[THR] Juanita's Hip Recovery

Hi, Ryesgma....welcome to BoneSmart. I'm glad you joined us.

You are really early in your recovery so it's quite possible to have all types of odd aches and pains as your body heals and recovers from the trauma of surgery and being put back into proper alignment with your new hip.

Some of the pain may be related to how much activity, therapy and exercise you're doing. Can you tell me what a typical day looks like for you? Are you in formal therapy and, if so, how often do you go and what do they do?

Also, please take a look at these recovery articles to give you an idea of what to expect in these first few months.

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
elevate
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

BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy​

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this

Activity progression for THRs​

6. Access to these pages on the website

Oral And Intravenous Pain Medications
Wound Closure​

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.

 

Hello,
Welcome to BoneSmart. Thank you for joining us. Congrats on your new hip!
A sore, swollen, bruised or aching knee is a common complaint. The knee can be manipulated rather aggressively during the dislocation process. Ice your knee in addition to any other areas you're icing. It's recommend you ice for 40-60 mins, no less, each time you ice. Target 4x daily. Icing helps relieve pain and swelling. Pay special attention to the Big Tip from the Recovery Guidelines -

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.

Please read the Recovery Guidelines as I believe you'll find the information beneficial. Stop back often, we'd love to offer support and encouragement as you journey through recovery.
Happy Monday!
@Ryesgma

 

Hi @Ryesgma
You really should be using an assistive device for as long as you're limping. Try heel-toe walking, it works!

A tip -
Try heel-toe walking when / if you're limping. Let your heel hit the ground first followed by toes.
It takes a concentrated effort but I believe you'll notice a difference. Give it a try.

If you're still in pain you could be taking 1000 mg of Tylenol 4x daily as recommended by the forum Nurse, Josephine.

You need to make sure you're not taking any other drugs that contain Tylenol (Acetaminophen) You need to stay within the safe limit of no more than 4,000 mg of Tylenol in a 24 hr period. If any other medications you're taking contain Tylenol, add their amount into your daily calculations and reduce another of your doses, so you stay within those limits.

Hope this helps.