THR Spongebob's Recovery Journey

[Spongebob]

Please read Mojo’s response carefully. If you are experiencing pain after a gym workout, you’re doing more than your hip is ready for. Everyone is different. You must find the balance where you can exercise without pain afterwards. Constantly pushing, getting pain (which results in inflammation), can slow your recovery down. Don’t be in such a hurry.

I have backed it off now so the reason why I get more of a hip ache now day and night is I have done too much too soon and basically slowed down my recovery? So if i slow it up now my recovery will get back on track and the pain go ?

 

[Layla]

So if i slow it up now my recovery will get back on track and the pain go ?

We can't answer that question, ever, because we don't know exactly what you are doing, physically, from day to day. We don't know what you're doing at home, at work, at the gym.

You're only half way through a recovery that can last a full year.
Pain Is Your Body Asking For Change, so trust and listen to your body. If a particular exercise or movement causes pain at the time, stop doing it. If it causes pain the day after, then it was too much. Maybe you should consider stepping away from the gym and whatever it is your doing there and walk as exercise. You're still healing. Often though, we're impatient and want to move the process along. In doing so we run the risk of struggling with pain and setbacks stalling the healing process. The best therapy for recovery is walking, but not to excess. Start slowly increasing time and distance incrementally in an effort not to overdo it. Give yourself the TLC you deserve and reap the benefits of a successful recovery.
@Spongebob

 

[Spongebob]

@Layla brilliant advice yes I'm stepping away from the gym and just doing swimming and walking but like you say increasing it slowly now I know I'm only 6 months in to what could be a 12 months recovery or longer so because I had perthes disease it could take longer from all the bone deformity and bone on bone I had pre surgery but all I got to think look how far I have come in the last 6 months and just think where I will be in another 6 months live every day love life keep smiling and be happy.

 

[Charlie33]

Hi @Spongebob I posted back on June 5 and in May responding to your thread. Curious what feedback you have from your physical therapist and OS on your issues? Did they provide feedback on THR and comparisons with others who suffered from Perthes disease?

I googled an article below which outlines the unique challenges and issues both related to surgery and recovery for someone having THR with Perthes disease. Preoperative planning is more extensive than a garden variety hip replacement.

From reading the article, unfortunately I suspect some of the issues you are experiencing may be unique to someone with Perthes disease having a total hip replacement. I would seek a second opinion from an OS that has experience doing THR on a person with Perthes disease. I would ask the OS to review imaging pre and post op (XRAY and CAT scan if you have it) to ensure that your leg length & cup alignment look good. If all of that looks good, then it comes down to soft tissue work and physical therapy.

Hip Replacement for Adults who had Perthes

Hip Replacement in Adults Who Had Perthes Disease As a Child Hip replacement in adults who had Perthes disease as a child is technically challenging and difficult but entirely possible and with good results. That's the report from Italian orthopedic surgeons on 32 hip...

www.sportsrehabu.com

 

[Spongebob]

Hi @Spongebob I posted back on June 5 and in May responding to your thread. Curious what feedback you have from your physical therapist and OS on your issues?

@Charlie33 My physio basically said all is normal and to start strenghing exercises as my glutes are weak which is causing the limp and pain working out and all should start to settle down as its my body slowly recovering from major surgery from the inside out and don't forget you had perthes disease which is another factor in my recovery as my body had a deformed bone and bone on bone for years so all got to adjust to the new me take it slow and look how far you have come in 6 months he said imagine how you are going to feel in another 6 months stay positive and keep smiling as it will all be worth it in the end

 

[Charlie33]

@Spongebob funny just edited my response above with more info on perthes. Think your PT nailed it. Because you had Perthes disease = (sadly) longer recovery and frankly unique to most here including me.

I'm headed for hip #2 as soon as I'm ready (OS said a few days ago ready to go now). The time frame has accelerated because my replaced hip, which like you was bad for years, now moving so well my other hip is saying 'hey I can't keep up' and getting more and more grumpy. All part of the journey my friend!

