THR I’m worried about every new ache!<

[Layla]

Your body, your right. Give your body the TLC it deserves, you're it's greatest defender.
Be an advocate for yourself, rah, rah....I'm done, promise, lol.
Wishing you comfort. Hope you have a good one!

http://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/saying-no-to-therapy-am-i-allowed-to.36688/

 

[hiphoser]

Thanks for posting that article. I will practice my “I don’t want to do that speech”. I really appreciate your patience and support!

 

[Layla]

You're welcome! We're here for you.

Just a FYI - Josephine resides in the U.K. and with the time difference I doubt she'll be on the forum anymore today. I'm sure she'll get to you at some point, next time she returns.

 

[AnnieRose2]

Hi, I have the same worries about PT and have bad days after a session. I’m further down the line than you. So I basically don’t have any advice.

I had home PT right after surgery then as an outpatient. I stopped that for weeks and now I’m back.

I agree they are the only Medical team that I see on a regular basis. I like the latest therapist. She is gentle and we are in sync She helps me with my frame of mind. I’m depressed about this long recovery period, so she will point out all my accomplishments so far. We work on stretches , ROM, massage and TENS. Simple stuff but I’m sore the next day.

Best thing I can say is give yourself a few days or weeks off, do your home stuff, and see how you feel. As long as you are stretching at home, I don’t think you will have any setbacks. I think the worse thing I do , is lay around, feeling blue - bad for the body and mind.

Think about taking a break. They will be happy to see you if you go back.
AR2

 

[Josephine]

Earlier you asked so here they are!

It would be very helpful if you would answer each one individually - numbered as I have done - in as much detail as you can then I'll come back as see where you are

1. what approach did you have for your surgery? Anterior, posterior, lateral? You can look here to see the various types THR approaches or incisions

2. what are your pain levels right now? (remember the 1-10 scale: 1 = no pain and 10 = the worst you can imagine. And don't forget to factor in other forms of pain such as soreness, burning, stabbing, throbbing, aching, swelling and stiffness).

3. what pain medications have you been prescribed, how much are you taking (in mg please) and how often?

4. are you icing your painful area at all? If so, how often and for how long?

5. are you elevating your leg. If so how often and for how long?

6. what is your activity level? What do you do in the way of housework, cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc., and

7. are you doing any exercises at home? If so what and how often?
This is the most crucial question so please help me by using the format I have left as an example
(which means please make a list and not an essay!)

Exercises done at home
- how many sessions you do each day
- enter exercise by name then number of repetitions of each
etc., etc.

Anything done at PT
- how many times a week
- enter exercise by name then number of repetitions of each
etc., etc.

 

[hiphoser]

Here goes:
1. Posterior mini (incision is about 5-6 inches long arcing from my hip across my buttock)

2. Pain level today is 3-4, but I have had to cut way back on walking to keep it there. Yesterday I had a pinching pain with every step which was 6 or 7. Same two days before..

3. I’m not using prescription pain meds anymore, so have been using 400 mg of Advil q 6 hours three times a day. I have Tramadol on hand, but can’t stand the tummy issues from that, so prefer to use other meds.

4. I ice my hip for an hour at least three times a day, but since my PT overdoes this past Friday, I’ve been on ice more.

5. I haven’t been elevating by laying flat with the stack pillows, but I do recline in a recliner chair.

6. Before I got so sore Friday afternoon, I was folding laundry, straightening the bed, washing some dishes, light dusting. I have a Fitbit, and was averaging 4,000 -4500 steps per day. The last three days have been mostly sitting and feeling sad about that.

7. Exercises - up until Friday—have stopped them all for now
once daily
Heel slides x10
Ankle pumps x60
Bridge x10
Straight leg lift x5-10
Supine hip abduction slides x10
Short arc quads x10
Long arc quads x10
Quad sets with butt squeeze x10
Clam shells often skipped these x5-10
Standing toe raise x10
Standing ankle dorsiflexion x10
Standing hip extensions x5-10
Standing abduction x5-10
Standing knee raise to 90 degrees x5-10
Mini squat x5-10
Gastrocnemius stretch, x30 seconds

Friday added a new one: standing one leg balance one minute, standing one leg balance with eyes closed, one minute - this is the one that didn’t agree with me, as I seemed to be doing the rest without symptoms

PT once a week - I just do the same exercises I do at home. My once a day is at PT that day plus he does ultrasound and cold laser on my scar, followed by Stim and ice.

