using weight machines at the gym. I added some new exercises in Pilates, and now I've subtracted them. Too many twinges later in the week. It's tricky, since it doesn't usually hurt when doing the exercises. For me, I feel it two or three days later...it's good that you corrected it right away. I think with physical therapists, they feel like they are earning their money if they change the routine and add things that are more difficult. (kind of like dance teachers.) I still feel best when I do chores and those basic exercises from the sheet they gave us in the hospital. I'm probably going to go back to those, too.

I'm sorry your son has allergies. It's that time of year. I hope you're doing well. Keep us posted. I've gained weight since the surgery, too. I needed to, but these days I seem to really enjoy cooking and eating decadent meals. I've lost my taste for salads. It's funny how this surgery changes us. Cooking and eating are such fun hobbies! Oh well. I think food tastes better when you're not in pain, too.

I hope you are no longer waddling. That concerned me. You catch things right away, which is good. I'm sure you'll improve and regain what you had.

 

[DeepBreath]

I hear you on this one. I am STILL relearning how to walk correctly 18 months post RTHR. It's so hard to break old habits!

It is so interesting to get your perspective on this, @Jaycey. I imagine that it will take me quite some time to become my 'best self' since I've had hip problems since birth. I actually wonder if I have ever walked correctly. My mother used to comment that I've always walked in a 'stiff' manner.
It will be interesting to see how I progress with this through the years.

 

[DeepBreath]

@hip hip hooray, it's definitely challenging finding that balance, isn't it?
My goodness, your meals always sound so amazing. No wonder you have a taste for the decadent cuisine.
I'm not terribly worried about the wobbling. It's been my compensatory gait for so many years and whenever I have a bit of a setback I find I revert to it. The resting has helped so much with my discomfort though that I'm not waddling near like I was this past weekend. Time and patience, right?

 

[Cynthia777]

Thankfully you're seeing some improvement by backing off PT. After reading so many posts about how PT has either "really helped" or "really caused more problems", it makes me wonder how one figures out that balance between the exercises that are helping or harming? I know once my other hip is done, I will be facing the same dilemma. It's a real balancing act, isn't it?

 

[DeepBreath]

@Cynthia777, it really is a balancing act.
Here's my perspective on it from where I am now:
I was 12 weeks post op from my first surgery (4 weeks from my second) when I started PT. My first op hip has very little, if any, problems dealing with the PT.
If I had it to do all over again, I would have waited until at least 12 weeks out from my last surgery to do any kind of out patient therapy.
I think, for me, I needed that time for initial healing. I would have just walked a bit (like we read here...go figure).
Also, if I didn't have so many prior issues with my gait, ROM, and flexibility I doubt I would have done PT at all. I likely would do just the very basic exercises I was given for strengthening and call it good until I knew I could safely go back to my Pilates.
I truly do believe that my OS and my PT have acted in what they felt was my best interest. They are both wonderful, caring people. However, neither of them have been a THR patient. What looks good on paper regarding recovery from such a surgery is not necessarily correct in practical application.
I think it's easy for people who haven't experienced this process firsthand to say, "Well of course you're going to have discomfort; you've just been through major surgery"...and there's the rub.
There is discomfort that goes along with this process, but it can easily be made even worse by pushing things instead of allowing natural healing to occur.
In my case, I do think I need the help of a good physical therapist in order to get me as close to 'normal' as I can be. I also think, however, that the process will take quite some time...years perhaps. I'm okay with that. I don't hurt when I walk any more and that was my number one goal going into this. I can go places and enjoy time with my family without being in agony. That is huge.
Now, I eventually want to get as flexible as is reasonably possible, but I'm very willing to be patient about it.
I imagine that surgeons and physical therapists have a tendency to look at things from both a professional goal and insurance standpoint. This is their job...of course they want to see the best possible outcome. They probably know that because of the vagaries of insurance, the timeline for their patients to receive help can be very limited, so they push it.
When you are the patient though and you're going through this and feeling how your body reacts, insurance timetables don't mean as much.
I had an epiphany the last couple of days: I don't have to do anything except heal. If I want my outcome to be good then I need to take care of myself. That doesn't mean I have to stick to anybody else's time schedule or expectations though.
So, long story very long, I'm just going to chill. I'm going to take walks in the sunshine and breathe the fresh air and be thankful that I can do that.
When I feel the time is right to ask for further help from a professional to help improve my ROM, etc, I'll do that.
That's a big step for this people pleasing, 'by the book' gal.
Sorry for the super long post. It felt good getting that out.

