THR Hipmom is healing

[hipmom]

I've been having trouble posting when using my husband's ipad - it just kicks me out while I'm typing

I'm doing fine. I am finally scheduled to get a lymphatic massage on Thursday. I still have swelling and it makes my leg feel tight behind the knee. I've been on a 2 week schedule at PT and go back this week Thursday morning (although he keeps wanting to discharge me). Still walking with the cane, although I am practicing walking without it - I just can't keep it up very long!

I'm thinking that it is getting to be time to do something about the leg length difference I still have. I'm considering getting 1/2" shoe build up on one pair of shoes as it is hard for me to find shoes that comfortably accommodate an insert. I think that evening out my legs will really help me to get on with the business of learning to walk without a cane. It's been 6 months now post-op - does anyone have an opinion on whether or not I should go for a solution yet? I don't know how long you have to wait before you just go for it.

I can walk short distances (like in my house) without limping badly (3/8" lift in my shoe), but I really have to concentrate on what I am doing. I still walk "faster" with my good leg - trying to minimize the time spent on the op leg. But I am making progress and my leg is getting stronger. Oddly, I can march in place rather easily - but actually taking steps makes me limp :DOH:

I am anxious to move on - aren't we all?

 

[haldox]

Hi Donna- I would suggest getting a hold of your OS office and speak to someone about using any kind of lifts, they usually have an idea of when they would let you start using them. Also I dont think its best to just throw one in without proper measurement.

I think at 6 mths your body could still be adjusting.

 

[Juliep]

Hi Donna !!

Oh I do understand you about moving on. Your OS should have no problem doing the proper measurement that would be needed or even if you go to someone who makes them, they will properly measure you as well. My difference isn't huge by any means, but I feel that I notice it when I don't wear my shoes that have the lift in them. My OS knew after a few months there would not be much more adjusting my body was going to do as he knew he made the one longer to begin with so he measured me for the lift. Hope you find a resolution soon so you can get feel even better.

 

[The Cappuccino Kid]

Hi Donna, I hope that the massage is a success.

I know what you mean about moving on - patience is a virtue!

I think haldox's advice is spot on. I would want a definite "Yes" from my surgeon just in case it did more harm than good.

 

[Jaycey]

Hi Donna, it is recommended you wait 3-4 months post-op before getting and lift. Sounds like it's your time. The key is to get someone to measure you who is a professional. The measurement needs to be done correctly and the lift provided by a professional.

Your LLD is not huge. Mine is about the same. I have shoe inserts anyway so they just added the lift to my short side. I have inserts for "dress" shoes and casual as well.

Physio may be able to take the measurement. I had a good podiatrist who made orthotics take the measurement and make the inserts.

Good luck!

 

[hipmom]

Thank you for all of the replies - I think I will call the surgeon's office and see if it is time for me to get a lift. I think that I will progress so much better if I can even out my legs lengths! Although I have definitely learned patience through this experience, my patience is starting to run thin on this issue :rolleyespink: My OS is 2 1/2 hours away, so I will probably find a local podiatrist to measure me.

The lymphatic massage was interesting. I had been running around so much that day; our fully stocked fridge broke and we had to buy a new one and figure out what to do with all of the food in the meantime Then I kept watching the clock as I was afraid that I would be late picking up my daughter from school. So, it was not a relaxing thing for me to say the least. She wanted me to come back at least once a week (preferably twice) but she didn't say how long it would take. At $85 a session, I might just buy support hose and call it a day :th_heehee:

She did have me try to relax my hips while she held my legs up a little by the calves (trying to relax the muscles?) and I think she suceeded in stretching my long leg longer :DOH: After the massage, she had me stand on different width shoe inserts to try to determine which height would even me out - and it was up to 18 mm! I know that is more than it was before the massage as I had just come from PT only hours before where it was about 1/2" or 7 mm. Maybe massage is not my thing :wink1:

 

[C Mac]

Hi Donna,

I am with you on the LLD issue, it can sometimes make you a little crazy trying to figure out what to do about it. I can't remember how much length you said you had added to your hip with the surgery -- but I'd suggest that if you are going to try to see about changing your leg length that you try inserts first and experiment with them some.

