THR Getting mixed messages on PT after THR<

:wave:@Debru4 I hear you! I feel much more vulnerable post surgery. Returning to that easy confident stride is a work in progress, but I certainly look at things I wish I’d tried earlier in life as well! A friend took up horseback riding just before retirement. Now that’s bold. I’ll be pleased when I can get out of a bath tub gracefully. Or at all.
 
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I’ll be pleased when I can get out of a bath tub gracefully. Or at all.
This made me laugh out loud! After several months of actually being able to do this with no pain (probably not gracefully, but certainly painlessly:heehee:), I am now in the same boat! With my sore knee, bruised ribs, and pulled intercostals,(all on the non operated side) the only thing that is my saving grace right now as I get in and out of the bathtub is my shiny new hip and well functioning right leg!! Go figure. But just as your stride and bathtub exits will improve greatly in the next few weeks, so will mine. And strange as it may sound, for me, both psychologically, as well as physically, there is something more hopeful and even uplifting, recovering from "living life" injuries than when I was try to function with the horror of my bad hip.

I think what you and I are experiencing is a combination of recovering from a major surgery coupled with the natural aging process. Still trying to find that balance between enjoying new adventures and also being prudent/responsible. Appreciate having kindred spirits in the journey!:loveshwr:
 
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@SurreyGirl --I wondered if you've had a chance to watch any of those Mini-Trampoline classes? I don't think they would suit me, as I'm not very controlled or graceful in my movements even when healthy and on flat, unmoving ground, but I did recall having one of those many years ago when I was in my 40's.

I couldn't ever feel controlled enough to be able to move and exercise at the same time, so the tramp went to my kids who had fun with it (although in retrospect, it probably wasn't hugely safe for them either).

A trampoline was something I never had a chance to experience as a child. As an adult, I did enjoy my little bounces on the mini tramp and in recent years getting on a big tramp is something I've looked at with a bit of longing, wondering how it would feel to sail into the air. Now with my knees, back, and hip all having some wear and tear, probably not something I should, or will try. :heehee:
 
@lotusbuds --I've meant to ask you about the Feldenkrais class you were planning to take. As I look ahead to late fall/winter when I won't be outside, doing stretching while gardening, and walking so much, I am trying to get myself motivated to look into some classes/activities that will keep me moving and stretching more year round. I tend to be a winter slug, as I really don't enjoy the cold at all and have never been a gym person. tend to hibernate unless it's nice out. This year I plan to be more intentional and try some new things.:yes!:
 
@Debru4 Funny you ask today as I just went to my first class today. It gave me exactly what I wanted! Look up Feldenkrais and Awareness through Movement. I took the series over 25 years ago and remember how good it felt.
Each class is on 1-2 body parts and complete in itself. The hardest part for me in preparing and today was would I get down and off the floor as a lot or most is on a mat. I did it with the help of a chair and time. First time since surgery I did it. Its tiny little movements that the teacher guides you through. Very simple and easy. Not exercise per say but a body work practice I guess you would call it. So today we moved our heads while lying on our sides slowly in certain ways then our hips. Then the idea is you get out of your thinking of how to do it and do it opposite and it was really good. I can't explain it really. It was an hour and a small class. If you can find a class close to where you live try it. I looked at you tube videos before hand of how to get up and down to the floor but none of them were the way I used in the end. Its a great class to take. I am glad I still liked it.
I too have to find ways to exercise in the winter months. The outdoor pool I've been swimming at closed today. I will use a home recumbent bike and walk with my trekking poles and swim indoors but Feldenkrais is a good way to keep stretched and use muscles in a different way. I have a 90 year old Swiss friend who has been doing it once a week for 20 years and she loves it and walks daily. Mind you she was a hiker when she was younger but she says it keeps her flexible. Check it out and let me (us) know what you think.
Stay well!
 
