Guest viewing is limited

THR SuziGirl's Recovery Thread - Fell on 4y.o. THR

Status
Not open for further replies.
Hi folks! I am in week 10 of recovery (Left THR on April 9) and feel great. The only issue is my buttock muscles are always tight! What should I do about this? I feel like I'm stretching constantly!I'd been taking a muscle relaxant, Flexeril, but I've run out, no refills. I hadn't done my exercises in a few days, finally made myself do them to strengthen those abductors, etc since maybe the stiffness is related to the muscles being weak? I'm not using my cane, should I go back to using it until the stiffness is gone? Should I make an appointment with the surgeon? Help me out here, folks, I want to be done with this stiffness!
 
Welcome to the "other side" Suzi! I'm glad to hear that you're feeling great and progressing with your recovery. Are you currently in PT? I had similar issues with stiffness (still on cane on outside walks), but allieviated that with walking and then stretching every day. I am going to tag alexthecat; so she can factor in from her yoga and movement experience.

Keep posting to let us know how your doing and congratulations on your new hip! :yay:
 
Suzi, you are still early in your recovery and so it is to be expected that your muscles are not fully stretched out from their "pre-surgery" positions. I know you're ready to be back to normal, but it's a time to continue to be patient.

If you're not limping when you walk, I'd say not to worry about going back to using a cane. I suggest that you continue to stretch and walk, walk, walk as much as you can do in comfort. The walking is probably the best exercise you can do. When you do walk, be sure you are taking wide steps forward to really stretch out. Practice heel-to-toe foot motions with your gait as you do those long strides.

You could also consider seeing a massage therapist. That has worked for a lot of folks.

It sounds like you are doing very well, though.....patience is probably your best bet!
 
Tracy, I am no longer in PT. Jamie, I sometimes limp when I walk, and at those times I have the Trendelenberg (sp?) gait going on. So that probably means I should be using my cane huh? When I walk around the neighborhood I still use my cane since when I tried going without I really paid for it.
I will look into massage therapy, the bummer is that I don't think it's covered by insurance though it may be covered as a reimbursable expense. I have 2 friends who are massage therapists, perhaps they can do something for me at a lower cost :) Just wish I could find a stretch or pressure point on my own that would release the stiffness. Oh well I guess I'm just not good at being patient.
I will keep you folks posted as to my progress; thanks for the quick support!
 
I really don't have anything to add to Jamie's suggestions. Most of us spend months or years dealing with our old hips. Healing from THR does not happen overnight and stiffness is common during that time.

I noticed that you have started several threads on similar topics over the last few weeks. Have you followed any of the advice given by Jo or others in those threads? Have any of those ideas been helpful to you?
 
Hi Alex yes I've done those things but I'm still getting stiff/sore in the glutes and piriformis. I just finished a myofascial release technique using a foam roller and that has helped. I'm just tired of the chronic nature of this soreness/stiffness and want it to GO AWAY! Wish I knew how much longer I'll have to put up with this, my first hip replacement (right side, 2008) went so much better than this one. But I know I can't compare my surgeries any more than I can compare my pregnancies, they're going to be different.
If I didn't feel completely normal at times maybe this would be easier to deal with. I've had a couple of REALLY good days recently so this feels like a set-back.
I'll go back to my other threads and review them again, maybe there's something I missed. Thanks for the support!
 
Full recovery from THR can take a year or more. During that time, it is common to experience various degrees of discomfort and stiffness. There is no way to force your body to recover more quickly than it is able to. I believe Jo has already mentioned this in one of your other threads. Why not just enjoy the good days and look forward to more of them in the future?
 
Hi Suzi,

It sounds as if your recovery is going great especially with having really good days. I am 13 weeks out and remember getting buttock tightness at around your stage. In fact I still get it. And soreness. I have found that it is usually relieved with resting (lying down) and not trying not to do too much too soon. Best wishes.
 
Alex, you're right I need to just "get over it" and learn to pace myself. Elizak thanks for the confirmation and support. I'll leave you all alone now.
 
Suzi,

I didn't mean that I didn't like hearing from you. It is reassuring to me to hear from others who had surgery around the same time that I did so that I can hear others experiences and know that I am not the only one going through this recovery. Thanks for posting. I absolutely get sooooo frustrated over the length of time, patience, and rest that recovery seems to take.

