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THR Hipmom is healing

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Jaycey said:
Wow Donna, sounds like you found a real gem!

Just curious, what kind of exercise did he prescribe?
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So far, I only have 2 exercises from him. One is to lay on my back with knees bent up. He gave me a rubber band hoop to wrap around both knees - then I just open my knees as far apart as I can and slowly bring them back together (like a clam shell). I do 3 sets of 20.

The second is to lay on my back with knees bent up and then lift my hips up off of the bed as high as I can (like a bridge). With my hips up, I should try to lift one foot off of the bed, put it down, and then do the same with the other foot. Lower back to starting position. While I can easily lift my op foot up while in the bridge, I can hardly lift my good foot up. In fact the first few times I couldn't lift my good foot up at all - my op leg is too weak to support my weight. I am slowly getting to where I can do a quick mini "jump" with my good foot - but he counts that as progress. :wink1:

I don't think these exercises are actually moving the position of my pelvis, but I think they are what is helping me to keep my pelvis in its new position.
 
I had another appt. on Friday with the PT. We went through the same routine, and this time he said the difference in my legs was a true 1/2" (down from 2")! He said, "I'm excited!" I told him no where near as excited as I was :yes 4: He even said that he wished he had taken a picture when I first came in on Monday. He truly seemed amazed that in 3 sessions I had made so much progress.

He said he wanted me to come in this week for 3 more sessions because we were making such great progress. We haven't started working on strengthening exercises for the leg as he feels it is important to just work on the pelvic placement first. This is Monday and I can tell that my pelvis is still in position from Friday. I find myself running to look in the mirror and placing my hands on my hips to check if things are still good - and they are! I am thrilled.

I am supposed to go back tomorrow - but snow is in the forecast for tomorrow and Wednesday (2 of my 3 appt. days :cry:) They are lousy about clearing the roads out here and it takes 20 minutes to drive to the place - so if it is in the least bit slippery, I won't go. Too much at stake here to risk a fender bender!

I have a lot of people praying for me and I am very thankful. I feel fantastic about the progress I have made so far. :yay:
 
Not to mention risking a slip in the snow at this point :hate-shocked:! Stay inside and be safe if it snows!
 
Hi Donna, so happy for you on your progress. The exercises he gave you are core stability exercises. You are right - they strength the muscles so you can carry yourself correctly.

I am surprised he is having you do the bridge with the leg lift already! That's the advanced version.

Keep up the great work!
 
WOW Donna!! What a great report on your progress!!

I got the bridge with marching exercise as my phase II at 6 weeks after surgery. I took me a long time to be able to support myself and lift that other leg (the good leg). It sounds like you are getting it though. I had to cheat and put my fists under my pelvis and support myself in order to lift the good leg for a while... :th_heehee:

I hope the weather doesn't mess up your PT schedule, but I certainly understand your desire to be cautious!
Take care,
Cardie
 
Such positive news - well done and good luck with the exercises. I find massaging my incision area helps immensely so do try to do this (I find myself doing it absent mindedly in all sorts of probably innappropriate moments)
 
Thank you everyone for your support and encouragement. I went to therapy on Tuesday (before the snows) and he told me that in all honesty, when I showed up for the first appt. and told him my history and that I had probably been with a tilted pelvis for 30 years or more, he didn't really think I would be able to fix it. He keeps saying how excited he is for me. My pelvis stayed in position all the way from Friday to Tuesday :thumb: I had to cancel the rest of my appts for this week, but I know that my pelvis is holding as I am always sneaking off in front of a mirror and checking. I am so excited!
 
Donna, I'm so glad your doing so well, I also had to do those exerise but for a injured back. What different it makes as long as we get back into life and to be able to live to the fullest. Do be careful with the snow, i grew up in Colorado and snow was a way of life in the winter, also black ice. i live in California now and in the part I live i don't have to deal with it. However Rain does have to be deal with and some black ice. Keep us posted on how you are doing and remember we are here 24 hours a day so if you need a good laugh we have games and great liberary. May one of these days I might be able to write with a mispelling a word. I have learned some computer skills so anything is possible. take care:yes 4::doggieshmooze::flowerysmile:: Please don't do any :th snowplough::th_heehee:
 
Wonderful news Donna, so satisfying to be able to see the improvements :)
 
Crazy week here with snow and ice storms. Husband's work is closed and the kids schools are closed since Wednesday! Only got to go to PT on Tuesday and don't go back until next Tuesday. But plenty to keep me busy as the exercises I do have seem to take me over an hour :rolleyespink: but I am happy to be doing them as I felt like I had soooo much time that I wasn't allowed to do much of anything :wink1:

Donna
 
Stay safe on that ice! I read Shawnna's story and Jo's suggestion about the ice grippers for the boots and ordered a pair. If you live in a cold area that often gets ice, you may want to do the same. It's SO easy to slip and fall.

I'm glad you are able to do things better now. It's really tough when you are sidelined.

Keep up the good work.

Dorothy
 
I bought ice grippers for my boots back in October :thumb: I'm also not really going out or driving in this. I am not going back to square one! :wink1: Thanks for the tip - I hope all the bonesmarties get ice grippers.

Donna
 
I never got back to PT for over a week as our weather was lousy and we ended up with freezing rain and I had to keep canceling. But when I did go back, I was happy to learn that I am pretty much maintaining the pelvic "untilt." In all the time I missed from PT, I only gained back 1/4" of my loss (left PT at a 1/2" leg length difference and came back at 3/4"). He was able to "yank" the pelvis back into position again.

He told me that I can start spacing out the appts and he had me make another appt 2 weeks out. At first he said he could probably discharge me - but I said no way! I am still using a cane and my op leg is very weak (I think he was really only focusing on the pelvic tilt). So he agreed and said that he meant we could start easing off of the appts and have me work from home on exercises and come in periodically to be checked and get more exercises. He also said I can bring my husband the next time and he will show him how to do the "yank" thing. That way if I feel that my pelvis is going out of balance, my husband can straighten it out every so often to keep it from loosing ground. (as long as he doesn't dislocate me :DOH:)

I do feel that I am starting to strengthen my op leg - but it was in bad shape before the operation. I have had hip problems my whole life and I have limped and favored that leg for a good 40 years - so I am probably not starting with the musculature of the average hip replacement patient. The surgeon told me pre-op that I would probably always limp (I assume from my history), but I would like to prove him wrong.

My real leg length difference is @ 3/8" to 1/2". Once I get the pelvis stabilized, I can either get a custom lift or build up my shoe - whatever I can get to work better. The PT thinks I should still wait awhile to do that (a few more months).

While this whole deal is taking longer than I expected (I'm a little over 5 months out), I am seeing lots of improvements and trying to learn patience. That seems to be the word that sums up hip replacement surgery! :rolleyespink:

I need to get back down to the river and start walking again now that the weather has improved. That is where I can really appreciate the improvements this surgery has made in my life :yes 4:
 
Some time, I don't remember when, I started putting my socks on without the sock aid. Now if I could just cut my toenails on that foot . . . . .
 
I sometimes think we have to go through this just to learn patience...Don't know if I'll ever be able to cut toenails, isn't that what pedicures at the salon are for (Ha!Ha!) Sounds like you're doing well with the PT and good for you getting socks on. It's nice when we start doing things like that without really noticing. Take care.
 
Hipmom....I'm so happy for you :)!!! Sounds like a grand plan for yout PT to teach your hubby on how he can help keep your pelvic where it belongs!!!
 
Hipmom, How are you doing" Haven't heard from you lately. Take care , I hope you are still on the road of recovery. :doggieshmooze:Tashia:yes 4:
 
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