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THR Hi! Mood and exercise question

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Anniepops thread was interesting! I read several CDH and displasia stories, I was lucky to not have more issues prior to the arthritis it seems. On a totally different note how do I add a permanent signature with my surgery date and CDH -- :)


THR right 7/31/13
 
I was born with a dislocated hip that was repaired as a baby. We are not sure if my problem hip is the one that was dislocated or not but I'm assuming it is. I developed a labral tear in about 2009, doing yoga, which got worse and worse. I switched from Iyengar to Anusara around that time, which had a heavy emphasis on hip openers. The joint became arthritic and totally deteriorated. I was on crutches for a year and had the hip replaced in Jan. 2011. It never really healed as I believe the joint began to corrode and damage the surrounding tissue soon after the surgery. The joint was recalled by Stryker in the summer of 2012. I didn't find out about it until January or so of 2013 and in April of 2013, I had a revision. The stem was replaced. It's been close to five months now and I am doing yoga again but I have to be very careful and may have to be for some time. But I've pretty much been in near constant pain to some degree or other since 2009.

Your recovery may be totally different from mine. I started doing yoga again a couple months after the most recent surgery, but I use the term "doing yoga" very loosely because, for example, it involved micro movements working towards something that resembled a pose to build strength back in the leg, while maintaining all the movement restrictions. My muscles had atrophied from all that time of inactivity and lack of use. I have had to learn to work within and respect my limits and back off big time so I can finally heal, move beyond this and get my life back.

I am still sore much of the time in the surgical area and use ice and heat a lot and rest as much as I need to. The soreness and fatigue I still experience are my biggest problems at this point. And it is depressing. I have no energy whatsoever right now. Not sure if the fatigue is normal still at this point, but I still do some kind of yoga every day, even if it's one pose and its restorative. A lot of what I do is restorative. I feel like I'm starting over as I've lost so much strength from all the inactivity.

I subscribe to Yogaglo.com and they have all levels and different kinds of classes on there. They offer two free weeks if you want to check it out. You can rebuild a practice but do it slowly and don't do anything that hurts.
 
Ruby Red thank you for sharing your experience you have had quite a ride. I am so sorry the revision has not alleviated your pain. hopefully your fatique and continued soreness is just due to the revision being only five months ago. i know I am not yet close to a real practice of any discipline. If I do too much walking my gluteus rebel so I know I am a ways away yet. I am starting to do forward folds and back stretches to alleviate the lower back tension I have been getting. Is your left hip good?
 
I have a little arthritis in the left hip. Hopefully it's a long way away from having to be replaced.
With an anterior approach, you don't have the movement restrictions I'm guessing so that's good for you. I think back bends are about the only thing that doesn't irritate my hip. Little back bends that is!

Hope you have a speedy, smooth recovery! You mentioned you are in NY I think? Where abouts?
 
YogaGirl said:
No was never a meditator unfortunately I always found that peace through the movement. I am sure that is a good measure of why I am so not at peace with this process. Will ask my neighbor for the bike trainer and force myself to just use it as movement. Am I the only nut that has seriously considered asking for anti depressants for this phase?
Click to expand...

Hi YogaGirl I've been reading your posts.... and had to pause at this one. I thought I was doing fine, but my daughter asked me if I thought about going back on antidepressants :rotfl: I think I need the endorphins as well!!! Trust me, you are NOT alone! :)

I want to finish reading your thread, and then I'll share my yoga experience with you...

Nancy
 
YogaGirl... wow! Isn't the support here fabulous! I just love it! Here's my personal journey regarding yoga and my THR. I used to practice Bikram Yoga a few years ago. I got distracted with life and stopped. I went back to Bikram Yoga in April of this year to try to prevent my need for a RTHR. When I realized that my RTHR was necessary, I kept up Bikram Yoga to get as strong as possible pre op. There's just something about 90 minutes at 105 degree heat and 40% humidity. I did a 30 day challenge (30 classes in 30 days). I was fit for my surgery. My last class was 6/26 and surgery was 7/1.

One of my yoga instructors is the owner of the studio, and she has hip displasia. She had her first THR 4/13 and her second 6/13. Her second surgery left her with a fractured femur. I have watched her and tapped into her knowledge as I prepared to go back into the yoga studio. I went to my first yoga class 8/11/13, 41 days post op. I did a very modified version and used a chair in class. I was VERY gentle with myself. I only did about half of the class, but I was there, sweating out the toxins, breathing, and in open eye meditation. It was great. I continued classes and began to push myself. I "caught the pain" as you said earlier. I experienced a set back and had to back off completely again.

After a break to rest I went back to class this past Thursday. I hope I learned to be gentle with my hip. My plan is to go tomorrow... slowly!

I hope I've been of some help to you. I loved the quote of "Chasing the pain, but not catching it" in regards to exercising. Great visual for me!!!

