THR On day 5 after THR, I found you. This is rough - thankful you're here.

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As far as driving went I was fine and released to drive at 2 weeks and drove home from my appointment. With my right it was about 3 weeks that I felt I was safe to drive and OS said no problem. With my right the biggest problem was the pain in the butt feeling so I couldn't drive very far because of that.
 
Hi @ncarlson !

I, too, have practiced yoga for many years and was terrified to ask anyone if I'd ever be able to do even basic asanas. Unfortunately, many people (including my surgeon and, to a point, my PT) have a warped view of yoga, thinking it is just twisting your body into impossible positions, so asking them only upset me.

I had an anterior approach replacement and suffered the complication of femoral nerve damage, so I have muscle atrophy. I have additional issues from yours, but they are muscle related.

I can speak to how my joint feels when I practice yoga.

-I can easily do a forward fold now.
-I have a little bit of pinch in child's pose but it has lessened as I practice and listen to my body.
-I am fine in down dog
-as for sitting cross-legged, I feel a bit of resistance still so at first I put a block under my knee to relax into the pose. It has gotten better. I can sit cross legged now and am working slowly on cobbler pose.
-Warrior 1 pinches but, again, I am listening to my body and do either a modified version or do it on a chair.

I have attended a PT-led yoga class that helped me gain confidence. The teacher only focuses on asanas in a PT focused way, so the spiritual aspect is not there, but she coached me on how to modify safely. I have also found Happy Yoga with Sarah Starr online. She does a lot of chair yoga but incorporates breathing and stillness so that I can get those benefits.

It's a lot slower than I had hoped, but I'm very optimistic that it will come. I have had to practice a lot of patience!

Hope this helps!
 
@Schaargi - thank you! I miss yoga so much right now. I don't do anything extreme, but it's so balancing and keeps my body stretched. Always great endorphins after. I lost the ability to do moves like "reclined bound ankle pose" - basically lie on back and put soles of feet together. That's where my hip was really failing - most any open hip movements doing anything, especially any squatting down. I'm an avid gardener, so that had become challenging. It's so encouraging to know this all might come back.

Was a rough week 3. I didn't feel so great, but probably my own fault. I got pulled in to working too much (still from home) and didn't take good care of myself. Too much time in chair, on meeting calls, no time elevating or icing. And I got too busy to remember ibuprofen. I was back fully leaning on my crutch and felt like a limp noodle. By Friday I said enough. As soon as my self-care returned, things started to feel better.

I've had a weird pain for the past several days - right in front where leg/upper thigh joins body. Is that because tendons and bones inside are healing? It's uncomfortable/pulls when I walk. And that area is extremely sensitive any time I accidentally lean forward even a tiny bit too far. Maybe nerves healing? The unknown: what will hurt, and how long.

Thanks again for all the support and care here.
 
Those weird pains are definitely a normal part of recovery @ncarlson. Not only did all those tissues get treated roughly, but most of us weren't walking correctly before surgery due to compensating for pain. Muscles and tendons get stretched, or get shorter trying to protect the injured joint. Once we start moving normally again all those tissues need to get back to normal. I had some piriformis issues with my GOOD hip in recovery, it had been taking an extra load and needed to readjust to a normal gait again. Try to take good care of yourself next week, take that extra 5 minutes and ice while you are working, it will pay benefits.
 
I had awful dreams! Mostly dreams about falling. I would wake up screaming "HELP!" and crying. I spent weeks crying. i would not talk to anyone on the phone because it would just get worse and I would end up apologizing to my friends for always crying. I can so relate to the analogy that it feels like grieving: which it is on so many levels. I still get obsessed with the fact I have a foreign object inside me and if it's broken, coming loose etc.. Can not wait for the time when my knee is not the focus of every moment in my life and just an integrated part of me.
Wishing everyone a good recovery. It's good to know there are others in this club and all the strange, awful things we are going through are "normal" and will pass - one day.
 
Hi there,
I‘m sorry you struggled through a rough week.
Although it was controlled, your leg was put through trauma and it will take time for it to completely stop hurting off and on, Thankfully you realized the importance of TLC early on and I’m sure will be mindful going forward.

I’ll leave an article I found interesting. See what you think. It helps to understand the pain and discomfort we can feel early on in recovery, which you still are. I’m glad you’re feeling better and wish you a great week to come. :)
@ncarlson
 
The pain you're experiencing is probably the result of all that work you did this week. If you resume your icing, rest and elevation you'll most likely see it go away. Don't beat yourself up about it....we all overdo things at some point and have to take a step back for a while.
 
