4 weeks post op dr says i shouldnt need pain meds

O mon Dieu I am still on tramadol one year after.    Painkillers are part of life and a necessity after THR. hope a member of his family has need some time soon. Or go see a vet. Would he tell a diabetic to get off the insulin. Duuh...

Sorry you are experiencing so much pain, however 4 weeks is still very early days.  I was still taking painkillers on a regular basis until 8 weeks and even now have to take a dose every now and again.  I'm now nearly 11 weeks post revision of right THR and am still using a walking stick.  I can do a few steps unaided but that's all.  Everyone is different but don't beat yourself up because you are still needing painkillers and walking aids.  Your hip has had major surgery and needs a lot of time to heal.  Your dr sounds like a pratt (English for idiot!) - he should experience the same op and see how he feels at 4 weeks (I'm assuming he's a he!).  As everyone on here says, you should keep on top of the pain and not play catch up, do your exercises and rest as much as you need to as well.  You should be sleeping on your back for 6 weeks before even trying to lie on your operated side and then you have to have a pillow between your knees to stop your legs from crossing over in your sleep. 

Keep calm and take it steady and you will get there in the end. 

Thinking of you.

Stella x

Actually your doctor is correct.

You should start to ease off your meds.

When I was 4 weeks post op, i eased off my meds and just popped 2 per day rather than 4 per day. I know its painful, but we need to have some of the pain as an indication not to overdo the exercises. When we use meds is to block the pain, so we no longer feel the pain but yet, we don't realize the damage we're doing to our operated leg with the pain mechanism alerting us we're in pain. So that will let you know its resting time. You should be sitting on a high chair with arms on each side. Before you sit you must extend your operated leg outward don't bend.

You cannot bend over use a reacher to lift objects off the floor.

You cannot sit more than 45 minutes, lay down and relax.

Your entire recovery consist of more rest, exercise everyday, less pain and less meds.

Don't be afraid to do the exercise as your physio suggest, follow his or her instructions to the letter, you will get better everyday you exercise.

In fact, at 4 weeks you should be resting your operated leg no matter what.

If you don't then your recovery period will be longer than expected and may not recover properly. Following doctors orders is what i do, today four months post op i am feeling great with my new hip.