PS.. even if I don't do one stretch in class the sweat and open eye meditation is enough to keep my adult children from asking me if I need "happy pills" :yes!:

Keep up the healing, you're doing great!
Nancy
 
@nmay51the support here is fabulously helpful.nancy, .how lucky your studio owner has been through the process. Our hot yoga studio is always packed and filled with triathletes cross training. I definitely don't see a seated reintroduction there. I am 53 days post op and I'm not sure when or how I will renter yoga. Toward folds and deep breathing are all I seem inspired to try at the moment. My leg is still weak that marching and lifting it is not easy----a long way from a warrior strength. Trying to acknowledge my depression as a natural reaction to this process and get beyond it. What is your pain level like now? I am often dealing with dull aches, backaches one times tabbing and burning butt or hip muscles if I do too much. I only take ibuprofen occasionally and mostly ice or rest when the discomfort rises. I was mad at my surgeon or telling me I had to stop short of catching pain - some of my walks are only 3/10th of a mle. Torture to stop o quickly. On beautiful fall days like today I used to go for 5 mile country walks and be so happy. I am hoping by spring to be able to get close. We shall see. I feel like I had a great surgeon who did wonders with my very lousy anatomy but I am not on inched I will get to the lifestyle I thought I would regain.
 
Ruby Red I am in the beautiful Hudson valley and had my surgery in the city. Are you an Empire State gal?
 
YogaGirl so sorry, I was hoping for an easy fix... it doesn't appear that I have the answer :sigh: . Just remember the only way you lose is if you quit. Short of that, you're a winner. I am no where near "warrior" strength either, but I'm better today than I was pre op. That's progress in my book.

The pain level for those first 5-10 steps after resting are about a 4 down from a 6, a month ago, down from a 9 post op. Progress, right??

My two cents on Anti depressants.... if you need them to get the zest back into your life... do it. I've needed them over difficult times in my life and this is definitely one of those times. Do what you gotta do, just know that they don't make your outlook better overnight. They take time to get into your system.

Take care of yourself, especially now. Make yourself a priority. It will set the foundation for the rest of your life.

Nancy
 
nmay51 you have made much progress!! And you are sweating and moving forward which is awesome! I set up my mountain bike on an indoor stand today and pedaled for five minutes...felt great! The hardest part is getting on and off the bike it was laughable watching me figure out how to get on and off but I did it :) :dancy:
 
YogaGirl That visual brings back memories... After I was injured, but before I needed surgery I took my road bike out and in order to get on it, I had to lay by bike down on it's side and straddle it. I then picked it up and clipped in. I road very painfully for 18 miles. I did this several times before I surrendered to the pain. I gave myself an "A" for effort but also an "A" for stubbornness.

The comparison ends with you getting on and off the bike, but I have to laugh at the memory. :bicycle2:

I'm so happy that you got some endorphins moving today. Good for you!!! Slow and steady is key.

Nancy
 
nmay51 you are tough!, no way if things hurt so much I would have gone 1.8 never mind 18 miles! You must live where it is flat (I hope)
:egypdance:
 
Ah Florida... I flat it is. I am on a mountain so it is a pain for me to drive to a flat place to walk. Pt this morning and I will wiggle my way on to the bike tonight:)
 
well I'm thinking it was The biking yesterday but I woke up with much loosed quads, feeling great.
 
Hi Mara,

Welcome to the other side and the sometimes crazy world of hip dysplasia...

How about some PT are you able to do that for a few weeks/months as you continue to adapt to the new hip?

I was not a yoga person, ok I did a session of classes years ago and didn't like it, but now I am doing an adaptive class. Before I started the adaptive class I did and Awareness through Movement class with a Feldenkrais gal. This was all because I was not able to get back in to the gym at 8 weeks like my OS had promised and needed to do something as, like you, I thought I was going to lose my mind.

Do you know if your pelvis is level? Did you have any leg length discrepancy or rotoscoliosis prior to the surgery? When those of us that had CDH get the new hardware it's often at a much different angle than the old funky hip had been and this creates a lot of soft tissue disruption all over the place. This disruption takes a long time to adapt to and as your massage person mentioned can create some anger at the hip! This is the year that you will truly learn about balance in a way that yoga never taught you.

Take care,
Cardie
 
Cardio C Mac soft tissue disruption is apparently what I have! My right leg has always been a bit longer though other than shortening pants I never noticed too much. My X-rays are much more messed up than my hips ever felt prior to the arthritis that led to the THR. The body adjusts I guess. TheTHR took my leg from inwardly rotated to "normal" (slightly outward rotation). I thought my leg would never work again when I woke up and saw in flopped outward lol, scared the life out of me. I am adjusting to the new alignment but I am sure that is a good measure of the discomfort. I was calling it pain but since I am off all meds except for the occasional tylenols I think discomfort is More accurate.

I go to PT twice a week and do all of the standard strengtheners. It is the cardio I really miss. Hopefully this stationary bike might get my heart up a little. I was heartened by the lack of stiffness this morning. I know things go up and down but I am hopeful that at seven weeks I may now be on an upswing. I have been running errands and moving about without a cane. i am working on not walking like a penguin, time for sit ups to strength the core. i spend a lot of time hoping the left hip which had no hip socket at birth holds strong even though it looks bizarre on picture. I am in no rush to do this again! I have heard of feldenkrais - alignment based? Are you know able to do the activities you want now? Regards,
 
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