I, too, have practiced yoga for many years and was terrified to ask anyone if I'd ever be able to do even basic asanas. Unfortunately, many people (including my surgeon and, to a point, my PT) have a warped view of yoga, thinking it is just twisting your body into impossible positions, so asking them only upset me.

I had an anterior approach replacement and suffered the complication of femoral nerve damage, so I have muscle atrophy. I have additional issues from yours, but they are muscle related.

I can speak to how my joint feels when I practice yoga.

-I can easily do a forward fold now.
-I have a little bit of pinch in child's pose but it has lessened as I practice and listen to my body.
-I am fine in down dog
-as for sitting cross-legged, I feel a bit of resistance still so at first I put a block under my knee to relax into the pose. It has gotten better. I can sit cross legged now and am working slowly on cobbler pose.
-Warrior 1 pinches but, again, I am listening to my body and do either a modified version or do it on a chair.

I have attended a PT-led yoga class that helped me gain confidence. The teacher only focuses on asanas in a PT focused way, so the spiritual aspect is not there, but she coached me on how to modify safely. I have also found Happy Yoga with Sarah Starr online. She does a lot of chair yoga but incorporates breathing and stillness so that I can get those benefits.

It's a lot slower than I had hoped, but I'm very optimistic that it will come. I have had to practice a lot of patience!

Hope this helps!

This helps me SO much. In my case my hip was not bone on bone and my biggest motivation for doing the surgery was that my 3x week yoga practice was getting more and more limited. I was particularly having the groin pain in child's pose and most others where there was bending. I'm only a month out but I'm HOPING that once fully healed I will no longer have those limitations. I was able to sit in easy cross legged with props very comfortably before so hoping I'll return to at least where I was and hopefully better in some regards.

Any tips on what one can do in the meantime from yoga? Any stretches? cat/cow? thoughts? Thanks.
 
Hi @Sheila-Seattle!

I will answer you in your thread so that you can find it easier. My big advice is be patient and take it slowly. Oh, and if all else fails, stick with plain old Shavasana. :heehee:
 
:hi: Happy One Month Anniversary!
Wow...one month already. That was a big milestone for me. I sure hope you’re doing well,
getting adequate rest and feeling stronger week by week.
Wishing you a happy weekend and all the best! :SUNsmile:
@ncarlson
 
Two months to date....Happy Two Month Anniversary!
I hope you’re enjoying life and steady progress. Just looked back over your thread. It’s a good one, lots of beneficial commentary and info within. Would love to hear how things are going when you have the time. Wishing you only the best as you continue to heal!
@ncarlson
 
Hello dear Bonesmart forum! It's been 3 months and 20 days since that "big" event. There have been so many times I've wanted to come here and see if my progress is normal. But there's not much left of me after workday ends. Soon to be remedied as I'm going to retire from current position. Time to move ahead with a more peaceful life.

On to hip recovery. I'll just say it. I'm very dismayed with the outcome so far. I do NOT feel better than pre-surgery. And actually feel I've regressed in the past month. As I'm able to do more I have done more. And always with quite a bit of pain. The only difference now and from before is the extended pain seems to go away the next day instead of hanging on for 2-3 days after something like kneeling down to paint baseboards.

I can't turn my knee in or out. Extreme pain with any twisting motion. Can't open leg out very far. Can do some yoga in VERY modified positions. I did finally see a PT tech. My doc feels only do that if you choose, she doesn't push PT. First time was very basic, gentle and it helped a bit. 2nd time was more aggressive and ended up hurting for days after. I'm not going back, but continue on with some of the exercises. What actually makes me feel best is about 10 minutes a day on the elliptical and some basic strengthening exercises (bridging, etc.).

Bottom line: Is 3 months and 20 days still pretty early on in the recovery? Is it normal to have a lot of pain? Like when getting up from a chair, limping for first several steps, etc. I value you smart people so much.
 
Is 3 months and 20 days still pretty early on in the recovery?
Still early days considering this whole process can take up to 12 months or longer. Be good to yourself. Don't try and push through any activity. Your hip is telling you it's not ready. Stop and try again another day.
Like when getting up from a chair, limping for first several steps
Stutter steps - most new hippies go through this. As you get more mobile you will gain strength and this will just fade away.

Sounds like you are doing well! Watch the bridging - new hips don't really like all that pressure.
 
