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THR The marvels of recovery

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@Gummy Bears
Hi! How are you?? It's been such a year, and I know I need to do more with strengthening and stretching. But man, oh man, I'm happy I went through with this surgery. Every once and a while now it randomly strikes me how good it is to walk pain free and to have good stamina. I've started to get annoyed with people who want me to take it easy and NOT do things that I'm perfectly capable of doing now. :)
 
I found your writing very informative and I can identify with a lot of what you have been through. I also have a sore knee -mostly above the knee with some numbness still below the knee. The knee and surrounding muscles feel very tight still although I have been stretching. I don't know the cause but it may be the same as you as the leg is now 1 cm longer than the un-op leg. These latest stages of recovery are very slow and can easily backslide.
I will have to read about dual mobility joints. Thanks for the helpful post.
Keep on improving and all the best in 2016.
Diane
 
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@JulieJF thimgs are awesome! I'm pretty much good to go. I think I put too much weight on the spinning wheel last week and my right hip was giving me some very minor discomfort. But nothing a few days off the bike won't fix. My problem is the rest of my body is ready to take on so much more!
Was funny...few weeks ago I was holding my four year old and I had to squat down to the ground to pick something up (was at my daughters school) and this lady was like 'wow, feel lucky you can do that!' And I'm pretty sure I blew her mind when I mentioned I had a hip replaced 6 months prior!
Nice to hear from you! I'm really very glad things are going well!
 
@Granny Di
So your operated leg is 1 cm longer than your unoperated leg? Or did they lengthen it by 1 cm? Either way, it's significant for your body to have to adjust to. My leg got lengthened by over an inch. To accommodate where the ball of my femur had lodged in my pelvis, I was walking with a tipped pelvis. As my body equilibrates, it's amazing to me the things that hurt. :chinstroke:
 
I'm wondering if anyone here can help figure out the lower back pain I'm currently experiencing. (@Jaycey?) When I walk longer distances, I get moderate muscular pain in my lower back, especially on the side of my non-operated hip. I'm guessing this is in the lower erector muscles and/or the quadratus lumbarum muscles.

For many years prior to surgery, I had severely limited abduction and reduced adduction in my left hip. And in the last two years (at least), when I walked, I was basically using my left leg as a peg and swinging my right leg out and around to advance my motion.

So now I've got this shiny new hip and no pain in that joint. :happydance:And now the rest of my body has to catch up. I've been struggling with my knee and now my lower back is getting into the act but only, I think, because I've been walking longer distances. I feel as though I was probably walking pitched forward, too, as straightening my back and walking with a more normal gait seems to be the cause of my back problems.

Here's the deal. I've been walking more with a new puppy. Then, at work one day, an app that I use on my phone said that I was "about 2 miles" from home. Wait, I can do 2 miles! Well, to be more precise, I work 2.7 miles by foot from home, which is really closer to 3 miles, isn't it? But the idea was planted in my head, so I tried walking it.

I was prepared for the muscles in my legs (both sides) to feel tired, but I wasn't prepared for the muscles in my lower back to hurt (and throb with increased blood flow) so much. I feel as though the back of my pelvis is taking a beating - concentrated mainly on my right side, not my left (operated) side. I'm assuming this is because of various muscles that have compensated and/or tightened due to my congenital deformity. However, any advice or reassurance I can get would be much appreciated.

Is this normal? Do I just need to stretch? Are there specific stretches for my lower back that I should target?

Many thanks for any advice and help!
 
It's not unusual to see lower back issues following THR. You walked all wrong for so long and now your body is trying to balance back.

You really need to see someone to analyse your gait and give you proper stretches based on what they find. A good physiotherapist (PT) or chiropractor may help.

I worked with a PT with special interest in spinal issues post LTHR. She gave me lots of stretches to develop more core stability. Sounds like you might benefit from that type of work.
 
Thanks, @Jaycey. My PT focused solely on the hip and my surgeon's prescription. That was good on some level - I got a targeted program of strengthening and stretching that worked on my muscles from knee to hip. But I can't help but notice that everything's connected. :) Learning to use my body correctly affects everything. I literally feel new strain and healing pain in my ankles, knees, lower back...even my shoulders...I kid you not. I'm holding and using every muscle that supports my body in a different way.

I asked the PT about core strength exercises, and she kind of brushed that off. I felt as though she stayed confined to the mandates of the prescription rather than look at the body as a whole. Ah well. Perhaps it's time to go back to the PT who treated me before the surgery.

On a side note, that PT is from England. I so wish she could import the GaitSmart technology to New York. I shed a tear when I saw their video. I'm so envious of anyone who can go to get their analysis.
 
@JulieJF -- I'm rather in awe of all you've done, and now today saw that you were walking 7 miles to and from work. I hope I can say the same in 8 months! Your thread is definitely inspiring and informative! Thanks for posting all the details.
 
