THR Spongebob's Recovery Journey

[lanstan]

@hhhooray I could have written exactly what you wrote. I have all the same issues at 12 months but no grinding pain like before and I am able to be very very active like you. I am just happy to be where i am and assume each month/year will get better!

 

[Layla]

i just can't get myself down after every little niggle/ache along the way

This is key. Adjusting your thinking will make for less stress. Keep reminding yourself that you may notice improvement for months to come, even as far out as a year from now, so patience is necessary.

 

[Spongebob]

Hi im 7.5 months post op and the dull hip ache its making my knee ache could i have a bit of tendinitis in there making it ache more has anyone ever had this?

 

[myglasshalffull]

My guess is it's probably way you are walking. Maybe you are favoring good side cause surgical side is still a little sore? Have you bought new shoes recently or changed shoes??? My knee was more sore than my hip in early days and I realize you are 7.5 months in but these little aches and pains pop up here and there.
I'll just say this, I had aches and pains before I broke my hip. Still have aches and pains but for majority of time I'm fine and can go one with life.
I have very good days and some days I need to rest, I just let my body lmk what kind of day we are having!
I've been dog sitting this week and doing more walking than usual and I feel slight ache in my hip joint. But it's nothing, as soon as I sit and rest a bit I'm ready to go again.

 

[Charlie33]

@Spongebob Earlier in recovery yes. The weak hip flexor your physio mentioned 3 weeks ago, and the LL difference you also mentioned, means you knees and ankles have to take up the slack and are working overtime and common both from my experience and what I've read on other recovery threads.

In your case, building strength and flexibility in your hip/hip flexor will help resolve both issues. I'd encourage you to go back to your physio, start a slow, progressive plan that incorporates functional movements to build range and strength. This should resolve both issues, but may take a few months.

 

[Spongebob]

My guess is it's probably way you are walking. Maybe you are favoring good side cause surgical side is still a little sore? Have you bought new shoes recently or changed shoes??? My knee was more sore than my hip in early days and I realize you are 7.5 months in but these little aches and pains pop up here and there.
I'll just say this, I had aches and pains before I broke my hip. Still have aches and pains but for majority of time I'm fine and can go one with life.
I have very good days and some days I need to rest, I just let my body lmk what kind of day we are having!
I've been dog sitting this week and doing more walking than usual and I feel slight ache in my hip joint. But it's nothing, as soon as I sit and rest a bit I'm ready to go again.

That's good to read thank you I have a physio appointment this coming Friday so they will have a look at me to see if I have any imbalances I'm sure well when I stand on my operated leg only I get pain so it would seem that my operated leg muscles are not strong enough yet and are angry even at 7.5 months post op so I have begun strenghing my hip joint it just seems it's a long road to recovery but hopefully I will get there in time

 

[Spongebob]

@Spongebob Earlier in recovery yes. The weak hip flexor your physio mentioned 3 weeks ago, and the LL difference you also mentioned, means you knees and ankles have to take up the slack and are working overtime and common both from my experience and what I've read on other recovery threads.

In your case, building strength and flexibility in your hip/hip flexor will help resolve both issues. I'd encourage you to go back to your physio, start a slow, progressive plan that incorporates functional movements to build range and strength. This should resolve both issues, but may take a few months.

Well I have been told by a physio the exact same thing that if I work on strenghing my glutes then they should start to function correctly which should then allow whatever muscle in my hip that's angry (causing the pain) to then heal which will then take the pain away and be all good

 

[Charlie33]

Well that's great! Now the key thing is to follow through with the advice, and start the program. Log the exercises you do.

The pain cycle is something (below) that I was stuck in earlier in recovery. Like you I'd feel pain and just back off, but it fed a negative emotional state of worry etc. So I was stuck (low level pain, lower function) from like month 3-5.

The problem is there is some pain that you have to 'work through' to progress. Long after tissue has healed it can still send pain signals. Even now, with a month old muscle pull in my operated hip, sure it's grumpy (tight and mildly painful). But rather than back off, I am gradually increasing my exercises to challenge the muscles to get back strength and flexibility. And it works, and the pain is going down. The key is slow gradual progress..

And frankly this is tricky topic: when to back off from pain versus moving ahead isn't clear cut. I'm not a 'no pain no gain' advocate. Rather, suggesting that discomfort pain (say a 1-2 or maybe 3) like you describe and I've experienced needs to be worked through versus resting too much creating a negative feedback loop. Again, the key is to work with a physio to start a logical program (which you will, right? ).

 

[Spongebob]

Well that's great! Now the key thing is to follow through with the advice, and start the program. Log the exercises you do.

The pain cycle is something (below) that I was stuck in earlier in recovery. Like you I'd feel pain and just back off, but it fed a negative emotional state of worry etc. So I was stuck (low level pain, lower function) from like month 3-5.

The problem is there is some pain that you have to 'work through' to progress. Long after tissue has healed it can still send pain signals. Even now, with a month old muscle pull in my operated hip, sure it's grumpy (tight and mildly painful). But rather than back off, I am gradually increasing my exercises to challenge the muscles to get back strength and flexibility. And it works, and the pain is going down. The key is slow gradual progress..

