THR Herts hippy recovery

However I get sore around the new hip.
and find it uncomfortable lying on my side without some padding.
I also get pains in the groin from time to time
But what concerns me is that I cannot balance on my operated hip for long
All perfectly normal. Don't worry about it.
said I would soon not notice the new hip. I hope he is right.
He is 100% right! But I'd questions the 'soon'. I might be a few months before you got there.
 
@SurreyGirl I am allowed to massage the area around the scar - I suspect that the muscles just need to settle. I had quite a lot of swelling there around weeks 2 to 5, probably from overdoing it early on.

Went to watch Fulham play Huddersfield today. Walked 6.6 miles, 15 floors and 16,000 steps. Hip felt good except when getting up from seats when the hip was stiff for a short while.

Steady progress and a lot better than pre-op when I felt sore after walking less than half a mile but I think it will be a while before I am back to where I was a few years ago.
 
Keep the faith! You will get there.
Month four was my biggest turnaround...if you can keep from observing things.
I will still icing regularly after periods of activity.
Still helpful...hope your Sunday is relaxing!:ice:
 
Sounds like you're doing great!
Walking over six miles,15 floors...16,000 steps is pretty ambitious.
I hope you had a nice Christmas. Wishing you all the best in the New Year!
@HertsHippy
 
I am now 10 weeks post op so thought I would update.

I am now in a much better position than I was before the op and better than I was a year ago. I can walk quite long distances briskly and do all routine tasks. I am back to the gym and pool regularly but I find I get a tired quicker than I used to - probably a consequence of not doing much for a few months.

My muscles are taking a while to get back to normal - I still get pains in the groin (adductors) and side (glutus medius) but they are not nearly as bad as the pain I had before. I can balance on the operated a leg for a minute or so but find it hard. This means that when I put on trousers when standing I have to touch a wall/furniture when putting on the unoperated side. I can see that the thigh on my bad leg is a lot smaller than the good leg so it is clear that I have some way to go. I also have work to do on my gait and need to concentrate on it when walking.

I have another physio on Friday and it will be interesting what she suggests I do next.
 
Good update...I had alot of re-training to do when I came to heel toe walking also.
Apparently I became a toe walker at some point ...to keep weight of of bad hips.
Had to get new shoes also as the wear pattern was not good for new hips.
Four months was my biggest turnaround for strength in muscles and stamina.
Lots of healing still happening so lots of improvement to come.
Hope you have a great week!
 
I am back to the gym and pool regularly but I find I get a tired quicker than I used to - probably a consequence of not doing much for a few months.


Or from experiencing major surgery a mere 10 weeks ago. Lots of internal healing still going on. It can take a full year or longer. Our body's energy supply isn't limitless. So when we're in healing mode after major surgery our energy will be used for healing first, not leaving a great reserve for all the other activity of daily life. It is completely normal to feel tired for quite some time. How long....most likely relates to your body's rate of healing. Making our best effort to get adequate sleep and rest is beneficial.
Our body does it's best healing while we're sleeping.

You're doing great. Keep it up. A great rest of the week to you!
@HertsHippy
 
It's now 11 weeks and progress is slowing down! I went to the physio last week - she said my muscles are still very weak and I need to keep up exercise to build them up.

I tried my first proper walk yesterday - around 6 miles in the country on tarmac mostly but with some steep inclines. I used trekking poles which really improved my gait. It was great for the first 4 to 5 miles but then I started to suffer. My quads got very, very sore and clearly were not used to such exercise. I took the rest of the day to recover with elevation and ice. This walk showed that while I had been progressing quite well I still have a long way to go. It was very different to strolling around town!

I am still getting stiff around the hips and can be a bit sore from time to time. I still cannot balance properly for long on the operated hip. But at least I am finding the cycling machine and cross-trainer fine and can swim well.

I would be getting a bit despondent with my progress were it not for hearing others' recovery stories on this forum. I consider myself to be relatively fit compared with most but presumably it is the severity of the arthritis (amongst other factors) which is dictating the recovery time. I find it amazing that some people are walking well and pain free within 6 weeks.

The last year has also made us conscious of what type of place we will move to when we downsize - not too high maintenance and close to facilities. In the UK we have a programme called "Escape to the Country" where couples find a dream home - it amazes me to see elderly couples who want to move to a house with huge amounts of land in the country - if they got dodgy hips they are in trouble.
 
I find it amazing that some people are walking well and pain free within 6 weeks.
Don't believe it just like that.
This recovery is a process!