 

[Cynthia777]

Boy did you hit the nail on the head! A thought occurred to me, since EVERY THR is unique, with its individual issues and problems, how can a PT REALLY know how to address each individual anatomy, when they can't see all the issues inside our hips? Does this make sense? I mean, I don't think there's one "fix-all" with regard to PT (I'm having difficulty trying to explain what I really mean, but hopefully you get the gist). From MY experience, having had no PT and VERY little pain or problems, I'm going to follow your advice and hold off on any PT and just walk (increasing slowly). Once I feel I've healed enough, I will start mild stretching and mild strengthening exercises (at MY own pace). I think you are one smart cookie my friend!!!!

 

[DeepBreath]

@Cynthia777, no you are being super clear and you are 100% right.
No two THR cases are the same. They probably all have *some* similarities, but ten times more differences.
The patient's medical history, etc, very much plays into their experience.
Even if a physical therapist had a very long and extensive career, they would still only scratch the surface of the variables that can affect each individual patient.
For what it's worth, I think your approach is a sound one.
I think we tend to not listen to our bodies the way we should and that's what can lead to trouble.
I knew, deep down, that I really wanted to wait about three months before I began out patient PT. Instead of sticking to that I fell into that mindset of 'Oh, you have to start physical therapy as soon as possible'.
Now, I don't regret a lot of it because it has helped me tremendously, but I feel like this last bit has been way too much, too fast.
I know it's a big field, but I do wonder why there is such a huge difference in how surgeons and therapists approach things? Some say 'No PT' and others want you in a program ASAP. It's very interesting and yet very confusing.

 

[Hipster Girl]

Hi @DeepBreath that was really smart to buy all new shoes after surgery. It will take awhile to learn to walk correctly now that the dysplasia has been fixed. It just takes time and like you said, concentration, but you will get there. You are making such great strides (pun intended )

Sorry your son is suffering so much with allergies and I hope the medication has kicked in and has him feeling a bit better today. I really feel for those who have allergies. There are so many at the office who sneeze all day and have the watery eyes - they sound miserable.

I am so glad to hear the numbness and stiffness has decreased. I agree it is hard to find the right balance between some activity but not too much. It's a balancing act for sure.
Take care, friend

 

[Hip Hip Hooray!]

Thank goodness backing off exercise makes such a difference. I've had the same experience. When I stop using the machines at the gym, I don't have pain. I can do 5 mins. of the bike, stair master, and elliptical, and that doesn't cause any problems. For some reason lifting with the upper body really aggravates the hip tissues a couple days after the workout. Same thing with leg lifts.

Like you, I'd rather be pain free. I'm thankful that I can sleep soundly, take care of my home and garden, and walk my dogs. It's interesting to me that the basic exercises don't cause pain. I find that kind of profound.

 

[Cynthia777]

Now to add to the confusion you mentioned, my OS believes in PT (He is part owner of the facility) and yet he did not prescribe it for me and I even asked him about it. He said, "No, you don't need it" (and this was right after surgery). Go figure!

 

[CricketHip]

Hello @DeepBreath ! I am sorry to read about your flare up! I don't understand why they want to increase the load, so to speak, at PT. I am like you, they helped me immensely in the middle part of my recovery but when it got to using elastic bands on my legs and etc? I backed it off. Even now. at 6 months (wish) if I try a couple of the harder exercises? My IT Band tells me off.

You are doing super duper well!! You were having some growing pains... is all. glad the R and R has helped..

Hope to write more soon... my work just catapulted me into a new level of busy.. good news is that I can handle it-- most days.

We are getting SNOW!! on Sunday,, seriously??? I'm thinking that can be a good catch up day on here! I miss everybody...

 

[DeepBreath]

@Hipster Girl, thank you for the encouragement! I need to hear that. I logically know that a lot of THR patients go through this stuff, but for some reason, in the back of my mind, I always thing I'm this odd case. Silly, I know.
My son is doing much better, thanks. It's just a matter of getting him his prescription. We generally keep some on hand but he had run out. We were hit with this sudden bout of very warm weather and everything started blooming and the poor kid was off to the races. It seems to affect his inner ear and he'll get stuffy ears and dizziness. As soon as he has his meds on board, he's sorted though.
I hope your week is going good, friend.

