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THR Freedom's anterior Lthr

Hi @Freedom
Congrats on the improvements you've made as well as accomplishing a pedi yourself!
I haven't read your entire thread but have done well myself without PT. I went to three sessions
and then implemented walking at home which has worked for me.
Consider tagging the nurse Josephine. I'm sure with a little info from you'd she'd have some advice to offer.
Best wishes that your issues resolve with time.
A great weekend to you!
 
@Freedom sorry, I didn't get an alert about your tag. Regarding PT - well I am not medical so can only make a recommendation based on my own experience. For me, PT just didn't help. Any progress I made was based on my own daily activity and focusing on walking normally. But we are all different. If you feel it is helping then keep at it. As long as it is not causing you pain there is no reason to quit.
 
Anterior THR Jun 12. Dec 6th, recheck w/ OS, no need to return until 1 year post op. Dec 7th, final outpatient PT. Yes, I still have some muscle weakness, and it gets frustrating at times. However it is MUCH improved; gained 17 degrees range of motion in 6 weeks of 2 x week PT. Have exercises to continue; but she said basically just move, do stuff, it will come around.

Physical Therapist spent the better portion of each of the first 3 sessions dealing with my mental state; I was so depressed, and convinced this was it, I was never going to improve. So it was well worth it, for that. I feel SO much better (mentally) at this point. Ready to move on with my life, and DO things. Instead of moping, returning to bed, which is pretty much where I was at. And I do believe a good part of it was that I had 3 major surgeries in 17 months; that really does take a toll. Among other things, my energy drain was enormous. I wanted to return to the gym for exercises; just walking from the car in to the building was exhausting, I'd sit for a break and return to the car and head home. NOW I know I can go in and do a workout. The difference, from the first week in October to now, is HUGE.

So I needed the support, the 'pep talks,' the encouragement, the one on one time, at least as much as I needed the PT. I guess you just never know how surgery is going to impact a person until they have it.
 
Freedom,
Glad you are feeling better and able to do more.
3 major surgeries in 17 months would take its toll on your body, makes me tired just thinking about it.
There is more healing ahead to recover the rest of your strength, PT is right move around, and do stuff.
Thanks for the update,
 
Three major surgeries in less than a year and a half is a lot!
I'd be tired and depressed too. It's good to hear you're feeling more optimistic and that things have improved.
I bet it will only continue to get better @Freedom
Best wishes for a great week!
 
Hi @Freedom glad you're on the up and up. That second thr slowed me down for awhile. Early on I had to take rests while out grocery shopping, etc and then one day it simply went away.. yeah! All very normal.

Glad you have a sympathetic pt, dealing with chronic pain and losing mobility -even if temporary- can leave a person feeling fragile. I was a homebody for a bit and looking back, think my body wanted to lay low. Perhaps the moping was your body's ruse to keep you at home to heal. I found that mind over matter doesn't work so well with thrs. The body rules. Every single time :snork:

Btw did you find the tkr recovery more difficult or easier than thr? I may be a future knee person..
 
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Glad you are improving! We were both on the same day - June 12. I did my other hip September 20. Some things were better, some things were worse. Recoveries are so individual. I got mad that every hippy I would meet out and about bragged about how fast they were back to normal. I'm at 6 months and 3 months now, and doing OK but still far short of "normal".

Hope you get back to 100% before you know it.
 
Glad you have made it to this point. Those three surgeries in such a relatively short time no doubt is part of your issue. Glad you have improved mental state, that really can make a difference. Your improvement from beginning to now is tremendous. Sometimes it just takes longer.
 
Freedom, I remember your posts and encouragement as we were closer in dates for THR.
Me now...Normal...um...?
Perfect, no, not as the day I was born.
Considerably better...yes, yes. Hopeful, yes and yes...
You have had so so much pain and recovery that it is only "normal" you would be depressed and weary.
Glad you've decided to do what you can with the capabilities you have where you are in recovery now.
2018 will hopefully be the year things get much better for both of us.:wave:
 
Hello, Everyone! Been some time, thought I'd give an update.

In late October I went to see a chiropractor. Not seen one ever so this was something new. First visit was 2 hours of gathering info. First surprise: xrays showed my legs are now even length! That is, my hips are now level!! That was a HUGE thing. After the intake visit, the first 5 visits gave me amazing, instant improvements. Even the chiro was surprised; she said it is not supposed to work that way. I think I did about 12 visits in all.

Then the week of Thanksgiving I FINALLY returned to the YMCA. First 3 weeks I went 3 days, day off, 3 days, day off, as I was starting from scratch. Now I am back to my routine of 4 days per week, circuit training and Expresso upright bike. My weight levels for circuit training are just about what I was doing at my peak, April 2014 (prior to the 3 joint surgeries). Bike workouts continue to improve. The bikes I use, the routes are rated as: Basic, Moderate, Expert and Challenging. As of April 2014 I had done all of them at least once. So now building up strength and endurance; have done my first Expert ride, a 7.4 mile one. Took me 27 mins 52 seconds, about 3 mins longer than my personal best, from back in 2014.

