THR My journey as a 40 year old father

skopg

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I am a 40 year old active male and over the last 2 months I was crippled with hip pain. After seeing a couple of Dr’s they diagnosed me with hip dysplasia that had warped the socket. On 1-29-19 I went in for my anterior THR.

I have a lot of muscle in my hip area but the doc felt comfortable doing the anterior approach. I was super nervous going into surgery. When I woke and was laying in the recovery room I could already tell the difference. The groin and hip pain I was had was gone. They got me up to stand and I was blown away that the crippling pain I had was gone.

I am almost a week out of surgery and the only pain I have is in my quad. After talking to the doc he said that is normal, with the muscle mass I had pre-surgery it created a lot of trauma and over time the swelling and tightness will fade. I have been doing my at home PT religiously and start out patient therapy today.

I have a 6 year old daughter and 3 year old boy/girls twins at home that I use as motivation to keep pushing forward. It also helps reading about everyone else’s experience and knowing I’m not the only one.
 
Hi, Welcome to BoneSmart. Thanks for joining us. Congratulations on your new hip!
The realization that the awful pre-op pain is gone is the best feeling. I'm happy for you.

Please read the Recovery Guidelines below. Pay special attention to the Big Tip toward the bottom. Stop back often, we'd love to follow your journey and support you along the way.
A great week to you!

Please let us know which hip was replaced so the info can be included in your signature. Thanks in advance :)

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
5. Here is a week-by-week guide to

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. @skopg
 
I have been doing my at home PT religiously and start out patient therapy today.
@skopg please rethink this philosophy. After 12 years working on this forum, I've seen more than enough issues arising from doing any form of exercise/PT which is why I posted this bit of advice

"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."
 
@skopg ---Glad you found this forum---in the coming weeks/months, you most likely will have some questions:)

I know most doctors send everyone home with instructions to do the basic exercises like ankle rolls/foot lifts, and side to side motions which are very gentle stretch motions. Beyond those activities, many specialists and certainly the advisors this forum don't recommend formal PT.

My surgeon was adamant that he has seen far more damage and negatives come from PT than benefit in the first year at least. He said that even with the same surgical approach, there are many variables that affect patients....things like specific muscles moved, nerves affected, intensity of the pounding of the implant. He was pretty graphic about what actually went on, and it made me appreciate why there was pain and swelling, often in places other than my actual hip!

So when many PTs start a standard recovery protocol it may or may not actually match what was done internally, and what needs extra babying/care. He told me that if I wanted to do PT in the future, after the hip was completely healed (at least 9-12 months) that would be an option I could explore then.

It made sense, and I believe that simply by walking, climbing stairs when ready, and doing daily activities I was able to quickly, and comfortably get back in shape. Just something for you to consider as you move into the next stage of recovery. Keep us posted!:)
 
I went to pt and spoke with him (he is a close friend) he agreed with a lot of the things you brought up. He offered his clinic up as a place where I can go and walk (my house is cramped with 3 young kids and toys all over), use his elevation tables, and his compression ice machine. It was a nice break to get out of the house.
 
@skopg Wow - you are very lucky to have access to that clinic. Sounds like a great place to rehab!
 
Hi @skopg :wave:
How is recovery treating you?
Hope the kids are being gentle with you and that you are starting to move around a bit easier!
Pop in with an update when you are able!
It DOES get better!:yes:
 
Welcome to the forum!
I have (had..soon!!) hip dysplasia. I had one hip (right) done last year, and will have the other done tomorrow. (yay, tomorrow!!)
Hope your recovery continues to be positive!
 
Recovery is going very smooth. I am walking around the house with just a cane for stability, and making strides to walk with out it. Tomorrow will be 3 weeks. Swelling has reduced greatly so the range of motion in my leg is starting to feel normal again. I had my post op visit last week and the doctor said everything looked perfect. I can honestly say I have been pain free for 3 weeks and I feel like my old self again. I got the ok from the doc to be able to go back to the gym to workout my upper body and I am beyond excited. I am excited to get back to being me and being the best husband/father I can be.
 
