THR On the other side and now in the right forum

[Maeve]

Hi@ByGosh, sandybeach and Kim22.
I'm not very good at explaining exercises am I? Lucky I'm not a physio.
Re the above stretch. Lie on the bed/ bench both legs flat. Then bend the operated leg, up to the 90 degrees I guess, foot flat on the bed. Now push the knee out to the side with your hand as far as you can and hold ... The new physio says hold it out, stretching the groin for 5 mins. Put a heat pad on it and hold it on as you do it. The other one is lying on the edge of the bed with the good knee nent and dangle the bad leg off the edge.
These would be all ones you have done but he has isolated these as the ones I need most.
The bridge is self explanatory but with a theraband around the knees keeping them separated at hip width.
Wish I could illustrate better

 

[sandybeach]

Maeve, now it's makes perfect sense about the exercises. I do the one with the leg danging off the bed except I hold the other leg, bent at the knee as close to my chest as I can. I have to do this for both legs I suppose because I had both replaced.

 

[Maeve]

Uh oh! I've Overdone it!
Progressing well over the past week. Physio is pretty intense, including the dry needling but I can feel the muscles loosening and strengthening. The twice daily exercises are very time consuming...about 40 minutes twice a day but as I tell myself this recovery is a very important project and takes priority over everything else.
Problem is I also went to one of my pre op gym classes yesterday. Heartmoves. There's a warm up session of power walking. That was OK I clunked around on one cane. Then the boxing which I love and is the first cardio post op so that felt like a real workout ...a bit of hip swivelling but no harm done. Then core work on the fitball...except I used a chair. Not stable enough yet for theraband strength with balancing! Then stretches. All very enjoyable...being in a "real" fitness class with able bodied people. Great to feel part of the real world. Coffee and an extended chat afterwards finished the morning off happily.

However.....and you know what's coming I'm sure. Woke up in the middle of the night with my hip....and other muscles that have been dormant for a while aching like mad. Paracetamol just didn't do it so half an endone was the solution? Woken up not too atiff this morning but will take it mre gently tomorrow when I return for the second class of the week.
Also checked out the hydro pool at the gym and it's very nice with a view out over the harbour and it's own change rooms which means I don't need to change up in the members area and catch the lift down in swimmers and return in wet swimmers. Will try it out next week. Have a friend who is happy to join me as she feels striding up and down in warm water can only do good for her joints. Driving now is fantastic freedom.
Still have the cane and think this might still continue for a few weeks as the leg is still a bit leaden.
So onwards and upwards ....physio again today. Must get up and do the dreaded exercise routine. Lunch at a friend's new unit tomorrow solan to take a very nice bottle of full bodied Australian Shiraz to celebrate.

 

[sharonslp]

Well Maeve....you know you overdid, so there's no point in pointing out that you really overdid it. You are not quite two months out....it's the danger zone....you start to think you're really recovered. Inside your body, your cells are just laughing at you...little does she know!

All I can say is try to err on the side of caution. If you add exercise s l o w l y, the worst that happens is that you add exercise slowly. If you go too fast....you may end up having to go slowly a whole lot longer.

But really...you sound marvelous! So you must be doing most things right.

Sharon

 

[Maeve]

Yep! Tomorrow I will do the class but at a slower pace! So true about the false sense of recovery....although what I'm really desperate to do is walk without the cane. It's possibke now but there is still muscle weakness which means my gait is compromised. Think I will work hard at the exercises this week....without overdoing it...throw in some walking and step ups in the hydro pool and see how much improvement I can manage in a week.
So wish I was genetically pre disposed to patience and acceptance. Maybe I need to include some mediatation too.

 

[sharonslp]

That cane is your friend! Don't set an artificial deadline to dispose of it. Continuing to walk with an impaired gait will just make it harder to develop a normal gait. When your body is ready to walk without the limp, then you get rid of the cane...but your body is in charge of this one; not your mind. Genetic or not, be patient with yourself.

Sharon

 

[Kim22]

Hi@ByGosh, sandybeach and Kim22.
I'm not very good at explaining exercises am I? Lucky I'm not a physio.
Re the above stretch. Lie on the bed/ bench both legs flat. Then bend the operated leg, up to the 90 degrees I guess, foot flat on the bed. Now push the knee out to the side with your hand as far as you can and hold ... The new physio says hold it out, stretching the groin for 5 mins. Put a heat pad on it and hold it on as you do it. The other one is lying on the edge of the bed with the good knee nent and dangle the bad leg off the edge.
These would be all ones you have done but he has isolated these as the ones I need most.
The bridge is self explanatory but with a theraband around the knees keeping them separated at hip width.
Wish I could illustrate better

Thanks Maeve for explaining the stretches.Regarding the dangling the bad leg off the bed; is the foot flat on the floor ?

 

[Kim22]

Hi Maeve I meant to say that I hope you have recovered well after overdoing things at your exercise class.I am amazed at what you are able to do.Were you super fit before you had your surgery ? Good advice from Sharon about the cane.Its funny Before I had surgery I refused to use one just out of sheer vanity but now I am glad of it. I will definitely use it until I can walk easily without a limp. I have tried very short walks outside without it and it just so happened that I had very sore muscles the next day.Having said that it will be a Red Letter Day when it finally goes.