One of the ways that I can tell a lift is still not right for me is that when I have something in my THR shoe I cannot stride fully, in other words I cannot get my leg to move fully to the rear as I walk-- it stops about directly under my body. You are striving to have your leg move thru the entire range of motion when walking and fiddling with the length can impact this movement.

I will venture to guess that after your massage your pelvis may have tilted differently from lying on the table and that may be what made your legs seem oddly longer/shorter. There is a lot of variability for those of us that are working with the LLD and it can seem different on a daily basis for various reasons (i.e. inflammation, pelvic tilt, spinal rotation, muscle soreness, fatigue etc.)

So, that's just my two cents...
Cardie

 

[tashia]

hipmon, How are you doing? Are you still are you still getting the messages? We would like to know how you are doing , Please drop us a line. :doggieshmooze:Tashia:flowerysmile:

 

[hipmom]

hipmon, How are you doing? Are you still are you still getting the messages? We would like to know how you are doing , Please drop us a line. :doggieshmooze:Tashia:flowerysmile:

I haven't been back for massage as I am waiting to see if my insurance will cover it (they said no on the phone, but maybe once it is submitted?) Anyway $85 a visit is a bit steep for me when she suggested twice a week for who knows how long I still haven't called my OS office about when to really add inserts - busy week and I have been in and out. Don't want to call and not be home for their return call :DOH: I need to get my act together.

 

[The Cappuccino Kid]

Hi Donna,

Have you got your act together yet?

Hope so!

 

[hipmom]

Cappy - do we ever really get our act together??? :wink1:

I have been dismissed from PT as of last Thursday. He thinks that I am doing great and he reminded me that he is very impressed with my progress as he wasn't sure he could help me at all when I first walked in (due to a lifetime of muscle weakness).

For the past two weeks, I have stopped dragging my cane around with me all the time. I never use it at home anymore, and I have stopped taking it with me when I am just out running errands. The only time I take it is when I plan on walking down the river or if I am planning to do a lot of walking (like at a mall for instance). I decided that if I want to walk without the cane, I have to stop walking with the cane! :biggrin:

I think my legs are as settled as they will ever be by now - going on 7 months (geez, really?) I called the OS office and the nurse said that since the PA measured the X-ray in Jan. and said it was about 1/2" off, I should be OK to get a 1/2" build up on my shoe. In the meantime, I spent time today standing with my short leg on different size books trying to get an idea of what my real difference is. The legs may be really 1/2" off, but the pelvic tilt/rotation seems to bring me closer to 3/4" off. So now I am thinking of finding a podiatrist to measure me so that I can get my shoes taken care of. The surgeon's office is 2 1/2 hours away and I won't be going there again until August. I'm looking forward to doing whatever it takes to even out my LLD so that I can move on with my life!

I am much happier now that I don't have to drag the cane with me everywhere anymore. It makes me feel more normal. I've limped my whole life. The PT said it could still take a year or more for me to build up the muscle strength all the way. I am getting around a lot better now and I think that I already limp less than I did before. I have to concentrate some and slow down and make more of an effort to walk straight, but I am doing it :yes 4: The PT said that I am basically learning how to walk - quite possibly for the first time since I was born with a dislocated hip. Hey, at least I'm not crawling :th_heehee:

 

[Juliep]

Good for you Donna !! I think you going in the right direction with it. It won't be long and you'll have it all worked out and walking without that limp!! Won't that be nice. Keep me posted.

 

[C Mac]

Hi Donna,
What a great report!! Congratulations on graduating from PT and skipping the crawling phase in the process ;)

Good luck with the lift, it may take some experimenting to figure out what size feels most comfortable and allows you to walk well. It's too bad they don't have shoes we can check out and try in real life before making a commitment. Before my surgery I used a lift that was less than my true LLD and maybe you did too.

