THR Shopping Trips

[DaveGM]

Hi Lisa

Its great that your quality of life has improved so much over the last 12 months and you can reflect on how far you have come in that time.

The set backs along the way are getting resolved and no doubt will soon be a fading memory.

Could the the soreness in your thigh just be a continued healing of the previous issue? Just a thought.

Best wishes for a great New Year

Dave

 

[The Cappuccino Kid]

Hi Lisa,

So glad that you are overcoming the hiccups that you've encountered along your route to recovery. I too have to lift my leg into the car at times. I would love not to but in the grand scheme of things it's no biggie.

 

[Jaycey]

Lisa I just can't believe it's a year already! Wow - you have certainly progressed well.

I'm going to tag Jo on the soreness you are experiencing. Hope she can give you some advice. @Josephine:

 

[Josephine]

HI there Lisa. Sorry to hear you are getting new issues but that's life after THR I'm afraid! It could be the scar or more likely, an lio-tibial band (ITB) issue. Either way it will keep until you see your surgeon. There are stretches and exercises you can do in that thread. If you think your pain fits the description, give them a try.

 

[lisanewmc]

Thanks for all the replies...I'll check out the IT band thread...

and for my next question - any ideas why my signature has disappeared to? just logged in on the laptop and noticed it's missing

 

[lisanewmc]

and now it's back:rolleyespink:

 

[Jaycey]

Oh dear, gremlins at work!

 

[Josephine]

 

[lisanewmc]

Ok, so I've read the IT band info and I think it's a possibility. Pity Party Alert I am obviously quite naive to think that I would have a THR and then be 'normal'.......ah, well, I suppose the trade off of no arthritic pain is good.*she says, trying to be positive*

I'm quite apprehensive about stretches or in fact, doing anything at all that isn't just my daily activity in case I aggravate anything else! (Although I have had a little dance every now and again.) I was doing so well, way back in June, swimming, cycling on my stationary bike, got physio to help strengthen my glute with a view to minimising the trendelenburg.......it was all hunky dory until I got carried away and walked too far. It's really knocked my confidence having the psoas issues and literally having to stop with everything while it settles down. I'm frightened of making it worse again. But then is it actually going to get 'better'? or am I just 'managing' it forever?

I try and be positive and focus on the 'no pain' but some days it's tough. Like, when I saw a relative last week, who was asking about it all.....'and how long before you don't limp?' and I'm in the same room as my dad and uncle who both had 'straightforward' arthritis/THR with easy recovery and were back to 'normal'. I sometimes get weary of explaining that it's different for me because of my history.......

Ok, so enough whingeing, sorry about that.

It's my 'Hippy Birthday' next Friday and I need ideas on how to celebrate.......Ideas on a postcard please

 

[DallasSarah]

Morning Lisa,

This is one of those goofy replies with no advice, no constructive input...just a I'm sorry you are dealing with this right now. When you wrote about the fear part you truly hit my heart, I really get that feeling and its horrible! I do have one thought now any chance you can get in to see a physical therapist sometimes they can push us a little bit and this way it rebuilds our confidence.
My neighbor has issues with her IT band and goes to therapy they have her doing these new stretches and she says it definitely helps.

Sending you lots of good wishes!

Sarah

 

[C Mac]

Lisa said, "I also have a new concern and wonder if anyone has any advice please. I'm experiencing soreness on my outer thigh, close to the lateral incision area. It feels bruised but isn't. It doesn't hurt all the time but when I move my leg it feels like a pulling sensation, I've had it for about a week now and it shows no sign of getting better."

Hi Lisa,

Do you think that it could just be some muscle soreness related to less use of the crutch and more demand on those muscles? Oh, and maybe that little Wii dancing episode made it a bit more tender... Sure, it could also be IT band related as Jo suggests. If you feel apprehensive about doing stretches -- then listen to that little voice that give rise to that apprehension, it's really ok to do that.

Hopefully, over time, our new hips will be less demanding and require less "managing" -- like our children when they were toddlers growing up into more self-sufficient beings. I hope that you will feel a rise in your confidence levels as the weeks continue to progress and your body gets stronger off the crutch.

Take care,
Cardie

 

[nanamac]

Lisa, I had that feeling at about the same area on my thigh and it turned out to be trachanteric bursitis. If I was sitting on the toilet specifically, and leaned over on that side, I really felt it then!

As it became worse, the pain got unbearable. I ended up having a cortisone injection. I am not saying that is what you have, but you may want to check out the discription in the library. Hope icing helps.

Also, so glad you are feeling better with the other issue. It sure seems like if it's not one thing it's another, doesn't it? Hopefully the New Year finds us all a more pain free place!

Enjoy your time off!

 

[Jaycey]

Lisa, if you are really worried about stretching the wrong way how about getting more PT? Surely it is warranted since you have had other issues as well.

Celebrate your Hippy Birthday here with us! :happy dance:

 

[alexthecat]

Lisa, if getting up and down off the floor isn't an issue for you, you might want to try a foam roller for your IT band and maybe even your psoas.

Also, you mentioned strengthening the glutes and not wanting to stretch. I'm going to tell you to stretch anyway. :tongue: As muscles grow, stretching helps them works better and feel better. Here's an image because you knew it was coming. :th_heehee:

The IT band is sort of tough and fibrous. It doesn't actually stretch that well, but it connects to a few muscles, including the tensor fascia latae and the glutes, which you can stretch. As you strengthen those muscles (especially the glutes, which are large and have the potential to become very strong), they sort of pull on the IT band in ways that the IT band doesn't like. It's a good idea to stretch those muscles if you can.

For people who are not following hip precautions, here is a really good glute stretch.



