THR JoeKnows Recovery

Nice update, @JoeKnows. I am just two weeks behind you and still struggling with stiffness in the morning and getting up from sitting, and out of a car. My husband noted the car issue early on. I manage, but it's a very specific and not particularly quick way of getting out, far different than before. I swing both legs carefully out the car, stop for a second to ground myself, and then stand up, bracing and then moving forward. I think continuing to do your exercises to loosen up, stretch and strengthen, is probably the best thing to do when you tighten up as you've described. Exercise can be a pain, but it is effective, I've found. I've got a 3-1/2 hour car ride ahead of me this afternoon, as we're heading over the mountains for a ski vacation (well, skiing for my husband, lounging around and reading for me, the non-skier). I need to do some PT exercises beforehand, or heaven knows how I'll extricate myself from the car at journey's end! Glad to hear all's chugging along for you--keep up the good work!
 
@Elsinore yes it was posterior - there was some fancier word for it that I don't remember, but it was basically posterior.

The nausea incident was strange. Felt like a combination of hyperextending something and getting hit in the baby making parts, then passed. I never did call the doc about it once it went away and my leg was still attached - probably should have, and certainly will if it ever happens again.
 
That sounds horrible Joe! Not surprised you felt sick...
 
Hey everybody! I wish I could say I'm returning to this thread just to let everyone know my hip is great, but unfortunately it isn't at the moment.

It's generally been good, but every 4-5 weeks or so I'll start getting pain in my groin consistent with my understanding of iliopsoas tendonitis (eg, problems pulling my left leg up into my truck). It's never stuck around very long, so I took my surgeon at his word when he said it was probably just soft tissue recovering still. I'm also unsure on the trigger, but it definitely happens after an active weekend.

So this past weekend, I was all over the place cleaning, doing yardwork, swimming, etc, and the pain started. Then it kept getting worse. Then my rear end started cramping, I assume from compensating so hard for the groin, and started radiating down the back of my leg. The odd thing is that the severity of the pain can change drastically in few minutes. Stretching sometimes helps, sometimes makes it worse. Pretty odd.

And yes, I'm icing it all the time.

I'm seeing my surgeon tomorrow afternoon. Last time I mentioned this, I asked if it could be from the cerclage wire around the trochanteric area. He said probably not, but he could take it out if I eventually wanted to do that.

So - anybody have an opinion or experience with cerclage wire removal? I found a couple of older threads that corroborate my suspicion, just fishing for more.

Also, if you've had a cerclage wire removed, what was the recovery like? I have a couple camping trips coming up that I'd hate to miss, but of course getting rid of pain is the priority...

Yes, I'll discuss this all with my surgeon tomorrow, but I'm still looking for anecdotal input...

Thanks in advance!
 
@JoeKnows, sorry to hear about this recurring pain ... it's maddening when pain does that and the surgeon isn't sure what's going on ... You'll get some response from knowledgeable folks ... I still have some tenderness in my hip flexor area ... but nothing like what you're talking about.

Hang in there. I would say great to see you back on the site ... but ideally you'd be posting on another matter, and not this one.
 
Hi Joe!
Nice to see you back but sorry it's under the circumstances. I hope you get some answers today.
Besides (BionicButt) there is NanaKP who went through a cerclage wire removal.
You may want to check out her thread also - https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/hitch-get-along.48703/
Let us know how your visit with the surgeon goes.
I hope you have a nice weekend.
@JoeKnows
 
Thanks @Layla , I read through both of those threads and they're pretty encouraging. It sounds like the recover (at least for @BionicButt ) was pretty straightforward.

As an example of how strange this is, I woke up okay. Then, after getting the girls ready for school (my wife had gallbladder surgery, because of course that's how the timing of this works out) I was having a hard time walking to the point where I dug out my cane and used that dropping them off. Then I went back home to talk to a contractor (again, great timing for a bathroom remodel), which is about a 5 minute drive. When I got out of the truck, I could walk without pain or a limp. Makes no sense to me... hopefully I stay in the "good" zone for trial next week (I wasn't kidding about the timing being terrible).

Anyway, I'll post an update after talking to the doc this afternoon.
 
I'm sorry, Joe. It's really a bummer you're experiencing this.
Think about whether you'd like Josephine to weigh in. I won't ask again, you can just think about it and mention in your update later, IF you want her opinion after your visit with your OS.
Good Luck!
@JoeKnows
 
I would love @Josephine to chime in - the more input the better in my view.

At the visit today, new x-rays were taken. Everything is positioned where it should be, geometry is right, and the bone growth looks good. He said it could be the cerclage wire, it's in the area where I'm describing pain. He said it could also be a problem with the capsule, but he doubted it.