Keep up the walking without the cane!!
Take care,
Cardie

 

[tashia]

hipmon, good to hear you walking with out a cane. I still carry mine in the car and I have one in the house. Sometimes it acts up and I pull it out. good to hear from you. Do take care and be careful and keep recovering. :doggieshmooze:Tashia

 

[hipmom]

It's been awhile. I still haven't gotten my built-up shoe, but I have been out looking I have met with two different men who do shoe build ups and they have told me what to look for in a shoe that they can actually do the work on. Basically, nothing with more than a half inch heel, and the soles need to be black, white or a tan color. Nothing with multi colored soles (like some tennis shoes) and nothing with gel packs, air pack or anything else weird in the sole as they will have to cut through the soles. So while I rationally know that this is the next step that I need to take, I am having a hard time actually taking the leap so to speak. I'm dragging my feet . . . . .

But today I went out on a bike for the first time and it was wonderful! I thought that I would never want to ride again because I thought I would be too afraid of falling. I'm learning a lot - like if you want to get your life back, you just have to take your life back :wink1: Seems obvious, I know. I had a little trouble getting on and off of the bike, but the riding was just fine.

I hope everyone is doing well. I don't seem to be online as much anymore, but I do think of everyone and include you in my prayers.

 

[C Mac]

Hi Donna,

Nice to hear from you and to know that you've been out on your bike -- awesome!!

A couple of shoe resources that I've used with success in the past are Resole America for my lifts. Once you know what size lift you want on your shoe you can send them directly to Resole America and don't have to rely on the "middle man" and added fee of a podiatrist/orthotist. They have a quick turn around, do good work (even in matching color of the sole) and are able to work on a variety of shoes -- as you'll see mentioned on their website.

Over the past few years I've had success with adding lifts to broken link removed: https://www.keenfootwear.com/us/en/ and they have a variety of types of shoes. When it came to sneakers, as they've evolved so much over the years, I usually stuck to a fairly simple type of walking shoe from Aviva or New Balance.

Hey, and maybe you are "dragging your feet" on this because you are allowing your body to continue and make it's own adjustments for a while longer... I mean, what's the rush anyways???? :wink1:

Take care and thanks for checking in,
Cardie

 

[VThereandnow]

I just took a look and read your whole post. Congrats on the bike riding, I can't wait for that to come back for me. At my doc appt, (I am only at 6 1/2 wks out) he is the one who gave me a lift to use. I seem to be one of the few who has a doc go with that so early. However, I have back issues and the limp really really aggravates my back, and that is not the case for everyone. My doc said yes to the lift and so did my PT but to tell you the truth I want to hear what my chiropractor has to say. She is the one who works on my pelvic tilt issue and keeps me aligned. I am using the lift now and for me, it is what enables me to do my walking because even with the cane, the limp kills my back. Sounds like your PT was doing some manual adjustments for you.

Lots of opinions everywhere so I hope you get comfortable with what works for you. Nice to take a look at your story and I send my wishes for continued success. -cathy

 

[hipmom]

Wow, have I really not been on since April? I am happy to report that I FINALLY got the lift put on my shoe! I ended up with 1/2" and I can really feel the difference. It is sooooo much better for me to have the build up on the sole of my shoe and the whole length of the foot than it was to have just a heel lift inside the shoe I walk much better now and feel so much "taller!" So funny - but I can tell with little things like standing next to counter tops and standing next to my kids or husband - I am taller!

I still have work to do with building up my muscles. I haven't used a cane in a few months now unless I am walking at the park or anything that has more distance than just running my usual errands. But even walking with the cane for longer walks doesn't really bother me as I am at least pain free. My therapist is thrilled with my progress but also cautions me that it could really take another year to build up my muscles. I have to remember that I have had hip problems from birth and I'm now 49 - a lot of years of walking wrong and not using the muscles that I need to walk "normal."

But all in all, I am doing well and I hope that all of my friends out here are doing great, too!

P.S. I am waiting for my new sandals to be finished having the lift built on - who would have thought that I would ever be excited to get my "built up shoes?"

 

[Jamie]

Wow, time sure does fly, doesn't it! I'm thrilled to hear you're doing so well. Your joy comes through in your post and it makes me smile.

 

[Jaycey]

Donna, so glad things are going well for you. Yes it does take awhile for those muscles to learn to work in a new way. Sounds like you are doing all the right things! Well done!