The standing one leg balance didn’t hurt while I was doing them, but my muscles shook with fatigue. The next day, hoo boy. Stiff, sore, and pinching right where my glute tendons anchor ( what my PT said when I pointed to the spot)

Thanks for any input regarding my recovery. I just completed my 8th week post op yesterday.

 

[hiphoser]

Just to clarify, those standing exercises were done on the operative right leg only, standing on my good leg.

 

[Josephine]

2. Pain level today is 3-4, but I have had to cut way back on walking to keep it there. Yesterday I had a pinching pain with every step which was 6 or 7. Same two days before..

Okay

3. I’m not using prescription pain meds anymore, so have been using 400 mg of Advil 6 hours three times a day. I have Tramadol on hand, but can’t stand the tummy issues from that, so prefer to use other meds.

Let me tell you that your tummy issues are NOT caused by the Tramadol but by the Advil which is an NSAID. Mark you, it's one of the better ones but can still have that side effects. Besides which, NSAIDs are a very poor pain medication and you'd be far better off using 1,000mg Tylenol 4 times a day at 6hrly intervals. It's far superior to Advil (Naproxen).

4. I ice my hip for an hour at least three times a day, but since my PT overdoes this past Friday, I’ve been on ice more.

Okay

5. I haven’t been elevating

Okay

6. Before I got so sore Friday afternoon, I was folding laundry, straightening the bed, washing some dishes, light dusting. I have a Fitbit, and was averaging 4,000 -4500 steps per day. The last three days have been mostly sitting and feeling sad about that.

Well the next thing you should do is to put that Fitbit in the drawer and forget about it! 4-4.5k steps a day is 2 miles and more. You should read this article again and check it out! Activity progression for THRs

Exercises - up until Friday—have stopped them all for now
once daily
Heel slides x10
Ankle pumps x60
Bridge x10
Straight leg lift x5-10
Supine hip abduction slides x10
Short arc quads x10
Long arc quads x10
Quad sets with butt squeeze x10
Clam shells often skipped these x5-10
Standing toe raise x10
Standing ankle dorsiflexion x10
Standing hip extensions x5-10
Standing abduction x5-10
Standing knee raise to 90 degrees x5-10
Mini squat x5-10
Gastrocnemius stretch, x30 seconds
PT once a week - I just do the same exercises I do at home.

So pardon me asking this, but did you ever read the Hip Recovery: The Guidelines that were posted in the second post of this thread? I mean, you have clearly not read the Activity Progression article and now it seems like you never read this either: THE BIG TIP

For your edification, here it is again!

Hips actually don't need any exercise to get better. They do a pretty good job of it all on their own if given half a chance. Trouble is, people don't give them a chance and end up with all sorts of aches and pains and sore spots. All they need is the best therapy which is walking and even then not to excess.

So you can see I have crossed out ALL your exercises for one simple fact - they are causing the pain you complained of earlier! Yes, that's right. It's all self-inflicted and the only way you will improve is to stop it all, including the PT sessions.

If you are concerned about refusing to do therapy, you need to read this Saying no to therapy - am I allowed to?

To summarise, I had suggest that:
1. you stop taking the Aleve and substitute Tylenol as suggested
2. you read the activities article and cut back there as appropriate
3. you stop ALL exercising - though this does not include walks around the house and garden

 

[hiphoser]

Actually I did read the activity progression article and the Big Tip, but I didn’t get into the Bone Smart forum until my fourth week post op, when I was already in PT. Then it took me awhile to read all of the info.

