Hippie Chick
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I had an elevated seat as well- having the arms to push up when standing was very helpful. Clean hair is a wonderful thing!
THR Roxi rocking on
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I'm also short! I found that I did best sitting on furniture that would normally be a bit too high for me.
SO, we put small risers under the legs of my bed, the couch and the dining chair that I used, elevating the seat enough that my thighs slanted downward towards the floor (rather than being parallel).
Not only did that keep me from breaking the 90 degrees, but it was easier to get up and down and I found that position much more comfortable for my surgical hip.
They are available on Amazon in several heights ( 2", 4", etc. ) and are pretty inexpensive.
![[Bonesmart.org] Roxi rocking on](https://bonesmart.org/forum/attachments/1726426060321-png.90295/ "[Bonesmart.org] Roxi rocking on")
SO, we put small risers under the legs of my bed, the couch and the dining chair that I used, elevating the seat enough that my thighs slanted downward towards the floor (rather than being parallel).
Not only did that keep me from breaking the 90 degrees, but it was easier to get up and down and I found that position much more comfortable for my surgical hip.
They are available on Amazon in several heights ( 2", 4", etc. ) and are pretty inexpensive.
myglasshalffull
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You can purchase a "cushioned" raised toilet seat, mine was.
I couldn't sit on my couch for a very long time, it is low & soft so attempting to get up was a definite no no.
I have another couch in apartment downstairs with TV & that couch was no problem to sit, lay, get up or I just watched my laptop in bed!
First few weeks are quite challenging & we don't realize stuff we take for granted before we have the surgery.
All my best.
I couldn't sit on my couch for a very long time, it is low & soft so attempting to get up was a definite no no.
I have another couch in apartment downstairs with TV & that couch was no problem to sit, lay, get up or I just watched my laptop in bed!
First few weeks are quite challenging & we don't realize stuff we take for granted before we have the surgery.
All my best.
This is going to be TMI.
@myglasshalffull I totally did that yesterday and then spent 15 min in the bathroom sobbing. Who knew a cushioned raised toilet seat could cause such misery.
It is a but humerous to look back on now, but man it was so bad last night. I got a 4" cushioned raised one at CVS last night. Hubby brought it home and installed it for me. I was so hopeful! I was taking advice! I was going to be able to finally use the facilities without trouble! Life was going to be so good. Then I sat down. Ok, first two seconds was fine. No sharp pain from the pressure of the posterior incision. Good angle without feeling like I was in a high chair. Then... oh no. No no no no no no. While the foam is adjusting a bit I realize that one of the reasons that this is so comfy is that the foam has pushed INWARD. Now the hole to actually do your business feels like the size of a ping pong ball. How the heck is this supposed to work? I finally tried to talk myself out of panic and assure myself that it was all in my head. That surely they couldn't sell this product if you literally could not use it. So I tried to pee. OMG folks. It was so terrible. It had no where to go but forward! So there I was finally sitting on the toilet without leaning terribly and not having to support my entire weight on my walker but instead having pee dribble forward to my knee. I just broke down. I think my poor hubby thought I fell because he rushed in.
After I calmed down hubby has deduced that the issue is that I am too small for this contraption and instead of pushing the foam down evenly, I am only pushing at the center because my hips are narrow, so it just collapsed on itself. He has now bought two other ones that are much smaller to see if that helps. They should arrive this afternoon.
@myglasshalffull I totally did that yesterday and then spent 15 min in the bathroom sobbing. Who knew a cushioned raised toilet seat could cause such misery.
