THR 50 year old male's recovery

@toughstuff

No doubt you have not gone upstairs alternating feet for a long time.. Four flights is a lot to do though it may be something that just happens.

Its like climbing out of the Grand Canyon when you haven't hiked for years but are otherwise healthy.. You expect to not be able to walk afterward for some days! ( It took me six months to train for that and I started small mountains then some 2000 foot ascents and then 4000 foot ascents).. Any new exercise routine is apt to cause soreness in any case.. surgery or no.

I have stairs getting out of my house and there are 15 of them .. I do ascend naturally but using the handrail.. Sometimes too much weight on the rail( when that happens I revert to toddler stair climbing).. What helps me is a gym step .. Its just four inches high.. I use it several times a day..

Your quads are likely out of shape! Be nice to them in their retraining..
 
Today is 8 weeks. My movement and flexibility are quite good.

I just cannot shake the soreness around the hip area. For the most part it is high on the front thigh, near the joint I’m thinking. Anything new that I do creates soreness. This is not the normal athletic soreness, it is pain at the 4-5 level.

Just looking forward to how I feel at that 3 month mark when so many say it should be doing well.
 
Everyone's different, but for me there was an incredible boost of strength between 3 and 4 months. I'm still stiff after sitting for very long, but it goes away quickly. I got really impatient at 3 months but just days after (and even more in the following few weeks) things just seemed to click and became much more normal. I've started Pilates and that has helped me balance and strengthen my whole body, not just the hip. I was really compensating for many years so its going to take time to undo all that twisting. :groan: Rome wasn't built in a day - you'll get there! :thumb:
 
I’m writing today because I’m still not seeing that general improvement that I’d like to see after 8 weeks. Is there anyone who can honestly say that they didn’t see a whole lot of improvement in soreness and pain until after the 8 week point ?
I would just like to see signs of incremental improvement in the soreness. My surgeon verified that there is no infection and that the components are in good spots.
In light of total transparency, on Wednesday I did use the hip for 3 total miles of walking. Maybe too much? Is there anything I’m missing in this recovery? Recall it was a lateral approach.
Could it be that you have to wait 3-4 months to see real improvement in pain? I may have had better days at the 4 week mark.
Is the heating pad a poor choice at 8 weeks?
Thank you all for the support and insight.
 
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on Wednesday I did use the hip for 3 total miles of walking
How much walking have you been doing prior to this 3 mile walk? Three miles at 8 weeks might be easy for some or difficult for others. Obviously your hip is telling you this is too much.
Is the heating pad a poor choice at 8 weeks?
I would not use heat this early out of surgery. Ice and elevation is what is needed. You still have internal swelling that needs addressing.
 
I am at 3 months on September 25 and I still can't walk 3 miles.. Well, I could if I don't mind the trade off of soreness and stiffness that could possibly linger for days.
I waited until 11 weeks to begin walking for exercise, mainly because I began a phased return to work. It's all a balancing act.
You aren't going to wake up one day and feel like its all healed up! In fact you actually might think so but, then the following day, it's a different story.
Keep exercising your patience muscle. :flwrysmile: I bet if you return to the first page of your recovery article you will see a big difference in your progress.
 
That 3 miles was on Wednesday and then another 2.9 miles on Thursday. I started to feel really sore and stiff so I used the heating pad on Thursday night. Friday I ‘shut it down’. I only had 1.1 miles on the hip Friday.
Maybe I’m dealing with the hangover from the activity during the middle of the week. Could it set me back for a few days?
Is there any rationale for being more sore later in recovery than I was in the first month?
Can it really show its first signs of reduced pain in 3-4 months?
Thank you for sharing your experiences.
 
Is there any rationale for being more sore later in recovery than I was in the first month?
Can it really show its first signs of reduced pain in 3-4 months?

Yes! you are increasing your activity in big jumps instead of easing into them. Hence the soreness and increased stiffness. I wouldn't even think about using heat on my new hip and leg.. Ice is a natural anti inflammatory.
 
Afternoon @toughstuff. I'm 10 weeks now and yes there is still sore annoying muscles to deal with. Have you bought new shoes? I bought new shoes and that help alot. Getting out of the shoes you wore prior to surgery helps. I have some stiffness on the outside of my thigh to the knee first thing in the morning for about 5-10 minutes, after sitting for 15 minutes. I still have some problem with my few steps on my deck so I still do the one step both feet at times. Over all there is progress, not daily and not always weekly, however it's progressing steady. I pay attention to getting up after sitting and laying down. Stand up, wait a minute and then move. Once I'm moving, pay attention that I'm walking straight and tall and go. When I start to feel discomfort I take a break for at least 30 min. If I push through like I would do prior to surgery I pay big time. I am aware of my body and when it tells me "enough, let's rest" I listen. It's all good, even when it's not were we want to be at the moment. Take care and ease up on yourself.
 
Please try to stop fixating on the 3-4 month mark. Recovery is different for everyone. There is no magic number of weeks, days or months when you'll suddenly be completely recovered. Overactivity can set some back for days, others for weeks.

Is there any rationale for being more sore later in recovery than I was in the first month?

Yes, overactivity most likely.
 
Layla, is icing all I can really do to promote the healing in your opinion?
The rest is just waiting it out?

Thanks
 
is icing all I can really do to promote the healing in your opinion?
Icing does not promote healing. It eases the inflammation that you are aggravating with all this activity. Stop, rest, ice and elevate and start listening to that hip. Continuing to push is only going to lengthen your recovery.
 
Continue to ice if you're sore, swollen or stiff.
Stay hydrated.
Eat healthy and include protein which helps with wound healing and tissue regeneration. I drank a mug of hot bone broth everyday for the first several weeks. May not be for everyone, but I liked it and chose to look at it as healing.
Get adequate rest / sleep as our body does it's best healing then.
Target some daily exercise...especially walking. Start out slow...then slowly build on it. More or longer is not necessarily better, as you discovered the hard way.

Occupy your mind and body with activity other than recovery. Don't dwell on the healing process, just relax and let it happen. Don't fixate on timelines, you'll most likely be let down if you continue to do so.
Just Chill :ice:

Read the Recovery Guidelines again and get out of the house and do something. It's the weekend and you're alive and breathing. Go celebrate LIFE :happydance:

Some protein ideas -
Nuts
Trail Mix
Turkey roll ups (cheese or veggies rolled inside the turkey)
Greek Yogurt
Cottage Cheese
Hard Boiled Eggs
Tuna
Veggies & Hummus
Peanut Butter and Apple
Peanut Butter on Celery
Cheese Slices
Beef Sticks
Protein Bars
Protein Shakes
Canned Salmon on Crackers
Edamame
Chicken Salad
No Bake Energy Bites (many online recipes)
 
There's nothing magical about three months or four months or any other deadline you want to try to set for your hip. Recovery takes as long as it takes and, the harder you try to force things, the longer it is going to take. As long as you continue over-exercising, you are going to experience increased pain and setbacks in your recovery. That's what people here mean when they talk about the Over Did It Club. Most of us try to minimize our time there.

Sent from my SM-S327VL using Tapatalk
 
Another question. I have started to sleep in other positions like on my stomach and on my operated side. Both ways feel fine, but could these positions cause any issues the following day as far as soreness goes?
 
Alex,

Do you feel that at 8 weeks walking a total of 3 miles during the day is too much? I noticed you stated over exercising in your post.

I just am not sure how to gage too much activity unless it is always judged by the next day pain.
 
If walking 3 miles is causing pain, then it is too much for you. It might not be for someone else, but evidently it is for you. Every recovery is different.

Why not stop comparing yourself to other people and asking where they were at 4 weeks or 6 weeks or 8 weeks or 3 months? They aren't you. Everyone recovers eventually. It's not a race. Just accept where you are. Patience is one of the lessons of this recovery. If you're looking for someone to tell you a magic date when you'll suddenly be recovered, that isn't going happen. There is no magic date. Recovery is a process, not an event.

Sent from my SM-S327VL using Tapatalk
 
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I went up 4 flights of stairs walking the ‘normal’ way. This did not hurt while doing it.

The next two days very sore. Is it too early to try this? Does it make sense that the stairs would cause that issue?
I've been reading through your thread and can see you are, like so many are, what I would call a "sensitive." You are over the top intune with every nuance your body presents. I'm very much like that. It was one of the ways I "felt" the presence of the two cancers I had. However, I've learned to place a certain amount of boundaries around what can be a very busy mind. Sometimes I have to reign in like a prancing pony those thoughts that could take me away from the peaceful place I want to live. Distractions can certainly help a lot and not catastrophizing all the litte aches and pains our body feels, certainly after a hip replacement. Little aches and pains can seem HUGE.

Regarding your going up stairs. Think of it this way. It makes total sense you would might be hurting after climbing stairs. That's exercising your glutes and hamstrings. A good thing but probably a bit too much. During your surgery and initial time of recovery, muscles have atrophied a bit. It's like going to the gym and working out too much. The next few days you might feel very sore. Just a reminder to cut back a bit. It's not abnormal, the body just has wonderfully wise ways of communicating with and to us. it reminds us to not do quite so much as weak muscles gradually find their strength again. As Laya says so often, "Ice, Ice, Ice." One day at a time... Have a beautiful weekend.
 
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2 months now since surgery....I started doing some basic water walking the last few days.
The pool is about 85 degrees and I walk for about 10 minutes take a break and then do it again. So far I’ve only done it for 3 days. It does seem to make the hip area work quite a bit as the following day it is stiff/sore in the area.
Has anyone had any experience with the idea of water walking at about 2 months? Good idea? Too early? Etc. I’m still not doing as well as I would like in the recovery. Hoping for that 3-4 month window.
 

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