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THR Ready for the blessings coming my way...

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@alexthecat I read some of your thread. As I have said to younghippie the stationary bike is amazing to build up strength in weak leg. Not wanting to tell others when to begin as all approaches are different but I had anterior and started riding at 2 weeks just 5 minutes no resistance and now at 3 weeks am doing 10 minutes. The strength is really coming back daily in my weak leg .. Slow and steady.. When did you start back with yoga? I really miss my yoga.. Know I have some time yet but am so looking forward to that.


LTHR Direct Anterior May 19, 2014
 
I don't remember when I first did yoga post-THR. It was at least a year, I think. I was never that into yoga. Pilates was my thing and I was anxious to get back to that. Yoga was always a backup for me, if I couldn't find a Pilates class. The gym I work at now doesn't offer Pilates, so these days I'm doing yoga instead.

Also, I had a posterior approach and started pedaling a stationary bike one week post-THR. That happened in outpatient physical therapy. I would recommend that anyone, regardless of surgical approach, consult with appropriately qualified medical personnel, familiar with their individual situation, prior to taking up physical activity after joint replacement.

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hi @younghippie - i am disgusted at the way the surgeons assistant treated you and that he presumed to be 'the' expert on THR recovery. the truth is no one can tell you that you cannot or wont be able to improve your ROM. The body and its healing mechanism is an incredible thing. add to that a positive attitude, determination & commitment to work at it,you just never know how far you'll be able to take it! If I were you in a years time I would march back into that office,demand to see him (if he's still got a job there) & show him just how wrong he was!!!!


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@alexthecat I enjoyed reading through your thread. Tried to reply on it, but couldn't. I have a question... There were so many great ideas with poses and stretching. But, I am just not there in terms of strength. However, I was thinking... I bet I could do something in the pool! I would be almost weightless, so I bet I could do some amazing stretching. Do you have any ideas for stretches to do in a pool?
 
No, I don't. At your stage of recovery, that's a good question for your surgeon or physical therapist.
 
@ younghippie.. Ask your OS. I had no restrictions but the one I did have was no pool or hot tub for 6 weeks.. Due to infection.. You are probably close to that. I have a hot tub at my house and it was awesome to do stretching before surgery that I could not do outside the water.. It might help.


LTHR Direct Anterior May 19, 2014
 
I have been cleared for pool (my incision has been completely closed for a while and they were very pleased with incision at visit this week.) I've had no restrictions from day one. I measured my scar with a tape measure yesterday and it is only 4 inches! Feeling good!
 
Glad to hear that!!! We have matching lengths in incisions:) I was told no pool because if infection reasons. He said 5-6 weeks but I forget you are ahead of me so you must be good to go.. I am jealous.. Looking forward to a soak in hot tub. I rode bike 2.5 miles today.. So excited .. Isn't it great to be on the healing end:)


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Hope everyone is doing well! I am doing really well with moving around and healing. I have a question...

My cat just clawed me pretty badly (accident.) She was slipping off my recliner and grabbed my calf (unoperated leg) with her claws for traction. Luckily she pulled the skin up and didn't sink her claws down very deep into my leg. I ran in the bathroom and immediately poured alcohol all over it. Then I cleaned it and put neosporin on it. Should I do anything else to prevent infection? Cats are notorious for giving people nasty infections with their scratches.
 
I have a question for those who are several weeks, months or even years past their THR...

I started outpatient PT almost 3 weeks ago (before that, I had just done the simple exercises they send home from hospital.) It has been a little over 2 months since I had my THR. After I do some of my PT and as I increase my activity, I have achiness and pain in my joint. I don't think it's a muscular thing (I have that pain too.) It feels like it's deep in my joint and it's an achy pain. It increases with certain activity (for example, at pt today I stood from sitting position without pushing off for support several times and that really triggered it.) The achiness/pain decreases with rest/ice. Did you all experience this? The pain can last throughout the day if I am active or have done a lot to trigger it. I am wondering if this is normal. It seems like some people here say that they are all better and don't even know the joint is there at 2 months. I don't know if that is what I should be experiencing? I don't think this has anything to do with the approach I had, btw. It has nothing to do with the muscles or incision where procedure was done. It's a deep pain in the area of the implant and socket.

