THR THR Posterior - Slowly Healing

[msart]

I am walking unassisted, doing my exercises-finding out what I can & can not do. Night time is the worst. Sleeping with a pillow between my legs-have finally made it to sleeping 3 hrs solid. New pains & aches noted. My knee hurts, my butt hurts, down my leg hurts-am icing & taking pain meds to aliveate. I WAS very active, lifted weights 4x a week, walked or did cardio a lot. Feel like I have accomplished a lot-trying not to get down. But hard to do-I want to get out of bed & be ME again. Anyone else having post leg pain?

 

[Hip4life]

@msart to BoneSmart. Let me post some guidelines for you to read and refer to and then come back to address your specifics. Also, please provide us with the exact surgery date as well as which hip. We will create a signature for you so that all of us can give you appropriate advice based on where you are in recovery.

HIP RECOVERY GUIDELINES

1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary.

If you want to use something to assist with healing and scar management, BoneSmart recommends hypochlorous solution. Members in the US can purchase ACTIVE Antimicrobial Hydrogelthrough BoneSmart at a discount. Similar products should be available in the UK and other countries.

2. Control discomfort:
rest
elevate
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)

3. Do what you want to do BUT
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.

4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these
BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy

5. At week 4 and after you should follow this
Activity progression for THRs

The recovery articles
Pain management and the pain chart
Healing: how long does it take?
Chart representation of THR recovery
Dislocation risk and 90 degree rule
Energy drain for THRs
Pain and swelling control: elevation is the key
Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

BIG TIP: Hips actually don't need any exercise to get better. They do a pretty good job of it all on their own if given half a chance. Trouble is, people don't give them a chance and end up with all sorts of aches and pains and sore spots. All they need is the best therapy which is walking and even then not to excess.

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery. While members may create as many threads as they like in a majority of BoneSmart's forums, we ask that each member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice.

 

[Hip4life]

@msart You are very early on in a recovery that can take up to a year or more. That doesn't mean you won't be back to most of your activities fairly soon. Just that most of us continued to notice subtle improvements as that time went on. Those soft tissues were traumatized and it will take them a while to completely heal. The hardest part of this recovery seems to be having the patience to allow your body to properly heal. This is especially true if you've been, and continue to want to be, very active.

You might find that you continue to have random pains that move around for a few more weeks or more. You are addressing them well with the ice and pain relievers. The other part of the equation is to evaluate if the pain comes on in conjunction with increase in activity. Whether you like it or not, your hip is in total control of its recovery. If you do more than what it's ready for, it's going to let you know it. Unfortunately, it is usually not at the time but the next day. You want to avoid the dreaded ODIC (over-did-it club.) Lol. Joining this club usually results in a modification of activities, rest, and ice. Slow and steady wins this race.

As in the above guidelines, sleep is the other elusive part of the recovery process. Finally getting to a comfortable position and getting some solid sleep is a major accomplishment. I swore by my body pillow (and still do, to my husband's chagrin.) It will return bit by bit. Give in to the nap if you need to.

All of this to say that what you are experiencing is normal. If at any time your pain is persistent or getting worse, by all means, consult your surgeon. Otherwise, it should all even out in time and you will get back to feeling like you again. Except without that terrible joint pain. The key is to give it that time. It really is not that long in the grand scheme of things when you figure what you get for that investment. We're here for you because we've been there. I'm glad you found us. It's nice to have a place where you can get all the niggles answered. Blessings.

 

[mendogal]

This is what I've come to think of as the Great Structural Reset.

Our arthritis-affected weight bearing joint, over time, creates a lot of structural changes as the body tries to compensate. Some muscles and tendons lengthen and stretch while their counterparts contract and tighten. This can happen slowly and below our level of consciousness even as these forces start tugging at bones, skewing our pelvis, our posture, our gait.

All at once in surgery everything is essentially reset by the surgeon. Part of recovering from a hip or knee replacement, besides the actual healing, is a re-modeling of our structure to adapt to our new improved structure.

 

[Layla]

Anyone else having post leg pain

Yes, everyone does to varying degrees. This is normal after the controlled trauma of major surgery.
Recovery takes time and patience, meds on schedule, rest and lots of icing and elevating. We'll be here for support anytime you need us. Thanks for joining us!

September 9, 2024 has been noted as your surgery date. If that's incorrect, let us know and we will edit accordingly. Also, please identify which hip was replaced and we will add that info to your signature also. Thanks in advance. I hope you have a peaceful week.

 

[msart]

Sept 9, 2024 surgery date on my left hip. Had a complete hip replacement. I am so happy to have found this group. Glad to have people to talk to that understand what your going through, truly!!!