I can walk my dogs, we have 3 routes, 1 mile, 2 miles and 3 miles. Doing well with walking, although the first 2 -5 minutes I am awkward. Then everything evens out, no limp, don't have to concentrate on my walking / gait, and can enjoy the scenery the birds, keep an eye on the dogs. I am aware that my left leg is not extending back as much as it should, so my steps are shorter than normal for me. I keep the steps the same with each leg so as not to limp.

Now for my questions. My left leg is still weak, and making me nuts. I am STILL doing stairs as a toddler! While my right leg, I can lift 70 pounds, 3 sets of 10 reps each, my left leg is only able to do 25 pounds, for 8 reps, and that is IT. Done. Been researching online, it is the sartorius and rectus femoris which are really talking to me, very loudly, complaining. If I am seated in a chair (still have to be sure it is a chair with arms) getting up is very UN-ELEGANT. And I have lots of pain around BOTH knees. Pain stops once I am upright. And that is WITH using my arms and pushing myself UP. The outside of my upper leg is STILL sore to the touch!! OK, not a gentle touch, but I can press and say OUCH! without really working at it, if you know what I mean.

I guess all this is "normal for me." And I do see improvements though it is about a week or so and small steps, not a daily thing.

Is there anything else I can do to improve? For now I just keep at it, figuring the longer I do things the better I will get. Patience is long gone, however. It is SO FRUSTRATING to not be able to do stairs properly, to not be able to transition from seated to standing. Bending down to pick something up from the floor, I can do it but again, it is very UN-ELEGANT.

Thank you for any info, suggestions. I really want to put all this in my past. Have to keep reminding myself how far I have come.
 
Hi there,
Thanks for stopping by. I hope you had a nice Christmas and I wish you were feeling more confident about your progress in the New Year. It seems you've come really far. Since both knees and a hip are involved in your journey, let's tag the resident expert, @Josephine and see what she thinks about all and what she'd advise. I've tagged her for you so please check back as I'm sure she'll have questions.
Wishing you only the best in the New Year!
@Freedom
 
Freedom...your progress is unbelievable. Wow I am so impressed with all your athletic ability. Life is a bit adjustable to align the body with the new hips. It takes the brain time to form new pathways for movement with loss of bone structure and metal replacement. My dr was very good at explaining the connection from thr and retraining the brain for new pathways after thr. sometimes we need to find alternatives rather than assuming the same movements.there is a name for this and I can’t remember what it is at the moment. Knees seem to be a issue for many after hip surgery. My knees started after my first thr. I use spring shoes they take the pressure off per sq inch in joints while movement is improved. See online. It’s amazing how well they help to align the whole body just from walking correctly and improve gate. And excellent arch support. After 20 years when ever my knees (torn meniscus) hips, ankles or back bother me I hop in my spring shoes and they are great therapy. I discovered them when I was in lots of pain from plantarfaciaitis and knee issues after first thr.And never been without them since. I wish you the best and thru ur determination you are destined to reach your goals.good luck.
 
@Hippielife hello and thanks for your upbeat response!

FYI, I had the knees done first; did not even know I HAD a hip issue until 5 months after the 2d knee was done; that is when the front of the left hip collapsed!

I just took a quick glance at MBT shoes. I have New Balance now; they have a line with built up insides for pronation (6 mm to 12 mm depending how much you need) and increased arch support as I have fallen arches, both feet. It is amazing (in a bad way) how many issues I developed due to the bad knees. Extremely bow legged, that was corrected during the knee replacement surgeries. Fallen arches, pronation, left ankle is slowly collapsing, adult curvature of the spine which the surgeon said was a result of the arthritis in the knees, the list is much too long for my liking. PT told me about the special line of New Balance shoes after the hip surgery. When on the New Balance website, you just put "motion control" in the search box. Like you said re the MBTs: They are fantastic! That is all I wear, now.
 
I had back surgery about 9 years ago, and there are some activities I stopped doing then that I haven't resumed, like whitewater rafting, rock climbing, heavy snow shoveling, and riding on fast, bumpy boats. Originally my doctor said not to do them, and even after I recovered I just never felt like I should risk messing my back up, as there were other back issues that weren't addressed in that particular surgery. I miss doing them, and have often wondered if it was a mistake not to get back to them. I need to do some additional research to see if it would be wise/unwise to start back up at this point.:)

When I read your post about the ambitious things you are doing, I was curious if your surgeon gave you the go ahead---how you decided when you could resume the weights and other rigorous exercises? Are you still in contact with your surgeon this far out from your surgery? (A year and a half---right?)

I was curious if anything you are doing might be contributing to the trouble you are still having with steps/pain? Have you taken any longer breaks from exercise to let things settle down, or are you concerned about losing progress? Hope you figure out what's causing your pain---very frustrating to want to be more active and feel limited. :flwrysmile:
 
@Debru4 I am sad to learn you have things you enjoyed doing which are not allowed now.

