Fractured Neck of Femur/Pinning Hip Pinning after ski accident

[Klassy]

Sometimes I feel like they need to push you to feel like they are doing their job

I think that is definitely the case. My physio for Hip 1 was a lovely, kind woman, but sometimes I felt like I could limp in there with one leg chopped off and she would look at her notes and say, “OK, so we had you doing 10 side raises with the yellow band, now I want you to move on to 15 with a purple band.” But I did value her encouragement and, especially, reassurance.

I laid down the law from the outset with my physiotherapist for Hip 2, also a very kind person, and I may have frightened him off, because we are going verrrrrry gently. That has been working fine for me, but I think I am ready to pick up the pace now. At my next visit, which will be at almost 5 months, and will be my last visit if all continues well, I will ask him to set out a progressive program for the future.

So like you, I am looking forward to my session with confidence.

BTW, “chuffed” means pleased, with a dash of excitement, a smidgeon of satisfaction and a grace note of gratification. Times two.

 

[Snoopy55]

Haha @Klassy! I think there are lots of good physical therapists but not that many great ones. I know here in the states there are many "assistants" that come from all walks of life and are working in the PT offices just to make extra money and they are merely bodies that stand over you to tell you what to do but they really don't know if you are doing them correctly or not. So I did lots of research and found one that is the manager of the practice and hence had to wait a month for his schedule to open up!

I'm not going to take a chance with just anyone again.

Thanks for the explanation of chuffed I just love your sense of humor. And aren't we lucky we can have such support from people we've never met on this site? I think we would be friends for sure if we ever met in real life

Here is looking forward to month four with you guys encouraging me on and hoping I can be some support for others as well!

 

[Snoopy55]

Quick question for anyone who has experience a burning feeling in the hip? My right hip (surgery side) feels so hot to the touch sometimes. Has anyone had this? It comes and goes but today its especially hot. I went swimming again and the baby pool was closed so I used the lap lanes and went back and forth doing laps-very gently as I was also wearing a belt to keep afloat (no way I could swim laps right now without it) and when I say laps I mean literally doing the doggie paddle and coming backwards using mostly my arms to move. I did obviously do lots of bicycling in the water but just wondering if you all experience this burning after exercising or PT? TIA!

 

[Layla]

Just reading this…I don’t have an answer for you, but since it’s on your mind and puzzling you, consider calling your OS’s office to speak with a member of his team for reassurance. There is nothing like peace of mind. I hope you have a nice weekend.
@Snoopy55

 

[FCBayern]

I will start PT in a couple of weeks and I am so freaked out that they will push me so if you have any advice on how to avoid getting myself in a sticky situation with PT please advise!

This guidance for dealing with your PT was posted by one of our BoneSmart members and I've held on to it because I thought it was brilliant.

• I expect discomfort. I DO NOT expect actual significant pain.
• The definition of what is painful is owned by me, not you.
• When I say stop, we're crossing the line into pain. I expect you to immediately stop.
• Trying to force me past the pain point or not listening to me will completely break my trust in you.
• I want us to be partners in this. I'm willing to try almost anything, as long as I can continue to trust you.
• If I trust you, I will go right up to the line between discomfort and pain. If I do not trust you, I will likely start tensing up as soon as any discomfort starts. At that point I may as well get a new therapist.

If I'm ever faced with PT again I will print this out and hand it to the PT when they introduce themselves.

 

[Snoopy55]

@FCBayern That sounds great. I took a picture and will share with my PT. I am also loving your location. Roatan??
I think I would forget all my aches and pains if I lived there lol. Thank you so much for reading my message and for the post.

 

[Snoopy55]

Good news and bad news over the past few days:
Good news is that I went to PT and she was really nice and listened and was very gentle and understanding about my situation. I told her about the Bone Smart philosophy of being in recovery and not in training. She understood and said we will take it slow.
The Bad news is that this past weekend I completely entered the ODIC as we were out and about all weekend. Last night I was in so much pain and so swollen I had to take the tramadol again three times. The burning was so bad I thought I needed to go to the ER. But after a while the tramadol kicked in but I couldn't get any sleep last night until around 6am when I finally fell asleep for a couple of hours.
I got very concerned about AVN and started reading up about it and made myself paranoid so I made an appointment with my doctor for tomorrow. Although I am seeing him PA its better than nothing. The PT also told me to wear compression socks around my hip as it helps with the inflammation so I have that on now and she told me to ice as well which of course I do. Will report back tomorrow after the doctor.

 

[Layla]

I’m sorry you’re struggling. I wish you speedy relief and some reassuring words from your surgeon’s PA tomorrow.
Hope you have a peaceful evening and get some sleep tonight. Keep us posted.
@Snoopy55

 

[myglasshalffull]

Snoopy,
Hope all goes well at doctor's, I'm seeing mine tomorrow as well, let's check back with each other.

 

[Snoopy55]

Thanks @Layla and @myglasshalffull. Once again I don't have anyone to blame but myself. But hopefully tomorrow will bring the reassurance that I need and I can start PT on Wednesday with peace of mind.

 

[Snoopy55]

Snoopy,
Hope all goes well at doctor's, I'm seeing mine tomorrow as well, let's check back with each other.

For sure. Good luck tomorrow as well.

 

[Stephen1989]

Yikes @Stephen1989! Here I am questioning why I’m still having pain at 9 weeks! Oh boy I’m so sorry. What kind of pain is it? Is it sharp or throbbing? Is it after you e exercised?