I am not taking any pain medicine at this point. I do rest a lot and ice it occasionally. Also, some background... I was probably a lot worse off than some people before my surgery. I couldn't walk up stairs, step up into my car or lift my foot from a sitting position up toward my knee, as my thigh muscles and glutes had gotten so weak from altered activity and movement. I still can't step up on stairs easily on my left (weak thigh muscle, pain in knee.) Improvements are that I can walk everywhere without a cane or crutch. I can walk without a limp for about 10-15 min. I can stand up from a lower chair, stand on my operated leg and balance without holding on to anything and put my clothes on with ease (without dressing stick or anything.) I still can't reach my foot to put on sock on operated side. I can do most "normal" things with more ease than I did before surgery (stand in kitchen and cook for 1/2 hour and clean up dishes... sit for long periods of time at kitchen table playing with daughter... pick things up off the floor when I drop them... laundry, etc...) So, I feel great about all that I can do and am SO grateful. But, I am wondering if others experience actual joint pain this far along after surgery.
 
Sorry hit button by mistake:
I still can't reach my toes:) .. I do not have any pain though. I have some nerve sensitivity around incision...not really pain.. Just nerves coming back.. I am really surprised I do not have any pain as you know through our conversations I was terrible! The PT told me my ROM was 40 before surgery . It is now 110! But still can not reach toes.. Hoping soon:) I still think the bike and building up my quads helped a lot by riding my bike. I think when you build up muscles around it helps put less pressure on the joint. You sound wonderful.. I think what you feel is normal.. I am just lucky with that part..


LTHR Direct Anterior May 19, 2014
 
@younghippie
I still do PT (have about 10 more sessions left; at 12 weeks out now)......
When I do "sit to stand" without using hands from a low seat, I do get a achy internal hip pain.
So, yes, I think it normal. haha maybe its not. But, I feel its ok and just one of those things that
goes away with strengthening. My knees/quads are kinda weak so sit to stand is my worst thing.
I weed the yard all the time, so toe touch is no problem.
Everyone is different, right?
Glad you are doing well! :flwrysmile:
 
It may seem like "everyone" is bouncing back in a mere 2 months, but that really is not the case. Reality is that it takes longer than a couple of months for your body to heal even under the best of condiitons. If you had more severe arthritic damage, it certainly can take longer for your soft tissue to adjust and muscles to regain strength. Please try not to worry. Take things slowly. Don't try to push yourself too hard to meet some expected recovery timeline. Your body is healing in it's own time!
 
@psychteach Thanks for your message. Yes, I think we were in similar shape before surgery. Glad you are pain free! We will get there with touching our toes!!
@MajorHeidi Glad to know that I am not alone with the achiness with the sit to stand exercise. How many of them are you doing? It's pretty tough for me. As for weeding the garden... my husband was weeding the garden and pulled some poison ivy with his bare hands (he usually uses gloves to weed). He is a mess! Hope your bronchitis is getting better and you are doing ok with getting back to work.
@Jamie Thanks so much for the reminder! Always good to hear!
 
@younghippie - saw your post about your Siberian cat - we used to breed them and still have two cats - my allergic daughter has one also and so does one of my other daughters. Besides being lower in cat allergen, they are a wonderful, friendly, beautiful breed!
 
As Josephine would say ... if it hurts, don't do it! Sounds like your muscles are not quite ready for several sit-to-stand exercises yet. Two months is still early - why torture yourself and adversely affect the things you CAN do? There's no shame in taking a step backwards, and maybe working with some wall squats or something that builds the same muscles without straining them. Or do sit-to-stands with light support instead of no support.

Even though I am off my pain meds except for the occasional Tylenol (I just passed my one-month mark) and haven't needed to ice as much, I realize that as I begin to be more active, walk more, or do harder PT, I may have to go back to a modified pain med and/or icing regimen for a little while. I don't think of my progress as a steady incline, but more like a stair-step of improvement - plateau - improvement - backstep - improvement and so forth. But eventually we reach a place where it steadies out. You are doing phenomenally considering your starting point! Just be patient with yourself and don't set yourself back by pushing too hard.
 
I am 2 months in and I can't touch my toes yet either! I was just telling my OS that today when I saw him :) he wasn't concerned and I see several of you guys are experiencing the same thing. I experience some deep joint discomfort occasionally, too - they've been adding more exercises in PT but it's nothing compared to the horrible pain I had before surgery!! I think I''ve come far in 2 months but still have to build up strength and endurance (still not back at work yet).
 
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