THR Sarak - There's Life After a Hip Replacement

[AJinNH]

Hey @SaraK so sorry to hear about your psoas problem, I can empathize. I didn’t think mine was going to improve, but it has got much better. I’m not sure if it’s a coincidence, but it got drastically better after I stopped the deep muscle work that I got at PT, I started swimming, mostly back-stroke because I figured it was a better stretch for the psoas, and continued stretching off the side of my bed. It does act up periodically if I sit too much. I did have psoas issues prior to surgery, so your problem seems different.

I hope you figure it out soon, fingers crossed

 

[BeBe]

Hi @SaraK
Just back to play catchup and finding out you've been suffering through the injection phase of diagnostics
Hoping and praying this is the beginning of your psoas settling down for good!
No way your boogie can be goodie until resolved!

 

[Mojo333]

Hope you have a good weekend.
I had a piriformis issue arise this week...due to some extreme couldn't be helped over activity.
Was about to hit the doctors office.
Pulled out the stretches from the library and was shocked...it really worked. Whew!
Didn't want to get a lecture from YOU about that!
Hope things get better and better for you.
Keep the faith!

 

[Bumblebee]

Me too, Sara...I'm still having those nagging pains in my upper inner and outer thigh (scar area). Was doing relatively good, then it pops in again to say "hello". Keep the faith, Sara.

 

[Mojo333]

Have a good weekend my friend.
Are you listening?

 

[SaraK]

@Mojo333 - I'm here and listening (I always listen just don't always heed ). Things are better since injection but still not full effect. PT tomorrow followed by my usual overdoing it - session with trainer, car shopping then dancing. Gotta give it a good test! . I'll do more of an update on Sunday when I see how things are progressing.

I'm glad you didn't have too much of an issue with the piriformis. I hope it doesn't come back!

Have a great weekend - find some time to relax and unwind!

 

[Layla]

Oh, Sara, I'm afraid for the Sunday update.
Eenie > Meenie > Miney > Mo >
Or and


@SaraK

 

[SaraK]

@Layla - you're leaving out some possibilities like and and and and, of course !

 

[Layla]

I'll pray real hard for that outcome
Have fun and behave!
@SaraK

 

[SaraK]

URGENT NOTICE

Today's meeting of the ODIC has been canceled. You are invited to join the President at the gym for a celebratory workout instead.

In other words, I'm feeling great today. For purposes of candor, no dancing last night. Not because of hip but calendar (I had the date wrong). The new new PT was good. Back to someone that understands and agrees that pain is not good. None of the exercises he had me do caused any pain and I got a great back massage in the bargain. i have one exercise I'm supposed to do 4-5 times a day (takes less than 2 minutes) and others I'm to do 2-3 times a day to work on some of the small stabilizer muscles. mostly upper body work with trainer but a couple of PT authorized leg exercises as well.

The injection has really helped. I have greater range of motion and greater pain free range of motion. It's probably at its full effect now, though, and still not where I was a few months ago. I'm hoping the PT can get me over that line and beyond. The other question will be how long it will last and there's no way to know until we know. I'll enjoy it for now, though!

 

[Layla]

Great news!
I'm happy you're not in the ODIC, Sara.
It's great to hear you have better ROM and pain free ROM.
I hope you have a nice Sunday and a great week!
@SaraK

 

[Mojo333]

glad to hear it.
Have a good week friend!

 

[SaraK]

Well, it was good . . . until it wasn't. The effects of the psoas injection (which had never even gotten me back to where I was a couple of months ago) wore off late last week - only lasted 10 days. It was funny - I could see the beginning of the impact and the end of the impact on my Fitbit. Not from the number of steps, etc., but by the resting heartbeat (essentially, the sleeping heartrate). It was consistent before the injection, decreased by about 5 beats per minute over the next 2 nights and held steady until late last week when it increased by about 5 beats per minute in one night and has been holding steady at the same rate as before the injection. I've always heard that pain could cause the heartrate to go up and this certainly seemed to show it!

I had my follow up with the physiatrist today. She said that I should take the improvement that I had from the injection as a good sign. They now definitely know that the issue is a psoas issue and not something else in disguise. She also said that sometimes the irritation is enough that it takes a second injection to get you over the hump both in the degree of relief and the length of relief so I'm having another injection next Thursday afternoon - should provide some relief just in time for dancing that Saturday night. Yeah, absent a straight jacket (do they make them for the legs) and a good length of rope, it's hard to keep me down!

Until then, advised to use lots of heat (to increase blood flow), keep up PT exercises (but only if they don't hurt) and continue with life. Since we won't be introducing any new PT exercises in the interim (not sure I'll be able to continue all I was doing last week), I'm going to do them on my own and save my PT sessions for after the next injection.

 

[Layla]

Thanks for the update, Sara
Good to know what you're dealing with.
Sorry the effect from the first injection didn't last longer. Wishing you better luck with the second.
Keep us posted and enjoy the rest of the week!
@SaraK

 

[Bone-obo]

Well, all right! Sorry for your sucky psoas, but if your physiatrist is correct, you have a course of action for follow to keep you on the dance floor. What's another injection if it helps calm things down in your agitated groin? (Okay, that was possibly an easily misinterpreted turn of phrase....)

Best wishes that you get this mess worked out in time for your work out!

 

[Mojo333]

Since we won't be introducing any new PT exercises in the interim (not sure I'll be able to continue all I was doing last week), I'm going to do them on my own and save my PT sessions for after the next injection.

Orrr...you just could forget to do them for a while

Hope new shot helps for longer than first.
Do they have a chill pill they can give you too?

 

[SaraK]

Chill pill? Me?!? Seriously, won't do anything that causes pain - which is why some will be thrown out - but hoping what I can do in the interim will reduce the need for formal PT in the future. Most of them are designed to strengthen the small muscles that provide stability to the legs and hip and take stress off the psoas. They might keep the psoas from kicking in when it's not supposed to and reduce pain. All total, they only take about 10 minutes to do.

 

[Mojo333]

Ok.
I really want you better and I am sending all the good mojo I can muster your way!

 

[gillycat11]

Not sure it would be advisable or beneficial in your case but I got a lot of relief from gentle 1 to 1 stretching and Pilates at our Pilates studio.
Enjoy your weekend!

 

[SaraK]

Thanks for the info @gillycat11 . I'm doing gentle restorative yoga which does lots of stretching and have an instructor that is very helpful in modifying poses/actions for me to avoid activating the psoas. I'd eventually like to try pirates but have been told (including by the yoga instructor) that I should hold off on it until this is resolved.