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3 weeks post op

Posted , 8 users are following.

douggiefox
douggiefox

Good morning

I'm 46 & 3 weeks post op THR on left side. Just had the night from hell and unable to sleep. Got up, made coffee and took paracetamol.

Generally recovery has been good. The operation was a breeze, staples removed at 2 weeks. I can walk with 1 crutch now.

My question is about exercise. I've had very little advice. The physio support has been non-existent. I've done the exercises from the book they give you post op but they're really no challenge - I'm not being dismissive - there seems little guidance on what to do next. I can feel my frustration building :-)

Good luck all with recovery. Enjoyed reading these threads.

1 like, 14 replies

14 Replies

  • jason42777
    jason42777 douggiefox

    Posted

    Mornin douggie, i would be careful bout pushing to hard to soon, keep up the exercises regularly, give. Your muscles chance to really recover, i am 46 and had superpath( no muscles cut) and read my posts on setback and under @super&£)€# kneepain last week i was able to walkaround without aid but now thigh sore both sides and strugling a bit with one crutch. Think i pushed just too much!sad . Atb Jay.

  • ann19982
    ann19982 douggiefox

    Posted

    Reading these threads I do not understand the differences in physio advice. I went NHS by choice as the post op care was standard with 2 physio sessions daily and built round evidence gathered from pre op occupational therapy. None of this was available had I gone privately. Yes I could have resourced it myself. Although the exercises in the book do not look challenging one must remember there is a lot of unseen healing taking place. You being younger than the average hippie candidate will of course recover more quickly and may be ready for extra exercises. Can you book a private physio session? I intend to ask about this at my 8 week check as being a keen photographer who specialises in things in the undergrowth I want to be sure about bending and kneeling. Hope this is of some help

  • Lama22
    Lama22 douggiefox

    Posted

    Hi

    Glad to hear you are recovering well.

    I find using the bottom stair step to do step ups good. Good leg first for 20 then bad leg first for 20. Often need to use rail when bad leg first as that's harder.

    Walking good, as much as you can. Static cycling if you have an exercise bike?

    Someone might have a link to more exercises, I'm fortunate that I get 6 Physio sessions post op.

    Not sure if this helps but good luck with it all

    Barbara

  • douggiefox
    douggiefox

    Posted

    Hi

    I'm not sure what super path means?

    The operation and consultant side of things I really can't fault.

    1st day after op physios came once to try and get me out of bed. Low blood pressure meant they put me straight back.

    Second day no one came to get me up.

    Third day I was up at 7, walking the stairs at 8 and home by midday. Since then I've been pretty much left to it.

    Seems odd after all the positives about rapid recovery. I was expecting the exercise regime and follow up to be key.

    Physio appointment next week - at 4 weeks post op.

    Paul

    • jason42777
      jason42777 douggiefox

      Posted

      Superpath is a minimally invasive operation (3.5 inch icision) no muscle is cut it is tissue sparing to make revision easier , the joint is not dislocated, rehab much shorter( suposedly) been done in usa for a several years now, here in uk for a year. In the states, they dont have 90 deg rule and they have got it so some patients walk out of hospital a day or so after op with no aids. Tho i suspect only a fewsmile i know my hip is fine but muscles have been wrenched apart and i was walking with different gait before surgery so now get quite alot of thigh and knee pain, which i hope will settle ( was bad first thing this mornin but now can walk round house and garden no aids- im 5 weeks monday).
  • stephen95303
    stephen95303 douggiefox

    Posted

    Hi Douggie

    Im 31 and am 3 weeks in, I know what you mean about the exercises being easy but I'm happy enough with it, every morning I wake up and it feels a little stronger, i think Ann is right in saying, there is a lot of healing going on that we don't see and it needs time. I'm treating it like learning to drive, it's only when you pass your test you begin to get your own driving style, until then I'm going to do what they say, in 12 weeks I will be able to function my leg without pain, what happens from there is up to me.

