THR Spongebob's Recovery Journey

[Newhip_Pol]

If there's no objection from your surgeon then I would say yes to swimming. Just remember 'gentle' is the key word.
Think several people have now answered your knee pain question. Contact your surgeon if you still have concerns. Remember we speak from experience; we are not orthopaedic surgeons.

 

[Spongebob]

Get you i will get a new pair today also will the ache in my hip and the knee pain settle down to not noticeable?

 

[ladyj]

I had my THR five and a bit weeks ago. I had severe arthritis of the knee and hip, but two surgeons thought that most of my knee pain was coming from my hip. My knee was painful, swollen, and wouldn’t take my weight.
This has mostly all gone now since my THR.
I still have a pulling, tight feeling in my knee occasionally.
The jury is still out on whether or not I need my knee replaced, but certainly the main problem has been fixed.
I think it might be wait and see, and further consultation with my surgeon.
Where does hip and knee pain start and finish?
God knows!

 

[CricketHip]

Yes @Spongebob, your aches and pains will settle down to not noticeable. It takes time though. This is a marathon recovery, not a sprint. It's understandable that you want to be active and resume your life. Taking things slowly will get you there much faster than pushing it.
If you read through other members' threads you will see many that are amazed at the continuing improvements well after the one year anniversary date. See the picture below for a realistic example of the recovery process. There are multiples highs and lows..

 

[Spongebob]

Yes @Spongebob, your aches and pains will settle down to not noticeable. It takes time though. This is a marathon recovery, not a sprint. It's understandable that you want to be active and resume your life. Taking things slowly will get you there much faster than pushing it.
If you read through other members' threads you will see many that are amazed at the continuing improvements well after the one year anniversary date. See the picture below for a realistic example of the recovery process. There are multiples highs and lows..

Can't see the picture

 

[CricketHip]

I wonder why? Are you on a computer or possibly your phone? I know with a phone that it helps to hold the phone sideways to get a better view. Sorry Spongebob.

 

[Spongebob]

I wonder why? Are you on a computer or possibly your phone? I know with a phone that it helps to hold the phone sideways to get a better view. Sorry Spongebob.

There literally is nothing to click on or no image

 

[Newhip_Pol]

I can't see it either - there is a small square but clicking doesn't help. I'm on mobile phone

 

[Spongebob]

So do I totally stop all exercises now as of now as being doing them since I left the hospital?

 

[Spongebob]

So do I stop exercises now then also

So should I stop exercises now as I already go walking twice a day for 2 miles each walk (as you said it's the best way to help the healing ) also will my hip/knee pain fade off

 

[benne68]

So should I stop exercises now as I already go walking twice a day for 2 miles each walk (as you said it's the best way to help the healing ) also will my hip/knee pain fade off

Yes, the best way to recover from a hip replacement is to walk. I was so surprised when my surgeon told me this. I honestly didn't believe him at first. But I had my hip replaced shortly before everything shut down for COVID here, so I didn't have a choice -- and I've recovered wonderfully just by walking!

I had pain in my knee and my back for a couple of months into my recovery. It's just your body adjusting to the new improved alignment. Remember that pain caused you to favor that hip which likely put all the soft tissues out of proper alignment.

It sounds like you are doing quite well if you are able to walk 2 miles twice a day!

 

[Spongebob]

Well my question is I don't actually do it every day some days its just once but its just my knee pain that's the worst also shall I stop exercises and just walk?

 

[Spongebob]

Hi the knee pain is worse when I strike the ground and also when I sit down on a chair or sitting in a car it aches is this normal knee pain?

 

[Mojo333]

Hi @Spongebob
Welcome to the forum and the Hard Part of hip recovery.
After the early surgery recovery days, (often with little or unhelpful guidance from our surgical care teams) we embark on the long-term recovery which can be a year or longer.

Patience and time are going to help the most because pushing your body before it has had time to heal can make things take longer ...
Often times, we are not given appropriate timelines for exercising and returning to activities and by starting too soon actually is not helpful.


If I were you, I would take a few days and do very little but necessary walking and ice that leg... knee too. (maybe a compression sleeve would help support it?)

Then I would break up walks into shorter periods with rest and icing in between.
It never seem to hurt until we stop!
You have nothing to lose by trying to scale back for a few weeks to get back on track.

I love the pool, but it can also be easy to overdo so maybe just take the time to float about and relax....

Many of us had to learn this the hard way...I had to take steps back to go forward for the first 6 months.

 

[Spongebob]

How long until your pain went also what is causing my knee pain that aches when I sit down and in the car and also when I strike the ground is that normal while my body gets used to new gait? So are exercises/strengthening no good to do?

 

[Mojo333]

It is hard for me to say as I don't know how your first months have gone, but I just suspect you probably have done a bit too much too early...
Do you have any follow-up appointment with the OS coming up soon?

Muscles and tendons around the hip are obviously connected to the rest of our leg.
Knee pain is a fairly common complaint after THR, but thankfully I didn't have that particular issue.
The IT band could be stressed...
You can check out some info in THIS LINK
Just don't go full-on with the stretches... the trick will be easy-does-it and see if it helps.

As I said, if you knock all the extra off for a while and it feels better, you can start off with activity Slow and Incrementally so your body can adjust.

 

[Biffo]

I went swimming at 8 weeks but took it really easy in the pool and I didn’t do Breast Stoke! Other than that I enjoyed being free and stretching out!

 

[@Life 411]

Hey @Spongebob , I saw your questions about exercise and sounds like you want to do it. I also notice that you are 39 years old. Sometimes I feel the advice people give ignores one's individual circumstances. So IF you were fit and active prior to your THR, maybe you're in a similar situation to myself.

For me, it is about maintaining my overall fitness level while my hip heals. I'm 6 weeks post op and just had my 6wk post op visit with my surgeon yesterday. He has a .3% complication rate on over 5,000 THRs with this procedure (10,000 over his entire career) -- that's a VERY LOW complication rate. He is super duper cautious always thinking of long-term, not short-term. This is just for context.

I'm 55 and was very fit and active even the week prior to surgery, so my goals for getting to the gym are to maintain my fitness level while my hip heals so that I can return to my favorite activities as soon as safely possible.

In our post op yesterday, my surgeon said that I could return to weights as long as the exercises were not engaging the hip joint. So no dead lifts or squats! But upper body stuff he said was Ok - though moderate weights. With heavy weights one tends to engage the core and hip for stability. He even said I could do ab workouts though he suggested half situps since full situps are engaging the hip more. Planks ok too. Did my first Ab workout this morning and have been easing into weights for about a week.

Hope this helps.

 

[Mojo333]

@Spongebob
I do hope that some days of babying that leg will reduce your pain and get you back on track.

, I saw your questions about exercise and sounds like you want to do it. I also notice that you are 39 years old. Sometimes I feel the advice people give ignores one's individual circumstances

All of it the advice given is sound and applies to young and old, irrespective of fitness level.
Listening to your body and not working through the pain can keep you from having a longer recovery like rehabbing from overexerting still-healing muscles and tendons.
Certainly, you alone are in charge of your recovery and can choose to embark on whatever pathway works for you.

I had bilateral hip replacement right before I turned 54, and I was in great physical shape (for someone with 2 trashed hips) which made me a good candidate for BTHR.
I am not a gym rat, but I have a very labor intensive job, have very good upper body strength (also super helpful when rehabbing from BTHR) and realize that letting our bodies do their job early days post-op can be stymied by overdoing it (from experience)

After many years on the forum... sharing in the recoveries of younger and older folks with varying fitness levels....I have seen many benefit from just giving it the time it takes to heal....
Anything lost in fitness and tone can certainly be regained.

 

[Spongebob]

I'm going start swimming in 2 more weeks