 

[Maeve]

Hi Kim22,
Re the stretch ...if the bed is high enough the foot just hangs down but if it's lower you would still get the stretch if the foot is on the floor.
Re my fitness, I have always exercised and was doing 6 to 7 classes a week pre hip - 2-3 Pilates, one Tai Chi, one Fitball ( mostly Abs) and 2 Heartmoves ( Cardio e.g. Boxing, Strengthening - weights, therabands, stretching), And up until thiscyear Lyenga yoga but that just became too hard!!
So I really miss it. Of course it didn't prevent the hip replacement and, because of the dysplasia, the glutes, adductors, hip flexors and abductors all struggled but at least I could maintain good upper body strength and cardio fitness.
Now I'm back to Heartmoves...not game to use the fitball yet but my Physio is going to show me how to do it safely!
Desperately want to get back to Pilates BUT getting up and down off the floor is scary!
Patience is a virtue I dont have and it's a hard lesson.

 

[Kim22]

Maeve That really explains why you are able to do so much exercise now.I would also love to get back to Pilates soon when this tendinitis is resolved but as you say it's getting back up from the floor that is an issue still.You are so right about patience being a virtue and I am learning this the hard way. I long to take walks on the beach soon and would be devastated if this tendinitis stopped me from doing so this summer. As ByGosh reminded me we are both aiming to be fully fit by next year and anything earlier would be a bonus.Summer has finally arrived here and that always makes me a little more positive.I have tried the stretch and found it more comfortable with the foot on the floor

 

[Maeve]

Great@Kim22, foot on the floor works just as well.!
My big goal is 20 August when we leave on our two month trip...London, Barcelona, Madrid, Yorkshire Dales, Venice, Rome and finally a 28 day cruise from Rome to Singapore via India, Egypt, Jordan....Suez Canal.
The planned trip....organised last August, was what made me finally do the hip op. realised there was no way my hip would cope this time...no pain but very unstable...so I bit the bullet! BUT....I think I was very naive about the recovery. Had No idea it would be so hard so I struggle mentally from time to time.

 

[Maeve]

Oops! Kim22 tag didn't work last time...very clunky this webpage sometimes....or is that just my impatience showing yet again? I can see all my fellow bonesmart friends nodding furiously at that comment!

 

[Kim22]

Wow Maeve That is some trip to look forward to in August. You will be so ready for it as you are doing so well already. I agree with you about what a struggle this has been mentally with all the ups and the downs with many tears on the way. When I had a good day I used to be so positive thinking that the future was going to be plain sailing from that point but then the next low would come along and I would feel down again hope dashed I am trying not to take anything for granted now. We will get to where we want to be but need bucket loads of patience at the moment

 

[zauberflöte]

Maeve finally caught up with your recovery-- whew! You have been one busy lady It sounds like you are a magnet for perfect post-op care-- knowledgeable physios who know other yet more specialised ones who lead you to yet others who do massage yet! I've committed all your exercises to memory-- they have partially answered some questions I have. My leg was left the same length (I had no issues but plain vanilla OA) but at first felt just as over-long as it had before. Now it is settling in and feeling correct. But my inner thigh (adductors I guess) and outer hip (piriformis said my PT) are SO tight from not having been stretched in over a year. So I will be using your exercises when given the green light Thank you for being so detailed in your posts-- many many future hippies will appreciate it!
Coffees, lunches, Shiraz's, oh the life you lead It must help in recovery so much. And this o/s trip you have planned-- what FUN!!! You will have a daily spa visit with massage on the cruise portion, I can see that coming a mile away. You will be ready for the challenge, and you will know intimately how to pace yourself by then.
Kim22 a pox on tendinitis! I'm sorry it's still after you.... you will overcome

 

[Maeve]

Thank you zauberflöte,
It's such a joy to get your posts. You are so, so, positive!
I'm very happy to be able to share my progress, warts and all as it is a way of giving back to all the other generous hippies.
Must now go and read your latest update.
Funny, today I had a visit from a very close friend, her daughter and the daughter's new bub. Lovely BUT it was ver obvious during the coffee chat that there was an expectation I would have been far less immobile than I am...i.e. using a cane! Go figure!! Lots of comments like....so just another week before you'll be back to normal.
It's hard not to despair of others's lack of understanding about how long and hard this recovery is!
So tiring too to explain just WHY you need to use the cane.
Oh dear....so logging in to bonesmart and getting your post is a breath of fresh air! Thank you.

 

[Poppet]

Maeve, tell these well meaning friends that full recovery from a THR can take up to two years!

I invited a few colleagues and friends to watch the video of the surgery that made them think twice about these types of comments.. They just don't understand! I am 18 months post and still consider I am in recovery.. Stick with us hon.. We understand!

 

[Maeve]

Thanks Poppet.
I think there's a bit of fear there too with the people of my age making comments....like OMG it could happen to me. We get very vulnerable and fearful of losing mobility/ independence!
That's my take on it anyway!

 

[Poppet]

Absolutely, most of my friends and colleagues wouldn't watch the video or look at pictures of the prosthesis... I found it particularly common amongst the younger colleagues..

I was rather blatant with colleagues when I returned to work at 7 weeks... I told them outright, that it would take a long time and gave them some of the timeframes for various cell regeneration for example how long it takes for bone cells to regenerate and tiny nerves, let alone muscles and soft tissue..

I still have issues with swelling and soft tissue and groin pain sometimes after too much activity at 18 months!

 

[zauberflöte]

Maeve you are too sweet And could you explain "bub" for me? Is it "boyfriend"? Or "baby"? I'm learning such a lot of international English slang here, I LOVE it!
Poppet you could not pay me to watch that video just yet. I don't wanna know, yet. Maybe after the other hip has its turn. I have little bruises on the opposite side of my torso/back-- can you tell me, without going into too much gory detail, if they could be fingerprints from wrestling me around? They are not "hand-shaped', but definitely fingertip sized, on the back of my ribcage. Just noticed em last night.

 

[Poppet]

Sounds plausible to me zauberflöte, can you put some Arnica cream on them providing the skin is not open?