@skopg ---So glad to hear how well you are doing! I'm sure your whole family is so happy that you no longer are in such awful pain---it's hard to watch those we care about suffer.

It sounds like you are moving around well---just remember that your stability will remain affected by the surgery for quite some time, so be careful as you get more active.....you are right at the stage where so many of us start doing great, and then overdo and aren't doing so great for awhile---you don't want to be that guy!:heehee:

Also, once you start being more active, you may have some increased pain in new places---just ice a ton and use acetaminophen regularly. Hopefully your PT friend can help you monitor yourself to avoid problems! Have a great week!
 
Oh yay!:happydance:I love hearing this.
Getting rid of that crippling pain so that we can get our lives back ...Priceless.
 
Happy Tuesday :wave:
You get an A+ for excitement and enthusiasm.
This surgery does give us a new lease on life. At least I felt that way.
Pain is such an energy sucker and once we're "fixed" and feeling hopeful
everything looks rosy.
Wishing you nothing but blue skies and sunshine going forward :SUNsmile:

Please exercise caution at the gym :wink: You don't want to suffer a setback.
@skopg
 
I am now spending the first half of my day cane free then switching back to the cane when my body feels unstable. Today I noticed the swelling in my mid quad to my knee has reduced greatly. I still have a lot of hard areas around my scar. It feels like I have a shelf at the crease of my hip around the incision.
I am having some difficulty sleeping. My leg feels like I have restless leg. It feels like I need to straighten and squeeze the muscle in my quad to stretch them but my entire leg just ends up shaking from me trying and that feeling stays. It’s such an odd feeling. Has anyone had something similar?
 
Yes, I did have something that wasn't exactly the same, but did feel like restless leg. Around 4-5 weeks my leg would twitch and wake me up in the night. Sometimes it would do it multiple times in one night. It worried me, and was so uncomfortable.

I talked with my surgeon about it at my final 6 week follow up and he said it wasn't unusual---that the nerves are waking up, and within time it should stop. And it did---only lasted 2-3 weeks for me, and then disappeared.

Great news about the shift to the cane, and also that you are paying close attention so you don't overdo and suffer a setback! :yes!:
 
That makes me feel a ton better. I posted that late and I was exhaust I didn’t want to sound crazy lol. The nerves waking up makes total sense! Thank you.
 
Hi @skopg
Nice progress transitioning away from the assistive device. I've read of many dealing with what's been described as muscle spasms, cramps, twitches. Read up on Magnesium if it continues.
Following is an article -

Magnesium supports the following:
Bone health
Healthy blood sugar
Cardiovascular health
Muscle relaxation and nerves
Promotes healthy sleep (falling asleep and staying asleep)

An article on Magnesium -
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/magnesium-is-a-star.20301/

I've also heard of drinking 4-6 oz of Q-Tonic before bed which is a water that contains quinine.
Read the label as some of the waters do not contain quinine, but quinine flavoring instead.

Just something to consider....
I hope you have a great weekend!
 
:wave:My legs had the heeby-jeebys for quite some time.
Strange sensations seem to come and go..and come back and FINALLY go.

Hang in there...hope your weekend is healing and restful.
Don't forget to Ice, Ice, Ice:ice:
 
I'm a fan of the magnesium----as I said, I no longer have the weird leg thing going on and very possibly it is related to my starting to take magnesium. Magnesium also has so many other benefits, as Layla noted above.:yes!:
 
My daily vitamin says I get 100% of my daily dose of magnisum. Should I talk to my doctor about increasing the dose. I currently take animal pak powder daily as my multi vitamin.
I haven’t heard of the q tonic I will get some tomorrow and report back.
 
Hi there :wave:
Yes, I would advise you run the Magnesium by your doctor since you're taking other supplements containing it.
I hope your leg discomfort eases soon. Keep us posted.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend!
@skopg
 

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