[THR] Nerve problems

[Legin]

Hello new here. 7 weeks post opp and varying degrees of pain. To be honest hip hurts but main pain is in hamstring and calf. My foot is 3/4 numb with only abt 10% movement. I stretch leg every few hours.
#CRPS

 

[Legin]

Hello new here. 7 weeks post opp and recovery is annoyingly slow. My leg muscles are still rock solid and have very little movement in foot and only have about 10% movement in foot
#CRPS

 

[Jaycey]

@Legin Welcome to BoneSmart. Are you having any physiotherapy post op? Physio might be able to help you with this.

One of our members had a similar experience and can confirm - it can take awhile for nerve issues to ease. I'll tag her and see if she can offer you any tips @shrinkette .

 

[Hoppy Nanny]

Sorry you are having problems with your foot & a slow recovery @Legin....Stay with Bonesmart..there are others who have had similar problems...they may be able to help reassure you that things do improve...given time....Hoping things get better soon for you xx


Sent from my iPad using BoneSmart Forum

 

[Legin]

Ty for the welcome. Yup I am getting physio (from the evil one), and I do my exercises with a big plus. The annoying thing is lack of movement in foot I walk 1 - 2 miles several times a week with sticks but hey Im male and impatient.
#CRPS

 

[mfhip]

This is very different from what I'm experiencing. Have you had an ultrasound of your calf? I did, but a blood clot was not found. What is your doctor telling you?

 

[zauberflöte]

@Legin welcome! Sorry you are having problems :( have you contacted your surgeon about these issues? S/he will not mind at all, and will help you fix things!


My phone sent this using BoneSmart Forum, clever phone!

 

[Poppet]

Welcome @Legin - haha... Lots of us ladies get impatient also... You might like to check out the following article. Recovery can't be hurried. The body is in control with the healing.

Slow and steady and remembering that recovery from a joint replacement can be a marathon and not a sprint gives one permission to recover in one's own timeframe

The following is a link to an article which provides the current science regarding the healing beneath and around the implant and approximate timeframes for the healing phases and processes and the relevant nutritional information for each phase.

Healing Phases & Nutrition

 

[skigirl]

I noticed that we have not given you the reading list for post surgery patients!! It will give you something to do while you are resting, and icing!!!First are the BoneSmart mantras ....
- rest, elevate, ice and take your pain meds by the clock
- if it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physiotherapist - to do it to you
- if your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again
- if you won't die if it's not done, don't do it
- never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lie down, never stay awake when you can go to sleep!
- be active as much as you need to be but not more than is necessary, meaning so much that you end up being in pain, exhausted or desperate to sit down or lay down!

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
Activity progression for THRs
Home physio (PT)
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?

 

[Legin]

Ty both in many ways your replies are opposite to who and what I am. I rarely sit and tackle things head on. Several years ago I totally ruptured my achillies. Opp on thurs signed myself out of hospital Sat back at work with behavioral teens Mon. The surgeon had great diff in disslocating my hip hence the hamstring and calf are still v swollen and tight. Both of these im working on with stretches at lesst 10vtimes a day. Just the silly dead foot. Ok gonna read my honework set by you good ladies. Toodle pips
#CRPS

 

[Jaycey]

I rarely sit and tackle things head on.

I am afraid this approach may not get you very far in your recovery. Recovery from THR can not be rushed. As you are experiencing, muscles and soft tissues have been traumatised. Let them heal and you will enjoy a lifetime without hip pain. Doing stretches 10X per day will only get you sore and tired and does not allow anything to settle. Go back and read the articles skigirl left for you. The mantras are tried and tested methods for recovery. Good luck!

 

[Legin]

Ty I have read the articlesnand will try to slow down but it will mean a very diff mind set. Dagnabit means I have to think doh

 

[zauberflöte]

@Jaycey oops! I hope you meant "a lifetime FREE of pain"!!


My phone sent this using BoneSmart Forum, clever phone!

