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THR My life with Helga the Hip1

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Hi @Briggieride you are so good at documenting your progress. Thank You!
That's so sad and tragic for all involved in the landslide at Oso. And, it came so close to your life.
I imagine that is hard to understand....
I am delighted you have progressed so well!
Hey, I still don't understand that 120 degree angle. What does that really mean in real terms?
 
@MajorHeidi . The 120 degree angle means that I should not get my thigh closer than 120 degrees in front of my chest. That means right in front of my chest. Turn the knee towards the outside and I am allowed to do that. For example, I can wash my toes, cut my toenails, put on my socks and tie my shoes. Doing that it seems that my knee is really close to my chest, doesn't it? Give it a try. That is allowed, even if it is straight in front of my chest. Why is that okay? It is, because when I bend over like that I also bend my spine. That is how my leg gets kind of close to my chest. However, when the spine is straight my thigh/knee is not that close to my chest, because of the 120 degrees rule. That rule exists because the hip could dislocate beyond 120.
When you are see your OS ask him if he has an artificial joint you can look at. I hope he does, because than he can demonstrate why there is a danger of dislocation. Maybe you can also visualize this when looking at a picture of an artificial joint. The cup has a certain depth and when the stem of the joint gets to the edge of that cup, then that is the limit you have. Go beyond and it will dislocate. I asked my OS if I would feel that restriction. He told me that I would not. In any case, 120 degrees is perfectly serviceable.
I hope this helped.
 
@Briggieride you are doing so well. Congratulations on your ride. Fantastic effort

I feel such sorrow for those involved in the mudslide. I can't imagine how you all feel being so close and part of the area!!!! I also feel so bad for the families and also those waiting for news of the Malaysian airlines flight.

It just shows that we should all live our lives to the fullest and not live in pain when it can be fixed!!!!

Keep up the great work!!!!
 
MajorHeidi said:
I still don't understand that 120 degree angle. What does that really mean in real terms?
Click to expand...

This is approximately 120 degrees of hip flexion.

[Bonesmart.org] My life with Helga the Hip1


Understand, though, that most of us are not given this restriction by our surgeons and are able to flex our THRs well beyond that if we wish to do so and are physically able. I've been flexing my THR past that point for years with no difficulty.

In general, it seems that surgeons place these sorts of restrictions on patients so that, if we should have the misfortune to suffer a dislocation, they can blame it on us. We do live in a litigious society, after all.
 
Thanks for the picture and advice @alexthecat . Now that helps me visualize and understand.
I was trying to figure out if a cyclist like @Briggieride and me would be able to go for a ride in the country and then get off the bike and sit on the grass to rest. Being down low like that with bent legs is that ok later on after maybe 12 weeks or so?
 
Yes, it's fine. Just ease into it. I biked across southern Idaho a couple of summers ago. Sure, I got saddle sore, but the THR was fine.

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@MajorHeidi , @alexthecat . Really, there is nothing to worry. I sit on the ground all the time with my knees right under my chin, my breasts touching my thigh. How is that possible since I have that 120 degrees restriction you might wonder still? It is possible, because my back is curved. It's a totally natural position, whereas the 120 degrees restriction applies when your back is straight, like on the above photo. My doc explained this in detail because I asked him as I was concerned about that restriction. There is nothing restrictive about that limitation. I ask, when do we ever have our backs straight like in the photo with our thighs closer than 120 degrees towards our chests. At my age, even though I am fit and flexible, I don't find that a move I commonly do. In any case, you can go beyond 120 degrees if you turn your knees slightly outward. It has to do with the position of the cup in the acetabulum and the size of ball and stem of the implant. That's what my doc told me. He eliminated all confusion I had about that subject.
I had been concerned about cycling in the drops of my handlebars; I had been worried about having to adjust the seat and handlebars of my bike and possibly having to turn my knees outward instead of being nicely tucked in while cycling. No worries there! I have ridden my bicycle and everything as before the surgery only better, because I have no pain. Amazing! I hope the weather holds for a few days as I want to go on a longer ride during spring break.
 
I am naturally limber and do a lot of yoga. The ROM for my hips is 140 degrees and, yes, that is with my spine straight. As I said above, I have flexed my THR hip to that point regularly over the years and have never had a problem.

We do occasionally see members whose very conservative surgeons have recommended these sorts of life-long restrictions. Most surgeons do not however and most of us go back to normal life without restrictions and do just fine.


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Thanks to you , too @alexthecat ; this info helps! I hope that afterward I am fortunate enough to get
somewhere close to where you and @Briggieride are though just in terms of being happy and energetic.
 
