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THR On the other side

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Well, for the anterior technique, they dislocate the hip. They saw off the bone at the femur. They hammer the stem into the bone. I don't remember any of it, but it still is traumatic, in my opinion. I couldn't watch the video on Dr. Matta's website. It really upset me. I just listened. I may go back and try to watch it now that I'm post op.

The video I watched is the one from the Hip and Pelvic Institute in Santa Monica, where I had my hips done.
 
I would agree that icing should help. I kept ice on consistently for the first week or two. I also was pretty religious on taking the pain meds for the first 2 weeks and then started to ween off after the 2nd week. By week 3 I was completely off the meds. As I said before, I did not even start PT until after 2 weeks out. I did have some soreness on PT days. I had PT 3 days a week. I mostly concentrated on walking mechanics with my PT.

I would also agree that most people I followed that experienced significant pain were doing too much. Whether that was on their own or through PT varied. But doing too much too soon was usually the problem. You have to listen to your body...and that is not easy...especially for those of us who are inpatient. If you are having pain (and not just soreness) I think you are doing too much. If you think you need to get this PT in now while insurance will cover it, I would suggest you take the medicine perscribed at the dosages perscribed. Get ahead of the pain cycle instead of waiting.
 
@Royal1383 Hi Bilateral Jim here. You have just been chopped, sawed,hammered,dislocated,sliced open and stitched up. The healing is your main goal. No wonder you are feeling pain. You cannot speed the healing by exercise and playing catch-up with your meds! Good luck to you.
 
Royal1383 said:
:what::what:@Hip Hip Hooray! My insurance covers at home PT 14 days after the surgery. The therapist claims we must get the muscles moving. Not sure which theory on PT is correct. Some friends claim it must be done now, others claim slow it down. Confused
Click to expand...

Hi @Royal 1383 I'm in the UK and don't have any physio until week 8. I suspect that will be a walking check above all else. All I have been doing is walking in the house and up and down the road outside. I also go up and down my stairs twice a day. I'm 4 and a half weeks now, and I don't take any pain relief in the day, and I'm now practising on 1 crutch instead of two. I think I'm proof (and there are many more here too) that you don't need physio :)


Right THR
10th June 2016

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@Royal1383 - I don't know that I have any additional hippie wisdom to impart, but I will echo the need to listen to your body, to ice, to take your pain meds on a regular schedule, and to tell your PT about your pain and make adjustments there accordingly. Oh, and to be patient too. This is a long-term recovery. A full marathon and not a sprint. An 8-course meal and not just the appetizer. It can be frustrating adjusting to a slower, crock pot fashion when we are so used to microwave results elsewhere.

I have experienced several kinds of post surgery pain and discomfort. Nothing unusual or anything to be concerned about, I don't think. I'm not a medical professional, but I think the business of healing is quite involved. In my list of "leg pains I've had" some have been because of healing and improvement, like learning to walk the right way.

So the answer to "when does this pain go away?" may not be soon. And it may depend on the kind of pain you are talking about. And then again, your experience may be completely different than mine, because we are unique individuals.

In essence, just hang in there buddy!
 
Royal, if you are still experiencing pain, I suggest you get on a schedule where you are taking your pain meds at specific times during the day and night. If you only take it when you hurt, you are always "chasing" the pain and it's not going to be very effective. You need constant medication in your system at least for the early days following surgery if you are experiencing pain. And taking something before PT is definitely not a good idea. That will mean that you can overdo things in therapy and hurt later....which sounds like exactly what is happening to you.
 
Unfortunately, the nurses instruct you to take your meds in order to handle PT. (at least they do that here.) That's their philosophy. ("You're going to have PT, so you need to take your meds.") I really diluted the PT, and did a fraction of what I could. Same with the walking...I purposely did the bare minimum. I had read on this forum that it could make your pain spike. I had a delayed reaction.

My Physical therapist insisted that PT brought down the pain level. It did lower my pain level initially, but then a few hours later it would jump. (after she had gone home.)

I hope you stop or back off the PT and give it some time.
 
Hip Hip Hooray! said:
My Physical therapist insisted that PT brought down the pain level.
Click to expand...
Boy, that's a new one on me!!! As you wisely observed, this is rarely the case. Maybe as you're doing the activity things feel pretty good, but later.....not so much! Glad you're being assertive and going with what works for you.
 
Yes, she'd ask me my pain level when she arrived. It was usually around a 3, sometimes less. Right after the PT ended, she'd ask me my pain level again. It was always lower. She wrote both numbers down and would say, "See, your pain level goes down after PT." She was convinced that this was true. I think it might have to do with circulation.

I tried to tell my nurse that the PT was too intense and asking too much, and the nurse insisted, "She's good." I felt like her tone was saying, "and you keep quiet." I just did the bare minimum. They're almost cult-like about PT in Los Angeles.

I hope your pain level is dropping, @Royal1383.
 
Day 10- A bit less painful today, but still sore and sensitive. I did walk up to my bedroom and sit by the computer desk. My PT wanted me to get my operated leg on my first step which I could not do yesterday, but was able to do today. I guess there is progress, but it is slow. When people say wow my arthritis pain is gone, it makes me wonder when I will get to that point. It may be gone, but this surgical soreness is worse than what I had!:what:
 
Yeah, it was for me, too. It will heal, though, and you will be pain free. It's a long process. If you keep icing and taking your pain meds, it will really help. You'll probably feel a shift after day 14. It sounds like you're getting stronger. Is your fever gone?
 
Day 12, just had PT and he worked me hard. He said it is important to push it so that my OS sees good range of motion at my appointment on Thursday. Still anxious about getting out on Thursday, but I got from the hospital to the house on day 4, so I should cope on day 15 going to the OS. Still tight and painful, I guess this process is real slow.
 
I completely disagree with your PT. My surgeon didn't test for any range of motion at my appt. He just asked me if I was walking well, which I was. (no cane, and no limp.) That was a six week post op appt., though.

I think the tightness is normal at this point, but the pain may be from your PT pushing you.
 
Hip hip is correct. Please don't let the therapist ever push you to the point where you hurt or feel like you are doing too much. That tightness is swelling and it's resulting in pain. Remember, all the therapy you really need is walking. With hips you don't need to work on ROM like you do for a knee replacement. The healing process is slow and you are not even 2 weeks out from surgery! Don't be in a hurry. Take things slow and when you hurt, it's your body saying "Slow down."
 
Would appreciate your input, today is day 13 post op. I can walk a bit unassisted, but limping and uncomfortable. Still using walker and soreness on the surgical leg. Does this sound usual at this point? I hear some people are walking totally well after 2 weeks, am I the norm or is my progress too slow?
 
@Royal1383 I wouldn't say your progress is too slow at all. I'm at almost 6 weeks post op and still need crutches or a walker to get around.
 
@Royal1383

Keep two things in mind...

1. Some members have had the anterior approach which normally has a quicker early recovery, with both ending up with the same results.

2. I had both hips done and my second THR's recovery lagged behind my first THR's recovery by about two weeks. No two hips are alike, even on the same person.
 
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