THR Rosalita's Recovery Thread

[leejaa]

I had this after my knee replacements and was helped by a really nice chiropractor - first time I ever went to one. It helped me immensely as I hope the injection helps you. Sometimes the road is not always smooth and becomes frustrating. I am sending positive thoughts for your improvement.

 

[Rosalita]

Thank you Leejaa. I am really more afraid now as I have lost faith in medical doctors. But maybe the injection will help and I really don't know where else to turn.

 

[Rosalita]

Thanks for the article. I really hope the injection helps, although, I am afraid it might make things worse.

 

[leejaa]

Just a quick hello and to see how you are after your injection. I hope it provides relief for you. Take care.

 

[Layla]

Fingers crossed you find some relief soon from yesterday’s injection, Rosalita.
I hope today is a good one for you!
@Rosalita

 

[CricketHip]

Thinking of you! You are probably even more sore from the injection today, but ice helps with that, too. At least that is how I felt after any steroid injections into my joint. I mention this so you don't worry.

Then maybe in a couple days you will find some sweet relief.

 

[Rosalita]

Thank you all once again for your support. The first day after the steroid injection was painful, but every day since, it has gotten a little better. I am doing PT in hopes of getting back to "normal".

 

[leejaa]

Very glad that you are experiencing improvement after the injection. Have a good evening.

 

[Layla]

Great news, Rosalita! I hope it brings long lasting relief.
Have a wonderful holiday weekend!
@Rosalita

 

[Layla]

Happy Four Month Anniversary, Rosalita!
With any luck you continue to enjoy relief after the injection and you’re working your way back to normal. If you have time, we’d love to hear how its going for you.
I hope you enjoy this Summer weekend!
@Rosalita

 

[Lucy4]

Great to hear you're home. Did you tell your OS or the hospital about your problem with Oxy? I would think they could provide a suitable substitute. Suffering in pain isn't good and you should get some assistance from them.
I wouldn't get worked up over leg length just yet. Everything about the op leg is going to feel very different for a while. Many have experienced the same and over time it all settles and it's fine.
Are you icing? The ice will make the pain better and ice according to the guidelines as often as you can. Keep walking to the minimum and just try and try and relax. I know it's easy for us to tell you but being calm will help your recovery. This will all pass in time and the early days it's slow but you will feel better.

I think I could do better with the ice packs. They gave me a bag at the hospital that you are supposed to fill with chopped ice. So I emptied an an ice cube tray and chopped it up with a hammer. Worked ok. I also have 2 bags of peas I can use. And yes, I need to relax. This was not the ideal time to have this surgery with the corona virus!

The best ice packs I have are ones I made with 1 cup of rubbing alcohol and 2 cups of water, put in a freezer bag and then that bag in another freezer bag. It freezes to a slushy consistency and stays cold longer. You can increase to 2 alcohol to 4 water. These even stay cold over night!

As far as exercises, do them after pain meds .

 

[Eman85]

As far as exercises, do them after pain meds .

I don't think that's how it's supposed to work! Seems that doing it that way would mask any strain and damage to already strained muscles.

 

[Celle]

As far as exercises, do them after pain meds .

We don't recommend doing that.

Pain during exercises is a warning sign that you are trying to do more than your hip is ready for yet. While discomfort is OK, you should not do painful exercises. They do more harm than good, keeping your hip upset, irritated and inflamed, which can slow down healing.

If you take pain medication so you can get through painful PT, you will be blunting that warning sign and you may overdo things, setting back your recovery.

​

Your hip doesn't need painful PT. It needs gentle therapy and just a little exercise, to keep it mobile while it heals.
This is what we advise:
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.

"No pain, no gain" is the wrong approach to post-op PT. We say "No pain, more gain."
Myth busting: no pain, no gain

 

[Lucy4]

That’s what my surgeon put in my discharge instructions. I took my meds and then did my exercise. I doubt the pain meds would have taken effect by then.

 

[Hip4life]

You’re following your doctor’s recommendation. No problem with that. That was recommended to me as well. It was to make sure that you had something on board to take the edge off so you felt able to move about with some degree of comfort but not so much it would mask “warning pain.” Just another perspective.

 

[Lucy4]

I absolutely agree with you and in re-reading my post I was very unclear! I’m sorry about that.

Rosalita- sorry for hijacking your thread! This group has the best advice, responses etc of anywhere I’ve looked. Enjoy your post surgery life!

 

[Celle]

That’s what my surgeon put in my discharge instructions. I took my meds and then did my exercise. I doubt the pain meds would have taken effect by then.

It takes approximately 20 minutes for oral pain medication to be absorbed into your bloodstream. Most PT sessions last for longer than 20 minutes.

Unfortunately, many surgeons still believe that you have to do a lot of exercise in order to rehab your hip. They think that taking the pain medication before PT will help you to "push through the pain".
From the experience of thousands of people who have been on BoneSmart, we know that isn't necessary, or advisable.

It's not exercising that gets you your Range of Motion (ROM) - it's time. Time to recover, time for swelling and pain to settle, and time to heal.
Hips don't need a lot of exercise anyway.

My surgeon doesn't allow any formal PT at all for the first month after a hip or knee replacement. He says your body needs that time, to start on its journey of healing. For that month, we rest, ice and elevate our leg, and walk around the house. The walking is our exercise and we increase it a little each week.

 

[Lucy4]

Your way makes a lot of sense on all levels. Thank you for the explanation.

 

[Hip Hip Hooray!]

Hi @Rosalita, I just read your whole thread. How sad. You sounded undermedicated and like you were suffering tremendously. I think the pain builds, that's why they say, "Stay ahead of the pain."

I took the Oxy after my bilateral surgery, and it gave me incredible, instant relief. My pain was worse at night, too. I can't believe the PT had you doing those marches. I think they are so hard on the tendons. I couldn't do Pilates for a year. The hip flexors took that long to heal.

I really hope that you are feeling better and that you are out of pain. Being on your own must have been hard, too. My thoughts and prayers are with you...