It's important to keep your spine straight and both sides of your bottom on the floor. If that isn't possible, move the foot of your top farther away. You're stretching the top leg, BTW, but it's good to do this on both sides if you can.

 

[Josephine]

Truly, these conditions are much more likely to be as the result of trying to do too much too early. Sad but there it is.
Sometimes one's enthusiasm can have unfortunate consequences.

 

[lisanewmc]

Thanks for all the replies - feeling less sorry for myself today :biggrin:

Sarah, Jaycey and Cardie - you all mention PT and I'm hoping that I will get re-referred from my OS appointment on the 18th Jan. I was seeing a great PT for my Trendelenburg gait but had to stop because of the psoas issues being aggravated by the exercises she was giving me. She thought I needed an injection and couldn't just keep me on her 'books' whilst I was waiting to be seen by the OS......All to do with KPI's. Fingers crossed I can get back in with her.

Alex - what is a foam roller? Thanks for the pics/advice etc - not sure if I can get in that position though! Best to try when hubby is around just in case I get stuck!:th_heehee:



It's not that I'm afraid to stretch or exercise per say I'm just frightened of setting myself back again by doing something to make the psoas flare up again after taking so long to get better. I'm desperate to go on my exercise bike which is gathering dust, I was doing so well with that - I suppose I feel that I need supervision to give me back my confidence to try stuff. The reality is that I'm currently not much more active than I was this time last year, although I am pain free (apart from the aforementioned minor issues).

It doesn't feel like a muscular soreness and isn't made worse by walking etc. It's kind of under the skin.....weird. I actually feels a bit better today so fingers crossed it is just one of those tthings that will disappear of it's own accord. But thanks Janet, I will check out that thread too.



And Jo you are right, hindsight is a wonderful thing, if only I could turn back the clock and not get carried away - How do you know you it's too much until it's too late? I'd done two walks with no real side effects, felt totally on a high, but the third one, I pushed myself more and it was too much......C'est la vie. I just hope my trials and tribulations can be a cautionary tale.....

 

[Poppet]

Hi Lisa

I am sorry you are still going through some problems. I do hope that you get some relief soon.

You are so right when you say, how do we know how much is too much until we reap the fallout from taking it that little bit further.

My hubby is the constant voice of reason and logic with me, sometimes I think and start to do more and then he will pull me up and have a chat with me. I guess I am lucky that he has medical experience, because of being in the special forces he had to do a very comprehensive medic course, which even involved working in ER on trauma patients conducting minor surgery... They had to be trained to the level to be able to contend with any medical emergency when on operations. So he knows his anatomy extremely well and knows how the body long the body can take to heal.. He often talks about the different layers of healing that Jo refers to, but he goes into the physiological aspects with the immune system and an incision and tells me, this is what is happening now.

When I accidentally rolled over and slept on my operated side for several hours he explained to me in detail what was happening below the skin...

So I guess what I am trying to say is that, when I am about to - "I will just do that one more exercise" he will say "no, stop now and leave that exercise off my regime the next day to allow the tissue to recover." I know he is right, he has had the front line experience so I listen now.

But it is tough! Take care, slow and steady is the mantra with me..

lol xx

 

[C Mac]

Hi Lisa,

I like the glute stretch that Alex shared with you. The first few times that I tried it I did it on the bed vs. on the floor. I think I may also have done it in "phases" meaning first I just tried to see how the crossover of my legs worked and then a little gentle twist to the side. The woman on the picture is obviously NOT a hippie! Also, if you have the rotational twist to your lower spine then you may only want to twist a small amount and very gently since your spine isn't straight it already has a twist in one direction b/c of the pelvis tilt.

And on the PT, yes I am a big fan, but that is because I really like the gym and to be able to exercise. I have been told twice now that my OS does not like to "over therapy" hip replacement patients -- by the PA and the OS. He does not routinely prescribe PT after THR surgery and there is a lot of reminding me about resting and letting the hip heal. I've been told by my OS to "dial it back" on my exercising in response to my various soft tissue issues -- and now I am back to the pre-surgery exercise program of vacuuming the house daily (dog hair:doggieshmooze and walking in the grocery store....

So, I say go easy if you return to PT. I remember the words of a wise Mother Hen, that hips have a way of looking after themselves -- (when I was worried about being discharged from PT two months ago).

Take care,
Cardie

 

[alexthecat]

Lisa, a foam roller is a device that you can use for deep-tissue massage. For the IT band it looks like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoHBDim_fzk

When you get the spot that feels sore or lumpy, hold that until it feels less sore and lumpy. It should be a little uncomfortable, but not horrendously so. If it's too awful to contemplate, running a rolling pin over the outside of your leg is similar but less intense. It's best to use the roller when you are warmed up, for instance just out of the shower, and to do some gentle stretches afterwards.

As for the glute stretch, there are a couple of versions that are a little less intense.

To start with, pull the leg toward the shoulder of the same side. From there, you can move it toward or away from the midline to get the stretch where you want it. This gives you a glute stretch in the top leg and (maybe) a psoas stretch in the bottom leg. If you don't want the psoas stretch, just bend the bottom leg and place the foot flat on the floor or bed or wherever you are.



Also, this is a piriformis stretch, but it can be a glute stretch as well if you have the ROM to cross your legs above the knees:

As with the other stretch, you move your legs around until you get the stretch where you want it.

In both of these, you are stretching the top leg, BTW.

The woman on the picture is obviously NOT a hippie!

Really? Of course, it's likely that she is not a THR patient, because very few people her age are, but why "obviously"? I do that stretch with slightly more ROM than she demonstrates. Actually, I do this version of that stretch:

So, don't underestimate where you may end up. We all know about Shugaplum, right?

 

[beesquare]

Wow Alex I didn't know about Shugaplum! Fair made my eyes water but gosh, how inspiring!