I had thigh pain for 11 months after my first hip replacement in 2014. I went through all kinds of tests....MRI, CT scans, x-rays. Everything looked fine. I researched my pain online, I saw chiropractors, I did PT for my back, because they thought it might be coming from there. I never found out what was wrong. I was so sad that I had done the surgery. I felt I was worse off then before. Suddenly, I realized my pain was gone at about 1 year post surgery. I still get an occasional pain there, but it is pretty much resolved. I just had my right one done and I am almost pain free at 11 days post op. I am hoping yours will resolve with time.
 
I understood that the recovery was going to be a long road and still was taken back a few times by how long the road is, yes it still is for me. With my first it took a while for me to grasp just how easily I could prolong the recovery and cause additional pain just by doing everyday tasks forget about exercises. At 3 mos in I really screwed up and set myself back almost a month. bridges were designed by the devil for THR patients, I have no idea who thought they were good for you! I still get plenty of muscle pain and stiffness in my hip area, but I get it in many other joints also since I'm not getting any younger. All of that aside I have zero joint pain which was the reason I had 2 THR's. That for me makes all of this a win as the worst of the pain is long gone.
So to answer your question, yes 3 mos and 20 days is early on in this recovery.
 
@ncarlson, I have a pretty good idea about how you feel, even though I'm behind you at just 7 weeks. I still have quite a lot of pain in my groin and hip flexor even when I try to stay off my feet as much as I can. The pain hasn't improved; if anything it's a bit worse than it was a month ago. And I definitely don't feel better than I did before the surgery. Then I could still walk for an hour without much pain. But I knew I had severe arthritis and that it was only a matter of time before I'd need a hip replacement; I'm not getting any younger, plus they've started canceling surgeries here again because of covid.

When I saw my surgeon earlier this week, he said I was well behind where most of his patients are at 7 weeks. That was discouraging, but I have to keep going and just hope, make that believe, that I'll get better. I do my best to keep my mind from going to dark places, but this is a struggle for sure. I'm rooting for both of us to come through these hard times and feel good again.

re bridges: last time I saw the PT I told her that they made my groin pain worse. She suggested I just engage my abdominals and glutes without lifting myself off the bed at all. That doesn't seem to aggravate anything so that's what I've been doing.
 
Hugs to you. Totally relate to the "no big deal" from doctor, hospital staff, supported by the same day discharge, and family wondering why I'm not making meals, 6 days post op.
 
Hi @ncarlson !

I'm happy to see you here. Congrats on the upcoming retirement. You will be able to focus on your healing. I wasn't really able to go back full time at 3 months but I did and it was rough. You must be exhausted.

I'm sorry you feel like you are worse off. I was pretty discouraged on and off through the process (I'm at almost 11 months). It takes so much longer to recover than you think it will. Hopefully it will get better for you.

I wasn't really ready to turn my knee out until 6 months. I hope it gets better for you!
 
I'm 8 week and my rehab has more or less continued as what I probably expected, I have trusted the advice and experience from bonesmart hippys that recovery is time . Luckily I'm retired as there is no way at this time I could even manage light duties ,( aircraft industry) especially as I can't drive yet I couldn't get there. Best wishes hopefully you can progress a little quicker.
 
You dear, wonderful people - Jaycey, Dmcfad2, Eman85, Sashimu, BellaMac, Schaargi, JohnWilky - others. Once again, I have tears in my eyes of gratitude for you all and this forum.

My husband was actually the one that said "hey, why don't you go on the Bonesmart forum and talk to them about how you're feeling". He knows how much this helped me early on. Thank you all again. Nobody else knows these things - even the doctors and the PT's. They know their parts, but you all know the reality and end result. Most everything each of you said hit home. The part about doc thinking "maybe this is a problem with your back?" Same! Of course my back hurts! My hip and leg can't move normally right now, so my low back is taking the hit as I'm running around doing too much. Because I'm thinking, what's wrong with me - I should be moving like the Energizer Bunny, and the pain should be gone. I must need to do more to get it working better.
:fasthorse:

I've heard it so many times - it takes a full year. I need to get that in my head. Especially when my husband says "here, grab that end of the couch so we can move it to the other room...". Um, I probably shouldn't be doing that?

Thank you - thank you. I'm going to be better to myself, and I'm going to learn to be patient. Love to you all.

PS - my best tip (and only one I have right now) is how amazing the elliptical has been for this. I actually feel really good afterword. Like some kind of butt endorphins :heehee: . It does some gentle strengthening, gentle stretching, and allows me to get some aerobic workout - but never hurts or stresses my hip. For me it's been better than walking - I don't feel that awful pinch/pull/pain in my front thigh/torso join area. As I'm now being reminded - it's good to be doing something that makes you feel BETTER after rather than worse.
 
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