THR New Here - THR - Day 21 Post Op - Encouragement Please!

[MyBionicEra]

Hi all! I had my right hip replaced on November 18th, 2024 and will be celebrating my 3 week Hip-Aversary tomorrow! My procedure was done via lateral incision. I had a torn labrum, arthritis, hip dysplasia and also have hypermobility in some joints (the hips are one of them!). Years of intense physical activity and teaching yoga caught up to me quickly. I'm 51 years old and had been in pain for years...looking forward to stepping into 2025 as the bionic woman!

All seems to be going well however the lack of movement, fresh air and sunlight (winter in Canada) has me going a little stir crazy. I feel deeply "lost", uninspired and lack motivation - a challenge for someone who's usually ambitious. I suppose the post-op blues are setting in and the healing process isn't what I anticipated it to be.


Feeling my muscles shrink by the day has been challenging and the PT exercises I've been given don't seem to be enough to maintain. I see so many mixed messages on when I'll be able to return to my normal activities and although I know I need to wait until I'm cleared by my surgeon, I need something to look forward to!

I'd love to hear a few success stories from active or athletic members. When did you start strength training again post-surgery? Was it difficult to build muscle again post-surgery? And when do these darn blues go away?

 

[djklaugh]

@MyBionicEra Welcome to BoneSmart. I do sympathize with you - been there, done that - though a long time ago. The slowness of healing + the cold and gloom of winter + being unable to do things one use to do = the post op doldrums. Truly it will get better! Most hips don't need much PT - walking really is the best exercise. But some hips do need more PT to get the muscles and tendons around the hips back to best conditioning.

Here are our post op articles to help you have the most successful recuperation. Do ask any questions you may have and read any threads here in the hip section (or else where too):

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 these pages on the website

Oral And Intravenous Pain Medications
Wound Care In Hospital

The Recovery articles:

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.

 

[msart]

@MyBionicEra-welcome to the best support system ever!! You have just found the best group during your recovery.

I am 12 weeks-THR posterior, 53yrs old F. I have RA & my hip snapped/broke on vacation. That said, prior to my hip breaking I worked out 5 days a week with cardio & weights & on Saturday did Pilates, so safe to say I loved to exercise. It was very important to me to keep my joints moving. My dad has RA & is 76yrs old & teaches all sorts of fitness classes-19 of them a week!! So I come by it naturally-lol.

So my surgeon told me at the beginning of all this I could lift nothing over 10lbs, I asked about weights-I lifted at first 5lbs then 8lbs-upper body only & I sat in a chair to do so. But only when I felt good enough to do so. My lower is another story, as soon as I got released on the 90 degrees, I did a lot of stretching, some Pilates, anything I could do just to keep moving. Having said that-I over did it a lot. I understand that you want to get moving, but you have to let yourself heal or your body will MAKE YOU. It took me a minute to understand that. No pain, no gain does NOT work here. Everything we know is complete opposite. So listen to your body & don’t rush this process. Like I said I am 12 weeks & just Friday went back to the gym & got on the ARC for less than 15 minutes-but it’s a start.

I would definitely talk to your surgeon & see what his/her advice is. Hang in there!! You got this

 

[myglasshalffull]

Welcome & @msart pretty much answered your question on exercising & stretching.
It's easy to overdo when you begin to feel better & set yourself back.
You will learn to listen to your body's cues.
I wish you the best, please raise any concerns you may have, this is an amazing group.

 

[MyBionicEra]

@MyBionicEra-welcome to the best support system ever!! You have just found the best group during your recovery.

I am 12 weeks-THR posterior, 53yrs old F. I have RA & my hip snapped/broke on vacation. That said, prior to my hip breaking I worked out 5 days a week with cardio & weights & on Saturday did Pilates, so safe to say I loved to exercise. It was very important to me to keep my joints moving. My dad has RA & is 76yrs old & teaches all sorts of fitness classes-19 of them a week!! So I come by it naturally-lol.

So my surgeon told me at the beginning of all this I could lift nothing over 10lbs, I asked about weights-I lifted at first 5lbs then 8lbs-upper body only & I sat in a chair to do so. But only when I felt good enough to do so. My lower is another story, as soon as I got released on the 90 degrees, I did a lot of stretching, some Pilates, anything I could do just to keep moving. Having said that-I over did it a lot. I understand that you want to get moving, but you have to let yourself heal or your body will MAKE YOU. It took me a minute to understand that. No pain, no gain does NOT work here. Everything we know is complete opposite. So listen to your body & don’t rush this process. Like I said I am 12 weeks & just Friday went back to the gym & got on the ARC for less than 15 minutes-but it’s a start.

