THR Severe stiffness where my leg won't hang straight

[djklaugh]

Re: 9 weeks post op... Severe stifness where my leg won't hang straight

Lisa - although that is discouraging news finally you got a knowledgeable, caring professional to listen and do an accurate assessment! From what you said this PT sounds terrific - thorough, encouraging yet also realistic and factual. Give the exercises he gave you a good try - and have you been getting any massage therapy? That also might help loosen up the muscles in your leg and help the exercises work even better. I wonder too if water exercise might help - like some times doing these exercises in a pool or hot tub as the warm water can help muscles relax. If you can get even a bit more flexion as the PT indicated your gait should improve.

Wishing you the best of all possible outcomes!

 

[nanamac]

Re: 9 weeks post op... Severe stifness where my leg won't hang straight

Well honey, he may know a thing or two about the anatomy, but PLEASE don't feel defeated! You are only two months post op and I know you are going to see tons of improvement within the next year or two.

Now you know what to work on and that is a big plus! I believe it was a blessing in disguise that he was there today. I think you are going to be pleasantly surprised by what you have just found out. I would look at it as a positive finding and not a negative one. I would be exprememly hopeful now if i were you.

Please, give yourself a chance. Like you said, you are certainly a lot better off than you were and I see this improving by leaps and bounds now that you know. Hang in there.

 

[Jaycey]

Re: 9 weeks post op... Severe stifness where my leg won't hang straight

Lisa, I agree - don't get discouraged. In fact - I think it's great you finally found someone who listens and now understands. That's the first step toward correcting your gait.

It took me over one year to get all the muscles working correctly and my lower back issues addressed after THR. Those of us who have had ongoing issues take a bit more time to get back to normal. But it DOES happen.

You now have the tools to move forward. Go for it girl!

 

[Poppet]

Re: 9 weeks post op... Severe stifness where my leg won't hang straight

Hi LisaP

I enjoyed reading your thread, sad for you about the years of pain and issues though, but thrilled that you have found BS and now have access to all the wonderful advice.

Even reading the advice from Alex and Lisanewmc helps me and I am sure others.

I delayed my surgery for 8 years and spent the final two years on a walker, literally leaning on it with my elbows, never straightening up. So I know and understand the desire to want to move off it, but out of all the advice given here the one thing that I am taking away for myself if Jo's comment about how many years are bodies have been suffering and altering to compensate and now we have this wonderful new bionic strong hip, it is going to take some time again to retrain our muscles to work in symmetry with the other side of us.

Thanks to everyone for the wonderful advice and info every little bit helps.

Good luck LisaP you, we, all of us will get there with patience, time and persistence with our PT and walking etc.

Xx

 

[C Mac]

Re: 9 weeks post op... Severe stifness where my leg won't hang straight

Hi Lisa,

Ok, great, now you have some answers and ideas for what to do to deal with your stride. I'm sending you hugs and a tissue for those tears -- have had some of those moments myself over the past 5 months. I can't remember if I wrote this in your thread or someone else's but a few weeks ago when I was talking to the physician's assistant at the OS office about some knee issues I'm having I asked if my internal stretching from the femur extension was done yet. She told me, no, that the stretching can take a year -- so you and I and a bunch of other folks on this forum with the LLD issues will be working on this for a while longer...

That is fantastic that you got some help from the owner of the clinic -- any chance that you'll switch over to his schedule??? Sometimes when you have a slightly different situation it helps to have the PT with the most years of experience and the biggest bag of "trick" to offer. Oh, my PT (also the clinic owner) has told me that they see progress in increased range of motion continue from 3-5 years out from THR surgery. So, dust off and we'll continue working towards that rainbow!!

Glad you didn't toss your tummy at PT, you must be feeling better

Take care,
Cardie

 

[LisaP]

Re: 9 weeks post op... Severe stifness where my leg won't hang straight

Deb... thank you for your advice. I'm going to join the "Y" so I can start swimming during the winter months. The "Y" here has a 90 degree therapy pool that will make me feel much better. Swimming is my passion

Jaycey and Janet... you guys are always here with such encouraging words. You have no idea how thankful I am that you understand my crazy blues and fears. I wish I could give you both a big hug... but I can't so a cyber hug will have to do.

