THR Nutcase's recovery journey

[Nutcase]

You know, I've always enjoyed roller coasters. After this journey I'm not so sure any more

Another maybe silly question.
Is swelling and pain in the groin, or more the entire area from the outer part of the hip all long the hip crease, normal 6 weeks after surgery?
I can raise my leg up to about 90 degree without pain, but after that it hurts from the groin and down the thigh. It also affects my gait due to a feeling of stiffness at the push-off phase.
Could gentle stretching be beneficial, besides icing?

 

[Jaycey]

Is swelling and pain in the groin, or more the entire area from the outer part of the hip all long the hip crease, normal 6 weeks after surgery?

Totally normal. Trauma to soft tissues and muscles and tendons that have not had to work are now complaining. Gentle stretches are a great way to ease this. But keep it gentle.

 

[Nutcase]

Thank you @Jaycey I admit I worry a lot and this one got me worrying that it might have something to to with the iliopsoas. Hopefully it will resolve in due time.

 

[Nutcase]

Happy easter, everyone!

I will try to summarize this week, 6 weeks & 3 days post-op.

Abilities
Can walk outside with 1 cane, up to 4 km.
Can move around inside without any aid most of the time, but I have to be focused on gait and not to skew.
Managed to walk 1 km outside with walking poles, but it was slow and demanded real concentration.

Inabilities/obstacles
Can still not stand on on leg without skewing heavily.
A couple of muscles in my thigh still seems to be completely inactive.
Still swollen in upper thigh/groin area. It doesn't seem to diminish.
Limited ROM, struggling to lift my leg.
Tingling sensation in calf/foot after a long walk and tension in calf.

Mental
A tad better, but still a lot of 'what if' thoughts.
Trying to focus on progress, but tends to slip back into focus on inabilities and lack of progress.
Soreness seems to be 'moving around' (inner thigh, groin, back of thigh, ankel, etc) and manifest itself in different ways (like dull pain, tingling sensation, cramp feeling etc). All these different sensations makes me question if it will ever go away or if ever will feel normal again.

But the weather is nice and spring is slowly arriving to the northern countries The sun and the warmth usually makes life a bit easier

 

[myglasshalffull]

Happy Easter to you as well.
You will arrive at many different milestones during this recovery. I so wanted to be off my cane for a May wedding we were attending but I still needed it cause wedding was outdoors & grass yard was a little lumpy throwing off my balance. No sense in falling just to look gorgeous!
I joined this forum a few weeks after my surgery & when I started educating myself & realized it could take a good year to feel normal again I couldn't believe it because I was given very unrealistic expectations after my surgery.
Did I feel better certain months after the surgery, sure did, but then some aches & pains would pop up. I just learned to let the hip run the show & once I did that my mind settled. No one wants to be patient. I didn't either but I had no choice.
And I was a lot better & basically back to my old self after one year but now after two years I'm even better.

 

[Nutcase]

Ah... patience
I'm so impressed with everyone here regarding you patience. I know I'll have to do it myself, but most of the time I have no idea how. Guess I will figure it out BTW @myglasshalffull, I think using a cane looks quite sophisticated, so you probably rocked that wedding

Yes, new pains and aces are the worst. It's really hard not to focus and dwell on them. Like me getting a kind of a cramp feeling at my upper calf, but guessing it might be due to a longer walk than usually the day before the new ace.
But i actually have one question regarding swelling in my upper thigh. This hinders me from taking a smooth stride and from lifting my leg without pain/soreness. At the very top of the thigh, especially noticeable when I lift my op leg to, almost, a 90 degree angle when standing, there is a swelling going across all the thigh muscles. It's like the swelling is stopping the muscles from contracting. The swelling is also kind of hard to the feel and it doesn't seem to be relieved by icing.
Has anyone any idea what this can be?

 

[Nutcase]

A 7 week-ish summary...