 

[Eman85]

Not what you want to hear but 4 weeks is early on. Don't try too hard to find the things you can't or shouldn't do yet, that will just prolong the recovery. We were all active and couldn't wait to be active again but this surgery has it's own timeline. Most think all of the pain and difficulty is because of the implant. The recovery and all of the pain and limitations of this is all about trauma to the soft tissue from the dislocation. If you were active you understand that pulled muscles take time to heal and don't take well to being strained.

 

[mendogal]

 

[luvcats]

4 weeks is still super early. Patience seems like a horrible answer, but it's the only one.
As @mendogal points out, you've been active, but a lot of your muscles have become strong in a not-optimal way, because of how we move with arthritic joints and a lot of pain. It's hard to wait, but it will take time for things to rebalance.
I, for example, have a horrible limp from using a cane for 2 years. Even now that my right hip is great and healing very well, the rest of my muscles don't remember how to move without limping. It's quite annoying, but slowly getting better.
Just don't push yourself. It's way too early. That is an express pass to the ODIC (over-did-it club).

 

[msart]

Today is week 5. I have been out to lunch twice-was SO nice to get out & visit like I used to. I am finding myself very very careful & looking at everything doors, chairs, curbs… etc. I do not want to go through this again. I am extremely sore & exhausted after each outing, however so good for my mind, as I live alone with my dog .

Nights are still an issue, dr increased my gabapentin. I am sleeping better, no great, but better. I find it easier to go back to sleep now after using restroom. I do feel I am urinating a lot, but I have been drinking tons of water. I see my dr next week for lab & see if my mind anemia has gone away. Then the next week X-rays. I have not driven yet, as I’m still so uneasy on my feet & easily exhausted. Hoping all this is normal. Any input is greatly appreciated.

 

[msart]

This is what I've come to think of as the Great Structural Reset.

Our arthritis-affected weight bearing joint, over time, creates a lot of structural changes as the body tries to compensate. Some muscles and tendons lengthen and stretch while their counterparts contract and tighten. This can happen slowly and below our level of consciousness even as these forces start tugging at bones, skewing our pelvis, our posture, our gait.

All at once in surgery everything is essentially reset by the surgeon. Part of recovering from a hip or knee replacement, besides the actual healing, is a re-modeling of our structure to adapt to our new improved structure.

Thank you! Good point made on arthritis.

 

[mendogal]

Yep, sounds like a continuing good recovery, including the uneasy on feet and easily exhausted parts.
Because no organs (colon, heart, whatever) were involved, somehow we forget this is still Major Surgery and on a cellular level all our energy is being grabbed for the work of healing.

 

[msart]

Yes!! It is major surgery!! And I forgot to mention at the beginning of this, I had to have TWO SURGERIES in 3 days time. Plus my RA. So this recovery has been very challenging for me. Plus I was in another state when my hip broke. Talk about challenging!!! But I’m hopeful. Trying to keep moving & not let myself get depressed. I even got outside & enjoyed some sunshine today. Thankfully we have beautiful weather right now here. I am so happy to have found this group

 

[myglasshalffull]

msmart,
I'm so aware of my surroundings now just like you mentioned in your post, doors, stairs, dip in sidewalk, potential areas that we can trip...yes, once this occurs (I slipped on ice), we now check out each & every possible "danger" in our day.

 

[benne68]

I forgot to mention at the beginning of this, I had to have TWO SURGERIES in 3 days time.

Oh my goodness! What was your other surgery? Was it also on your hip?

 

[msart]

Yes!! The surgeon misplaced the cone-or whatever it is called, where the ball inserts by 35 degrees. So another surgery that Monday. The first pic is the last surgery, the second is the first.

Right now, I am having butt pain. And it appears to me my butt if flattened. There is still swelling. I just hope everything is ok in there. I have an xray the 28th.

 

[myglasshalffull]

You will feel like you are sitting on a ball for a few months. Sitting for any length of time can be challenging in the early days.

 

[benne68]

Right now, I am having butt pain.

This is completely normal. We all experience it to varying degrees and at different times in our recovery -- but it's especially troublesome during the early weeks. I found that I needed a foam pad under me and even then, couldn't sit for long.

It does get better, but it takes time.

 

[msart]

Thank you!! Week FIVE has been a turning point for me. So excited. I can finally feel & see some progress here.

 

[msart]

I felt almost normal the past weekend, was very active & feel like I’m not paying for it. Muscles are sore & achy. Rested today & it seems to have made it worse. New pains though-so maybe good? Thinking maybe moved some new muscles that have not been in past 6 weeks. I go for lab in am, I was anemic in hospital & had to receive blood they have been monitoring since I got out. I’ve been borderline, but increasing. Xrays next week. I’m hoping I can work it up to drive this week. Surgeon said off pain meds & self sufficient, whatever that means. lol. I am off pain meds-