Hi LisaP


I delayed my surgery for 8 years and spent the final two years on a walker, literally leaning on it with my elbows, never straightening up. So I know and understand the desire to want to move off it, but out of all the advice given here the one thing that I am taking away for myself if Jo's comment about how many years are bodies have been suffering and altering to compensate and now we have this wonderful new bionic strong hip, it is going to take some time again to retrain our muscles to work in symmetry with the other side of us.



Xx

Smja, I also put off my surgery for at least 7 years (according to my family and friends they felt I put it off for 20 years)... the last approx 2 years I was on a cane and in very bad shape. The only movement I could really accomplish was swimming. So I put a heated pool in my yard and made a lot of new friends (hehehee). I think one piece of advice both of us could give EVERYONE who needs a THR is not to wait!!! It just makes things worse.

I also love my new bionic hip!!! The arthritic pain is gone and I am strong enough now to exercise and walk (although at little off kilter)... I know I'm blessed but I do have a problem with "patience"... But like you said Jo's words and the words of so many here are finally starting to sink in my thick head... This place is a God-send. :ThankYou:

Cardie, Thank you for the huggs and tissues. I am so sick of crying and you should see the dark circles under my eyes (dang... gray hair and dark circles :DOH It's good to hear what the PA told you about the internal stretching and also what your PT said about ROM issues continuing for 3 to 5 years... I'll accept that. If I know what to expect I can be patient (I think)... it was not knowing what was wrong that was making me so sad and crazy. I KNEW something didn't feel right or look right. It's a huge relief to now know what I need to do to fix myself.... and it is all up to me. So Cardie... I'd be so happy to go through this journey with you and the others and I hope that all my confusion and uncertainty will someday be a help to someone else here. You all are the best.

I want to add this little bit of information to all our hippies because I feel it is very important to all of us. If you are going to out patient PT ask your therapist to perform the "Thomas Test" on you. I'm going to post this link so you can see what the Thomas Test is all about. If they would have done this on me from day one I wouldn't have been terrified for 10 weeks. If someone could tell me how to embed a youtube video I would appreciate it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PLXyShrNDc

 

[gizmo]

Re: 9 weeks post op... Severe stifness where my leg won't hang straight

Lisa,
Sorry to hear your difficulties. However you seem to have come to the conclusion that in fact knowledge is power. This is a great place to be as it puts you back in the driving seat. (At a time when so much is beyond our control). Knowing will make so much difference to your recovery as your efforts can be in the right direction. I am still stiff and sometimes my operated leg doesn't seem as if it quite belongs to me.
I tried to lose weight pre op but am putting it on now. Not sure if there is much we can do. I have decided to enjoy my food and work on exercise when I am able. Our bodies need nutrients now to help with recovery. I can relate to the grey hairs- it shows how hard its been throughout our bodies. It may age us a little in that way but I am hoping that in a year I will feel younger than I have done for a good few years- so it will be an ok trade off.

Here is a disco to help with the cabin fever.:th_heehee:

Best wishes Gizmo

 

[LisaP]

Re: 9 weeks post op... Severe stifness where my leg won't hang straight

Gizmo, What a great post to wake up to (yeah, it's 12:43 pm and I just woke up..what a great sleep I had).... Your little disco made me smile and you are so right "Knowledge is Power" and I'm going to take that power and do all I can do to be the best I can be.

I can't let the weight come back on me. I've been dieting for over 2 years to lose it and I'm terrified to gain it back. It would put me in a major depression and right now I don't need that. I've lost 5 of the pounds I gained so I'm very happy. Back to salads and cream of wheat (I guess that's porridge?? hehee). Once I join the YMCA I'll take off the rest and hopefully the last 30 pounds I have to go. I'm a true believer that weight is detromental to your health. Once I lost the weight I got off Blood pressure pills and was mentally ready for my surgery... If I knew how hard the recovery would be on my other body parts (knees, hands, wrists, arms, feet from lifting and compensating) I would have waited to lose at least 20 pounds more. That being said... I would love nothing more than a huge piece of "JR's Cheese Cake"!!!! YUM!

 

[Poppet]

Re: 9 weeks post op... Severe stifness where my leg won't hang straight

Wow LisaP, interesting you mention the strain on other body parts, especially the hand and wrists. I find that my wrists are so weak, the right one has been fractured twice and the palms of my hands get tender with the weight bearing I apply on the walker. I have figured that I may be walking too close to it and this encourages me to lean on my hands with it, not quite the same pressure with the walking sticks.