Mood is definitely improving. Still not all sunshine, but neither pitch black, and being able to see the positive once again

Haven't used the crutch inside at all this week. It feels really good first thing in the morning, but the it's like my thigh muscles remember 'hey, we have forgotten how to walk...' and I have to concentrate on the heel-to-toe walking.
Still using a crutch outside. Hardest part i the push-off phase where the hip flexors feels to stiff/swollen/aching hindering a smooth push-off and stride. Walked quite a lot faster than usual the other day, feeling occasional discomfort in the groin area, but nothing major. The day after, though, the same area was really achy, but oly when walking. Maybe some over doing... Trying gentle iliopsoas stretches to see if it helps. A bit worried that this might be an issue, but hopefully it's still just unhappy soft tissue from the surgery

No major pains or aches, which is lovely. Sometimes when I sit, I get an kind of electric pain originating from my sit bone, through the back of my thigh and down to my lower leg. This stops however if I change the sitting position. I also, sometimes, feel a sharp pain at the back of my thigh, quite deep, when I sit on a toilet of all things I've experienced this from the beginning on and off but it doesn't seem to get any worse.

Taking my mind off things, I will head out playing pool tonight. This is the first time, since OP, that I will try 'sports', so wish me luck

 

[myglasshalffull]

Good morning,
Zings & zaps all quite normal as well as the groin pain especially after walking.
I walked over 4 miles yesterday with no issues, this AM top of my thigh is a little sore. Nothing I can't handle but still a little sore, I will ice & go on with my day.
If you had posterior approach sitting on anything (even toilet) can be uncomfortable.
Enjoy your evening out playing pool! Nice to just get out & be part of a social group, really lift your spirits!

 

[Nini]

@Nutcase I found gentle hamstring stretches post my LTHR eased a similar pain. I did them from a seated position pulling toes toward the nose. If you try these, start very gently as you hamstrings may be very tight.

Would this be with the leg stretched out in front and holding the pull? I am having the hamstring pain when seated.. Thank you! @Nutcase I hope you find relief from the stretches!

 

[Nini]

@Nutcase enjoy your pool adventure! It’s nice to have something to look forward to!

 

[Nutcase]

@Nini , yes I would have the legs stretched out in front of me sitting on the floor. If it's hard to get down on the floor you can sit on a chair, on the very edge of it, with your OP leg stretched out, heel on the floor, and the un-op leg in a 90 degree angle. Arch your back and gently lean your upper body forward.
Don't know if the explanation makes sense but I think you could google seated hamstring stretch

 

[Nutcase]

The funniest thing happened the other day. One of my lingering problems have been my thigh muscle that doesn't seem to know what to do when walking. Walking downstairs the other morning I realized my quads were all at the same arena! They are not in the game yet, but it seems they have figured out what game we are playing

Now I can only hope for them to join the game and to kick out the groin pain when walking, so I can start to feel 'normal' again

 

[myglasshalffull]

One of the coolest things is when you do something you couldn't do a week ago without even thinking about it & then you realize what you did & you get that big smile on your face! Yes, all is right in hip world today.

 

[Nini]

@Nutcase Sounds like you are having improvements! That’s great to hear! I liked your description of your muscles getting in the arena!

 

[mendogal]

That's a great milestone!

 

[Layla]

Your mood is very sunny.
Great sense of humor in explaining your progress! Hope your pool game went well. Enjoy the week, Nutcase!
@Nutcase

 

[Layla]

Happy Two Month Anniversary!
I hope you have a wonderful week!
@Nutcase

 

[Nutcase]

Thank you
I actually don't know if it feels like a long time or like yesterday. Anyhow I'm actually glad it's only been 2 month since that means I'm still quite early on in my recovery

Mood is stabilizing, probably because I'm finally seeing some progress, albeit not as much as I would have liked. Progression to walking poles outside makes me feel less 'sick' and really helps me focus on the heel-toe-walking. I still get intermittent groin pain, radiating to the thigh, when walking and all the muscles are still not fully cooperating, but I am getting stronger.
The groin pain is still a bit of a grey cloud on my sky, having me worry that something is wrong with my iliopsoas or that my op leg is longer.

I am really happy I found this forum, though. It means the world to know you're not alone

 

[Nini]

@Nutcase nope you are not alone!
I still do that at 13 weeks wonder if something has gone wrong. I often think this was quite a trauma our bodies go through and then just hours later they send us home with a piece of paper! (And in my case a puke bag, Vernors and Lorna Doon cookies!).
I also understand that sick feeling. I knew I was an anxious person but this surgery really put me over the top! But yes like yours it has gotten better.
And again you are not alone!

 

[benne68]

I still do that at 13 months

Did you have an earlier surgery? Or did you mean 13 weeks?