I tried my first proper walk yesterday - around 6 miles in the country on tarmac mostly but with some steep inclines.
I'm sorry you overdid it...but I did have to giggle slightly.
Your FIRST proper walk you went 6 miles and with some steep terrain.:flabber:
I should certainly think you are Sore.
My quads were very tender for up to six months with just mostly flat walking and some stairs.
All about building up SLOOOWLY and you still have about of healing happening.:yes:
Don't want to end up with tendinitis or other chronic issues by pushing it too hard !:umm:
Great for you to come home and assume the position:ice:
We figure alot of this out by trial and error, unfortunately.:sigh:
 
Please be careful! I ended up with all sorts of problems from overdoing it too early! And tendinitis takes a while to recover from and is easily aggravated once the ODIC has been joined.

6 miles just over two months out is lot to ask your hips to do.

Glad the swimming is going well. Maybe cut those walks down a bit so you are within your comfort zone and then add a bit more week by week? Maybe a mere 3 miles to start with, especially over rough terrain!
 
Hi @HertsHippy
You're doing really well it seems.
I agree with cutting your walk in half.
Three miles is plenty right now since you're only two and a half months post op.
I'm sure you realize that after the six mile trek and short stint in the ODIC.
Enjoy the rest of the week!
 
Meanwhile I am dead envious you can even do three miles. I can manage 2 at a push but a lot better than pre-op...

Can now cross leg over to put socks on and get trousers on standing on one leg without support so it all comes eventually...
 
Whoa @HertsHippy , you say you would be getting a bit despondent with your progress - you are doing amazingly well But I see you were a very active person until quite recently, so it must be harder for you to accept this temporary period of unfitness. It is only temporary!

You are so right about the folk on Escape to the Country. My husband and I have put in train our own escape. I’d never seen the show until so many folk told us “Oh you are just like that show...” so I watched a few episodes out of curiosity. We wanted to move from a busy town to somewhere with more space and peace. I had dreams of a view and a bit of land. It’s easy to get drawn further and further out because you get so much more of house and land and views as you spread the search wider. Suddenly you are looking at a mansion with its own river,but it’s 10 miles up a dirt track in Wales! But during our search I met this slightly older gentleman in a wheelchair who had bought a dream home on retirement, only 3 miles from a decent town, but still....His mobility went, then his wife’s eyesight so she couldn’t drive them. The rural bus was cancelled. So when I met him in town, he was there only by courtesy of a once a week charity bus. He said “When you have one foot in the grave, it’s a good idea to have the other foot on a pavement”! I took that to heart. We have decided where we are moving to, and it is walking distance, on level pavement, to everything. That’s to say it’s my idea of walking distance, ie less than half a mile, not yours!! But when I’m ready for a 6 mile country walk we can do that straight out of the door too.
 
Good exercise day - Bodybalance class (only 2 of us so the instructor tailored it for us) then into the pool for exercises and a not too fast 1km. I am finding swimming great exercise - I don't feel the new hip at all in the pool.
 
Nice update @HertsHippy Thanks for sharing.
Two and a half months post op already.
Time flies. Glad you're doing well.
Enjoy the weekend! :SUNsmile:
 
So Andy Murray will be eligible to join this forum - mind you I suspect he will be getting pretty good advice ahead of his op.
 
:wave: Hope things are easing and you are in the cruising lane once again.
I had plenty of "okay, maybe that was a bit much too soon" episodes.

Four month mark was my biggest turnaround...legs seemed ready to take it all on with less repercussions.
This recovery business can be a journey for sure.
Hope today is a Good Day!
 
It is my new hip's 12 week anniversary today. Progress is steady and I am now at the stage that I can do pretty much all normal day to day activities. I am fine walking around town, getting on trains etc. I can walk much further and faster than in the months before the operation and have much better range of movement. I can't get away with the "I have had a major operation recently" excuse for not doing things any more!!

However there is still a lot of work to do. I am sometimes a bit stiff and sore and my muscles around the operated hip are still weak. I cannot balance well on the operated leg but am getting better at it. I cannot yet do longer walks but hopefully that again will come soon (using trekking poles). My gait is getting better but my brain is still getting used to my legs being the same length again. My Pilates teacher (who has had two THRs) reckons on 12 to 18 months to get back to full fitness.

I tried out a (easy level) Barre Concept class yesterday - it is derived from ballet and is very good for posture and strengthening muscles around the hips. Highly recommended to fellow hippies. This week I am signed up for two Pilates classes and a Bodybalance class and intend to do a bit of swimming as well.

Next week the diet and extra exercise begins to lose the stone I have put on in the last year!
 
:egypdance: Sounds like you are doing very well!
2019 will be a Splendid Year!:thumb:
 
Happy Twelve Week Anniversary!
What a great update to start 2019 with. You're doing so well.
At not quite three months post op you still have healing to go.
I'll bet it only gets better and better :yes!:
Enjoy the week:SUNsmile:
@HertsHippy
 

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