Fractured Neck of Femur/Pinning Hip Preservation Surgery

[Stephen1989]

Thank you very much for your lovely comments and good wishes Layla.
Yes I’ll definitely stick around and provide updates on my progress.
Best Wishes
Stephen

 

[Hobbling Along]

@Stephen1989 It gets better I promise. I’m 18 months down the line. Still haven’t managed to run …. But that is laziness on my part I intend to try couch to 5K again soon.

it hurt the first time with no surgery …. That’s what’s putting me off . Life does get easier day to day life nothing I can do that I couldn’t before. I have a slight limp some of the time but I manage regardless.

Discharged with no signs of AVN so hopeful that I can try to start running.

You’ll get there too but nothing prepares you initially physiologically for the feeling of isolation and hopelessness but slowly it will all be in the past.

Go easy on yourself we are the biggest critics of ourselves….. in my case also impatient

 

[Layla]

Three Months to date….Happy Anniversary!
I hope all continues to go well for you and you’re enjoying the Summer.
Take good care and stay in touch.
@Stephen1989

 

[Stephen1989]

Thank you for your messages @Hobbling Along and @Layla.

I’m pleased to hear about your good progress Hobbling Along, although it must have been a real bummer being in hospital over Christmas!
That’s great that there’s no AVN, long may it continue!
Yes you’re right about the self-criticism and impatience. There were some tough moments to get through over these past 3-4 months being essentially bed-bound. But I think the key is to just not try to think about it too much and try and distract yourself by doing other things to take your mind off it. I remember when the doctor mentioned how long it may be, I really worried about being able to get through it, but I am so pleased and relieved now that it’s hopefully all over and done with and I have finally got some semblance of normality back.
I came back to my flat a week ago and returned to work too. I don’t have any real pain now, just a bit around my knee weirdly and occasionally my lower back. My knee will feel like it’s buckling a bit, but I’m still attempting to walk on two crutches most of the time and I hope this is normal and it really is pretty mild. I have been out walking a lot, probably trying to make up for lost time, but the surgeon just said to let the pain dictate how much I can do.

Thank you Layla, I’m certainly enjoying the summer now much better than I was over the past few months! I have to say it really does feel amazing to finally have some independence back and to be able to just go out whenever I want, go to work, see friends, go shopping a little bit. Just lots of little things that I took for granted before.

I hope everyone is ok, please let me know that the knee pain is normal? I presume it’s just because I’m trying to walk on the leg again and the muscle needs building back up so the leg isn’t quite strong enough yet?

Take care everybody!

 

[djklaugh]

@Stephen1989 You've had an extended time of decreased activity. I would guess (not a medical person) that the muscles in your leg have lost conditioning and that could be the reason you knee and back are feeling weak. Has your surgeon recommended any physical therapy? If not you might want to call and talk to him about that possibility. In any case, taking it slow and strengthening those muscles carefully - need to prevent straining and traumatizing them.

for getting back to your work and your flat!!

 

[Divipops]

Hi Stephen good news that you are back in your flat and getting along fine. You seem to be having the same problem as myself with your knee, my knee also keeps buckling. I have finally got an appointment with physio next week after waiting since April, it will be 10 months since my operation. Keep up the good work I will let you know how it goes.

Divipops

 

[Stephen1989]

Hi @djklaugh and @Divipops,

Thanks for your messages and apologies for the delay in replying.

That all makes sense regarding why I occasionally get pains. In fact the knee seems to be fine now and I just get the occasional twinge in my back and hip but nothing to worry about and my mobility is great.

I’ve been out at work all day most days and on my days off I‘ve been going on quite long walks and doing shopping etc and everything feels great! Still just loving having my independence back, feeling useful again and really making the most of my freedom! But yes I’ll have to be mindful not to over-do it and to rest if I feel a lot of pain.

I’m still on 2 crutches for another 2 1/2 weeks and then I will go down to 1 for a bit before I can throw them in the bin and be full weight-bearing once I have re-built the muscle.

