THR Recovery of 1/29 replacement

[maryland100]

Hello -

I had my right hip replaced on 1/29. First two weeks of recovery seemed to go well, started PT 5 days afterwards twice a week. No major pain in hip, right leg feels longer. Almost three weeks in and soft tissue pain in thigh area will not go away.

My timeline:
Surgery 1/29
Home 1/30
Started PT 2/3
Transitioned to cane 2/5
Short walks week of 2/10

 

[Jaycey]

@maryland100 Welcome to BoneSmart! Having the feeling that one leg is longer post THR is very common. In most cases this feeling just fades away.

Soft tissues and muscles have been traumatised. Are you icing that painful area. Ice will reduce the internal swelling that is causing this pain.

I'll leave our recovery guidelines here for you.
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​

elevate​

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 this BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy
5. Here is a week-by-week guide for Activity progression for THRs
6. Access these pages on the website

Oral And Intravenous Pain Medications​

Wound Closure​

Pain management and the pain chart
Healing: how long does it take?
Chart representation of THR recovery

Dislocation risk and 90 degree rule
Energy drain for THRs
Pain and swelling control: elevation is the key
Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

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.

 

[Eman85]

Ice and relaxing is the best for the pain. The muscles have been abused and the slightest over doing will leave lingering pain. It never seems to hurt when you do something but it's the after effects from it. I hope you read the guidelines and have a good understanding of the recovery timeline. 3 weeks is just the beginning for most of us.

 

[FCBayern]

If you are having soft tissue pain I would ditch the PT. It's not necessary for THR and causes most folk problems. Walking and daily activities of life will be all the re-hab you need.

 

[VSlowLife]

If you still have pain after stopping PT and exercises, you mIght consider going back to the walker for more support. I had to do that and it worked for me. You are two days ahead of me.

 

[BruceH]

Hi @maryland100

What does PT have you doing?

 

[maryland100]

I need to keep reminding myself to pull back and recovery takes time. PT is the basic heal slides, glutei squeezes, and started with squats and stairs. The stairs are what I think is causing the soreness so I'll pull off those my next appt.

 

[Layla]

Hello @maryland100
It's still early days at only three weeks post op. Lots and lots of healing to still happen.

Personally I don't feel it's the stairs but more likely the squats that are affecting you negatively.

Squats are not really recommended as they are tough on a new hip. Muscles and tendons that have atrophied pre-op can be easily overstressed. They can also strain the hip, buttock and thigh muscles. Consider dropping those and ice any areas of pain, swelling, discomfort several times per day, for no less than 45-60 mins each time you ice.
Wishing you comfort and speedy relief.

 

[ForumUser]

PT, in my opinion, is not only unnecessary, it is likely to cause delayed recovery.

Ice and elevate.
Walk.
Light stretching.
Ice and elevate.
Walk.
Repeat.

 

[Joeml430]

How many steps are you walking? I’m 16 days post-op anterior TRHR (2/3). I develop pain in my upper right buttock right around 3,500 - 4,000 steps. Hoping it will go away in time but that limits me now. The pain has been pretty consistent over last few days.

 

[Mojo333]

@maryland100
It can be quite the dance to find where the lines are between enough and too much. These are early days and alot of healing is happening so just walking and then not too excess is best at this stage.
Strengthening and toning can come later and your new hip will thank you for not putting it through any paces it isnt ready for yet.
It gets better and better...hope today is a good day.

 

[Mojo333]

Hi @Joeml430
I see you are on the healing side and went with the anterior approach.
Is this normal ? was the basis for most of my post op inquiries, and I was glad to get feedback.
I hope you consider starting a post op recovery thread so we can leave you your own set of recovery guidelines and folks can pop in with advice and support! Here's a link or let us know if you want us to help with it.
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/starting-a-new-thread-and-posting.57719/

 

[maryland100]

I’m 16 days post-op anterior TRHR (2/3). I develop pain in my upper right buttock right around 3,500 - 4,000 steps.

Im walking about 4000 - 5000 steps a day. I have discovered any more and my lower right back begins to to be sore. I've started icing again which has helped. I had a posterior approach so I assume this is to be expected.

