THR One year post-op

[haldox]

Wow Alex-I've never seen this done! Very cool, thanks! So I had to try it, I couldnt get all the way opened up yet but its an amazing all around stretch!!

I found it easy in the early days to do the standing quad stretch with my foot resting on something behind me of equal height and when I wasnt getting a good enough stretch with that I would lean back with my upper body to get more of a pull in the quads.

 

[alexthecat]

Haldox, I'm glad you tried that stretch. It's a little intense but it feels great once you get it. Just take it slow and back off it it doesn't feel right. I'll post more pointers next week.

 

[Poppet]

Alex, I think it is time for me to look at some of your stretches.. I have concentrated on learning how to walk first... But I know that I struggle when I have to stretch to pick something up from the floor.. Mmm... got me thinking ?

 

[alexthecat]

Sandy, I have a couple of suggestions just for you. Don't tell anyone. :wink1:

First is to stretch your hamstrings. You probably know some good hamstring stretches already. There are a few in the Library too.

Second is to lie on your non-THR side. Bend your top knee and hip 90 degrees. Now touch the top knee to the floor. Don't twist that leg or rock your pelvis. Just drop the knee straight down. If you can do this and maintain the bend in your knee and hip, you probably have enough flexibility to walk miles or kilometers or furlongs or whatever with ease. If you aren't quite there, that can be a goal. I think this will make your walking a lot more fun.

 

[Poppet]

Thanks Alex, I will give them a try, much appreciated

 

[alexthecat]

Cool. Keep me posted.

I forgot to say that, with the second stretch, once you have that ROM, you're done. Your regular walking will be enough to maintain that.

 

[Jaycey]

Great stuff Alex! Please do keep the info coming. Very helpful even for us "oldies".

 

[C Mac]

Second is to lie on your non-THR side. Bend your top knee and hip 90 degrees. Now touch the top knee to the floor. Don't twist that leg or rock your pelvis. Just drop the knee straight down.

Hi Alex,

What's this one you mentioned for Sandy working on?

Ok, jeeeeps the pigeon will be great but I'm not sure my legs can get there yet... I'm sort of rolled towards the side and not upright like the picture gal. Rolled more onto my buttocks of the folded/front leg...

I'm good on the quad & flexor stretches shown. I will say that I have some tight adductor tendons on the op-side.

What's next....when you have time & thanks for putting this together for us!!! It is very empowering to be able to do the stretches that you have shared in this forum after THR surgery and feel a return to a level of flexibility that I thought would have to be sacrificed because of the artificial joint. Although I have no restrictions prescribed by my OS there were lots of cautious admonitions given by my home and outpatient PT folks and tons out there in the WWWeb when it comes to the artificial joint.

Take care,
Cardie

 

[alexthecat]

Cardie, look closely at the photo of pigeon pose. It's a split, right? Very few people, with or without an artificial hip would be able to achieve the full pose, as demonstrated by the woman in the photo, without some kind of preparation. I know people who have been working on it for years and still aren't there yet. That's my way of saying that I'm not at all surprised that you aren't able to do that right now. :wink1:

Okay... here is some more psoas stuff. Be sure you have mastered last weeks stretches before moving on to these.

In the second stretch, there shouldn't be a lot of weight on your hands. If you find it difficult to maintain balance, move your feet away from midline a little. There is a tendency, among women in particular, to adduct the legs slightly in poses like this and it can make balancing difficult. You want your knees to be under your hips.

Next, we can start working on the piriformis.

This stretch is the preparation for that:

Here is the standard piriformis stretch, which I'm sure we are all familiar with:

For more on piriformis stretching, check the Piriformis thread in the Library.

I'm off on my first hike of spring this afternoon, so I have to run. I'll be back later to see what you think of this. Good luck!

 

[nancyellen]

Hi Alex,
You were referred to me as the person to ask about pilates... I just finished reading this thread and totally understand why your name was given to me. I am so glad you are still checking in here.

I was surprised at the length of time many of you waited before getting on a stationary bike. I went directly from the hospital to an assisted living/rehab home and they had me on a recumbent bike on the THIRD DAY! Is it because I had the anterior approach?

Anyway. I was a regular in pilates and yoga classes (as well as weightlifting and cardio)prior to surgery. I have prepared myself mentally for a long wait before resuming yoga (because of the extreme positions) but I can't understand what your OS would have against pilates. I would think that would actually be a part of the PT process - building up the core. I had contacted my one on one reformer pilates instructor about resuming our sessions, but she is in Santa Fe NM and won't be back until next week. I was going to go to a mat class tomorrow. I would appreciate any thoughts you could share with me on that.