It is a but humerous to look back on now, but man it was so bad last night. I got a 4" cushioned raised one at CVS last night. Hubby brought it home and installed it for me. I was so hopeful! I was taking advice! I was going to be able to finally use the facilities without trouble! Life was going to be so good. Then I sat down. Ok, first two seconds was fine. No sharp pain from the pressure of the posterior incision. Good angle without feeling like I was in a high chair. Then... oh no. No no no no no no. While the foam is adjusting a bit I realize that one of the reasons that this is so comfy is that the foam has pushed INWARD. Now the hole to actually do your business feels like the size of a ping pong ball. How the heck is this supposed to work? I finally tried to talk myself out of panic and assure myself that it was all in my head. That surely they couldn't sell this product if you literally could not use it. So I tried to pee. OMG folks. It was so terrible. It had no where to go but forward! So there I was finally sitting on the toilet without leaning terribly and not having to support my entire weight on my walker but instead having pee dribble forward to my knee. I just broke down. I think my poor hubby thought I fell because he rushed in.
After I calmed down hubby has deduced that the issue is that I am too small for this contraption and instead of pushing the foam down evenly, I am only pushing at the center because my hips are narrow, so it just collapsed on itself. He has now bought two other ones that are much smaller to see if that helps. They should arrive this afternoon.
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Hippie Chick
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I purchased a shower seat prior to surgery not realizing that I really needed to think about what was needed. After surgery I purchased one that would pivot after you had sat down. It worked so well. When you get the seat you like it will make a wonderful difference. Good luck with the ones arriving!
I have some time on my hands waiting for my raised seat, so I have another question kicking around my head: how do I increase 'walking' if I am non weight bearing. Any tips and tricks? Since my left hip was really compromised they want to be extra cautious while the bone fuses, so I am 0% weight bearing for the moment. I know that week 1 is all about resting and icing, but week 2 I know I am supposed to make more of an effort to 'move' each hour. Nothing crazy, just a lap around the apartment, but with being non-weight bearing it really hurts my hands to push on the walker that much. Not sure how I am going to make a 5 min walk.
I have new pads I ordered for the walker that will arrive today, which hopefully will help a bit. Not sure if there is some other trick to make using the walker with no weight easier.
I am so so very thankful I did some arm workouts before surgery.
I have new pads I ordered for the walker that will arrive today, which hopefully will help a bit. Not sure if there is some other trick to make using the walker with no weight easier.
I am so so very thankful I did some arm workouts before surgery.
myglasshalffull
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So sorry the "cushioned" seat didn't work out for you. Because I wasn't planning on a hip replacement I had nothing in the house other than a walker in my garage so the padded seat my partner grabbed at CVS worked fine for me for first 5-6 weeks.
I was partial weight bearing after my 6 week check up when a small fracture was discovered on X-rays.
Difficult to say the least & I was told if the fracture didn't begin to heal on its own they'd have to go back in & fix...no way...no how, I got up, used bathroom, made coffee & took a few trips around the dining table then back to bed. I had to do this for at least 4 weeks before next X-ray & then thank goodness the fracture had begun to heal.
The walker will make your hands & shoulders ache, I know mine did. Padding is good idea.
All my best!
I was partial weight bearing after my 6 week check up when a small fracture was discovered on X-rays.
Difficult to say the least & I was told if the fracture didn't begin to heal on its own they'd have to go back in & fix...no way...no how, I got up, used bathroom, made coffee & took a few trips around the dining table then back to bed. I had to do this for at least 4 weeks before next X-ray & then thank goodness the fracture had begun to heal.
The walker will make your hands & shoulders ache, I know mine did. Padding is good idea.
All my best!
I had to be non-weight-bearing on my right leg for six weeks after my ankle surgery. Moving with the walker involved a lot of "hopping" on my good foot. (Move walker, hop to it, move walker, hop to it.). For me, the solution was bicycling gloves with memory foam padding.
Moving is really about getting blood flow through so you don't develop a clot. You don't need to do a lot of walking to accomplish this. It's as much about the frequency as about how long. Getting up from the couch/bed/chair every couple of hours to go to the bathroom or the kitchen should be enough. Elevating your legs (toes above nose) when you are lying down is also important, and simple exercise like pumping your ankles and leg lifts will also get the blood flowing.
How long has the surgeon instructed you to be non-weight-bearing on that leg, @Roxi ?
Moving is really about getting blood flow through so you don't develop a clot. You don't need to do a lot of walking to accomplish this. It's as much about the frequency as about how long. Getting up from the couch/bed/chair every couple of hours to go to the bathroom or the kitchen should be enough. Elevating your legs (toes above nose) when you are lying down is also important, and simple exercise like pumping your ankles and leg lifts will also get the blood flowing.
How long has the surgeon instructed you to be non-weight-bearing on that leg, @Roxi ?
I am non weight bearing until my follow up on October 9, then hopefully start moving up. I got new pads and a walker basket yesterday. The new seat cushion is also much better, so things are on an upswing. I am very diligent with my ankle pumps, they feel good, so I do them often.
This seems to be a hot topic both here and on my other forum.
I have really really jacked up hips from hip displaysia. Usually this is caught at birth and people were put in a plavik harness to correct it. Or, it is a mild form of displaysia and it is caught later in life when things start being arthritic or range of motion is poor. Mine was not caught at birth. It was caught when I was two and was walking like you would imagine a person with legs not attached to their pelvis would walk.
After several reconstructions to try to build me an acetabulum and get stuff stuck together, and then 40 years of walking on it and having a kid, the area looks like a mess. The femoral head is very flat (looks like you took a normal one made out of play doh and squished it) and the 'acetabulum' if you can call it that is super shallow. Like barely a curve it is so shallow.
So, once they got in there they had to carve in another area to put the much much larger prosthetic acetabulum in. Not just a slight carve out to get it to fit like a normal hip replacement but if you look at the images they basically had to take out the equivalent amount of bone to the size of the implant. I had no 'cup' space. Adding to that, the top of my pelvis is completely deformed. While most people have those two round top portions to their pelvis, mine are pretty flat and completely skewed to the right.
All that is to say that once my doctor got in there and made everything new and aligned and functional, the last thing he wants to happen is for his nice work to get jostled before everything has had time to settle. He wants to ease into it. I have never had normal range of motion. I have never sat criss cross applesauce in my life. I have never been able to do a proper lunge, so now that I have a hip joint that will be able to do those things in the future, my body has zero experience with this. Heck, just having my leg be the same length now (he added 3/4 of an inch) is bonkers. So, that is why we are going slow.
I have really really jacked up hips from hip displaysia. Usually this is caught at birth and people were put in a plavik harness to correct it. Or, it is a mild form of displaysia and it is caught later in life when things start being arthritic or range of motion is poor. Mine was not caught at birth. It was caught when I was two and was walking like you would imagine a person with legs not attached to their pelvis would walk.
After several reconstructions to try to build me an acetabulum and get stuff stuck together, and then 40 years of walking on it and having a kid, the area looks like a mess. The femoral head is very flat (looks like you took a normal one made out of play doh and squished it) and the 'acetabulum' if you can call it that is super shallow. Like barely a curve it is so shallow.
So, once they got in there they had to carve in another area to put the much much larger prosthetic acetabulum in. Not just a slight carve out to get it to fit like a normal hip replacement but if you look at the images they basically had to take out the equivalent amount of bone to the size of the implant. I had no 'cup' space. Adding to that, the top of my pelvis is completely deformed. While most people have those two round top portions to their pelvis, mine are pretty flat and completely skewed to the right.
All that is to say that once my doctor got in there and made everything new and aligned and functional, the last thing he wants to happen is for his nice work to get jostled before everything has had time to settle. He wants to ease into it. I have never had normal range of motion. I have never sat criss cross applesauce in my life. I have never been able to do a proper lunge, so now that I have a hip joint that will be able to do those things in the future, my body has zero experience with this. Heck, just having my leg be the same length now (he added 3/4 of an inch) is bonkers. So, that is why we are going slow.
@Roxi Thank you for the explanation! Wow what a time you have had. I sure hope that all of your surgeon's excellent work will fully correct the problems for you. 
Back when I was young (50 years ago now) and having my babies I read an article about hip dysplasia. Seems (way back then) doctors who were doing missionary work in Africa were amazed that so few children there had hip dyplasia. They speculated on why that could be. But further research showed that at birth about the same percentage of babies had this as were born with it in other parts of the world .... and it was the way African women carried their infants that actually treated the problem. Babies were traditionally carried in a sling either across Mom's hip or across her back .... with legs spread ... just like the old Spika casts used at that time in other parts of the world to treat hip dysplasia.
Back when I was young (50 years ago now) and having my babies I read an article about hip dysplasia. Seems (way back then) doctors who were doing missionary work in Africa were amazed that so few children there had hip dyplasia. They speculated on why that could be. But further research showed that at birth about the same percentage of babies had this as were born with it in other parts of the world .... and it was the way African women carried their infants that actually treated the problem. Babies were traditionally carried in a sling either across Mom's hip or across her back .... with legs spread ... just like the old Spika casts used at that time in other parts of the world to treat hip dysplasia.
myglasshalffull
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So interesting. I was born with what my Mom referred to as "dislocated hips." Guessing that's hip dysplasia. My Mom always said I was born like that because when she was pregnant with me she was changing out her curtains & fell off stool! Real "old wives" tale.
She kept telling our family doctor that I had one leg longer than the other. He told her she was a nervous Nelly & everything was fine but when I was 3 months old she insisted on an appointment at Children's Hospital in Boston where the issue was confirmed, yes my hips weren't how they were supposed to be. They created a cast that I had to sleep in from 3 months until one year. The cast was removable for diaper changing & cleaning & I guess during day I didn't have to have it on. Of course none I remember but my Mom kept that cast forever!
I continued going to Children's for several years I'm guessing to be sure everything was ok. I had to wear orthopedic shoes for awhile as well which I hated. My first pair of black patented leather shoes for Easter were my prized possession, I was around 6. I've had a deep love for "shoes" my entire life, the flashier, higher prettier, gotta have them, well that was back when I was in my 50's & in corporate. I walked in 4inch heels everyday & I loved every minute!
I lead a totally normal life, never had any hip issues, I took dancing, I cheered in high school, did gymnastics. I've always been very active & it's so crazy that I fell & fractured my hip necessitating a replacement.
Especially given my early beginnings, obviously getting it fixed & onto a totally normal childhood & life.
She kept telling our family doctor that I had one leg longer than the other. He told her she was a nervous Nelly & everything was fine but when I was 3 months old she insisted on an appointment at Children's Hospital in Boston where the issue was confirmed, yes my hips weren't how they were supposed to be. They created a cast that I had to sleep in from 3 months until one year. The cast was removable for diaper changing & cleaning & I guess during day I didn't have to have it on. Of course none I remember but my Mom kept that cast forever!
I continued going to Children's for several years I'm guessing to be sure everything was ok. I had to wear orthopedic shoes for awhile as well which I hated. My first pair of black patented leather shoes for Easter were my prized possession, I was around 6. I've had a deep love for "shoes" my entire life, the flashier, higher prettier, gotta have them, well that was back when I was in my 50's & in corporate. I walked in 4inch heels everyday & I loved every minute!
I lead a totally normal life, never had any hip issues, I took dancing, I cheered in high school, did gymnastics. I've always been very active & it's so crazy that I fell & fractured my hip necessitating a replacement.
Especially given my early beginnings, obviously getting it fixed & onto a totally normal childhood & life.
So glad they caught yours early enough. There does seem to be a window where they can fix everything. My nephew had an ultrasound to check him (no blood relation, just marriage) and my SIL said that that is becoming standard procedure now so that all kids can be treated and no one has to grow up like me. I am so so thankful for that for everyone's kiddos.