 

[maryland100]

I'm having difficulties sleeping. I have been taking melatonin and this does help falling asleep. I've always been a side or tummy sleeper and weeks on my back is becoming difficult. Ive tried on my side a few times with pillows between my legs but I feel a pull on my upper hip area. Any suggestions?

 

[Layla]

Hello...Happy Wednesday @maryland100
I think you may find the most comfort overall if you try to follow the Activity Progression For THR below.

Activity progression for THRs

For THRs. Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) are assessed in hospital as a means of assessing your fitness to be discharged home. Your domestic circumstances will be taken into account as in if you are living alone, etc. ADLs include: ~ Personal hygiene and grooming ~ Dressing and undressing ~...

bonesmart.org

Consider Magnesium for sleep, following is some info -
Magnesium supports the following:
Bone health
Healthy blood sugar
Cardiovascular health
Muscle relaxation and nerves
Promotes healthy sleep (falling asleep and staying asleep)

An article on Magnesium from the BoneSmart Library -
https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/magnesium-is-a-star.20301/

I found that pillows helped me sleep best on my back. A pillow here, a pillow there, pillows everywhere. Something comforting about it in my opinion.

Best wishes for a great rest of the week!

 

[Eman85]

Sleeping is a challenge, but it's a temporary problem and like the rest of the recovery time is the only solution. As far as sleeping on your side I'm guessing you have restrictions about allowing your legs to cross. I always slept with a pillow or 2 between my legs so if I did roll my legs couldn't cross. Even later when I could roll even with the pillows I could feel a pulling in the hip area and knew it was too soon to be doing that. I never worried about how many steps, my wife has a Fitbit that she offered me but I didn't see the point. I wanted to listen to my body and not a step counter. Pushing for more steps and hurting wasn't my goal. It's not so much about the approach as many believe, they do the same thing to you they just rotate the femur the opposite direction with anterior. Any approach seems to come with the same recovery times, if you read the recovery guidelines it's all the same.

 

[ForumUser]

Maryland,

I am a side sleeper ... I slept on non op side even in the one night in hospital.

Pillow between legs to assist with alignment ... op side up ... when wake a bit rotate to back for a few minutes, then back to op side up.

 

[CricketHip]

I'm having difficulties sleeping. I have been taking melatonin and this does help falling asleep. I've always been a side or tummy sleeper and weeks on my back is becoming difficult. Ive tried on my side a few times with pillows between my legs but I feel a pull on my upper hip area. Any suggestions?

Have you considered sleeping in a nice recliner, if you have one? I rented one from the local home health supply store and it was perfect for recovery. It reclined back deeply enough to make sleeping so much easier. Many of us slept in recliners for the first several weeks. I don't think I was able to manage sleeping on my side until around 5 weeks post op. It varies, but I've heard several who were along that timeline, too. Then when I could, I used pillows galore! Some found that a body pillow was the secret to sleeping easier, @Layla swears by hers and I think she said she found it at Target for $10.00 and possibly on Amazon, too.
Maybe you are fast asleep and all cozy already for the night, I hope so!

 

[maryland100]

Have you considered sleeping in a nice recliner,

I did rent a recliner from the home health store and spend most of the day in it. Last night I gave up trying to sleep in the bed and slept the rest of the night in the recliner. It definitely helps with the sleeping on the back. I've hear others say a body pillow is the way to go...I'm on the hunt for one now. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Layla]

Good Morning @maryland100
I slept in my recliner for the first three weeks. All night, every night. I wedged pillows in the sides and felt swaddled like a baby. I love my body pillow. I use it nightly and have since the beginning. In fact I could probably use a new one by now as mine had flattened considerably from excessive use. You can find them on Amazon, at Target, Walmart and they're pretty inexpensive @ around $10 and definitely worth it. I found the ticket to comfort, for me anyway, is pillows. I've become accustomed to using many and fully enjoy the pillow fort I practically build around myself each night, lol. So gather up all your pillows and try to sneak in a comfy nap. Best of luck to you. Happy Thursday!