Yes my surgeon has referred me for more physio and I’ve got an appointment in about 3 weeks time where they said they’ll really increase the exercises so that I can regain full strength and flexibility etc. All very exciting that a return to the tennis courts may actually be possible again, whereas for a while I thought I’d never be able to play again!

Sorry to hear your knee is still giving you problems Divipops and I’m so pleased that you’ve finally got your physio, please let me know how you get on.

Best Wishes

Stephen

 

[Stephen1989]

Hello again Everyone,

I hope you’re all keeping well!

Just to update I’ve been full weight-bearing since last Friday!

I’m initially still using the 1 crutch while I’m outside but I’m trying to walk unaided around my flat. Have more physio next week where I’ll hopefully get taught how to properly walk again!

Not planning a return to the tennis courts any time in the immediate future. My surgeon said not to risk it for up to a year post-op whereas my physio seems less cautious and has said I could re-try it as soon as I feel able to, maybe within 6 weeks! But to be honest, I’m not really missing it anymore and knowing all the problems it caused me for this last year, it doesn’t make me feel like I’m desperate to put anything at risk and possibly go through all this again. Maybe I’ll change my mind as I progress but it might be too much impact for the metal hip to take.

Not in any pain virtually all of the time. Occasionally I get a very mild twinge around my hip or lower back, which usually tells me I’ve been doing too much and a short rest gets rid of it quickly.

If anyone has any questions then please feel free to ask.

Take care everybody and I’ll keep you updated!

Best Wishes

Stephen

 

[Jaycey]

@Stephen1989 I think you are very wise to delay returning to playing tennis. I agree with your surgeon - give that hip all the time it needs to heal. Plenty of time for tennis later.

 

[Stephen1989]

Hello again everyone,

I hope you’re all doing well.

Just an update, I have been in a bit of pain for the past week unfortunately. The pain has been up my left leg, which was the main area of pain pre-op. I am worried that this might mean that the body has rejected the implant. I was told that this would be a concern up until 12 months post-op. It has been 5 months so far and I had sporadic mild pains during this period. However, this current pain which really is very mild and only occasional, has been persisting for about a week now. Unfortunately I have had to stop my physio exercises and stop going into work for the past few days. I had been doing some more strenuous physio exercises over the past few weeks, do you think it’s possible that I may have just strained something and that the pain will go away? Or that perhaps I was doing a bit too much and this is my body’s way of letting me know and that it should go away with a bit of rest? Or do you think I should contact my surgeon to get another X-ray and ask him his advice?

Many thanks for reading and I look forward to reading any replies.

Best Wishes

Stephen

 

[Jaycey]

I had been doing some more strenuous physio exercises over the past few weeks, do you think it’s possible that I may have just strained something and that the pain will go away? Or that perhaps I was doing a bit too much and this is my body’s way of letting me know and that it should go away with a bit of rest?

Sounds like you have answered your own question. An increase in activity is bound to cause discomfort. What type of exercises were you doing and how often?

 

[Stephen1989]

Thanks for your message Jaycey.

The physio gave me some new standing up exercises to do 2-3 weeks ago. I didn’t experience any problems at first, but after about 2 weeks of doing them, I started getting pains up my leg and in my lower back and hip. The ones she introduced me to were standing solely on the injured leg for up to 2 minutes. Standing on my good leg and moving the injured leg from side to side for 2 minutes. Lying on my right side and moving my injured left leg up and down for 2 minutes. And lying on my back with my knees bent and my feet flat on the floor and pushing my stomach up through my legs for 2 minutes, if any of that makes sense!

Do you think those exercises sound a bit too much at this stage in my recovery? I was told to do them all once a day and tended to do them all in the same 15 minute period.

I am 5 months post-op now but only a month full weight-bearing and I’m still using one crutch most of the time and always when I’m outside.