@Hip Hip Hooray! isn't that something about lifting 'heavy' things? I would think there would be other movements that would be more aggravating, but that lifting seems to be the one that fires up my 'ouches' very quickly.
I too find it interesting that the basic exercises seem to be well tolerated. I guess it makes sense. They're basically just very gentle stretching motions and nothing too extreme.
I am in complete agreement; if I can do my daily things and go about my life in comfort, boy do I consider that a huge boon. Color me pleased!
I hope your sweater is coming along just as you like!

@Cynthia777, I think that says a lot about your OS's integrity. Being part owner of the facility, he has a natural 'shoo in' clientele base. The fact that he told you that you don't need it speaks very well of him. That's good. My friend deserves the very best!

@CricketHip, Hello, Hello, Hello, Friend! I am SO glad that your business is booming and that you are tolerating the work load well. Good for you!
Thank you for your persepective and support re: the flare up. It is good to hear other hippie's thoughts/experiences on the subject. I really do think that the resistance thing was too much, as were the bridges and straight leg lifts. I'm just not there yet.
Wow, snow again! Holy moly. How much are you forecast to get? I noticed a few days ago that our weather model had the possibility of a rain/snow mix, but that is no longer being shown. I'm guessing the frontal boundaries changed. Looks like just rain for us this weekend.
Take care and enjoy your healthy new hips, friend!

 

[Jaycey]

I also think, however, that the process will take quite some time...years perhaps.

Wow - this is SO true. For those of us who have been walking around for a lifetime with bad hips or weak backs, recovery is a very complex process. It took over a year for me to feel recovered from my LTHR. 18 months post RTHR I realise that the first hip was only a small step in this journey. Although my right hip was not painful until years after my LTHR - it was still bad. Congenital dysplasia does not suddenly appear. As my surgeon once said, you draw that short straw at birth.

You have a great attitude @DeepBreath ! Give yourself all the time you need for this healing. When you look back and see just how far you have come, rejoice in that success. But know that this is a continuing process.

 

[DeepBreath]

Congenital dysplasia does not suddenly appear. As my surgeon once said, you draw that short straw at birth.

Exactly. I have recently been forgetting one of the most important mantras I learned here on BoneSmart: This is not a sprint; it's a marathon.
I didn't get in this condition in 4-6 months and it's just silly of me to think that I might recover from it in that short time frame.
Thank you for your kind words and encouragement, @Jaycey. That really means a lot to me and to read about your experience.
You are absolutely correct about giving this process the time it needs and rejoicing in the victories.

May I ask, what approach did you have and are you now able to do things like tie your shoes and clip your toenails?
Those might sound like funny goals, but that's kind of where I am right now. I'd dearly love to be able to do those 'small' kinds of things that just give a person a little more feeling of independence.

 

[Jaycey]

May I ask, what approach did you have and are you now able to do things like tie your shoes and clip your toenails?

I had posterior for LTHR and lateral for RTHR. My left hip was gone by the time I had it replaced so it made for a much longer recovery.

Yes, I can tie hoses and clip toenails. Can't think of much I can't do these days. I do have "stiff" days but I just keep moving and try not to stress about ROM. I have a bad back so I am sure much of my stiffness is due to this.

Are you having trouble bending down toward your feet? Or are you trying to but the foot on the opposite knee?

You'll get there my friend!

 

[Nana757]

Hey there @DeepBreath! Sorry that you are experiencing some frustrations lately. I found that when I was doing PT and she introduced the bands to my course of therapy, that's when my IT band issue and bursitis started flaring up. Don't know why...it just did. Probably had something to do with the strain it was placing on both those areas. But, now, I am rarely bothered by either of them. I hope your discomfort eases up soon, my friend.
Oh, I was able to tie my shoes and cut my toenails at about 10-12 weeks. Of course, I had to be very careful, but I did manage to do it.
Glad to hear your boy is feeling better. Allergies can be a bear to deal with. Have a great day, my friend.

 

[Hip Hip Hooray!]

Tying the shoes and cutting the toenails is a huge deal. I remember what a relief it was when I could do those again. I agree with everything you said. Thanks for the reminder. You are doing great. I think it's impressive how far you have come.

 

[DeepBreath]

Are you having trouble bending down toward your feet? Or are you trying to but the foot on the opposite knee?

