THR Hard recovery

[Royal1383]

I had hip replacement on July 10. The physical therapist came for one week and I developed urinary retention and had to be on a catheter for 5 Weeks. This totally affected my recovery as I was not comfortable moving around. After the catheter came out I took short walks, but my
incision area was very sore and stiff. I am walking unassisted since week 4. This week I took a short walk and picked up the pace. When I arrived home i felt like my thigh area hurt. In the last few days my thigh is worse. When I get up from the toilet I feel like the leg is in a knot. I hope my
implant is ok. When I walk that thigh is tight. Any ideas from anyone? Very anxious any reply would be appreciated

 

[CricketHip]

Hi @Royal1383 You had a tough start with your recovery, didn't you?
I think what you are feeling is a common tightness and soreness.. I had that with my second THR, it felt like I had a steel band gripped around the middle of my thigh, among other things.
Are you able to walk unassisted and not limp? Sometimes it's better to get that cane out and help you balance your gait and practice the "heel-toe walk" Stride out and your heel should plant first and then rolling the foot forward and end up with your weight on the ball of your foot, which becomes your spring forward to the next step.

Are you doing any PT now? I think it would be nice to get their thoughts on what is going on, or see a competent therapeutic massage therapist who can work those thigh muscles and soothe out some of the knots. It shouldn't be painful. At the most, it should be a "good hurt."

The most important thing is to talk to your OS if you are worried and maybe an appointment with him would be reassuring for you.For myself? The three month mark was frustrating, our minds begin telling us that we should be able to step things up and it's not necessarily an accurate thought process.
I found a lot of improvement as I got closer to the four month landmark, but I still have room for more improvement.

I hope this article helps:

Healing: how long does it take?

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[FayeL]

Hi @Royal1383 - I have a dull achy feeling in my right thigh, worse with walking and tender to self massage (if I walk more than 20 minutes, I often feel that tendersness to self massage on the left non-op leg as well, but not that achy band feeling on the left)- I attribute this to weak gluteal muscles and hamstrings (muscles on the back of the leg), both of which are supposed to "pitch in" when walking and help with the push off aspect of your stride.

When I was first diagnosed with hip athritis 6 years ago, I started at Pilates, hoping it would help me make my body mechanics more efficient and help create a bit of "space" in my arthritic joint- not sure how much it helped with my OA, but I was able to hold off on surgery for 6 years and I'm sure it has helped with other aspects of my body- I was told in pilates that I had the habit, like many of us westerners who "sit" for a living, that I relied way too much on my quads (the muscles at the front of the leg) to lifty my leg when walking, instead of using the muscles of the back of my leg to push off- now, post op, I am once again retraining my self to engage these backside muscles (which have become super weak form 6 plus weeks of inactivity and the trauma of a posterior approach surgery)

I too can become quite anxious thinking about why I am feeling what, if I'vew somehow harmed my prosthetic and when will a full recovery happen- I try to remind myself that common things are common and soft tissue imbalances post hip replacement are WAY more common then problems with the new hip itself.

Wishing you well.

 

[Doodlemama]

Hi @Royal1383 ,
Sorry to hear of your hard recovery. We always hope to be one of the poster children for these procedures that we hear are so advanced and "easy," and when any complication arises it's very frustrating. It sounds to me like your muscles have just shortened up and tightened since you weren't able to be as active as you would have liked initially. I had some severe pain in one of my thighs on my first total hip and it was a rough go. But with time and PT is worked itself out. I am just now recovering from a knee replacement with a serious calf problem and I finally broke out my TENS machine. It's one of those e-stim thingies that your PT may have used with you. I bought one online (very reasonable, less than $40), and it helps with muscle relief a lot. I would make sure you're ok to try it if you're up for it, and then give it a whirl if you get the thumbs up. I also like the foam rollers to roll out the muscle- kind of like giving yourself a brief trigger point rolled massage. Of course I'm not a doc, but your symptoms sound muscular and not like your hip has complications, but if this brings you continued anxiety after trying some in-home therapeutic methods it's worth a doc visit to ease your mind. Our mental health is just as important as the physical health in recovery, and angst over these things we experience can really dampen the entire process. Keep us posted. Hope you get some relief.

 

[Debru4]

Sorry you are feeling uncomfortable and concerned.....every time we have a major surgery we have a huge adjustment, and there isn't always a match between what we expected it would be like, and the reality. This time, for me, it was hoping I'd be able to have better pain relief than I have had with previous surgeries---I can't tolerate opiods or NSAIDS. Unfortunately the pain meds didn't work out this time either and my first week was awful. After that it improved nicely.

It seems like you got such a late start on your recovery due to the catheter, that perhaps it might be more helpful for you to consider when you got the catheter out as a more accurate "starting" date on your recovery since you said you didn't feel like doing much before then.

I think many of us have had that tight stiff feeling in our leg, and it is worrisome and painful. It typically improves with walking and daily activities, although most of us continue to have some pain after sitting and then trying to stand/walk for quite awhile. I agree with the others who have said it might be a good idea to check in with your surgeon and make certain things are fine if you continue to have pain that is worrying you.

 

[Royal1383]

Thank you all for your support. Saw my OS yesterday and he said X-ray looked good. He believes the scar tissue needs more time due to my catheter the first five weeks. He said ice, message and walking. He wants to See me in six weeks. He noticed a slight tremor in my hand,other doctors have noticed this too. I suffer from anxiety and see a psychiatrist who believes it is emotional and I take Gabapentin. I hope this is not a medical issue. Any thoughts appreciated!

 

[Jaycey]

@Royal1383 Sounds like a very good update. If the x-ray looks good then you have been doing all the right things. Keep up the walking, ice and elevation. This recovery can take up to one year or more.

 

[Debru4]

Glad everything looks good with your hip! I would imagine if you are like most of us, you'll continue to have some anxiety for awhile as you adjust to the new hip and move through the recovery process. Hopefully the hand tremors are related to that, as your dr. suggested, but I'm sure it does worry you some if other doctors have mentioned it. For now, just try to focus on how well you are doing, since you know the hip itself is just as it should be, and take it one day at a time. At the end of each week, look back on the previous week and I'll be you'll notice improvement

 

[Layla]

Hello, it's good to hear your appt went well.
Have you ever read about Essential Tremor? It's a benign condition and I know sometimes hand tremor is involved. Look it up and see what you think if you're questioning whether this symptom is anxiety related. Talk to your Primary Care Physician about your concerns and I'm sure you'll receive some
reassurance / guidance. Best wishes as you continue your healing journey.
@Royal1383