THR Yoga after LTHR?

[lanstan]

Had it done and breezed through the surgery. Day 1-3 on Oxycodone. 3rd day lots of nausea and vomiting but finally took double the zofran and it went away. Walker for 7 days then cane for a week. I only used it for walks for another week. I went to PT 2x week, walked a mile to a mile and a half during the 3-4 weeks. I do easy yoga with precautions, water jogging now. I still have a little limp especially up hill or down hill and I am slow. I have pain about a 2-3 and take either Tylenol or Ibuprofen 2 times a day. I feel like I am just at a standstill and the same level I was at 4 weeks. It is only a dull ache and worse at night. Is this normal. I hear of people walking without pain at 2-3 weeks.

 

[BellaMac]

When was your hip replacement? I am 7 weeks post-op and took things real slow from day 1, nothing on the order of what you have written. More on the order of the BoneSmart weekly schedule. I have not needed Tylenol etc. for a couple weeks, and I kept the cane until I was in no pain walking without it - which has only been a couple days now. I focused on ensuring I was stable and not wincing which I believe creates a limp and unnecessary strain on my new hip. My conservative approach paid off for me because I am walking without a cane, no limp and rejoicing in the fact I have no pain. 7 weeks is hardly sufficient time to heal from this surgery, and I gauge my activity level on what is comfortable to do. I have not read many walking without a walker or cane, and without pain and no limp at 2 to 3 weeks.

 

[lanstan]

I think I over did it and now paying by slow healing. I guess I need to back off and let myself heal more. My surgery was August 3rd

 

[lanstan]

I read your posts and your struggles and felt horrible for even complaining!! You are a saint and I hope you keep on a good recovery!!!

 

[Jaycey]

@lanstan Welcome to BoneSmart and the other side of surgery. Sounds like you need to reset your expectations for this recovery. You are healing from major surgery - not in training. Baby that hip for now and let it heal. Plenty of time for strength training later.

Here are your recovery guidelines:

Hip Recovery: The Guidelines
We are all different, as are the approaches to this recovery and rehab. The key is, “Find what works for YOU.“ Your doctor(s), physiotherapist(s) and BoneSmart are here to help. But you have the final decision as to what approach you use.

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
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 this BoneSmart philosophy for sensible post op therapy
5. Here is a week-by-week guide for Activity progression for THRs
6. Access these pages on the website

Oral And Intravenous Pain Medications​

Wound Closure​

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.

 

[Layla]

Hello and welcome to BoneSmart. I'm happy you joined us. It sounds like you've been going at it pretty ambitiously since almost the beginning.

I have pain about a 2-3 and take either Tylenol or Ibuprofen 2 times a day.

"Pain Is Your Body Asking For Change" I agree with, Jaycey, consider dialing it back a bit. You're in a recovery that can take a full year for some, normally with steady progress along the way. I think if you slow down the pain will ease as you allow your body to slowly heal from the recent trauma it endured.

I still have a little limp especially up hill or down hill and I am slow.

I would expect you are slow at this stage of healing. Please listen to your body, it doesn't want to go any faster AT THIS POINT.

Here’s a tip -
Try heel-toe walking when you're limping.
This involves striking the ground with your heel first, then rolling through your heel to your toe, and pushing out of the step with your toe. It takes a concentrated effort, but I believe you'll notice a difference. Give it a try.

Try taking our advice to dial it back for a couple weeks, at least, and I'm guessing you'll notice a difference as you
began to s-l-o-w-l-y increase activity. Best Wishes!

 

[lanstan]

Thanks for all the tips. I wonder if any of the other THR that are further along that do yoga can tell me how it went and when you could bend more than 90 degrees. I am using chair to get up and down and doing a very gentle yoga but sounds like I should wait. I am 8 weeks now. I have done yoga almost every day for 20 years in a studio I love. I do it for the comradery and the mediation qualities and not just for the poses.

 

[Jaycey]

@lanstan We have many members who went back to yoga post THR. Some poses need to be modified. And if you are still on the 90 degree restriction I would wait until your surgeon releases you.