 

[Legin]

Well thats what I read it as. Oooooooooooooer

 

[sharonslp]

Legin, yes...a totally different mindset is in order for a while. This is not a bad thing. I was already retired when I had my first THR, and starting to feel a bit bored with all the unstructured time I felt I was wasting. During the downtime of my recovery, I did lots of mental exploring to figure out what I wanted to do with the rest of my soon-to-be-mostly-pain-free life. The result of all that is that today I am immensely enjoying law school, along with the perks of being retired. I think it is accurate to say that my THR has changed my life in ways I never dreamed possible, and all of them are good ways.

So let your recovery take over for awhile, and see what paths it leads you down. You may be very pleasantly surprised at what "thinking" can accomplish.

Sharon

 

[Legin]

Thats part of the problem I still work well when Im better. I have (retrained) the old brain once as I have a balance problem but with this its annoyingly slow.

 

[shrinkette]

@Legin
Hi there. Heard about what you refer to as your "dead foot". I assume you mean "numb"? If so, I can relate, as I came out of surgery, which was otherwise successful, with total numbness in the foot on the operated hip side, as well as the very annoying 'pins-and-needles' & burning sensations that accompany nerve damage. The rehab people called it everything from neuropathy to foot-drop, & I was miserable & demoralized, never anticipating anything like this. Because this greatly impeded my mobility, I spent 6 weeks in in-patient rehabs, building leg strength & learning to use that foot.

You are obviously far ahead of where I was, given your reports of long walks & considerable activity. It is now almost 9 months since surgery, & I am much stronger & have gained a good bit of feeling in that foot, but it has been exceedingly slow. I am still using a walker outside because I feel insecure otherwise, but there has been much progress. All the docs have told me the nerves will regenerate, but that it takes a loooooooong time.

I would strongly suggest you follow the advice about not rushing things... Believe me, you will not get any medals for pushing too hard & can delay your recovery. Take it easy... This is a tough surgery & you emerged from it with what sounds like some damage. Please be kind to yourself. If I can answer any questions, feel free to ask away. If you want to read the sordid details, see my recovery thread.

 

[Legin]

Ty for your comments. Yes that is what I have the most deabilitating part is there is no resistance in the foot/muscle so I regularly fall or stumble forward. Its a feeling of failure in that my job is v v physical and the look from my dogs when I cant take them out by the loch or up the hill. Did your foot feel like it was in an ever reducing plaster cast. Sometimes I feel as if my toes will fal off.
#CRPS

 

[shrinkette]

@Legin
You say you "regularly fall or stumble forward"? This is likely due to the lack of feeling in your foot. I hope you're using whatever assistive device gives the maximum feeling of security and balance, because you definitely don't want to fall & have a whole array of new problems! Also be sure to wear shoes that provide the most security. Use a walker (frame, in the UK, I believe) for added balance if you need to; now is not the time to prove anything to yourself or others.

As far as feeling like a failure, I hardly think you should take on an unfortunate result of surgery as your own personal lapse!! You didn't ask for or expect this: IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT. But you do have to deal with it as safely & realistically as possible -- and as patiently (the hardest part). And your doggies will understand -- remember, you are their god.

I hope your physio includes raising & lowering your toes with your foot flat on the floor, holding them up for 5 seconds (they had me doing 30) & raising my heel up-and-down similarly. Also, I stood on my tiptoes while holding onto a counter or ledge about 30 times. And, lying flat on your back, pulling back your toes toward the ceiling as much as you can & holding for 4-5 seconds 30 times. Use an exercise band across the top of your foot to create resistance, if you can get someone to hold it in place. Are you doing any of these?

This process takes a very long time if it's nerve damage. I am only now enjoying the feel of my cold tile floor when I step on it barefoot! And it was only the other day that I could "feel" enough to get my foot into a slip-on shoe without help! Ok, end of lecture... Hope it helped.

 

[Legin]

Aye I am doing all physio stuff pluss some things
I did after my achilies rupture. I use sticks outside but tend to leave them propping up the wall inside. Now there is 2 words that will never be seen togethrr again, Legin and god soooo chortlin