I also found it very hard to go directly against my surgeon’s instructions-unlucky for me, his office is a big fan of PT. But now that I’ve had two setbacks due to several of the exercises, I’m going to be assertive and ditch the PT- Amen!

I think my activity around the house is close to the Forum suggestions except that I would not yet be able to walk for 30 minutes straight, as that would hurt. I do my wandering around in bits and pieces throughout the day with rests and ice in between.

Regarding the Fitbit, I actually use it in the reverse way - not to accumulate steps, but to pace myself, and to signal when it’s time to stop wandering around and sit down. I was feeling fine with the walking, and hope to get back to the wandering around once this pinchy pain settles down - it’s so good for my mental health.

I was taking Tylenol for most of the first six weeks when I was on Aspirin therapy, and I thought that was a long time for my liver. If it’s still ok to be taking Tylenol, I’ll cycle it back in. Good to know.

Thanks for the help, Josephine.

 

[Layla]

Hi @hiphoser
I get it. It would be difficult to go against your surgeons suggestion for PT. When we choose our surgeon
we most likely expect to follow his recovery protocol. Some do well with PT and others don't. It looks like your exercise routine was quite extensive and I think you're wise in your willingness to drop PT at this point. Be patient though, sometimes these issues take a couple weeks to completely resolve. I hope the pain you've described begins easing soon.
A Happy Thanksgiving and many blessings to you and yours!

 

[Josephine]

I also found it very hard to go directly against my surgeon’s instructions

Oh I do understand that, I really do. But he has you on an insane amount of exercising which is the problem.

I’m going to be assertive and ditch the PT- Amen!

Good for you!

Regarding the Fitbit, I actually use it in the reverse way - not to accumulate steps, but to pace myself

Got it!

I was taking Tylenol for most of the first six weeks when I was on Aspirin therapy, and I thought that was a long time for my liver. If it’s still ok to be taking Tylenol

No six weeks is not a long time and the aspirin has nothing to do with this either. Tylenol is also a very safe medication provided you don't exceed the maximum 0f 4,000mg per 24hrs. I know the FDA put out a statement that they were lowering it to 3,000mg because of all the over-the-counter meds, like cold remedies and such, that also had acetaminophen in them and which patients invariably failed to take into account, thereby exposing themselves to an unintentional over-dose. In the UK, our government trusts us to be more sensible so here it's still 4,000!

 

[hiphoser]

Well, my fellow hipsters, I have completed week 10. What a journey this has been! Each day I take some comfort in reading about other’s THR journeys. (Can I just say, I am totally in awe of those of you who had bilateral THR! You guys are warriors of recovery!). Some random things I’ve realised along the way:

1. I stink at sitting around, and this recovery business is loaded with it. Oh boy, I had to take a crash course in this. I’m a beginner knitter, and thank goodness for yarn and needles. I’ve made a dozen newborn beanies for our local hospital. I also USED to stink at sleeping on my back, but big surprise—I’ve learned to do it! (But not sitting around—I still stink at that.)

2. The soothing power of ice is something awesome. Slip on shoes are the bomb.

3. I should maybe have looked harder at the anterior approach surgery. Since my posterior mini approach has really stirred up glute tendonopathy, I’m making slooooow progress. Seems like lots of the anterior folks bounce back faster? (Also, a friend regaled me with the glowing reports of his ex-wife’s recovery from an anterior hip replacement, and why did I NOT Choose that? Why did I still need ice—his ex never had to sit on ice. Etc etc. Not helpful, buddy!)

4. I wish I had known that you not only need to choose your surgeon, but you should also meet the PA, too. I’ve only ever gotten to talk to the PA post op, other than my 6week visit. I’ve had lots of questions and concerns (dang, but this kind of major surgery does bring out a ton of anxiety, at least it did for me) and the PA is NOT a warm fuzzy. He makes me feel like a pain in his butt when he returns my calls. I could really use some empathy from him, but that ain’t happening. Thank god for Bonesmarties!

5. Even though I’m still struggling with a bunch with incision and glute tendon pain, I notice that slowly, secretly, my ROM has been improving all on its own. I can put on my own jeans now, without the reach thingy! Yay! Next, I hope I’ll be surprised by how long I can walk without pain. (This is one of the things I was so wrong about going into this process. When I heard “3 month activity restrictions “ I figured after that I’d be pretty much good to go. Hahahahaha. Oh boy. Nope. That’s only two weeks away, and I’ve got a much longer journey ahead of me. Now I see that 6-12 months is more realistic for that 3 mile hike I’ve been longing to take. I haven’t been able to walk that far in 3 years, so I admit to being soooooo anxious for this!

6. My hubby is a gem to be walking this journey with me. Also, this forum is a godsend.

 

[SurreyGirl]

This is all so true and resonates with me too. My progress has been Skye but sure and I can walk unaided forcshort distances but the glutes play me up too! I’ve now got as far as being able to put socks on. However outside it is a different story. Even the slope up to my friends house in the dark terrified me without a stick. I know I will get there but it is frustrating!

Hope it all continues to improve for you and still use that ice when necessary!

 

[hiphoser]

@SurreyGirl i find that the “I know I’ll get there,” is a mantra I must repeat constantly. Sheesh. My rational brain seems to have gone on a nice long vacay, just when I need a good dose of rationality! Glad to hear about your and your socks reaching an agreement! This is awesome. Something to look forward to, although I did achieve this feat once, with loose-ish socks, by gripping the sock cuff between the toes of my good leg/foot, and coaxing the sock up, bit by bit. Then I was out of breath. Hahahahaha.

Oh, and @Jamesdean , I was reading your recovery thread this morning and laughed hysterically at your other lyrics. Brilliant. Clearly, your humor bone was NOT connected to your hip bone! Hang in there!

 

[Jaycey]

Seems like lots of the anterior folks bounce back faster?

Not necessarily true! Recovery really has nothing to do with the approach. It is all about how your body reacts to the procedure and the skill of your surgeon. There is far too much marketing hype around anterior approach.

 

[hiphoser]

Good to hear, @Jaycey I was treated to a hefty lecture from an old friend about how mistaken I was not to choose the anterior approach, followed by a detailed accounting of how well his ex-wife did in her recovery from anterior THR, as opposed to my choppy slower recovery. Egad! Was NOT helpful to hear. Kind of plagued me for awhile, in fact.

 

[Jaycey]

Yes, I hear you! We all heard the stories ad-nauseum of everyone's sister's boyfriend's cousin who was running marathons 2 weeks post op - blah, blah, blah... All rubbish and not at all helpful. Everyone heals differently. Don't let any of this discourage you. My first THR recovery took over 12 months. You are doing great!

 

[SurreyGirl]

Yup. Just come back from a drinks party - average age of people approx 10 years older than me. All saying that my recovery is taking too long. I then ask them about the size of their scars — maybe 4-6 inches. I pause, wait for it and then say 12! They actually look shocked. Lots of people offering seats but I wanted to stand!

 

[hiphoser]

Perhaps we need a button to wear stating, “Negative hip recovery comments= BAH HUMBUG!”

 

[Layla]

1) How sweet that you've knit all of those little newborn hats. All made with love I'll bet.
You must sit and wonder what precious little head it may land on. Nothing sweeter, or softer than the yummy scent and sensation of kissing a newborn's head.

2) Slip ons - can't live without them! Easy peasy, so why not?!!

3) Nothing more annoying than a "know it all" telling you which approach you should have chosen, or how far along you should be, all while yammering on with their two God given natural hips still in place.
Shush already, lol.

4) Sadly, many medical professionals have a poor bedside manner. I always console myself with the thought that they probably graduated last in their class, made it by the skin of their teeth and are missing a sensitivity chip.
Aaah, then I feel all better yep, I just said all that. Try it, it helps, lol.

5) Patience is key and thankfully you get that.

6) Kudos to hubby, you're blessed! I agree about BS, wouldn't be here without the forum. I fear I'd still be trying to convince myself I need surgery.

I hope you have a great Sunday and week to come!
@hiphoser