I've changed your thread title to highlight your question. I'm sure our members will be along to chat with you here.

 

[Eman85]

Understand how a hip can dislocate and modify the moves from there. If you understand Yoga you understand your body and not forcing a stretch.

 

[lanstan]

Thanks for changing the title. I wasnt quite sure how to do it and I am rather new to the thread. I do know my body and proper alignment as I have done it for a long time. I go to the MD on the 3rd of oct and will be 9 weeks. I have read differing times to go past 90degrees. When I went at 4 weeks the provider just told me I could do yoga if I do gentle classes but I dont think they really know what we do in yoga. They didnt give me a time line for when I can go past 90 degrees. I had a lateral approach. I though i would bring a book and tag pages and ask about different poses. I dont plan on doing any really hard poses but it seems like I should be able to slowly do a little bit more all the time. I get down on the floor using the golfers reach and then always use my good leg to bring forward. I hope I can get more out of my provider this next time. Does anyone have any articles or books to recommend for yoga after hip replacement? I live in a small town so the teachers aren't really too knowledgeable about it.

 

[Jaycey]

@lanstan If you had lateral approach you probably have no restrictions. Just work with the class leader and listen to that hip. It will tell you when you have gone too far. I found a very good guide by typing "Yoga after hip replacement" in any search engine. Yoga International have an extensive article on the subject.

 

[benne68]

Hi @lanstan ! I had a hip replacement in 2019 and resumed gentle yoga classes at about 10 weeks post-op. I had to modify a lot at the beginning to feel safe, but have gradually returned to doing most of the practice with the exception of certain twists.

I though i would bring a book and tag pages and ask about different poses.

I think that's a great idea! My surgeon practices yoga, so that made it easy to discuss what to and what not to do.

Notable, he advised me to avoid twists where one leg is crossed over the other, putting the hip in an extremely stressful position that could lead to dislocation. (He actually demonstrated this for me, which was pretty funny since he was wearing a suit at the time! ).

 

[Eman85]

There used to be a chart somewhere on this board showing likelihood of dislocation and how it diminishes over time. The restrictions are obviously advised to prevent putting pressure on the joint in the direction that would cause dislocation which is why posterior has different recommendations than anterior. As far as time goes we all know that we all heal differently so a precise timeline would be hard and the 6 weeks most of us are given is just a general educated guess as the risk is still there.

 

[Mojo333]

Here is the aforementioned chart from our Library.

 

[Going4fun]

The lateral approach surgeons often have very low dislocation rates.

I don't think lateral approach surgeons generally require the 90 degree restrictions. Did your surgeon require that? You would have been told multiple times about that restriction, including loudly when you were leaving the hospital.

 

[Mojo333]

I had anterior approach, no restrictions.
No loud cautions...
However, I chose to err on the side of caution...
listening to my body... not pushing my range of motion as I actually saw my Xrays, understood the amount of soft tissue disturbance and did not want to stress my body and baby my new hips to make sure I wasn't one of the "small percentage" that experienced a complication.

All Temporary... 5 years out from bilateral, I don't regret not being on the list of remarkable recoveries...
My new hips take me on active journeys every day and I am still so grateful.

 

[lanstan]

I thought lateral THR had more restrictions than anterior not less but I am confused at times

 

[Mojo333]

From all I have read, many other approaches... including lateral ...have more restrictions than anterior but I have even read of anterior restrictions that I personally wasn't given by my surgeon.
Fortunately, after the first months... long time recoveries converge irrespective of the approach.
I really think you are lucky to be a practicing yogi...if you can Listen to your Body and not push things...
I had Zero restrictions, and still didn't do things that were counter productive to my healing.

 

[Zoebichon]

I had bilateral dual mobility cups, plus anterior approach, so even less risk of dislocations. But I still listen really carefully to what my new hip joints tell me!

 

[lanstan]

I still need to take Tylenol or advil about two times a day. Is this normal. I have pain/discomfort about 3/4 out of 10 with walking and really have more if trying to put weight on my surgery leg. Again is this normal. I dont have the pre surgery grinding pain so I am happy.