BTW. My surgery was March 21, 2012. Can I claim musketeer status??

Thanks for your posts.
Nancy

 

[alexthecat]

Hi Nancy!

I used a recumbent stationary bike at my first outpatient PT session. I was seven days postop at that point. I don't think that was such a long wait, so I don't understand your question about that. I waited several months to cycle outdoors but that was because I needed to buy a bicycle first.

I don't have much to say about my surgeon's recommendations with regard to Pilates or any other type of physical activity. He's not an athletic person himself, so he doesn't value those things. He doesn't know what Pilates is and he doesn't want to admit it, so he just says not to do it. It's not my problem though. One thing about being a couple of years out from surgery is that the OS is out of your life and he seems a lot less important.

Have you done mat Pilates before? Does the instructor of that class have experience with joint replacement patients? If the answer to both those questions is "yes" the class should be fine. Otherwise I'd recommend waiting for your regular person to come back. It's only a week after all.

Of course, you're a Musketeer! We were the first ever monthly group, back in 2010. We even let non-March people be honorary Musketeers because they didn't have a group.

 

[nancyellen]

Thank you Alex for your response. I guess I misunderstood about the stationary biking so just ignore my comment

I have done mat Pilates before, and the instructor knows that I had a hip replacement. I don't know if she has experience with hip replacements, but I'll be very careful. I miss the music and the camaraderie of a class setting, so I'll be sure to modify whatever activities they're doing.

Thanks again, Nancy

 

[C Mac]

Okay... here is some more psoas stuff. Be sure you have mastered last weeks stretches before moving on to these.

Whew, ok so those two stretches are psoas and not hip flexors? Is it that my hip flexors are a bit tight so I don't get to the psoas part of the stretch -- is the psoas a hip flexor muscle? I have to admit -- even though I've seen all the pictures of the psoas muscle, I'm unclear on where exactly it is in my body... I've been "shown" my illiacus, so I'm good there.

Piriformis -- good, I can finally get the stretch in my buttocks and not just pulling at the knee because of the rotation....

I hope there are some other pigeon wanna-bees working on this too, how's everyone else coming along....

Thanks, Alex!!
Take care,
Cardie

 

[alexthecat]

Cardie, I'm not clear on what you are asking. The psoas is a hip flexor muscle. It is closely involved with the iliacus, which is also a hip flexor. The psoas and iliacus are collectively referred to as the iliopsoas. They share a tendon at the upper femur. That tendon is called the iliopsoas tendon.

 

[Jyoti]

Thanks Alex for all the stretches. I just get tired by looking at them ;-). Will get there soon

 

[haldox]

Still working on this-not doing too bad(I think). Like the 2nd picture of the woman in the pose, my foot is not pointed straight out , whereas the 1st picture the woman has the knee bent squarely. If that makes sense.

But this has completely helped me get a LOT more flexibility all around already!

Also Im finding that I use my lower tummy muscles quite a bit, feels really good!

 

[Anniepops]

Hi Alex, love looking at your stretches, that's all I'm managing to do so far...look:biggrin: but it's great to know that when I am ready and my body is willing I can pop on your thread and get cracking so thankyou.x.



Ann.

 

[welshjane]

Yes, Alex, I agree with Anniepops there - I come along to your thread and look at the diagrams/photos and think about doing the poses. Then I have a little lie-down and resolve to try some of them in a few weeks' time (but not quite yet). Thanks a bunch for all the hard work you put into this - it's really appreciated even by those of us who can't hope to do the exercises yet.

 

[alexthecat]

Jane and Annie, I agree that it's not time for you to try these yet. It might be helpful to keep them in the back of your mind as something to return to later though. For now, your job is to get healed and take your life back. Crazy pretzel stretches can wait.

Haldox, ideally the front knee should be bent at a 90 degree angle in Pigeon. I used to be able to do that when I was younger. I lost that a few years before my hip fracture though. I'm not convinced I'll get it back at my age. Being so young, you might though.

I'm going to give a "cheat" pose for Haldox, Cardie, Jyoti and anyone else who has been following along:

If you can do this pose, start working on straightening the back leg and then squaring up the pelvis to try to develop this:

Let me know how that goes for you. You're all doing great, by the way!

 

[haldox]

Thanks Alex! I really, really appreciate you taking the time to coach us on this:yes 4:

I can get in his position and in her position- thats how far I have been getting but in her pose her bottom knee/foot doesnt look 90 degrees to me. I did both and had my daughter compare me and the pictures and she said I was there.