As for what I am doing, I have NO restrictions. NONE! I can jog if I want (it was never my thing) just realize the implants won't last as long. Circuit training and upright bikes were part of PT after each of the surgeries. Oh the circuit training, no leg extensions, as that could result in a knee dislocation. All the other machines are fine. Both the knee and the hip surgeon work out at the same YMCA where I go; they are in at 5 AM but I am NOT a morning person, lol.

AND the surgeons have said there is NO reason for me to still have pain, to still have issues. Implants are fine. The knee man gets really upset, says I must not have done the PT exercises as that should have got me through all of this stuff long ago.

So with that input, now you see why I am out of patience. Plus, I am on the support groups on Facebook (3 for knees, 2 for hips) and everyone is well beyond me about 5 months post op. No medical expertise on those groups, so all they can say is, keep working at it.
 
Freedom..:dancy: THANK you so much for your positive response on the shoes for healthier options for joint disease.the mbt shoes are in my closet over 20 years. Wouldn’t leave home without them. it seems our joint issues are paralleled in many areas. It’s quite a shocker at first and adjustments are helpful as our bodies change. yes the shoes are so important for those of us who have joint arthritis.they keep me from rolling my ankles when I walk and I don’t feel like I’m walking around on sprained ankles anymore.my hips knees and back,take the full body improvement when walking properly and changes the way I move to prevent the constant old movements that cause pain issues.

:wowspring: I am so glad you took the time to take a peek and respond at new balance and mbt shoes. There is a great YouTube video which has excellent explanations on how they help joints and how important a good walking gate and standing up tall really is for better comfort for our joints. It is hard to get the shoe idea across to many who can benefit from these shoes. They are therapy for feet with arthritis and the proper total body alignment while improving proper gate that begins with all joints becoming aligned while walking with less stress per joint. So many think it’s not as easy as a pair of shoes for, some maybe not, and for the majority of us who do wear these shoes we are here to let everyone know that yes it is that easy. These shoes are engineered to change the way we walk improve the stress on joints to a more natural gate , weight bearing and movements that can improve damaged joints caused by many years of wear and tear. They eliminate pressure on all the joints which can be corrected and improved to a better comfort level improving core strength. How great is that?

Again I must add how impressed I am with you progress and I will bet by summer you will have adjusted your new hippie normal to achieve all the positive new growth from ur experience to an excellent outcome.:cheers: Cheers.
 
I have had no restrictions for this hip replacement either.(The things I mentioned in my note were related to my previous back surgery.)

I am so relieved to be able to walk several miles, hike, garden, and take care of myself and my home, and I'm mostly pain free and am medication free except for tylenol. It's because of that that I am reluctant to push too hard or resume some of the things that were originally not good for me. I feel like I am doing a cost/benefit analysis much of the time, and at 5 1/2 months out, am so happy with where I am.

It just sounds like you are uneasy with your uneven recovery......being able to do so many things, and yet having some of the basic things nagging at you. I know all of us recover at different rates---and patience is soooooo hard. I also suspect that if I were to jump back big time into formal exercising/weights, etc. I would be a mess---in lots of pain. Such a balancing act, isn't it?!?! Hope you figure out how to get rid of those pains.
 
I saw both surgeons last March; and both said there was absolutely no reason for me to be having issues still. They insisted I could return to the bike and circuit training routines at that time; both had given me the go ahead months prior to that, even.

I am also a swimmer; the YMCA where I go has 3 pools. I would love to get in and swim! And I could. My problem will be getting dressed afterwards. If you are lucky you can find a chair with arms; most of the dressing stalls just have a small bench. I just know I would be so frustrated I'd end up in tears, so I've not started swimming just yet.
 
You say it's the sartorius and rectus femoris but no muscles work independently of all the others.
Freedom said:
My left leg is still weak, and making me nuts. I am STILL doing stairs as a toddler! My left leg is only able to do 25 pounds, for 8 reps, and that is IT. Done. Been researching online, it is the sartorius and rectus femoris which are really talking to me, very loudly, complaining. If I am seated in a chair (still have to be sure it is a chair with arms) getting up is very UN-ELEGANT. And I have lots of pain around BOTH knees. Pain stops once I am upright. And that is WITH using my arms and pushing myself UP. The outside of my upper leg is STILL sore to the touch!!
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All of this you have said here is clearly describing too much of almost everything you are doing. Think of Olympic athletes. When they train, sure they do lots all day and everyday but if they get pain they have the sense to stop and immediately!
Freedom said:
AND the surgeons have said there is NO reason for me to still have pain, to still have issues. The knee man gets really upset, says I must not have done the PT exercises as that should have got me through all of this stuff long ago.
Click to expand...
Then a lot he knows! Because it's painfully obviously that what you are doing IS causing you issues and is a clear indication that this exercising is doing you more harm than good.
 
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