six weeks, all clear and stretching

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kangaroo

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Hi folks,
Just went to the OS for 6 week check....no restrictions, just get on with it. i still haven't got to the 90 degree, but we'll get there. OS suggested lots of "yoga" like stretches to get the joint as mobile as we can.....any suggestions?
I'll see the pt tomorrow and Wednesday so I will ask then but maybe you real hippies out there might have some suggestions:thmb:
Kepp stretching
Rachel
 
That must feel so good Rachel - to be free of the restrictions. I bet the last 6 weeks have gone quite quickly for you, but at my 2 week stage it feels like a lifetime away.

Good luck with all the stretching/bending and well done you.
 
Everyone's different, Rachel! Be guided by your PT and keep up the great recup! Ya think having 5 beautiful kids may have something to do with it??!!!!!! You GO. Girl!!!! :)
 
Glad you are all clear. It will come. I tell everyone I got my excellent range of motion by swimming. The frog kick . I know it is winter for you , any indoor pools?
judy
 
If memory serves me correctly, you have a Wii & there's yoga on the Wii Fit, with some good stretching routines.
 
I don't see you having any problems Rachel, being a mum of 5 would give you all the pt you need. It sounds like everything has been going wonderfully for you, Congrats.

After I had my hip done, I still had a bung knee so I was very limited still in my mobility, but I just kept living life the best I could and the hip just got better and better. For those still on the recovery track after THR, only this week, 19 months later, I can actually get into the car like normal, up until then I still had a bit of weakness and had to get my leg onto the rail of the car and then in, and I could feel a twinge in my thigh when I did it. Now nothing I just step in, sit down and I feel nothing, I figure I was a bit slow in that department because of my knee, since that has been replaced I have been able to build up quad strength now. Hopefully this is encouraging to those who feel like recovery will never end, even at 19 months I have had improvement... Woohoo!!!!
 
Terrific Chris, I was thrilled the other day when I got some grit or something on my bare foot and just lifted my foot and rubbed the other legs calf with my foot, thus rubbing the dirt off....I haven't been able to do this in years, and we all know how annoying dust and gravel etc on the soles of your feet feels!!!!

I'm not demoralised...I'm just out to get the most mobility possible and OS says that i need to work on mobility now....before scar tissue sets in.....so stretch i will!
Rachel
 
Thanks for the encouragement folks...I know that I am blessed. There's a lady at rehab whose medical history is virtually the same as mine and she has had HUGE complications...now she has to go into surgery again (thats 4 in 5 months) and have a wedge cut out of her femur (near her knee) to turn her leg in, .....5 days in hospital, 6-12 weeks non weight bearing..... pain....I almost feel guilty about doing so well, when she has spent the last 5 months in real strife already.....of course my success is nothing to do with her problems....so feeling guilty is irrational , but I feel really bad for her and I feel like in a sense my success rubs her problems in her face.....a bit like (actually nothing at all like) a patient waiting for a donor heart, knowing that someone has to lose their life in order for him to receive a donor heart....she tries to stay positive, but she has been house bound now for months....I would literally go nuts....she reckons she is doing jigsaw puzzles....but how many of those can a girl do????

I went to rehab today, and the pt gave me a few stretches more. I even got to 88 degrees!!!! No cheering until I hit that magic 90!
One was on my back with my feet on a giant ball, and then slowly taking one foot off at a time, back to the bed, whilst working tummy muscles, back muscles, hip muscles etc. It was a really good one....
I'm also doing a cat stretch....all fours, curling the back up and down....this is an attempt to loosen up the lower back and make it more mobile,
and then other exercises using a stretchy rubber band to provide resistance....
I was really pleased with this pt as she heard my need for stretches (as per OS instructions) and was happy to do a bit of hands on stuff.... mostly at rehab its just exercises, in a group setting there isnt much time for massage etc...Has anyone out there had much luck/need for hands on massage etc from pt...and has it made a difference??. I am considering seeing the local pt to get some of that sort of treatment but I'm not sure whether it would make enough difference to warrant the time and money???

Rachel
 
You know what's funny reading this Rachel??????? When I had my hip done I didn't even know I was supposed to be aiming for 90 degrees. I just went about living, it's only since I've been on here I have realised people are working towards 90 after a HR. Go figure???? In hindsight I realise I had 90 from the start, maybe if I didn't more would have been said about it and I would have known. OOOPS.

I knew with my knee I was aiming for the magic 90 then more.
 
You know what's funny reading this Rachel??????? When I had my hip done I didn't even know I was supposed to be aiming for 90 degrees. I just went about living, it's only since I've been on here I have realised people are working towards 90 after a HR. Go figure???? In hindsight I realise I had 90 from the start, maybe if I didn't more would have been said about it and I would have known. OOOPS.

I knew with my knee I was aiming for the magic 90 then more.


Not funny at all Chris - I was exactly the same! No-one ever told me that was what I was aiming for - I just got on with it, and I guess it happened naturally. (Now is a different story with all the bursitis/tendonitis, and I figure I won't get to 90 again until I have that treated!)
 
Rachel, my PT massaged my IT band because it was pretty tight. It hurt, but it was a really good hurt and felt so much better afterwards! She also massaged the scar to break down scar tissue, and I think that really helped, too.

Chris and Peta - me too!! Didn't know I was aiming for 90 degrees, just knew I wasn't supposed to go over that! I think I could actually hit the 90 degrees pretty soon after, and had to concentrate on not going over.
 
Me too! I didn't know about the 90 degree rule and asked my OS....if he was kidding....that I should walk around with a protractor? In our cases, ignorance WAS truly bliss!!! :)
 
I think its because everyone says not to go over 90 degrees.......I always suggested that this was not an issue!! but you do get a little focussed on it when you are nowhere near it!....all good things come to those who wait. I reckon the best i could do prior to surgery was about 35 degrees....The other thing is that you are aiming for optimal mobility and the greater the bend, the more mobile you become....
Rachel
 
Hi Rachel
Sorry I missed your 6wk landmark - have been sooo busy playing catchup on life (and enjoying the good weather!) that I have not been near a PC for ages !:blush:

Great to hear you are still doing so well with your recovery and ROM :thmb::thmb::thmb:

I too am hovering around the 'not quite 90' but my OS said that he doesn't care if it takes a year to get to 90 :shk:.
What he did say was there is no rush, all will be right in the end ! Which made me much more relaxed about the whole thing.:D
He removed all of my restrictions - but said to be aware of the usual 'baddies' (cross legs / over reaching etc) for a few more weeks because he wants my HR to last as long as possible and due to my muscle waste there is still a slight risk of dislocation :shk:

Keep up the good work and enjoy enjoying your life again:D

Regards
Andy
 
avoiding dislocation is always a good plan!!!!

Thanks folks, my OS says that because of having to extend the leg length there is no risk of dislocation unless I do something really extreme...

Stephen reckons I'm depressed.....I would disagree , just fed up with the perpetual mess around me and restraining myself from dealing with it as I don't want to push things too hard as I don't want to end up with tendinitis or muscle pain etc....

Rachel
 
Rachel Ive se you posts you are a strong person. You will get there, Your right take your time and be safe about it..............You will be just fine............
 
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