@lotusbuds---Glad you still enjoyed it after all these years. It sounds interesting and I will look into it. :thankyou:

There is a site called the Daily Om that sends daily motivational readings/things to reflect on/work on to my email. They also offer classes online that you choose how much you want to pay for. Are you familiar with it? I had signed up for a couple that I enjoyed in the past, dealing with more emotional types of issues, like breaking family cycles, etc.

I recently signed up for chair yoga and overcoming body stiffness, thinking I could ease into some of the stretching movements. Once you sign up, you can access them whenever you want. So far I've only done one session of the body stiffness one, and I have to be honest and say that I struggled with it a bit because the whole focus was on stiffness in your toes and feet. Apparently each session teaches you how to relieve stiffness in a different body part, and as a resource for the future I think it will be good. But when I did it, 30+ minutes felt like a long time....patience is not my best thing, and I had to remind myself that IF my toes and feet were stiff, it might take 30 minutes to really work it out, much like a massage therapist will focus on a certain body part if you need them to. But I know I wouldn't have the patience to be a massage therapist either, so this may not be for me. I plan to try again. Perhaps I'll skip to the back, or a body area I currently am stiff in. I'm thinking I'll enjoy the chair yoga. Will keep you posted:)
 
Well, @Debru4, while anything that works for YOU is a great thing, as we're all struggling to recover from this hip nonsense, I can't imagine listening to an app that focused for 30+ minutes on stiffness in my feet and toes! I struggle with anything of this sort, I'm afraid, as I'm also not patient and the longest I've ever been able to meditate is three minutes (because I timed it on my cellphone timer). At least with chair yoga you'd be doing something more active with a group of folks. I have a friend who just had her second knee replacement and she's enthusiastically signed up for a chair yoga class as well. I love hearing about the various classes and adaptive tools that folks use as we're schlepping along the recovery road even when I know it's not something I would be interested in doing. I'll be interested to read your future postings about the class.
 
@Barbaraj @Debru4 First Barbaraj hope you are doing well and feeling stronger after your hip surgery. Been thinking of you. Thanks for all the info Debru4. I see there is a chair yoga class at our community center and I taped one from TV once. I was thinking of trying it but not sure yet. Keep us posted if you like it.
Feldenkrais may drive you guys crazy as its slow but although it focuses on a body part in minute detail in terms of movement the person is leading you thru it and somehow I didn't get bored but I can see it happening. ha ha
Have you heard of Miranda Esmonde-White?
Her work is called Classical Stretch by Essentrics. Its about lengthening and stretching every muscle in the body. She works on one area at a time. Its sometimes shown on PBS (Channel 9 here on the west coast) and I bought some of her DVD's but haven't tried it yet as I bought them before my surgery. She also has a book called Aging Backwards and Forever Painless.

I wish we could all get together and do a class or watch a DVD together.
 
@lotusbuds--I looked into the Feldenkrais and locally there are only a couple of people who offer it, and it is a private 1:1 situation, which I assume would be pricey. There are classes in Boulder, about 40-45 minutes away, but I am not interested in driving that far through Front Range traffic. :no-fin: I plan to keep my eyes open. Actually the chair yoga I mentioned starting is through the Daily Om, and is online. I think if I like it, I might try and in person class somewhere. I haven't done yoga since I was in my 30's, but love the idea behind it. Just think my body would need to get regular yoga ready in smaller increments.:heehee: I have heard of the book Aging Backwards, but wasn't familiar with the author's name or background. I'll check that out too---always love learning new resources!