We are going to lok at how we can pad the moulded hand grips of the walker to help and get a wrist guard to assist whilst it is compensating so much. I am not carrying a lot of weight, but just the heaviness after surgery is enough to place pressure on these areas.

Ah those cheese cakes... Luckily I am a coeliac diagnosed thirty years ago, so don't eat processed food, doesn't mean I don't crave it though. My big treat is the chilli chocolate we make using coconut oil (incidentally LisaP) I lost 13 kg (2.2 kg to a pound) over six weeks incorporating coconut oil into my diet. There are some very good books written by Bruce Fife about the health benefits of coconut oil. Also if you google Nuilife which is an Aussie company there is heaps of good info there. They are based in my home town and are wonderful people working with the locals of the Pacific Islands to promote Fair Trade. xx

 

[lisanewmc]

Re: 9 weeks post op... Severe stifness where my leg won't hang straight

I love the disco Gizmo. Congratulations on your weight loss Lisa and smja.....*note to self- Google coconut oil*

And Lisa try not to be too disheartened. I can totally empathise about the walking normally thing. I really would like to retrain myself to have a more normal gait but there are some serious abduction muscle issues on my left side. I've had several people comment on how I'm still limping after surgery.....and I think 'as if an operation can reverse a lifetime of ongoing problems just like that'......but then I had very high hopes and was beating myself up about all kinds of things that I ought to be doing. But then I took a step back, and thought if I knew someone else in my shoes what would I say to them?

My recovery plan, physio to build up muscles, cycling on my exercise bike, walking the dog with my hubby and son etc. All these things are on the back burner for now because I pushed myself too far too soon in my elation at being pain free! 6 months since I sustained a soft tissue injury and it is still playing up.....its made me realise that we can't rush nature.

So why am I rambling on? Just really to say be kind to yourself. You've had a long time with various issues and although the THR can take away the pain more or less straight away its not a panacea for all the related ailments we've had and it can even cause other aches and pains as our bodies adjust. In the bigger picture it is very early days. You sound like a very positive lady and I'm sure over time you will achieve amazing things that you never thought possible. Just try and be patient (hardest bit) don't give yourself a hard time.

Hang on in there :0)

 

[Jyoti]

Re: 9 weeks post op... Severe stifness where my leg won't hang straight

Hi Lisa,
I've just been catching up with your thread, and I can so understand everything you say about your gait. As you said, those of us with congenital hip dysplasia have the same issues. My gait is still not great at all and using the crutch as I said before. It does get you down, I know but it helps having a physio who can help you and try different things.

I have been seeing a Physio now for 5 weeks now on a weekly basis and I have progressed, not loads but some. I had been on plateau for nearly 8 weeks previously and it was getting very depressing.

This Physio uses basic exercises, acupuncture and releasing the muscles to stretch them. As you said we've been working incorrectly for most of our lives so it will take longer to improve. At the hospital one of the OS's who undertook my surgery said I would gain the full benefits of the THR about in about 2 to 3 years time. I didn't believe him as you get different responses from different health professionals but being here and reading all of our experiences I think he was right.

I feel alot more positive that I am making more movement forward but know I have to look at the bigger picture.

Take care
Jyoti

 

[Josephine]

Re: 9 weeks post op... Severe stifness where my leg won't hang straight

That's a very interesting vid, Lisa. I've not heard of that before. Another one for the Library!

And it's supposed to embed automatically. I cannot see why it's not doing that so I'm going to ping our resident techy guy @RichardRobins:

 

[RichardRobins]

Re: 9 weeks post op... Severe stifness where my leg won't hang straight

That's a very interesting vid, Lisa. I've not heard of that before. Another one for the Library!

And it's supposed to embed automatically. I cannot see why it's not doing that so I'm going to ping our resident techy guy @RichardRobins:

It didn't embed because it was using the shortlink to the video, clicking on options next to the short url allowed the normal/long url to be shown, i swapped it to that url so it can embed

 

[Josephine]

Re: 9 weeks post op... Severe stifness where my leg won't hang straight

Ahh! (I think!) Never seen so many people getting the wrong url in so short a time!

