THR One year post-op

[Thomasinaa]

Congrats Alex, you have been such an inspiration to me and many others here on the board. Its so nice to read of all your endeavours..

 

[Rohanknitter]

Yayyyyy Alex!!! Congrats on one year with that new hip! I just realized a couple days ago that I had passed the one year mark on my second THR......I almost can't believe a year has gone by. I say this all the time but it's true - I am thankful every single day for my new hips. I started back to the gym this winter for a little bit more intensified workout than just the walking and leisurely walking I've been doing and it feels good - my legs still need lots of strengthening after so many years of not doing much of anything. It's nice to be able to do the exercise! (never thought I'd say that!) :biggrin:

 

[alexthecat]

Karen! It is so great to see you! I'm glad to know you are doing well. I had a feeling you must be out there living the good life on those new hips of yours.

I think of you a lot because there is someone (sharonslp) with your surgery date, this year. The March hippies still call themselves "musketeers", but there are a lot more than three this year.

You know, the moment I feel most grateful for this hip is when my feet first hit the floor in the morning. Those first few steps were always the most horrible moment of my entire day. I still brace myself for it, but there is just no pain at all.

I'm still building strength in my legs, but I'm back in the advanced PIlates class... where I was before the accident... and I'm planning my first bike race at the end of this month. No more running for this hippie, but I still have that need for speed. :wink1:

 

[Rohanknitter]

Wooo Alex, a bike race, that is great!!!! I am looking forward to riding my bike a bit but my bike rides are more of a stroll than a race, LOL. I went back to the gym in Feb to get serious about gaining my strength back in the legs- I think several years of little activity really took their toll. I can tell I've gotten a ton stronger, which feels good.

I think I notice the lack of pain most when I am in the kitchen - every task, even making a simple meal, what such an ordeal- now it is easy!! (I'm sure you can relate) It AMAZES me how I can stand for hours (painting a room, for example) and there is NO pain.

How fun that there was another group of March Musketeers!!

 

[Jaycey]

Hey Alex and Karen, so good to hear from you both. I have been away from the forum for about a week but I did think of you on your anniversary date.

Hard to believe it's been a year already! Last year at this time I was hanging on to your every word post-op just praying my THR would go as well as yours. Now here we are rockin and rolling!

Well done to both of you. So happy you are enjoying a new pain free life!:yes 4:

 

[sharonslp]

It's fascinating to gradually pick up on everyone's history, and see how this board creates all sorts of new connections. I started lurking around here in January, but I didn't register and start posting until March. Mainly because I wanted to be a March Musketeer. Alex, Karen, and apparently a person called Sunshine....you were all in my place a year ago. Silly that just the commonality of the month is all it takes to make you all more "special."

Karen, I am a knitter too. Although I've had very little attention span for knitting since surgery. I have a group of friends coming over today to knit....I'm hoping that will help ground me.

Alex, I tried running early in my life....in fact that was when I first noticed the stiffness afterward that I recognized was probably arthritis....we're talking 30+ years ago. I never fell in love with running. I did fall in love with dancing in my 40s, and I am very eager to be able to return to that part of my life. It's good though that we all have many passions to choose from, and if one doesn't work.....we bounce back and find another. Congrats on your one-year mark and a good report from the surgeon.

All of you, March and otherwise, keep reporting in. Us newbies scarf it up.

 

[Jaycey]

Hi Sharon, one year ago I was in the same place. I joined in January last year as well. I actually "knighted" the "Three Musketeers" - Alex, Karen and Sandy (Sunshine) and was watching their every word in preparation for my THR in May.

You're so right - hearing feedback from those who have gone before you really helps during your recovery.

Meanwhile, don't you worry. You will get back to the dancing and your knitting sooner than you think.

 

[alexthecat]

I started lurking around here in January, but I didn't register and start posting until March. Mainly because I wanted to be a March Musketeer.

I could have written this myself, except that I started lurking Feb, not Jan. I joined on March 1, the day I learned my surgery date, because I saw there were three of us having surgery on consecutive days and I wanted to talk to Karen and Sunshine.

We weren't called "musketeers" then. That happened a few weeks later. We were all about to march off to surgery and Jaycey said we were just like the Three Musketeers and the name stuck.

I don't know if you have managed to find post-op threads from other March 2010 people. Peta's updates (for instance this one) were always really interesting. Other people (like Steve H) didn't stick around long after they got back on their feet.

 

[grateful]

Howdy from one of this year's March Musketeers! Yep Karen we had a lot more than three of us this year - it was at least a dozen.

Anyway, I know people have talked about biking on here in other threads, but since at least two of you are cyclists, I wanted to ask you: when did you first try getting back on a bike, were you scared, was it hard at first? Not being able to bike at all last summer (I couldn't get either leg up over the "girls" bar in the middle) was one of many great disappointments.

As you know, I've had both hips replaced very recently and biking is one thing I'm looking forward to trying again but am a bit nervous about. I'm not a racer or long-distance rider or anything, but we have trails along a state-wide trail system which are very convenient and scenic, and fun to ride during the warm weather. And do you think I should only go with a friend at first (I'm scared of falling!) - not that she will keep me from falling! Great to know you're all doing so well, and also helpful to know the muscle-strengthening is a long-term process. Thanks, Kim

 

[alexthecat]

Kim, I don’t remember exactly when I started biking outdoors, but I think it was around four months post-op .

Biking was a little harder than I expected. I’d been pedaling a stationary bike indoors since about four weeks post-op, but riding a real bike is harder. You’re moving through space, which is like work, but also balancing on a bike takes more muscular strength and coordination than you might think. I don’t remember feeling frightened on the bike. Maybe I was and I tried not to think of it.

In the beginning, I was riding a boy bike. I had the range of motion to fling my leg over the back of the bike, but I felt really unstable and unsafe doing it. So, I would have a friend hold the bike upright while I got on and off. Later I wanted to bike by myself and I bought a girl bike at a yard sale, so I could step through the frame. I still use that bike around town, but I’m back on my boy bike for more serious outings now.

I’ve seen some people here say that their surgeons didn’t want them on a stationary bike until 6 or 12 weeks post-op, so maybe that’s a question for your OS, if it’s something you want to try. It’s great exercise for your hips and it will help you feel more comfortable when you’re ready to try a real bike. Just pedal slowly, backward at first and then forward, with no resistance. Start out just doing 5 minutes on the first day and increase the time and resistance from there, depending on how you feel afterwards.

Also, if you can do some core exercises for your abs and lower back, that will help with balancing on the bike. Actually, core exercises will help you with everything as you get more mobile. So many of us develop back problems after THR and those exercises can help you avoid that.

 

[grateful]

Thanks a lot Alex. I hope to cleared for all this after my 6 week appt. next Monday. I actually have a little portable peddler at home which provides no resistance. I can start with that and then go to the Y and start with the upright bikes there. I'm thinking recumbent bikes (which I have one at home) will bring my leg up too close to my trunk. I do know what you mean about real bikes requiring the extra balance and strength. I fell three or four times two summers ago, before last summer when I couldn't ride at all. It was mind-boggling, to start falling off my bike at age 49!
I actually had back problems long before the hips bothered me, so that is something I am always working on. Thanks for the reminder to work on those core muscles! Blah - I just want to go out and do the fun stuff... :rolleyespink:

 

[sharonslp]

Grateful, you bring up recumbent bikes. I've wondered about this. I tried out a three-wheeler a couple years ago and loved it...especially the fact that it has a real seat instead of a bike seat, and with three wheels I wouldn't worry about falling. My SO and I were seriously considering them, but the issues involved in transporting them in a car were daunting, so we tabled the whole idea. Alex, anyone....thoughts about recumbents? (Alex, I don't want to derail your thread. Should I post this elsewhere?)

 

[grateful]

Sharon,
The recumbent bike I have is just a stationary one. It would break the 90 degree rule. The kind you're talking about is probably okay, but the practicality is a whole other issue.

 

[alexthecat]

Sharon, derail away! I really don’t mind. It’s a “musketeer” tradition for threads to ramble and it’s fun to see where they end up.

I’ve seen people here talk about using recumbent stationary bikes while they are still on hip precautions and I’ve seen people say that their OS won’t permit it. My PT said to stay away from the recumbent stationary bike because it would flex my hip too much. I couldn’t get a straight answer of out my OS about it, which is typical of my interactions with him, so I decided to try it anyway, which is typical of me.

When I first tried the recumbent, it was really uncomfortable. That may just be me though. I was having problems with tendonitis back then and the recumbent irritated that. I switched to the upright bike and that felt a lot better.

I started using the recumbent more regularly when I was about six months post-op and it hasn't been a problem. I still use the upright most of the time because I want to ride a regular bike outdoors and the upright is more similar to that.

 

[nanamac]

I was having a problem with trochanteric bursitis when my PT first had me use the recumbent bike. I had to stop pt all together at that time until I had a cortisone shot.

To make a long story short, I for one liked the recumbent bike better as my butt was more comfy on it and I could lean back which took a lot of pressure off my already bad back.

I was already 6 months post op though, so there were no precautions. I ended up buying my own as I figured it was something safe that I could use.

Any exercise is better than none at all...

 

[Jaycey]

I’ve seen some people here say that their surgeons didn’t want them on a stationary bike until 6 or 12 weeks post-op, so maybe that’s a question for your OS, if it’s something you want to try.

My OS said wait until my 6 week followup and then start with no resistance. I found this approach worked for me as I had no strength in my op leg at all. Start slow and work up - but be sure your restrictions are lifted first.

I couldn't use a recumbent bike pre-op at all. The pain was just too much. But I agree with Janet - recumbent can be easier on those of us with bad backs.

Kim - do let us know how your 6 weeks appt goes!

 

[Josephine]

I never learned to ride a bike - my mummy wouldn't let me having had several years of trauma with my three sisters and brother forever coming home with various scrapes, bruises and stuff! But I have thought of getting a three wheeler so I could at least enjoy getting out into the country without being cocooned in a metal box! Perhaps I could put the cats in harnesses and make them run along beside me! :th_heehee:

 

[grateful]

Oh my Jo -

Not allowed to ride a bike?! There's probably some kind of (natural) law your mum was breaking.

For sure now you should get a three-wheeler and make sure someone gets pics of you with the cats along!! :hysterical:

 

[1jt@atime]

I want to see those harnessed cats running along side you too! :th_heehee:

 

[alexthecat]

A follow-up to my previous post... I had a friend measure my hip on a recumbent bike at the gym today. It was 110 degrees so, Grateful, you totally called that one.

I'm still looking forward to hearing what your OS has to say on Monday. I've gotten so much benefit from biking and maybe other people would too.