I would definitely talk to your surgeon & see what his/her advice is. Hang in there!! You got this

I appreciate the time you took to respond to this! Sounds like we both love to move and breaking your hip must have been a big shock for you to experience while on vacation :(

I'm going to start adding upper body exercises with LIGHT weight, seated this week and listen closely. I can actually feel my body shout "heck no" just thinking about stretching my operated leg right now so I'll keep listening to that too. I meet with my surgeon for the 6 week check up on January 8th so I'll have more info from her then.

Also - BRAVO to your dad for proving that age is just a number and that health and fitness are everything!

 

[MyBionicEra]

Welcome & @msart pretty much answered your question on exercising & stretching.
It's easy to overdo when you begin to feel better & set yourself back.
You will learn to listen to your body's cues.
I wish you the best, please raise any concerns you may have, this is an amazing group.

Thank you, I feel very welcomed here!

 

[msart]

@MyBionicEra hang in there & rest mostly right now. Once you start to heal you will feel what you can do. It’s truly amazing how our bodies talk to us. And only when you are healing do you really listen to it‍.

 

[sammi]

How are you doing today? Seems we’ve had the same thing happen although I was closer to home. Missing the gym but taking it slowly. Day 19 today and feel exhausted but doing well.

 

[msart]

@sammi I went to gym today-2nd time. Did upper body machines-thought I’d do 3-4 different exercises on them instead of getting up & down a lot, seemed to work well-as I’m still slow getting up & walking. Did one machine for my calves also. Came home & felt sore in my hip & a few strange sensations, but I think that maybe my nerves waking up. Everyday is an experience, but I’m bound & determined to get back even if I’m SLOW!! At 13 weeks-I can literally see how gravity is pulling me . I will rest tomorrow and plan to go back to gym Thursday or Friday-I will just have to see.

At day 16 I think I was mostly tired & the groin pain was killing me. The thing that shocked me mostly, if I remember correctly was how jacked up my muscles got after surgery. I have had 2 massages to try to loosen them up-but that was maybe month 2.

Rest mostly at this point in your game. But walk-so important. Slow & steady wins the race here.

 

[sammi]

@sammi I went to gym today-2nd time. Did upper body machines-thought I’d do 3-4 different exercises on them instead of getting up & down a lot, seemed to work well-as I’m still slow getting up & walking. Did one machine for my calves also. Came home & felt sore in my hip & a few strange sensations, but I think that maybe my nerves waking up. Everyday is an experience, but I’m bound & determined to get back even if I’m SLOW!! At 13 weeks-I can literally see how gravity is pulling me . I will rest tomorrow and plan to go back to gym Thursday or Friday-I will just have to see.

At day 16 I think I was mostly tired & the groin pain was killing me. The thing that shocked me mostly, if I remember correctly was how jacked up my muscles got after surgery. I have had 2 massages to try to loosen them up-but that was maybe month 2.

Rest mostly at this point in your game. But walk-so important. Slow & steady wins the race here.

Ah yes you’re way ahead of me but sounds like you’re doing great! Can’t wait to be where you are.

 

[msart]

@sammi-youll get there. It sounded funny to me-as you said you can’t wait to get where I am. It’s not funny, but when I get frustrated I need to remember that-Bc I have come a long way, you have too. It is just such a slow recovery. You don’t just bounce back quick, sadly. Takes time & patience-lots of it.

 

[sammi]

@sammi-youll get there. It sounded funny to me-as you said you can’t wait to get where I am. It’s not funny, but when I get frustrated I need to remember that-Bc I have come a long way, you have too. It is just such a slow recovery. You don’t just bounce back quick, sadly. Takes time & patience-lots of it.

I imagine it’s all relative! Thank you and hope you get better sleep tonight

 

[MyBionicEra]

@sammi I went to gym today-2nd time. Did upper body machines-thought I’d do 3-4 different exercises on them instead of getting up & down a lot, seemed to work well-as I’m still slow getting up & walking. Did one machine for my calves also. Came home & felt sore in my hip & a few strange sensations, but I think that maybe my nerves waking up. Everyday is an experience, but I’m bound & determined to get back even if I’m SLOW!! At 13 weeks-I can literally see how gravity is pulling me . I will rest tomorrow and plan to go back to gym Thursday or Friday-I will just have to see.