How much walking are you doing ? When does your limp start ? I am not using a cane, but I am also not doing extensive walking as I wasn't very active at all before my surgery and so feel that I need to build up slowly.
 
Elizak, I wasn't talking about you. I appreciate your posts. Apparently though I've been a bit of a pain to others since I've been unable/unwilling to listen to those who tell me to rest more and pace myself.
As for how much walking I'm doing, it's just walking around the house right now, no formal walking for exercise since I walked without my cane about a week ago, one mile, using Hubby for support after a half mile. My limp starts whenever it wants to, I don't see any rhyme or reason to it.
Since I didn't have a lot of pain before my surgery, I had been pretty active, walking the dog up to 3 miles on MWF and up to 2 miles on Tuesday/Thursday. Weekends were varied. So I'm anxious to get back to my regular routine. My body seems to have other ideas though.
Thanks again for the support and e-friendship!
 
You haven't mentioned taking pain meds. It's quite possible - and more than likely - that you just have post-op pain.
You don't need anything major. Try this for starters and see if it helps Tylenol/ibuprofen cocktail
 
Thanks for the reminder, Jo, I'll try that again. I haven't been taking anything for pain for the last day or so, guess it's time again :)
 
Hi Suzi,
I do appreciate it is difficult being patient as I am the same. My difficulty is not the same as yours but when I had my THR my OS said I would be off crutches and walking independently within 4 to 6 weeks, however, now after 14 months I still use a crutch to walk due to the trendenlenburg gait that you also mention. That is due to weak abductor muscles.

I'm sure things will improve, just keep at your exercises/stretches and make sure you rest in between.
Jyoti
 
Well after all that whining yesterday I think I may have "turned the corner". I took the dog for a walk after I posted, and didn't need to use my cane (I took it with me, just in case). I went the entire 1-mile loop, no limping either! Did the same thing this morning too! I'm wondering if my newfound progress is due to the myofascial release I did on the buttock & piriformis area, I'd found a YouTube video of how to do it with a foam roller (I used a rolled-up foam yoga mat)? At any rate, my muscles feel almost normal now! I was even able to tie my sneakers when I went for my walks!
Can you tell I'm excited? And not to worry, I'm taking it easy today, even iced my muscles after my walk.
Well it's time to take the dog to the vet for his check up and vaccinations; talk to y'all later!
 
Suzi,

Turning corners is the best and I'm happy for you! Good for you for being proactive with the myofascial release information. Be excited, you shoud be!
 
Now that's some good news, Suzi!!! Good for you! Please keep posting.....it's important for others to hear about your recovery. You wouldn't be the first BoneSmartie to have the impatient gene, you know....:heehee:.......and others will like to know how you deal with it. The desire to get back to a normal life is very, very strong!!!
 
Thanks Jamie and Diane! Yes I'll keep posting. In fact I'll be submitting a new post shortly about my fear that I may have injured myself. Have a blessed weekend!
 
Hey folks!
Well the chronically tight glutes and priformis issue is resolved but now there is something new going on and I need some advice pronto. Keep in mind I'm now 11.5 weeks post-op.
Two days ago (Wed. the 27th) I was cleaning and moved a sofa bed by myself. I know I should have gotten help but I didn't. That said, I did use my surgical leg to "help" the sofa back into place (forgetting it was since I've been feeling pretty good).
Yesterday my back was bugging me so I took some flexeril and was pretty good most of the day. When that wore off I did my Motrin/Tylenol cocktail because at that point the backday of my pelvis and lower femur felt "weird". Weird here means painful when I first move it after sitting or lying down for a while. Turning ovet in bed after a med has worn off is quite uncomfortable.
I can bear weight on the leg without medication but it hurts at about a 3-4 for pain level. Once I get OTC pain medication in me then I'm finest. But I'm still worried that I've done something to eithet the implant or the bone. What should I do? I haven't said anything to family because I don't want to worry anyone or seem like a hypochondriac.
Thoughts? Advice? No yelling please.
 
I need to correct myself regarding the pain: it's there all the time when I'm unmedicated not just in the first few steps. Sorry about that!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Active Antimicrobial Hydrogel

Members online

Total: 861 (members: 3, guests: 858)

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom