I have almost NO range of motion in any direction in my hip/leg and her trying to push it to see how far she could get it was scary and painful.
@Laura1979, nope
PT should be neither scary nor painful. You have
every right, as the patient whose body is being worked on, to say a big fat
NO, I am NOT going to do that or
NO, you are NOT going to do that to me.
You have to be your own best advocate, friend. It's perfectly okay to stand up for yourself. As you heal you will find certain things that flare up the tissues, muscles, etc. This is just a part of it, whether you do PT or not. Strenthening and improving ROM and flexibility is important, but should be done with the goal of putting the least amount of strain on those healing parts. Your body will let you know when it needs you to dial back on something. I was very similar to you when I started PT. I had had practically no ROM for years and it was the same immediately after surgery. I was also lengthened by my OS. PT helped some to strengthen and loosen the muscles, but I've honestly found that the best tool was simply
time and regular use/walking
. I know this is not what you want to hear. We hear these stories about people seemingly jumping off the operating table and into their brand new lives with very little recovery necessary. As
@Nana757 so wisely says though, that's just not the case with most people. You're a young woman with small children and you understandably want to do fun, active things with them
and you will. It might not be this summer though, hon. (I'm betting you'll be able to do more than you thought you could though!
) It's worth giving your body the time it needs to heal properly so that the summers to come can be the very best possible. I promise you that it won't feel like it does right now forever. It's a process and you'll start seeing leaps of improvement that will encourage you. It's not just a physical process either, but a mental one as well. You are still very early in this journey. Be kind to yourself.
@kwarendorf is exactly right. You don't have to lay on your side to do the leg lifts. You can just as easily stand up, using a chair back as support, and abduct the hip/leg from that position. That's what I do and it works just fine.
Also, you don't have to lay on your stomach. There might be exercises you can do in the future from that position, but at almost 7 and 9 months post surgery, I have yet to encounter any I've needed to do while laying on my stomach.
As for the PT tapping your incision area to 'wake up the nerves and muscles'...that just sounds goofy. The nerves and muscles will wake up when they're darned good and ready and thumping on them to the point of pain is not going to accomplish anything positive. The most my PT did in that area was gentle massage. Months into my recovery journey I have felt different nerves awakening. It happens on its own. Gentle exercises and walking as comfortably tolerated helps with strenthening and blood flow. Your body will heal itself in its own good time.
Never be afraid to question or flat out refuse something that doesn't feel right. Take it from somebody who pushed harder than she should have and ended up with numbness and stiffness that held up my progress. It's a learning curve and it fluctuates. Learning to listen to your body is a skill you'll master.
You'll get there.
Oh, and for what it's worth, I skipped an entire period after both of my THR surgeries. Our bodies go through some crazy things!
Hang in there, hippie friend!
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