@Jaycey, honestly, I haven't really tried bending towards my feet except for once about a month and a half ago when I thought I'd try to use my long handled nail scissors to cut my toenails. I sat on the side of our tub and put my little folding stool in front of me and put my foot on it. I started to bend towards my foot, but it felt really tight and I got scared that I would dislocate my hip. Prior to my surgery I could manage to cut my toenails because I would use that method for my left foot and then for my right I would put the foot behind my left calf, bend and twist, and could clip the toenails that way. The thought of doing that now really freaks me out with the bending and twisting.
I haven't attempted putting my foot on my knee at all. It's honestly been so long since I've been able to do that, I don't even know how to go about trying. Wow, that sounds really weird.
My ability to do a 'frog leg' position just isn't there yet. While I can lay on my back with my knees bent and feet flat and open my legs way farther than I could prior to surgery, those muscles are still very tight. I admit that I am afraid to push them. I know I'll need to eventually if I'm ever going to condition my muscles to do those movements, but I am so scared of damaging my new hips. I suspect this fear comes from a lifetime of being cautioned to avoid anything that would hurt my hips. My parents were wonderful and they took such good care of me throughout all the hip related things I experienced as a child, but I know they were very worried about me and instilled in me a need to be very careful. I carry that worry with me to this day. Now, I was pretty athletic in high school...cheerleading (no splits or anything, and we didn't do pyramids or other fancy moves like they do today, but cheers with lots of kicking, bouncing, etc). I also gave birth to two children without the need for a C-Section which my doctors had told my parents would be impossible. They weren't even sure I would be able to stand carrying a baby to term...but I did it.
I think a lot of my inability to do certain movements has as much to do with fear as it does with the muscles just not being used to doing them. My surgeon has warned me that with my muscle memory the way it is, I'll likely have a longer recovery time than some patients.
Thank you for telling me I'll get there. I never thought I'd be walking as good as I am at this stage and I know I can achieve other things, but sometimes it feels like I'm moving at a snail's pace. That's where my need for patience comes in.

@Nana757, thank you, friend. It's interesting to me that I seem to tolerate the 'clam shell' exercises okay (lying down, feet together, resistance band just above my knee, and opening and closing my legs) but the other resistance exercise is in the group that is giving me trouble. It's interesting what 'tweaks' the muscles. I have a feeling that the straight leg raises have a lot to do with my trochanter issue.
The discomfort has eased a lot with rest and icing. It'll just take time, I know.
Yep, the allergies can be a bear. Well, you know what our weather has been like lately. It seemed like in the course of just a few days everything has started blooming. Lovely to see, but hard on the sinuses. Thank goodness for Claritin!

@Hip Hip Hooray! thank you so much. The encouragement really helps when I hit these bumpy patches. I will definitely be a happy camper when I can cut my own toenails again! I have done all my manis and pedis for years and have a nice professional nail kit I've built up over time. Usually by this time of year I would have my new summer footwear picked out, my feet all smooth and in shape, and a nice nail design going on. I'll just need to be patient and work on my fingernails until I can do my toes.


I just read back over this post and it sounds a little whiny. I truly don't mean for it to. I know how very fortunate I am that I can have these surgeries and see the tremendous benefits from them. There are so many people out there who have really daunting challenges and face them bravely. They are honest-to-goodness heroes.
I guess I am just feeling uncertain right now because I saw such great strides with PT and then this issue sprung up and I feel adrift. I so want forward movement, but don't want to get myself into a big mess by pushing it.
Time and patience....time and patience.
Thanks for letting me get those feelings out! You all are wonderful.

 

[Hip Hip Hooray!]

I don't think you sound whiny at all. Everything you wrote makes sense. I'm sure your parents were trying to protect you. It's fantastic that you gave birth to two children. I agree with you about the fear. I notice that I have a lot of trepidation, too. I think it's healthy. This surgery is huge. It still boggles my mind to think about what is inside of our legs and hip joints.

I also think where you are with that frog stretch is normal. I am just now noticing a slight release when I do it. It's very subtle. I don't push it, I just allow the legs to relax and the knees to fall open...I'm seven months from surgery. It's just now starting to release. (tonight.)

My hit is that PT is expecting things of you too soon. You are wise not to twist to do your toenails. I agree that you will get there. I think our bodies freak out when they sense that someone is pushing them. (like a coach or PT.) I'm so glad that you didn't get injured, and that the rest and ice is working. In my opinion, we don't need to attain perfect ROM, anyway. I really question that; I think there's far too much pressure to achieve certain numbers. I don't think flexibility really matters. Strength, yes, but this push for ROM feels wrong to me. I really think it will come in its own time. You've had a very successful recovery on many levels. I feel the same way with the starting and stopping as far as exercise. It's confusing. But, I think it's better to err on the side of caution, like you are doing. Far better than the alternative.