So two options: 1. Take the wire out asap; or 2. Get an injection into my iliopsoas and if that stops the pain, it confirms the diagnosis and we take it out. If it doesn't have an effect, it's something else.

At this point I asked the doc if he realized how strange his job is to troubleshooting problems with old cars. He did.

So I'm going to schedule a CT guided injection on Monday or Tuesday, whenever they figure out pre-authorization (probably no problem with my plan).

Hopefully they can get me in soon so I can figure this out. If it is the wire annoying my iliopsoas, he said recovery could be pretty quick for me based on how the hip went - pretty vague but I'll take the optimism. If I could get all this hammered out and recover by my August trip to Yosemite with family, that would be a blessing... We got two spots next to each other which is nearly impossible.
 
I'll start getting pain in my groin consistent with my understanding of iliopsoas tendonitis (eg, problems pulling my left leg up into my truck). Then my rear end started cramping
I'm pretty sure I know what these are but just to make sure, can you show me where the two sites are using this chart?

aa hip-references-horz.jpg
 
Thanks @Josephine for the quick response. Seems like it's on the border of WL3F and VL3F, then after limping for a while the cramps / soreness start at TL2B.
 
Hi Joe,

Thought I'd reach out and make contact with you as you face this decision about a cerclage cable removal. My pain was on the outside of my thigh, near the trochanter where the connector was. It was definitely aggravated by activity. The removal was very easy, about 20 minutes, home in 2 hours. Mostly recovered in two weeks. I so regret not doing it earlier last summer. If I'd have known how simple it was, I would have done it in June and had a much better summer of hiking and camping, without suffering needlessly. The cable was definitely my problem.

I hope this helps, let me know if there are questions I can answer. For more specific information on my surgery and recovery you can check out this thread on my blog:https://rhondaashurst.com/category/hip-adventures/.

Take good care of you.
 
Glad to hear it, and thanks for responding @BionicButt! Weird that I'm almost hoping to have this problem, haha. At least it would be something identifiable and fixable, and sounds like the recovery is straightforward. Did you need a cane during those two weeks or so?
 
So your pain is like this?

Joe.jpg


The red one could be the cerclage but it could also be Psoas pain
The blue one is most definitely either Piriformis syndrome or sacro-iliac pain which could be well treated by a chiropractor.
 
I couldn't even tell they had been in my hip to the bone to get the cable out. I was immediately fully ambulatory with less muscle pain than I had before the surgery. I didn't use anything but Tylenol and my use of any kind of pain medication was over by two weeks. I've not needed even Ibuprofen for hip pain since. It was truly a miracle surgery for me. If the cable is no longer needed to support your leg and your surgeon is willing to take it out, you might try it and see if it helps. If the cable is metal it is prone to fretting and fraying over time and that can cause issues. Mine had fretted and frayed so much it had slipped down my femur a bit and they had to go on a fishing expedition to find it. Have you seen the pictures of my cable? Truly a nasty piece of hardware, like a metal zip tie with a very sharp end that was poking into my muscles.
 
I got the cortisone shot into the iliopsoas bursa yesterday afternoon. Not a wonderful experience, since the radiologist had a tough time getting the needle into the right spot (a metal needle doesn't show up well against a metal joint, apparently). Quite an odd "clunking" feeling when the needle would hit the metal, but eventually he did get it into the bursa.

I wouldn't say there was immediate relief, and I was still limping yesterday evening, but I woke up feeling good. The IT band and muscles around the area are still store (presumably from said limping), but I haven't had any of the deep groin pain I was getting before. We'll see how it holds up throughout the day, since it's been getting worse in the afternoons, but as of right now my worst complaint is the razor-burn from the quick dry shave they gave me - the inguinal fold is not a great spot for that, haha.

@BionicButt Thank you for the advice! I did see pictures of your cable, and mine isn't nearly as nasty looking (there's a picture somewhere back in this thread I'm sure), but I'm going to ask that he remove it anyway. I figure the removal doesn't seem too bad, so if it stands a chance of making this psoas problem go away permanently, I'll take it.
 
Brief update: cortisone is the best thing ever, I feel 100% for the first time in a long time. Hopefully it lasts, but probably should still get this wire out in case that's the underlying problem.
 
Quite an odd "clunking" feeling when the needle would hit the metal, but eventually he did get it into the bursa

Ugh! Joe, that sounds terrible as does the radiologist struggling to get the needle into the right spot. :yikes:

It's really nice to hear from you, sorry it's under the circumstances, but happy that the injection brought you relief. :yes!: Keep in touch and let us know how it's going or if you decide to get the cerclage wire removed.
Enjoy a wonderful pain free weekend!
@JoeKnows
 

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