    • ann19982
      ann19982 stephen95303

      Posted

      Hello Stephen me too 3 weeks today. I do not have any hip or leg pain but feel the muscle pulling when exercising. No super path for me as my surgeon is old school and believes in traditional techniques. So my muscle was cut. Very happy with outcome to date and following all precautions to the letter. Already I can walk 3 miles with no pain and half of that uphill. I live uphill so no choice. I do rest half way at the moment. At 66 my general health is good and have always walked on a daily basis. Not yet ready to ditch a crutch when outside but find 1 okay at home and taking some steps unaided. My surgeon is held in high esteem in the hip world and I do not want to let him down by taking unecessary risks. So pleased he accepted me as a patient.
    • jason42777
      jason42777 ann19982

      Posted

      Normal operation has been giving excellent results for decades so no reason to change for most surgeonssmile I dont feel too much of a guinepig tho as my surgeon tho quite young has done lots of both traditional and superpath aswell as arthoscopy, the idea behind superpath ( google it to see what it stands forbiggrin is to get quicker rehab and spare tissue damage for revision surgery in hippies who are very likely to need it.

    • catrin46108
      catrin46108 jason42777

      Posted

      Hi Jason. Did you get the superpath in the UK and on the NHS? I wish I had known about it. I had the traditional one on February 27th and am healing well but only 54 and used to being active. At some point I will need my other hip done and would like either an anterior approach or this superpath. How did you find out about it?

      catrin

    • jason42777
      jason42777 catrin46108

      Posted

      Hi Catrin, Yes in uk, yes on nhs.I live in warwickshire, near atherstone, went to docs with thigh pain two years ago, refered me to physio at geoge eliot, disgnosed fai in hip and sent letter to dr to refer me to professor griffin at uhcw coventry. They run a hip preservation clinic trying to treat hips before thr is reqd but my impingement had caused all carylidge to be rubbed away so mr Micheal Cronin did thr on me physio who is part of team said only a few do it in uk yet google Cronin and ask your gp about it , surgery and care fantastic( op done at rugby st cross part of same trust) getting knee n thigh pain/ weakness but improving and not likely to dislocate even if i break the rulessmile in usa they been doing for years and no rules apply, be another year before they drop rules heresmile atb jay
    • catrin46108
      catrin46108 jason42777

      Posted

      Wow. I'm in North west London and tried for four years to get my hip problem resolved. Kept being told to manage it conservatively even though I was getting worse and worse in the end found somewhere my GP would refer me and they were willing to give me a THR but the old fashioned variety only. By then I was worn down and didnt have any energy to argue for less invasive procedure, which they denied existed anyway. 
    • jason42777
      jason42777 catrin46108

      Posted

      Im on bench up the lane at the moment, using phone , when i get back to pc i'll msg you the links if you like. Atb jay

  • Mary8610
    Mary8610 douggiefox

    Posted

    Hi , your experience sounds very much like mine -though I am 60( can't believe I admit to that!)

    i ha: very weak thigh muscles before op so found some exercises from book very diff

    referred to physio on 6 week check up  .

    saw physio week 8 , said my pain , limp was because muscles were still weak . 

    Because I couldn't do the leg lift laying on bed on side he didn't give me any more , 

    going again next week but still find that lift very painful and difficult .

    the limp has almost gone tho .

    i may have to see a physio privately if no joy next week .

    i am 11 weeks now and best exercise has been walking.

    as others have said don't push it , rest is very important.

    good luck

    mary

  • susan57233
    susan57233 douggiefox

    Posted

    I'm 4 weeks post op and find the typical routine exercises I was given are no challenge at all, but, perhaps at early stage recovery their supposed to be boring and routine just to get you loosened up. I found slot of great exercises on YouTube by,touring in hip,replacement exercise. I still do the boring ones just cause but I think for me walking is the best
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