Hi @Snoopy55
So sorry for the late reply, I didn’t receive a notification email.
Hope your pain is settling down a bit? How are you feeling now?
Thank you for your sympathy
Unfortunately I’ve been getting quite a bit of pain up my leg, knee, groin, hip and lower back which were worryingly all the areas of pain pre-op. They can be a mixture of sharp and throbbing pains. Sometimes lasting a sustained period and even causing me to revert to limping. I’m reluctant to return to a crutch or my trusty stick but may have to unfortunately rather than walking lopsided. You’re right the pain did come predominantly after exercising. Especially any semi-intensive exercise. But I’m also on my feet a lot at work and lifting semi-heavy items which again causes periods of pain. However I’ve stopped virtually all physical exercise apart from walking and I’ve cut back on my work schedule and unfortunately I’m still experiencing quite a bit of pain. So I’m seeing my surgeon again on Friday. Really hope necrosis hasn’t set in which I was warned about. Out of interest, did your surgeon strongly push you in favour of pinning as mine did? If I had know over a year post-op I’d still be in pain then really don’t think I would have gone for this over the replacement.
Take care, hope things improve for you

 

[Snoopy55]

Hi @Stephen1989!
No worries about the late reply. I don't get email notifications either. I check the forum about twice a day and look for the little bell to let me know if i have any messages. That's also why I make sure to use the @ sign before sending anyone a note so they get the notification.

I am so sorry you are experiencing pain. I actually just came back from my OS but he is not the one that originally did my surgery. I went to him as a second opinion and he is much for conservative. He told me that this type of injury takes at least 4-6 months to heal and its been 3 and a half so way too early. He did say the xray looks good and he is happy I am going to start PT twice a week but he did say that my whole hip is inflamed and perscriped a muscle relaxant three times a day along with tramadol (just 10) to use for pain if needed because I told him the tylenol isnt really working. Your job seems to be putting lots of stress on your joints but if you are worried about the AVN (I was too but he said there is no sign of that) you should ask for another xray to rule that out.

I didn't have any discussions with the original surgeon about the hip pinning as there was no time. I fell on my hip and fractured it while I was skiing and he took an xray and said its a clean break and its non displaced and the pins will keep it in place while the bone heals. I was in pretty good shape and he said I would be fine in a couple of weeks!! Not true obviously but that mentality led me to believe I could travel which I did and that hindered my recovery even more. But that said this new surgeon said that if in six months from now I am still experiencing pain then we can talk about a total hip replacement but he doesnt think that will be necessary. I would go back to your doctor sooner than later and tell him about all the pain and see what he thinks and maybe take it a little slower at work if possible? And definitely don't do strenous exercise until the inflammation settles down. Just my two cents and I hope you feel better soon.

 

[Snoopy55]

@myglasshalffull Good morning! I am back from doctor and everything looks good and no sign of AVN, Just needs time still. He did give me muscle relaxants to calm the muscles down and make me more comfortable. How did yours go?

 

[myglasshalffull]

Mine went great, implant looks good and bone growth is filling in nicely around it. Don't have to go back for 3 months!

 

[Klassy]

How wonderful to get this reassurance. No AVN, just more time needed. I hope the muscle relaxants help the time pass a bit more comfortably.

 

[Snoopy55]

How wonderful to get this reassurance. No AVN, just more time needed. I hope the muscle relaxants help the time pass a bit more comfortably.

yes! so good to hear that and also he examined me and touched my hip and saw how inflamed and swollen it was and thats why he decided to go with muscle relaxants. It makes me trust that he believes me when I say I have pain! Also he said that he read my email even though he has a PA which I thought was great. I just have total confidence in him at this point which is a great place to be.

 

[Snoopy55]

Happy Sunday everybody! Wanted to check in and tell you how things have been progressing. I have been on the muscle relaxants now for less than a week and things have definitely calmed down. I did start going to PT and its been helpful. We have been going slow which is good. I am also doing the exercises at home. I can say that these past few days pain/discomfort has been around a 1 out of 10 which I am super happy about. The only thing right now that is a bit bothersome is car rides. Went to lunch in DC yesterday with my family and I had to hold on to my hip while my husband navigated the pot holes!

I think I am turning a corner. I'm a little worried about getting off the muscle relaxers which he only prescribed for 10 days and I am taking them every 8-10 hours and sometimes Tylenol in between just to stay ahead of the pain.
My PT schedule is a little off this coming week because of the Memorial Holiday so my next PT is on Thursday. Next weekend we are headed to the beach (we have a place in Delaware) which is a 2 and half hour car ride and I am a bit nervous about that and trying to actually walk on the beach freaks me out a little. Can you tell I'm just nervous about doing anything other than very normal stuff? I do cook and go up and down the stairs quite a few times during the day (still toddler style) though but I am just worried about doing something to set myself back again. Sigh.

Thanks for listening and have a great weekend!

 

[myglasshalffull]

Hi Snoopy,
Yeah I'm not into long car rides, I get so stiff. We are flying end of June to Texas to visit my son and family and I'm dreading 4 hour non stop flight. I don't want to hobble off the plane and make my son think I'm not getting better.
Once I start moving I'm fine.
My partner and I took a nice walk yesterday afternoon, felt so good to take a long walk. We went to big grocery store in AM then walk in afternoon. The more I move the better I feel but like you still apprehensive about certain activities.
I was at dog kennel this AM, not going tomorrow, we are going to friend's house for a cookout.
I would be careful on beach, uneven and sand it much more difficult to walk in than solid ground. Just take it easy.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

 

[Klassy]

The car ride will go much better if you can fit in some stops. You don’t need a long break, just enough to stand and walk for a minute or two.

It may not be the glamorous beach babe vibe you are going for, but could you take a walking aid on the beach at least for the first time on soft sand? Better safe than sorry.