And I agree about how cool it would be to do these exercises/activites together---so interesting to see that some of the people you meet on here are people you'd enjoy hanging out with in "real life"! :flwrysmile:
 
@SurreyGirl --Just sign up on the DailyOm

It's very easy to sign up on the website for the Daily Affirmations that come to your email, as well as see what other classes, info they have available. Once you sign up you really get all the info you need from the emails, as they share the resources about the classes in those too. Let me know if you decide to check it out, and what you think. I have signed up for multiple classes and realize I am not as self directed on my own as when i actually go in person to a class with a teacher and others. With that said, the info presented in the ones I've signed up for is on target, and meets the goals they set out in the intro to the course. But you have to do the work....it isn't like a sit and get podcast of info. I look forward to the Daily Affirmations---print the ones that resonate with me and have a "book" of them in plastic sleeves that I reread, or share with others:) :flwrysmile:
 
@Barbaraj---as I mentioned to @lotusbuds, the chair yoga is an online class I signed up for through the Daily Om. I have not been very faithful about consistently doing things I sign up for online---am so unstructured and random now that I am retired, that it's hard for me to get into routines. I know I am not ready to jump into a full blown yoga class---did them when I was young, and there's a lot more to yoga than it appears on the surface. :flwrysmile:

I stink at independent meditation too, but realize that when I am in my garden, sitting on my front porch, or walking on a trail, there are times when my mind is clear and I am just living in the moment, breathing, and not thinking of anything. I think perhaps I struggle with the common definition/method of meditation, but I definitely see the value in breathing, centering, affirming, and all of the related tools/components. I used to use a lot of these with my students to help them relax and focus---but never got into the "totally clearing the mind" part.

If I try to wake up and meditate, my mind is all over the place and I can't shut it down. I've tried some guided meditation in the past to help me sleep---mixed results, but usually I'd eventually fall asleep, definitely faster than on my own.

I am in an exploratory stage right now, brainstorming all the things I might like to do in my next chapter, to get in better shape and maintain good overall health---the new hip is inspiring! :loveshwr:
 
I've had 2 private Pilates classes with a former physiotherapist. The second one I really felt much much better - less tight. Especially my very tight lower back. We do baby steps, easiest moves, and she watches my alignment like a hawk. It is quite skewed, which is why I knew I wasn't ready for any group classes. I bought a series of 3 and it's not too expensive. I think I will buy another series of 3 and see if I'm up to one if their small classes. Just a thought.
 
I wish we could all get together and do a class or watch a DVD together.
Boy I was just thinking the same thing! I am not athletic in the least. It would be such fun to battle a class together! I don’t at all mind slow movements so I’m going to look into Feldenkrais. I can’t decide if I’m sore and stiff from too much activity or not enough! Or both, probably, in a different order. We went to a jazz festival yesterday and walked a little, spent the evening on he couch and I was really sore later. (I was up late making origami shrimp to decorate tables at my son’s rehearsal dinner. His fiancé’s favorite pet is their aquarium shrimp “Scampi”. His picture adorned their engagement party cake. Hoping this will be a fun surprise.)
I did enjoy yoga till my hip didn’t.
 
@Rbc your origami shrimp sounds interesting. So nice you did that. I know what you mean about being sore and not knowing if its from all the movement/exercise or not enough. I have been swimming 5 days in a row 30 minutes each time which is an all time for me as never did that many days in a row or 30 minutes and had barely any knee pain or hip for that matter and then the next day as the pool was closed did 17 minutes on my recumbent bike which is 2 minutes more than usual and my knee was in pain all day. Go figure!
 