@alexthecat . I totally understand what you are saying as I am very limber, although not the same as when I was 46. Back then I never thought anything would change for me physically, but then I injured the labrum in my right hip doing something I probably should not have, but I could not help myself as I was very competitive in all physical enterprises. I used to do gymnastics in my youth a long, long, very long time ago. Anyway, having injured my hip 10 or so years ago and having dealt with increased pain and limitations, I have had to come to terms with limitations due to the pain I used to have. When I used to do Body Pump I felt so good. I did Kickboxing. I thought I would do that forever. But then the pain in my hip stopped me from going. I tried other exercises, but so many involved standing and I just could not do that [standing] anymore. I tried Pilates when they were offered in my club, but so many of those exercises involved leg raises. Anyway, pain took so much away from me and instead of paying for a membership in a sports club I could not use I started exercising at home. Recently, before my surgery, I signed up for another membership and started TRX, Yoga and some other lower body class. But my hip once again stopped me from going.
At this point in my life I am so grateful to not have pain in my hip anymore. I have had thoughts of trying something like Body Pump again and of course Yoga. I used to be so flexible, but it is just not as important to me anymore as it used to be to see how close I can get my straight legs to my torso or whatever more extreme movement I can do. I don't see the the point at this point in my life. I am more interested in stamina. I used to do marathon gardening sessions, long hard hikes, and long hard bike rides. I am looking forward to those kinds of things although marathon gardening sessions are out due to my back not being so young anymore and arthritis pain at the base of my left thumb, and I will have to be satisfied with shorter sessions. And my left shoulder has been giving me pain which I am determined to resolve. My hip gives me all the flexibility I need. It's interesting to me what I think now and how I feel compared to 10 years ago. It's not giving up. It is coming to terms with a body that is just not as young as it used to be and a mind that is just not as competitive as it used to be. Although, put me on my bike, put another cyclist [a stranger] in front of me, and I might be overcome by this need to catch that guy. I actually had that feeling on my very first bike ride after my surgery. I am still crazy! Yippee!
 
To me flexibility is important, not as some kind of competitive thing, but because of the contribution it can make to my quality of life in the future. I see so many people hobbling around with tight hamstrings and hip flexors. I try to help my clients overcome that and I try to avoid it myself.

Now, as for your crazy self. . you may find that, as you get further out from surgery, you get a little more wild. After a while, I started forgetting about the THR until after I'd already done something. Oops! But then I'd already done it, so why not keep it up?

I'll just say this... I teach Body Pump. I'll save you a spot in class, because I really think you're going to get back to that or (if not that) whatever else you want to do. I look forward to seeing what mischief you are up to in a year or two.

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@alexthecat . I look forward to seeing what mischief you are up to in a year or two. Me too. Yikes, I'll be 60 or 61 then. Wow, when and how did that happen? I want to retire. I want to retire now, because after a days work I am just not as peppy anymore. Just wait until menopause hits you. Maybe it already has. It changes things, for me anyway.
I appreciate your encouraging words. Now back to another glass of red wine. It's been a busy day with my grandgirls.
 
What a day I've had. Beautiful weather, two of my grandgirls stayed with us for two days. I played with them, carried one of them, sat on the floor playing Mankala, helped them put plants of their choosing into pots, gave them the job of pulling old strawberry plants and paying them 10 cents for each plant pulled. I also worked in the garden. The first time in years without pain. Now I am sitting here tired and happy. Reflecting on how I was able to sit on the floor without any pain and carry one of the girls on my hip without any pain. Having basically a pain free day except for my left shoulder. And guess what? Today is week 8 since Helga, my hip, was installed.
All you future hippies out there, stay in as good a shape you possibly can, have a 'can do' spirit, be tough and never give up. You'll get your life back when you get that new hip. I can't believe it's only been 8 weeks.
I think those straight leg lifts have helped me a lot, because it is getting easier and easier to put my right ankle on top of my left thigh [make a picture in your mind] while taking a shower [standing] when I want easy access to my toes and feet. I am now able to wash my right foot almost with the same ease as my left foot.
Tomorrow is supposed to be another gorgeous day, I will still be on spring break and so I'll get on my bike and go for a nice longish ride. Yippee!
 
Eight weeks and two days post-op. Yesterday I spent six hours gardening, pulling weeds, digging up plants, digging in the soil, hauling stuff to the compost pile, raking debris from cedar trees, taking in the scent of turned over soil, getting too much sun on my cheeks, and making plans for which vegetables to plant where. My hip...what hip? Honestly, my right hip did not hurt one bit all day, but my left arm/shoulder did and my left hip was a little bit sore at times. I guess it is not used to work like that anymore. There was no pain afterwards either.
Dr. Manner and his team at the UW have given me back my life through their excellence. I am so grateful.
 
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