THR Overcoming a limp

Liz Don

new member
Joined
Apr 21, 2020
Messages
13
Age
31
Country
Uganda Uganda
Gender
Female
I was operated on 20th February 2020. After dropping my Walkers I realised I have alimp.
What should I do?
 
It helps to use some sort of walking aid, cane etc. until you lose the limp. It will happen with time.
 
Thanks FCBayern for your reply.can alimp go away without exercises ?
 
@lizdon ,
Welcome to BoneSmart, glad you joined us!

Your limp will go away as your hip heals. I agree with FCBayern, using an assistive device will decrease your limp and help you learn good gait habits.
If you like you can do some standing hip abduction exercises to help strengthen your hip muscles. Stand at your counter for support, and raise your leg out to the side. Start with 5 to 10 x, one set, increasing reps to 10 and sets to 3 as you gain strength. Do both legs, sometimes the opposite hip can be the source of your limp.

You will notice I have added you to the February Valentines where you will find other members who had surgery the same time as you, and have added your surgery date to your signature.


BIG TIP: Hips actually don't need any exercise to get better. They do a pretty good job of it all on their own if given half a chance. Trouble is, people don't give them a chance and end up with all sorts of aches and pains and sore spots. All they need is the best therapy which is walking and even then not to excess.

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.
 
Thanks FCBayern for your reply.can alimp go away without exercises ?

You can do exercises as suggested by Pumpkln or just walking and daily activities of life. I did no physical therapy at all as have many here at BoneSmart and I have had a terrific recovery, no limp and walking 3 miles a day at a fast pace now.
 
I pray I recover without alimp because whenever I do exercises I get aches and crisis.let me continue using a walking aid
 
Hi @Liz Don and:welome:to BoneSmart.
Two months is still very early on in the healing process and there's lots of improvements to come.
I agree with the others that you should still baby that hip. Perhaps a cane would work well when you are more active?
I know I would be very stiff after resting and I would stutter step (limp) as it would take several steps to get my muscles engaged.

You can practice heel to toe walking...on flat ground is best.

I still used ice regularly at 2 months post op which will help with inflammation and help with that tightness that may be contributing to your limp.

Try not to worry.. all normal, and all temporary!
You will need to be patient with this healing process, but you are going to love your new hip!:happydance:
 
Here's the recovery guidelines we give new members.
There is lots of great information if you click on the article links that you may find helpful.
Check out the activity progression and especially The Big Tip.

Hip Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary​
2. Control discomfort
rest
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​

3. Do what you want to do BUT​
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you​
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.​

4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this

6. Access to these pages on the website


BIG TIP: Hips actually don't need any exercise to get better. They do a pretty good job of it all on their own if given half a chance. Trouble is, people don't give them a chance and end up with all sorts of aches and pains and sore spots. All they need is the best therapy which is walking and even then not to excess.

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.

While members may create as many threads as they like in a majority of BoneSmart's forums, we ask that each member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice.
 
Thanks mojo333, how can I use ice and in which part exactly should I apply?
 
How can I practice heel to toe walking? I really don't know it
 
Hi everyone, I had a total hip replacement one year ago, everything went well and I've been doing therapy and now i work out regularly. I still have some stiffness and my walking is not like before.
When i walk i always feel very conscious and i feel a little limping still. Any advice? I don't have pain at all.
 
:wave:
Thanks mojo333, how can I use ice and in which part exactly should I apply?
I am not sure what approach your surgeon used, but my incision was anterior, or toward the front of my thighs so I used ice directly there, near my groin when I had groin pain, on my quads when they got sore...wherever it hurts.
:yes:
How can I practice heel to toe walking? I really don't know it
Just as you would think, let your heel strike first and roll on to your toe. I was called a toe walker as I guess I got into that habit trying to keep the pressure off of my hips for so long.
I practiced heel to toe walking but my stride stayed rather short...sort of baby stepping...but then I had both my hips replaced so it was double trouble.:heehee:
As I got further along in my recovery...I was able to lengthen my stride.
 
Hi everyone, I had a total hip replacement one year ago, everything went well and I've been doing therapy and now i work out regularly. I still have some stiffness and my walking is not like before.
When i walk i always feel very conscious and i feel a little limping still. Any advice? I don't have pain at all.
Hi @venturman
Welcome to the forum....Sorry you feel you still are struggling some with your hip's progress.
I'm sure there are members that would love to give you some advice.
We need you to start your own thread so we don't derail Liz Don's recovery thread.

Here's the link
 
I worked very hard at walking very purposely when I went walking in recovery. I didn't do any exercises, just walking. When I went walking at the track in the local park I would consciously make myself walk slow but concentrated on form. I went to the park every day and walked,rain or shine. The greatest aid for walking for me was to go to the big retail store and walk laps in it while pushing a shopping cart. It made a great walker and I could really concentrate on form while using the support of the cart. A tip my OS gave me was to walk in front of stores with big windows so I could see my reflection and watch my form as I walked.
 
Thanks mojo333, how can I use ice and in which part exactly should I apply?
To add to Mojo333's advice, this article talks about icing:
Ice to control pain and swelling

How can I practice heel to toe walking? I really don't know it

This image may help:
heel-toe-gait.jpg

Practice it slowly at first. You may need to use your walker to steady you.
 
I think you will lose the limp over time. I'm eight months out and I still get comments about a limp. Frankly, I don't care because my pain level is a big zero and that is most important to me. To think where I was last year at this time. Walking, time, and knowing when to give yourself a break are your bestest friends.

Good luck and stay safe!
 
Happy Three Month Anniversary!
I hope you’re beginning to notice a difference with the heel-toe walking. Leave an update when time allows.
Have a great rest of the week!
@Liz Don
 
Thanks dear, I now can walk without support but I feel alimp more especially when am not on flat ground. Will I ever learn to walk normally?
 

BoneSmart #1 Best Blog

Staff online

  • Jamie
    Staff member since Feb, 2009

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
65,179
Messages
1,597,054
BoneSmarties
39,363
Latest member
HikerWalker
Recent bookmarks
0
Back
Top Bottom