Funnily enough, the pain has actually gone down quite a bit as I have been resting for the last few days and laying off the exercises. Which leads me to think that it possibly was just an over-exertion pain. I had been doing full-time hours back at work as well and on my feet virtually all day. So maybe it was all a bit too much too soon? I was just trying to make up for lost time really and I was so desperate to get back to everything after being off for so long.

Should I maybe rest for another few days and then gradually go back to doing things and take it slowly and see how it feels?

Thanks for reading.

Best Wishes

Stephen

 

[Mojo333]

@Stephen1989

Should I maybe rest for another few days and then gradually go back to doing things and take it slowly and see how it feels?

That is what my plan would be.
You might also want to think about less repetitions and build up slowly...I would probably break them up throughout the day. Do one set of them and give it a rest, then an hour or so later do the other exercise...like that maybe.

And lying on my back with my knees bent and my feet flat on the floor and pushing my stomach up through my legs for 2 minutes

These bridges might be the ones that I would drop for now until things got a little stronger.

Really walking is the best therapy...concentrating on good form...straight back and heel to toe.

I know you are ready for this recovery to hurry up but as you say, it has only been a month since you were allowed full weight bearing and it is going to take some time to get things levelled out.

I hope you are still icing after walking or PT. It helps with the swelling and hence the tightness.

 

[Jaycey]

@Stephen1989 Please remember you are not in training for anything. You are healing from major trauma. There is plenty of time for strength training later when that hip has healed. I would back off all those reps and focus on being able to walk without pain. Start slow and build up very gradually.

 

[Stephen1989]

Thank you @Mojo333 and @Jaycey for your great advice.
Sorry for the delay in replying.
I will take your advice. I am going to see my physio again and query how many reps and exercises I really need to do and spread them out over the day. And yes concentrating on walking the correct way will be my priority now.

Call me stupid, but I haven’t actually been icing at all. Nobody has told me to do that before, not my surgeon, physios or nurses. Would you recommend me starting that now? Would that relieve any pain I may get?

You are both right to say that I don’t need to put myself under any pressure to try and rush the recovery. I just need to learn to be more patient and take it step by step, literally!

To update, I saw my surgeon again today, just over 5 months post-op.
He said he was really happy with my progress, that the X-ray looked great, the fracture has healed, it shouldn’t re-fracture and said the pain I got must have just been a strain.
This has come as a relief to me because I was concerned that the pain may have indicated that something was wrong and maybe necrosis had set in. He said there is no sign of avascular necrosis and to see him again in 12 months. After this period, if there aren‘t any other problems then they can completely rule out the prospect of necrosis and declare the operation a success.

He also told me to get rid of the crutch today and walk completely unaided as it’s healed now and by continuing to use the crutch, I will become dependent on it, when I don’t need to. To my surprise, he also said I can go back to playing tennis as soon as I want! This has taken me aback slightly as previously they said it could be up to a year before I could play again. But he said I can’t damage it any more by playing again now. Again he said to start slowly and gradually build it up, let pain dictate and develop my strength and muscles. Start with a bit of doubles or stationary hitting and don’t do too much running too soon.

This has got me excited about the possibility of playing again but also cautious. I know I can’t damage it now but I can’t really run yet and I’m not sure how much I should exert myself and how much effort I should put into shots.

I did manage to walk about a mile uphill today without a crutch, which is a big achievement for me and I haven’t got any pain afterwards either, so maybe the crutch was holding me back.

Thanks for reading

Take care everybody

 

[Jaycey]

I haven’t actually been icing at all. Nobody has told me to do that before, not my surgeon, physios or nurses. Would you recommend me starting that now? Would that relieve any pain I may get?

Yes, ice is a natural pain killer. It will ease any internal inflammation that can cause stiffness and discomfort. Ice for 45-60 minutes several times per day. Many of us used ice for months post op.

He also told me to get rid of the crutch today and walk completely unaided as it’s healed now and by continuing to use the crutch, I will become dependent on it

If you are comfortable walking unaided by all means continue. But if you have any limp you might want to use a cane. You won't become dependent on any walking aid.