At day 16 I think I was mostly tired & the groin pain was killing me. The thing that shocked me mostly, if I remember correctly was how jacked up my muscles got after surgery. I have had 2 massages to try to loosen them up-but that was maybe month 2.

Rest mostly at this point in your game. But walk-so important. Slow & steady wins the race here.

Congrats on making it to the gym today! It must feel so good to work on your strength. I will admit, I did a few tricep dips using my walker today It's actually quite effective for that.
It's been 22 days and I thought I'd be walking without a limp by now...however, that's not the case. I'm surprised there's still swelling too. Still using both crutches when I go for a walk, one crutch when I'm home.

What I'm thrilled about is that when I walk I don't feel the same pain I did every day pre-surgery! Grateful for that. Thanks for sharing your gym experience, it gives me hope!

 

[msart]

@MyBionicEra -yes HOPE-this site is huge for that, and I’m happy I could give it to you!! So many provided me with it in my very early days. I walked with a limp for quite a long while-so I think that is normal. And yes-that goodness you’re walking!! I’m very thankful I am too, considering.

I don’t want to provide false hope in saying I went to gym, I certainly did not run a marathon-lol. But I went and I was so happy to be back in my happy place. A few exercises I did-at home when I was able was heel raises-holding on to the door frames, baby squats holding on to my kitchen counter, push ups on the side of my bed & 5lb & 8lb weights sitting down in my kitchen. The whole getting down on floor was a definite challenge though-so don’t rush that at all-lol. I did do a lot of research on week by week what exercises were ok to do. I also had posterior THR-so my experiences maybe a bit different.

Happy for hope & healing!! Thankful to bonesmart for that‍.

 

[myglasshalffull]

I'll just add (as I always do), if you are limping continue to use your assistive devices (walker, cane, sticks).
It's better than limping. We all want to get better & get on with life but for some of us it takes a little extra time & effort.

 

[Layla]

Hello and Welcome to BoneSmart!

It's been 22 days and I thought I'd be walking without a limp by now

Here’s a tip -
Try heel-toe walking when you're limping.
This involves striking the ground with your heel first, then rolling through your heel to your toe, and pushing out of the step with your toe. It takes a concentrated effort, but I believe you'll notice a difference. Give it a try.
Here is a visual -

Best Wishes...keep us posted!

 

[Eman85]

The elimination of the pain is the biggest reward of the THR's, well worth the recovery time.
Walking better will come if you practice "walking better". It took me a while to learn that I had to concentrate on form and less steps with good form was better than a lot of steps with bad form. My method for good form was with a shopping cart. It's the best walker when walking for form and big stores offer smooth flat climate controlled walking surface. Unfortunately this is not a good time of year for walking in big stores.

 

[MyBionicEra]

Today is my 4 week Hip-aversary. I've been experiencing a deep aching pain in my upper glute (off/on during the day/night) and also in my knee (when I sleep) - both on my operated leg. I had to resort to taking medication this evening because the glute pain was throbbing. I haven't done much today (it's cold out) although I do go up and down my stairs SEVERAL times a day. Not sure why I'm concerned since this is probably normal, however wanted to share here anyway.

2 more weeks until I can drive, really looking forward to that!

 

[msart]

@MyBionicEra -the glute & knee pain is awful but it does get better. So uncomfortable-I remember it well. Once your muscles start to release & not be so tense, it will start to feel better. Don’t forget to ice-that helps a ton!! Once you can drive, you will feel better too. It feels good to get some independence back, just be careful not to plan too much in one outing. I thought I was super woman & learned real quick to plan my outings & rest afterwards. But it is definitely a mood booster to actually get out of the house on your own. Hang in there & happy 4 weeks!!!

 

[mendogal]

Hi @MyBionicEra - yes, the migrating soft tissue pains are common with any of these weight bearing joint replacements.

This is what I've come to think of as the Great Structural Reset.

Our affected weight bearing joint, over time, creates a lot of structural changes as the body tries to compensate. Some muscles and tendons lengthen and stretch while their counterparts contract and tighten. This can happen slowly and below our level of consciousness even as these forces start tugging at bones, skewing our pelvis, our posture, our gait.

All at once in surgery everything is essentially reset by the surgeon. Part of recovering from a hip or knee replacement, besides the actual healing, is a re-modeling of our structure to adapt to our new improved structure.

You may find moist heat and gentle stretching beneficial to the away-from-the-hip problems.