Hip Replacement for Adults who had Perthes​

Hip Replacement in Adults Who Had Perthes Disease As a Child Hip replacement in adults who had Perthes disease as a child is technically challenging and difficult but entirely possible and with good results. That's the report from Italian orthopedic surgeons on 32 hip...

 

[Spongebob]

@Spongebob funny just edited my response above with more info on perthes. Think your PT nailed it. Because you had Perthes disease = (sadly) longer recovery and frankly unique to most here including me.

I'm headed for hip #2 as soon as I'm ready (OS said a few days ago ready to go now). The time frame has accelerated because my replaced hip, which like you was bad for years, now moving so well my other hip is saying 'hey I can't keep up' and getting more and more grumpy. All part of the journey my friend!

Hip Replacement for Adults who had Perthes​

Hip Replacement in Adults Who Had Perthes Disease As a Child Hip replacement in adults who had Perthes disease as a child is technically challenging and difficult but entirely possible and with good results. That's the report from Italian orthopedic surgeons on 32 hip...
www.sportsrehabu.com

@Charlie33 my surgeon told me he had already done multiple perthes disease sufferers hip replacements so he was brilliant did you have perthes disease??

 

[Charlie33]

Great to hear you have an experienced OS. No, I didn’t have perthes just 50 years of ice hockey slowly destroying my hips haha.

 

[Spongebob]

Great to hear you have an experienced OS. No, I didn’t have perthes just 50 years of ice hockey slowly destroying my hips haha.

Ah ok but I'm starting to feel better mentally and staying positive so hopefully in a few months time I will get even better and the hip ache fade off and get the full benefit from this wonderful life changing surgery

 

[Spongebob]

@Mojo333 hi hope your well do you think the slight limp I have now and more pain after working out is from my glutes being weak and my pasos injured like my physio said?

 

[Layla]

SpongeBob,
Please understand that we do not know what your physical activity consists of each day. How many steps you take, stairs or hills you climb, time spent standing, time spent sitting, nor what your gym workouts consist of. What exercises you do, how often, how many reps….I could go on. You’ve mentioned swimming also.

It is impossible for anyone here to tell you when, or if you’ll ever be pain free. Your best bet is to follow the guidance of your surgeon who knows your medical history, or your PT who sees you engage.

You are only six months into a recovery than can take on the average a full year, and probably even longer for you, given the history you shared. So please, try to ignore that it’s not perfection and realize it may never be. I think I shared this before, but I’ll share again. Your prosthetic hip will never match your natural hip before it deteriorated. It can get awfully close, but an exact match…never.

Possibly you should consider stepping away from all of the PT exercises and any other exercise you’re doing and try walking, only, for several weeks and see if you notice any difference. Concentrating on gait and heel-toe walking. This involves striking the ground with your heel first, then rolling through your heel to your toe, and pushing out of the step with your toe. It takes a concentrated effort, but I believe you'll notice a difference. Give it a try.

Try to enjoy the rest of the week, relax and allow the healing process to continue without the worries.
@Spongebob

 

[Layla]

A visual of heel-toe walking.

 

[Spongebob]

Why do you feel the need to keep trying straight leg raises when they are difficult for you at this point? Just go about your life, don't do things that hurt during or afterwards, and try to be patient. Every time you test yourself this way and end up hurting, you set your recovery back.

@Jamie hi based on your experience when I do something like a walk or use my stationery bike in my house for 40 mins and when i get off my hip aches more than normal to point of a slight limp now and again then gets easier after a day do you know why this is ?

 

[Eman85]

when I do something like a walk or use my stationery bike in my house for 40 mins and when i get off my hip aches more than normal to point of a slight limp now and again then gets easier after a day do you know why this is ?

I know! I know! They removed your leg from your body, chopped the head of the femur off and drove a railroad spike in then reamed your pelvis. It's only been 7 mos since they did that, and our bodies don't like having that done to us. What we like about this procedure is eliminating the terrible deep bone pain and gaining ROM. It's a trade off, it's a repair.

 

[Jamie]

Exactly. As an example, I had my hip replaced last August. Although the implant is just fine, I’ve struggled with a lot of muscle weakness since then and a slight limp a lot of the time. There would be some minor pain at times too, especially when I tried to go up stairs or make sideways movements. Sometimes my leg would feel like it might collapse because of the weakness. I should have signed up for therapy again, but opted to work on it myself since therapy takes up a lot of time. My “working on it” consisted mainly of daily activities and (once warmer weather got here) getting out to work in the yard and garden. I put a heating pad on the hip for a few hours every night in bed and took Aleve on a lot of the days (or Tylenol). I’m just now starting to notice increased strength and better mobility. It has taken this long and suddenly I’m able to do things better than I could just a few weeks ago. Because of the muscle weakness, my balance is also suffering, but that will come with time.

This shows that sometimes it really does take a full year or more to recover. And….I didn’t have the medical history you have. So, don’t be surprised if it takes more than a year for you to feel like recovery is within your grasp. Please stop worrying about slight pain that you experience. This is a long journey.

 

[Spongebob]

Exactly. As an example, I had my hip replaced last August. Although the implant is just fine, I’ve struggled with a lot of muscle weakness since then and a slight limp a lot of the time. There would be some minor pain at times too, especially when I tried to go up stairs or make sideways movements. Sometimes my leg would feel like it might collapse because of the weakness. I should have signed up for therapy again, but opted to work on it myself since therapy takes up a lot of time. My “working on it” consisted mainly of daily activities and (once warmer weather got here) getting out to work in the yard and garden. I put a heating pad on the hip for a few hours every night in bed and took Aleve on a lot of the days (or Tylenol). I’m just now starting to notice increased strength and better mobility. It has taken this long and suddenly I’m able to do things better than I could just a few weeks ago. Because of the muscle weakness, my balance is also suffering, but that will come with time.

This shows that sometimes it really does take a full year or more to recover. And….I didn’t have the medical history you have. So, don’t be surprised if it takes more than a year for you to feel like recovery is within your grasp. Please stop worrying about slight pain that you experience. This is a long journey.

So you think my pain during and after a workout is from muscle/tendons weakness?
So I am going to stick to the glute strenghing exercises and resistance band work to help strengthen my muscle weakness and help alivate my limp and improve mobility and now i realise this is a slow process but with positive mindset and determination I will get there to

 

[Jamie]

No, I didn’t say that. I told you what has happened with my hip so that you would understand that sometimes it does take a year or more to fully recover. It’s impossible to exactly give you a diagnosis over the internet.

 

[Spongebob]

No, I didn’t say that. I told you what has happened with my hip so that you would understand that sometimes it does take a year or more to fully recover. It’s impossible to exactly give you a diagnosis over the internet.

I know thanks brilliant I'm now channeling all the negative energy I have into my recovery and staying positive that 1 day it will all be worth it

 

[Layla]

staying positive that 1 day it will all be worth it

I'm guessing it's already been worth it, right?
Meaning, you're better off now than you were before. If so, it's worth it already.

Don't wait for perfection...because it's not going to happen. Your natural joint was replaced by a prosthetic.
Live your life, enjoy and don't do things that hurt or cause you pain afterward.

 

[Spongebob]

staying positive that 1 day it will all be worth it

I'm guessing it's already been worth it, right?
Meaning, you're better off now than you were before. If so, it's worth it already.

Don't wait for perfection...because it's not going to happen. Your natural joint was replaced by a prosthetic.
Live your life, enjoy and don't do things that hurt or cause you pain afterward.

I'm just holding out hope that 1 day soon the ache I have will fade off as you stated early in my thread it should do to allow me to do things without pain