Playing tennis - sounds like your surgeon's slow and steady approach is right on. Let that hip guide you. I would think stationary hitting would give you a good idea what movements that hip complains about. Twisting is sometimes a challenge. Please let us know how it goes.

 

[Mojo333]

Hi @Stephen1989
Good to hear you got such a good report from your OS.
I was icing after extended periods of activity for 8-10 months after my BTHR.
As Jaycey said, Great antiinflammatory and painreliever.
My opinion about your return to Tennis is...
YOU will be the best judge of when/if you decide to go back to it.
I am a big fan of the cautionary advice
"Just because you can doesn't mean you should "
No harm in giving your hip and leg the full year to heal and strengthen.
I don't think there is anything that I really want to do that my Surgeon would restrict me from....but I like my new hips. I like no pain, good sleep, walking alot without discomfort, and though your hip has healed very well, the soft tissue that was disturbed during surgery can certainly still be angered with over activity.

 

[Stephen1989]

Many thanks for your great replies Jaycey and Mojo. Sorry for the late reply again, but I have now seen my physio.

She said I only need to do a few very light exercises every other day for under 5 minutes, which is a big improvement on what I was doing. She was really happy with my progress and how the strength in the hip and leg had developed so much. I will see her one more time in a few weeks just for a final strength check and then she will sign me off. I don’t know if physios always say this to everyone but she said repeatedly that I had had a really good recovery and made really good progress, which is nice to hear.

Thank you for the tips on icing, I will do this if I get any pain. Fortunately, I am almost completely pain-free now! You’ll know yourselves what an amazing feeling and truly massive relief this is after such a long period of agony. I was on my feet all day yesterday at work and I went out for the first time without a crutch and I felt fine. No pain at all, no restricted mobility, could walk a good pace without any limping and it felt really good psychologically too to be able to walk unaided propely for the first time in about 13 months now. The only strange after-effect which got me a few odd looks was walking around with my hand clasped in the air because for so long I had been holding a crutch and obviously the habit has set in!

Another update, is after some consideration, I decided to risk a gentle hit of what I like to call stationary tennis. I moved quickly from side to side but no running was involved and I didn’t feel any pain at the time or have any restriction of movements. I could hit all my shots freely with good force and even without picking up a racket in over a year, I was playing pretty well really, (even if I do say so myself!!) The next day however I did get a bit of pain in the leg again. Only mild and nothing like I had pre-op but it has made me think twice about doing it again.

Good point on not doing things just because I can do them, if they are going to cause me pain and appreciating the fact that I am finally pain-free and thinking about whether I want to risk getting pain back again. With that in mind, I haven’t played again in a couple of weeks and am unsure whether I will risk it again. The pain quickly went away but even that brief period of pain gave me a window into what it was like before and I really never want to go back to that again.

The surgeon said that tennis wouldn’t cause necrosis but would accelerate the onset of it, if it was to form anyway. So that’s something for me to bear in mind too.

People keep telling me to take up swimming or cycling instead, the only problem there is I’m not a very good swimmer and I can’t ride a bike!! So maybe I’ll stick to walking for the time being and just being able to do that again is such a good feeling after all this time.

Any other hip-friendly exercising that you do?

Just realised how much I’ve just written!

Best Wishes

Stephen

 

[Stephen1989]

Hello everybody,
I hope you’re all well.
Been a couple of months since my last post. Just thought I’d update that I tried tennis again and did get pain so am leaving it for the moment. Other than that, I’m at work full-time, doing lots of walking and on my feet all day and don’t really get any pain from those activities. Heavy lifting gives me a twinge so I’m trying not to lift anything too heavy.
I wish you all a very happy Christmas and all the best for the year ahead!
Take care
Stephen

 

[djklaugh]

@Stephen1989 Excellent update! It's wonderful to hear that you are doing so well! Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to you!