And frankly this is tricky topic: when to back off from pain versus moving ahead isn't clear cut. I'm not a 'no pain no gain' advocate. Rather, suggesting that discomfort pain (say a 1-2 or maybe 3) like you describe and I've experienced needs to be worked through versus resting too much creating a negative feedback loop. Again, the key is to work with a physio to start a logical program (which you will, right? ).

That's the thing like you say working through pain is 1 thing but working through discomfort is something totally different and I am now when I get discomfort I am working through it to do the strenghing exercises as it's the only way to make the muscles around my hip stronger (my weak glutes) and then allow my angry muscles that have been working overtime to help out my weak glutes to heal and then it will get rid of the pain I'm currently in doing certain exercises positive vibes only from here on in

 

[Charlie33]

@Spongebob sounds like you are listening to your body and can differentiate the pain v discomfort.

There is a saying I like.... 'a goal without a plan is just a wish'. So you have the goal in mind, but now you have to craft the plan and execute. You are seeing physio sometime today.... perfect timing!

 

[Spongebob]

@Spongebob sounds like you are listening to your body and can differentiate the pain v discomfort.

There is a saying I like.... 'a goal without a plan is just a wish'. So you have the goal in mind, but now you have to craft the plan and execute. You are seeing physio sometime today.... perfect timing!

Agreed I now have a clear vision of where I want to be and when I see the physio tomorrow I will have a clear plan to get to that point I'm fully focused on getting there strengh and exercises will 100% get me to where I want to be have a super day Hippie friends

 

[newguy]

I will tell you this, at 7 months it was still sore many days. The healing time is a year. Yep, it takes a crazy amount of time for the bone, muscles, tendons nerves to say woof that was one heck of a surgery and now we are in sync. Like I just posted. 20 months and I would say its healed. For me a good year PLUS to feel "normal" the new normal.

 

[Spongebob]

I will tell you this, at 7 months it was still sore many days. The healing time is a year. Yep, it takes a crazy amount of time for the bone, muscles, tendons nerves to say woof that was one heck of a surgery and now we are in sync. Like I just posted. 20 months and I would say its healed. For me a good year PLUS to feel "normal" the new normal.

Thats lovely to hear hopefully as each month goes by i will get better and better as I get closer to the new normal and heal fully I have to say I'm now thinking postive and really enjoying the journey

 

[Spongebob]

I will tell you this, at 7 months it was still sore many days. The healing time is a year. Yep, it takes a crazy amount of time for the bone, muscles, tendons nerves to say woof that was one heck of a surgery and now we are in sync. Like I just posted. 20 months and I would say its healed. For me a good year PLUS to feel "normal" the new normal.

Did you mean it was 20 months until you were healed?

 

[Spongebob]

If these things continue to worry you, please make an appointment with your surgeon to discuss your concerns. Hopefully he will take an x-ray of your hip and let you know that everything is fine.

Jamie, Layla, Mojo333 a quick update on my recovery I went to see my surgeon last week and he took a x-ray and he said it all looks fine and he actually said the hip replacement looks excellent and there is good bone growth happening now too so my question is the dull hip ache I actually have now is not related to my actual replacement (thank god ) which is good so it must be soft tissue related then (tendinitis) or could it still be the healing that's happening as I haven't reached the magical 12 month mark yet

 

[Jamie]

This is good to hear. It’s difficult to tell much about photographed X-rays from a screen, but it could be that your hips are a bit uneven. If you still experience pain, you might try a wedge in the shoe on your operated leg. Amazon sells some that have segments you peel off to get the proper height - from 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch. I suggest you give that a try and see if it helps. It may not, but it’s worth a try.

 

[Spongebob]

This is good to hear. It’s difficult to tell much about photographed X-rays from a screen, but it could be that your hips are a bit uneven. If you still experience pain, you might try a wedge in the shoe on your operated leg. Amazon sells some that have segments you peel off to get the proper height - from 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch. I suggest you give that a try and see if it helps. It may not, but it’s worth a try.

I forgot to say that my operated leg is now 1cm longer than my other based on before the operation it was 3cm shorter so I have a 1cm lift in my non operative leg shoe to see if helps but not as yet also I don't really get pain it's just ache

 

[Jamie]

As I mentioned, it's always difficult to accurately assess x-rays taken with a camera from a screen like this. But if you look at the image on the right in your post, you can see that it appears your operated hip is higher than your unoperated leg. Can you get an actual copy of the x-ray and post that?

 

[Spongebob]

As I mentioned, it's always difficult to accurately assess x-rays taken with a camera from a screen like this. But if you look at the image on the right in your post, you can see that it appears your operated hip is higher than your unoperated leg. Can you get an actual copy of the x-ray and post that?

He said it's not my pelvis that's dropped he said it's just the way the picture is taken on the x-ray that looks that way

 

[Spongebob]

@Mojo333 so you think it's just my body still healing and could take another 6 months at least until I'm healed and the ache goes