JulieJF said:
I asked the PT about core strength exercises, and she kind of brushed that off.
Click to expand...
A bit silly as core stability impacts so many areas. Yes, you are carrying yourself totally differently post THR. I agree - find a PT who will address the whole body versus one area.
 
@CatLady1
From what I've read here, I think my recovery is probably on the slow side, but I'm happy having a range of motion that I've never before had in my life. I had a lot of recovery and rehab to do, and I'm determined to get as close to normal body movement and strength as I possibly can.

I just read through your recovery thread, and, like you, I have / had hip dysplasia. I'm walking pretty well now, but there is still tightness in my hamstrings and quads, and I need to continue strengthening my glutes on the operated side. We just keep making progress...day by day. :)
 
@Jaycey
You're right, it is a bit silly. There I am though, terribly trusting. That PT made great progress stretching out my leg and increasing the range of motion in my hip and knee, so I just trusted. In retrospect, I think their practice was really focused on what they HAD to do for insurance reimbursement rather than on what they SHOULD or COULD do to make the body whole. I'm going to see if I can meet back with my former PT to analyze my gait - she's a family friend (a Brit!) and unbeholden to any health insurance. Ensuring a proper gait and core stability. That's what I need! :)
 
Sounds like a very good plan @JulieJF ! Please don't be discouraged about the length of your recovery. My recovery from LTHR took years. And I have to say I continue to see changes and improvement 17 months post RTHR. So many areas of your body change and adapt while you wait for your THR. It just takes time - and sometimes a bit of specialist help to regain your mobility. Well done on your persistence!
 
Well, it finally happened. I took a good fall, but I walked away from it in one piece. Well, probably with some bruises and stiff muscles, but one piece nonetheless.

Today was a rainy day in NYC, and the combination of rain-slick subway stairs, wet rubber boots, my increasing confidence in picking up my feet and moving down stairs like a pretty normal person, and the remaining weakness in my operated leg was a bad combination. They added up to a fall that must have looked pretty spectacular given the looks on people's faces after I stood up.

Heading down the stairs, the heel of my un-operated leg slipped on the edge of the stair. Wet rubber soles. Wet stair edge. My operated leg wasn't strong enough to hold me up -- through in truth and in fairness to the leg, a fall might have been inevitable at that point, even if I had glutes and quads of steel.

The scary part was that, as I was going down and sliding on the stairs, my operated leg sort of got dragged up and rotated at an awful angle. Sort of rolled in and adducted out at the same time. I had a conscious flash of fear that I would dislocate the hip or just snap something off.

But then the slide stopped. A nice guy on the platform walked solidly over and wouldn't have let me get up on my own even if I had wanted to insist. :) I walked away shaken, and I can say now that I'm sore. My foot, my ankle, my back, my bum -- they all hurt. It's likely that in the morning, my hip flexors on the operated leg will be stiff.
But there's no permanent damage!

I'm thankful that this new hip has grown into my bone. It's part of me, and it can withstand normal wear and tear...and an occasional fall in the New York subway. My job continues to be to strengthen and stretch those leg muscles. Thank goodness.
 
OMG Julie! How utterly frightening! I'm so thankful your hip wasn't dislocated! I can't even imagine the fear you must have felt. I hope you aren't too sore tomorrow. Take a nice warm Epsom salt bath. Hugs!
 
Wow! Just reading about your fall makes me feel the pain! I"m so glad you came out ok -- and yes, you'll most likely be really really sore & bruised. Keep us updated with how your recovery goes.
 
So sorry you had this scare @JulieJF ! I had a fall several weeks ago and yes, everything hurt for quite awhile. Ice and elevate as much as you can. Rest - the sheer terror of the fall made me SO tired. But you are right, these implants are tough! Take care and do keep us updated.
 
Oh my goodness, @JulieJF that sounds aweful! So glad you are okay. It's actually crossed my mind and I've wandered if something's happening to me (like a fall, car accident) will it happen so fast that the thought of a dislocation won't even cross my mind? Apparently not! But good to know these implants are so tough. Crazy how they just become a part of you! Nice to hear from you, although hopefully under better circumstances next time.
 
Wow! @JulieJF I am new to your thread and was just reading through and was going to agree on your decision to go for a private PT that will treat you holistically and not just one part. Then, the next post down was the scary fall you took! So glad to hear no major damage done and have to give a thumbs up to that nice New Yorker who helped you right when you needed it.:yes: It's one thing to take a fall, but to take it on the subway stairs in NYC is quite a scary scenario!:shocked:

Hope you are feeling better and will continue to heal completely!
 
Survival! You described that fall so well - and it is everyone's constant fear although we hide it well I think. Good to hear you are getting up and on with life!
Diane
 
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