THR My thigh muscle is too weak

Grammy57

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I am home and doing well. They did the anterior approach and my incision is longer than expected because of the arthroscope scars. I was supposed to go into surgery at noon but didn't get in until almost 4pm. I was supposed to be outpatient but they kept me the first night. They kept me the second night because I was too light-headed and a fall risk.

I do have a question though. My incision is on the top of my leg but the pain (what little I have) is almost on the side of my thigh. Why? The pain isn't too bad, a little like a muscle-burning pain. The meds are really working. My therapy at the moment is to walk 5 minutes every time I use the bathroom. :loll:
 
I noticed much the same thing with leg pain. I just assumed they aggravated that lower muscle with the work they did. Welcome to the other side, I hope your recovery goes smoothly and as pain free as possible.
 
They go in through the top of your leg but the major muscles that have to be manipulated are on the side of your thigh. There are videos if you want to see but they do a lot of twisting of your femur when it's not attached to your body.
 
Hello @Grammy57 - and :welome: to recovery.

Here are the recovery guidelines we give to everyone with a new hip:
Hip Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary
2. Control discomfort:
rest
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​

3. Do what you want to do BUT
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you​
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.​

4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this

6. Access these pages on the website


Pain management and the pain chart
Healing: how long does it take?
Chart representation of THR recovery

Dislocation risk and 90 degree rule
Energy drain for THRs
Pain and swelling control: elevation is the key
Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

BIG TIP: 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.

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.

While members may create as many threads as they like in a majority of BoneSmart's forums, we ask that each member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice.
 
Thanks. I am resting. My BP is low but that's probably the meds. I did lose more blood than expected but not enough to require extra (yea!). Emans85, where is the video? Celle, thank you. I will be looking at these.
This surgery is WAY better than the arthroscope I had in February! I thought it might be. So happy to be pain-free in my hip. Now for all to heal. :)
Thank you.
 
I have come to realize how totally unprepared I was for my hip replacement in terms of knowing what to expect in recovery. My surgeon was incredibly confident and reassuring, and while I did ask him a ton of questions, it seems many of the ones I ended up having later were not the ones I asked. I was surprised at the length, and position of my scar for one. A friend had had an anterior replacement, and her scar is much smaller, and straighter than mine. I didn't asked what type of pain to expect, and the thigh burning and knee pain took me aback. Getting on this forum to ask people who had also had the replacement if things were "normal" was so helpful. In all cases, everything I was experiencing was typical. But it was new to me;) I don't feel my surgeon misled me in any way----but I think they do so many, and in his case, any complications have been rare, or nonexistent, so I think they make a lot of assumptions. On the plus side, I always felt I could call him, or someone in his office, or make an appointment to visit if I had follow up questions/concerns, which was wonderful. It sounds like you are doing well, and have the perfect attitude for healing. :flwrysmile:
 
Debru4 Yes, the burning sensation was startling but not bad. My anterior incision seems to be straight but is longer than most as I have the arthroscope and it left several scars so he had to start above those. I suspect you are right on what they assume you know. Where was your surgery done (on your body)? I don't have knee pain but my pain meds give me a headache. My BP is really low too but probably from the pain meds. My daughter is a nurse and she said she wouldn't worry about it. I'm thankful I was healthy enough for this. It wasn't at the worst it could have been but every day I'm getting older so I went ahead and did it early.
 
Grammy, I hope you have someone staying with you in these early days since your BP is low. Please get up slowly, especially during the night for bathroom trips if you're finding it necessary.

Eman85 may not notice you were asking him a question without tagging him.
If you want to be assured a member sees a question or comment you're making in their regard, you will need to tag them like this -> @Grammy57 by putting the @ symbol right before their name and making sure you spell their name correctly. If you have any questions, please let us know, we're happy to help.

If you're interested in viewing the video of a THR in progress, the video is below. Warning: some find it graphic.


Wishing you comfort on the journey!
 
I had a right anterior replacement about 16 months ago. My incision is kind of diagonal and I still have a definite indentation in the muscle outside it, as well as a swath about 1-3 inches side and 6 inches long toward the outside of my leg that is still pretty numb. Not as numb as before---most of the improvement came after 12 months, but still the nerves are not fully repaired and I suspect they might never be. It's an odd sensation, but I'll take it over pain any day:)

I think you were smart to take care of the hip now---a couple of friends have done that and they never went through the horrendous pain/debilitation that I did. Mine came on quickly ---no warning, and within a couple months the dr. said only surgery would help. It was a shock, but I'm so glad I did it.

I can't tolerate opiods or take NSAIDS so pain management is not easy for me following a major surgery, but on the plus side, I don't have to deal with the headaches or the foggy brain that accompany most pain meds. It's nice for you to have a nurse in the family. I was a teacher, and my kids are all teachers/counselors.....not much help when I need medical advice.:heehee: I hope things keep going smoothly for you.
 
I see @Layla linked a video for you. If you do the google you can find more. I personally didn't need to see it. I've been involved with slaughtering animals so I have a pretty good idea how we're assembled. I did watch the animated one before my first THR, really didn't enjoy it.
 
Grammy, I hope you have someone staying with you in these early days since your BP is low. Please get up slowly, especially during the night for bathroom trips if you're finding it necessary.

Eman85 may not notice you were asking him a question without tagging him.
If you want to be assured a member sees a question or comment you're making in their regard, you will need to tag them like this -> @Grammy57 by putting the @ symbol right before their name and making sure you spell their name correctly. If you have any questions, please let us know, we're happy to help.

If you're interested in viewing the video of a THR in progress, the video is below. Warning: some find it graphic.


Wishing you comfort on the journey!
Yes, my husband is retired. He will go to church today and I will be alone but I am feeling better and will take care of all necessary things before he leaves and try to stay put on the couch. :). The surgical report says I lost 300 cc of blood and that may have been part of it also. My bp on discharge was 99 over 48 but they didn't seem concerned. I do feel mostly well. My leg is numb and that's odd as I was supposed to have general anesthesia but it's only numb on my operated side and only on the top by the incision. I don't know what to think. Thank you for your help.
 
Make sure you are getting enough salt @Grammy57 I have low blood pressure used to have to measure when pregnant, salt was my friend. Small pinch of Celtic salt in warm water was huge boost for that light head feeling. I’m so attuned now that I can tell when I need a pinch.

Depending on your diet of course. I don’t eat any prepared breads, loads of sodium in those. Hope you have a good day.
 
:hi: @Grammy57
So glad to see you are home.
These first days are rough I know...but the numb leg is quite common...and likely feels heavy like a log.
We hippys lovingly refer to it often as "log leg"
Traumatized soft tissue and nerves are just beginning their healing process so try not to worry.
Healing vibes coming your way.:loveshwr:
Hopefully you are keeping it numb with lots of icing :ice:
 
Good Morning @Grammy57
I'm happy to hear you have someone with you. I'm sure your husband is a big help. If you get yourself settled in before he goes to church, you'll be fine. :wink:

As for the numbness, rest assured we all experienced it to varying degrees and for varying lengths of time. It was many months before mine was completely gone. It seems the area just keeps slowly shrinking, after a time you don't even think about it until one day you realize it's gone.

You sound good for only three days post op. Get lots of rest, take your meds on time and don't forget to ice.

Wishing you a peaceful Sunday!
 
Good Morning @Grammy57
I'm happy to hear you have someone with you. I'm sure your husband is a big help. If you get yourself settled in before he goes to church, you'll be fine. :wink:

As for the numbness, rest assured we all experienced it to varying degrees and for varying lengths of time. It was many months before mine was completely gone. It seems the area just keeps slowly shrinking, after a time you don't even think about it until one day you realize it's gone.

You sound good for only three days post op. Get lots of rest, take your meds on time and don't forget to ice.

Wishing you a peaceful Sunday!
[/QUOTE

I read my surgical report this morning and where I had signed and asked for general anesthesia I was given a spinal. Is that why my leg is numb? Also, I was told to walk for 5 minutes every time I used the bathroom, is that correct?
Thanks
 
Grammy, I had general and my leg was numb.
Don't know about other possible numbing agents used in the course of the procedure, but as I mentioned...our skin was incised...small nerves cut and disturbed and trauma has occurred that has sensations disrupted.
Things will begin to "wake up" and there are some strange zips and zaps that can often accompany this.
All normal AND temporary.

It took me five minutes to walk to the bathroom and at least five minutes back.:) :-) (:
If you can plod around a bit, moving about is good along with wiggling our feet and ankles about to keep blood circulating.
It does get easier...promise.:console2:
 
Hi Grammy :wave:
Numbness seems very normal at only 3 days post op. Per my surgery report I received a spinal and GA. I also had an injection of Exparel, which many do. It's injected into the surrounding tissue at closing. It is an anesthetic numbing agent which blocks nerve impulses in your body. You can remain numb for up to five days post op with this type of injection. Wondering if it's what you were treated with...or possibly something similar?

I often referenced the Activity Progression For THR in my early recovery. It's only a rough gauge. Some excel, some lag behind but it's a pretty good bet that if you use it as a guideline for the first several weeks, you'll stay on course without any setbacks. Check it out below if you haven't made it through reading all of the Recovery Guidelines -

I hope you have a good week!
@Grammy57
 
Did I read somewhere that a slight bout of depression is normal? It's been a rough morning. Starting with them canceling my post-op appointment.
Thanks
 
Yes, it certainly happens. I'm sorry you're feeling down. Keep in mind that it's very common and only temporary. Do the best to get adequate rest, keep your pain well managed, continue icing, stay well hydrated and add some protein to your meals or snacks. It will get better. Also, stop by here whenever you feel the need. You'll find unending support and encouragement.
Following is an article on Post Op Blues from the Recovery Guidelines -

Stop back often and feel better soon.
Hugs to you :console2:
@Grammy57
 
Another thing that may help is to keep your mind engaged since it's impossible to get active when you're only four days post op.
A few suggestions: crossword puzzles, adult coloring books, read a good book, research and plan your next vacation, Pinterest, Houzz...if you have any interest in perusing homes / decor, start a recipe collection, play online games, page through magazines, call an old friend, catch up on emails, organize a photo album, watch a Netflix series or Christmas movies on the Hallmark channel (my current addiction)

Also, check out the BoneSmart Social Room here where you'll find a lot of interesting and entertaining threads to read -


Hope this helps in the days to come! :)
 

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