Hemi-Arthroplasty Week 5 post op

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RDL520

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Broke my right femur March 3 surgery that evening for a partial hip replacement
Not much complications from the surgery but muscle is still weak but PT is working on it
Transitioning from the walker to a cane today. How long does it take to return to normal? Or just without needing a cane for balance? . My right leg is longer than the left side. Is this normal
 
@RDL520 Welcome to BoneSmart! Sorry about that nasty break!
How long does it take to return to normal?
This is kind of like asking how long is a piece of string. Each and every recovery is different. What seems impossible one day is very easy the next. The best method is slow and steady. Don't push with PT. You'll get there!
My right leg is longer than the left side. Is this normal
Most new hippies feel this leg length difference. But the good news is that in most cases this feeling just disappears. Here's an article about it from our Library Leg length differential - LLD

I'll leave you with some more reading. These are our official recovery articles. Feel free to come back and ask any other questions. We are here to help!
First are the BoneSmart mantras ....
- rest, elevate, ice and take your pain meds by the clock
- if it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physiotherapist - to do it to you
- if your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again
- if you won't die if it's not done, don't do it
- never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lie down, never stay awake when you can go to sleep!
- be active as much as you need to be but not more than is necessary, meaning so much that you end up being in pain, exhausted or desperate to sit down or lay down!

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
Activity progression for THRs
Home physio (PT)
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?
 
Hello @RDL520
What I found was that "normal" creeps up on you! I suddenly realised that i had crossed the kitchen without a stick/cane, suddenly realised I had gone up three steps with out thinking about it, got in to bed without carefully positioning my self, walking round a supermarket without propping myself up on a trolley and then bigger and bigger things. I also found that there were developments and then a plateau of about a week and in this week I would feel nothing was ever going to get better!

The not using a cane for me was about a six week process. It was intermittent. (Different for every one) I was told it is best to keep using it to stop myself limping and it is true that the body makes it clear when not needed. At six weeks I felt tall and straight (never thought I would get there) after doing only therapy in the pool - none on land!

Best wishes for the next stage of your recovery

Karen
 
RDL, I was walking without assistance and without a limp by four weeks. Most everyone gets used to the leg length difference and it becomes the new 'normal'. One day at about eight weeks I found myself at the top of the stairs having realized that I didn't use my arms. Like Karen suggests, it just kind of sneaks up on you.
 
Recovering from a 'partial' hip after a fracture is very different from recovering from a total hip. That's because your situation was complicated by the trauma of a fall and then of sudden and unexpected surgery. One the plus side, you're younger than the average 'nof' patient (neck of femur) and more with it too. So your recovery should be better as you'll be more engaged with it. I usually advise THR members that they don't really need to do exercises after surgery, just walking. But this is not true of a nof. You DO need exercises and guidance from good PTs as well.

Good luck with your recovery. If there is any information you need, please say so. We are here to help.
 
Here it is now week 8 and I am walking with a cane but only to keep my posture and even gait PT continues and they are working on my thigh muscles


I tried working out with a recumbent exercycle and started to get strange feeling in my hip. My PT said not to use this type of equipment
 
Listen to that hip. It will let you know very quickly if you are doing the wrong thing. Sounds like you are making good progress. Long may it continue!
 
Some advice: hips actually don't need much 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.
 
After my hip fracture, I found the recumbent stationary bike not to be very helpful. The upright bike worked a lot better for me. It's important to ease into that or any new activity. It's easy to overdo and you don't always realize that until it's too late.

Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk
 
I have sore muscles in my upper thigh (above the hip joint) Am I walking too much or not enough? I am still using the cane for posture. I thought this would help my recovery and gait. Should I ween off of the cane? I can walk with out it but I limp. Is it better to walk straight or let my body adjust?
 
I am still using the cane for posture. I thought this would help my recovery and gait. Should I wean off of the cane? I can walk with out it but I limp. Is it better to walk straight or let my body adjust?
Don't walk with a limp, better to use a cane. You will know when you can manage without it as you will start forgetting it and wondering where you left it! That's a good cue to being able to manage without it.
I have sore muscles in my upper thigh (above the hip joint) Am I walking too much or not enough?
Can't really answer this without knowing how much you are walking! But if you are aching then my guess is probably too much. At 10 weeks you should be 'weaning off' the exercises!

So I'm going to ask you some questions and it would be very helpful if you would answer each one individually - numbered as I have done - in as much detail as you can then I'll come back as see where you are ....

1. what are your pain levels right now? (remember the 1-10 scale: 1 = no pain and 10 = the worst you can imagine. And don't compare this with the bone-on-bone pain you had before surgery!
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)
Also don't forget to include other forms of pain such as soreness, burning, stabbing, throbbing, aching, swelling and stiffness

2. what pain medications have you been prescribed, how much are you taking (in mg please) and how often?

3. what is your activity level? What do you do in the way of housework, cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc., and

4. what kind of PT exercises and exercises at home are you doing? How much and how often? (and detailed details would be appreciated, please! **Reps, sets and sessions** and all that)

** If you're not familiar with this, it goes like so:
1 lift of your leg = 1 rep (repetition)
5 reps and then a brief rest = 1 set
5 sets and finishing = 1 session.
 
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