 

[LisaP]

Re: 9 weeks post op... Severe stifness where my leg won't hang straight

It's 12:21 am and I'm sitting here with tears again... but this time they are happy tears because I'm so grateful to have found this place and find such wonderful people who are so caring and knowledgeable.

Jyoti... thank you for the advice. I know this is going to sound strange but what exactly is a Physio? I never heard that before except from you guys. Is that like a physical therapist? I don't know of anyone around here that does acupuncture? :skeptical: But if this is helping you I want to find one!!!!

Lisa, that soft tissue injury was your Psoas? Were you walking without assistance before that? I swear my psoas is going to be what stops me from walking normally... I just hope I can stretch it a bit. Thank you for you encouraging words... you've been such a help to me. I wish you guys lived in the States so we could all have a "Hippie Road Trip" and get together to hug each other. Ok, here comes the tears again. I just love you guys.

Smja, you should have seen the blisters which turned into caluses on my hands from my walker. I have carpal tunnel and because of all the work my wrists have been doing I'm typing this with very numb fingers... I hope they can get you fixed up with something that won't be so hard on your wrists and hands. Ok, this coconut oil diet is interesting. I'm going to read up on it!!!!! Do you have the recipe for the chocolate chili? Is it real fatening? Smja... By any chance in OZ located in the states? If I remember right you live "down under"?

Thank you Jo and Richard! I used to Administer a website almost identical to this one, but we had a link to click to embed a video. Thanks for your help and for what you do for us. I know how much work it is to moderate a message board and this one is a very busy one. Jo, you are a real gem... we are so lucky to have you.. in more ways than one.

I LOVE YOU GUYS!

 

[Jamie]

Re: 9 weeks post op... Severe stifness where my leg won't hang straight

Lisa, I want to chime in and also tell you not to get discouraged by what the therapist has told you. Many is the BoneSmartie who has been told they "can't" only to go on and do that and more. The fact is that your body is a marvelous machine and sometimes no one knows what is possible and what isn't. You'll never know unless you get in there and try....which I know you will. You're a strong and determined lady to have come this far. I'm going to put my money on YOU!!!

 

[LisaP]

Re: 9 weeks post op... Severe stifness where my leg won't hang straight

Lisa, I want to chime in and also tell you not to get discouraged by what the therapist has told you. Many is the BoneSmartie who has been told they "can't" only to go on and do that and more. The fact is that your body is a marvelous machine and sometimes no one knows what is possible and what isn't. You'll never know unless you get in there and try....which I know you will. You're a strong and determined lady to have come this far. I'm going to put my money on YOU!!!

Thank you Jamie.... the word "can't" is not in my vocabulary. I will take this marvelous (but somewhat run down) machine and make it do what I want it to. "Mind over Matter".... Thank you for the pep talk!

I'd also like to thank you for Administering this forum... Lots of hard work and dedication. It's very much appreciated!

 

[Jamie]

Re: 9 weeks post op... Severe stifness where my leg won't hang straight

Thanks so much. It truly is a labor of love, though. It's VERY rewarding to be able to see people helped at a time when they may be very vulnerable and afraid. I can't imagine anything else I'd rather do!

 

[gizmo]

Re: 9 weeks post op... Severe stifness where my leg won't hang straight

Lisa,
Hi, sorry if I was a bit flippant about the weight loss issues. I do actually agree with you that keeping weight from creeping up is really important. And in our less mobile states it is harder than for most people. I guess I was coming from a few weeks post op stance where I am still adjusting to everything and so haven't personally put it on my agenda yet. However it is good - and healthy to be reminded that I am soon coming to a point where I will need to make a conscious effort regarding "cheese cake" and the like. I can feel that my clothes are tighter-oh no!! I too will look up smja's coconut oil.

Yesterday a friend commented I was improving and it did so much for my morale. It is such an amazing inner journey and there is so much to learn. Travelling companions both in day to day life and here on the forum do just make so much difference. You are right Lisa , this is a great place to be
come . There is so much understanding here.
Keep plodding on and we will get there.
Best wishes
Gizmo

 

[Jaycey]

Re: 9 weeks post op... Severe stifness where my leg won't hang straight

Lisa, hope you are getting some much needed :sleepz:!

Please don't worry about your weight right now. When you are move mobile it will fall off. At least that was my experience. All those months of not being able to move take their toll.