@Debru4 I congratulate you and support you in your exploration of finding things to do. I just retired mid June but it was summer and I was inspired as I was 3 1/2 months post hip recovery so very mobile and it was easy to get out finally and do things. Now my outdoor pool just closed on Friday so I am very nervous I will do my usual winter thing of letting things lapse. Today its pouring (I leave east of Seattle) and I feel like doing nothing. I can't let this happen as I need to continue on my weight loss path (WW) and have to lubricate my body daily with exercise as my knee has been giving me trouble since mid May so I have to be disciplined which is not my forte. I do have a day book and have figured out the times I can go swim at 2 different local indoor pools till I decide which one I like better so that will happen 3 days a week. So thats a start. But....my next goal is walking with my trekking poles even 15 minutes so have to start that. I think the chair yoga sounds good and that site you found. I will look into that. To me what you said about how you feel when walking, in your garden, sitting in your chair is meditation. For me when I swim I have a no mind and don't think of a thing..I'm in the moment and just am...I think that is meditation. My mind is so busy that its hard to 'sit silently watching the grass grow'. There are so many ways to do it. I do try to do 10 minutes a day just sitting but its hard for me. Thanks for this current topic as its good to share DVD's and things to do to keep us stretched and for exercise. I started looking for Feldenkrais classes when I moved to this area years ago and they were all too far away and individual classes (too expensive) or the classes also were expensive but I would have done them if they were closer. I was totally shocked to see this one class only 25 minutes from me and for only $12 a class. So keep looking and one day who knows. One idea is to look for DVD's to take out of the library first or buy one.
@Calgal I too would love to try Pilates as my friend in England loves it but they are very expensive here to do individual classes. I'll look into it though to see what I can find. Thanks for sharing.
 
Well, I have to say that an online or DVD class probably wouldn't work for me, @Debru4 and @lotusbuds It's just too easy to cheat and not go, unless they send you testy notes when you don't log in for the session. I do much better when it's "live" or when I have to go with a friend, that will keep me honest and motivated. I am faithful doing my PT (which can be done at home in my underwear and looking like something the cat dragged in) and I am also motivated to get back to the gym for my elliptical. But admittedly there are several reasons why I am so diligent: (1) it's a private gym and expensive and my Puritan guilt takes over if I don't use it regularly, (2) I pop earbuds in and listen to music and read my Kindle, and (3) I've at some point in my life been able to turn exercise into a habit like brushing my teeth twice a day. I am not someone who does really hard workouts, but I consistently work out daily which, for me, has worked well. On the other hand, not sure I'd ever take to meditation. It sounds like a good idea but execution would be difficult given my personality, I think. But I agree, love reading suggestions from various folks about options they've tried that have worked. I can be very narrow minded and generally in a rut about a number of things, so interesting to read and think about other choices.
 
But I agree, love reading suggestions from various folks about options they've tried that have worked. I can be very narrow minded and generally in a rut about a number of things, so interesting to read and think about other choices.
----This has been me too, and is exactly what I am trying to work on---to be more openminded about some of the other options I have either outright rejected previously, or haven't tried. It's a personal growth challenge for me right now, and I hope I can stay motivated to have a more productive winter, in terms of my health and fitness.:yes!::upright::swim::walking:
 
We do baby steps, easiest moves, and she watches my alignment like a hawk. It is quite skewed, which is why I knew I wasn't ready for any group classes.

I have never done Pilates, even when I was healthier and fit, but I know it is proven to be an excellent activity. I can't really see myself starting it at this point, as my impressions are that it is quite rigorous and typically you need to be able to keep up/move ahead pretty quickly.

However, what you describe, with a coach to help ensure your form and movements are correct sounds really wise. As my PT has shared, it is especially critical for those of us who are trying to recover from an injury, or who are starting an activity to use proper form. My first week of PT for my knee I felt like it was not helping, and maybe even hurting it. When I shared how I was doing my exercises he immediately identified two things I was doing that were causing the issue, and assure me had I continued practicing that way, I would have caused big problems for myself. By simply adjusting the position of my foot (straight on floor, rather than slightly outward) and the sequence of movements in a 4 part exercise, (I was bridging too soon), within a week I was back on track. When I was younger and more fit, I never gave things like this a thought. But now I find that improper movements/positioning really does impact me. Especially since I also have back issues I need to manage and keep at bay. Keep us posted how the Pilates is going!
 
Will do. I'll post updates on my hiptopia thread. I was never an exercise junkie, with the exception of skiing in high school/university and a few years of jazzercise in my early 30's which probably trashed my knees. So I'm looking for something, anything, to get my stiff old body moving again. I'm super cautious about going to trained practicioners for everything. But so far this hasn't been fast or furious, just gentle. I recommend it so far. More later....
 

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