8 weeks today put hospital. limp !?

Hi,

You are only 8 weeks out, so I wouldn't worry about it too much.  The healing process can take anywhere from 12-18 months.  When you put that into persective, you'll see that you are still at the very early stages and there is a lot you will still have to go through.  The good news is that you've been through the worst of it, and it should see some improvement each week. 

Keep up with the physio, don't overdo things, use ice packs each day to help reduce swelling and discomfort, rest as much as possible, and try to be patient.  You still have a long way to go before you'll feel normal again.  Healing takes time and its something that you can't rush.

Best wishes as you continue to recover

You're doing very well indeed. I'm 12 weeks today and still limping but otherwise doing well. I still use a stick on longer walks outside and managed to get back on my battery powered bicycle yesterday. Great sense of freedom. I'm just 71 and also fairly fit and active pre surgery - sometimes I wish I'd not had the surgery but each day I improve makes me glad I did. Keep up the good work - we've still got a way to go

Dear Bernie

We'll done however the fact that you are still limping and your leg feels heavy tells me that you need to continue with the crutches until you are able to walk normally without one of them. Also if you have pain continue taking pain meds.

I stopped using one crutch too soon and things really improved after I had returned to using one whilst my muscles built up straight and I was walking with a good even and steady gait with a normal stride length.

Please try it for a minimum of a week and let us know how it goes. It almost goes without saying that doing your exercises is vital to your recovery however boring!

Good luck

Richard

Hello Bernie. I'm sorry to say I'm going on 11 months and still limp. Like you I wish I hadn't bothered if still going to be the same. I had rhr back in July, 3 weeks 2 days later I'm having a total hip revision due to dislocation. 6 weeks non weight bearing no exercises or hip flexion past 80 degrees. I'm also battling nerve pain and sensitivity in my thigh. It's been very disheartening and has me depressed. Are you exercising? Physical therapy? I know for me that part of the limping is extremely weak hip muscles, before and more so after surgery. I'm seeing improvements in the limping. Of course I have always limped but compensated with leaning toward the right now having lower back issues. Give yourself some time and do your exercises. Improvements will come, sometimes not as fast as we hope for! Some of us heal faster than others....but it does come. Wishing you all the best and God's blessings for a speedy recovery and healing. 🤗🤠 Linda

My recovery went much like yours and at 8 weeks I still have a limp when walking. My physical therapist says it is because the muscles have not strengthened enough yet and it is normal. My surgeon said that it will probably go away in the next month or two depending on how much exercise I do. He said the hip will heal itself with normal activity, it will just take longer. If I want quicker results I need to do more rehab. I am 70 and have never been real active, I am trying but it is going slowly. Sometimes the hip replacement makes the surgical leg feel longer for awhile too. Mine feels that way, but again my surgeon says that is very normal at this stage. There is a lot of internal healing taking place for several months and all of that normally goes away. I have a lot of faith in my surgeon, he fixed my daughter's hip in an auto accident and she recovered quickly and well. He did my friends knee and hip and has now done my knee and hip. I had just went through 11 months of recovery for my LFKR, which was much tougher then the hip recovery thus far. Being less flexible and able to do all your usual activities can cause some depression. I know as I got very depressed during my knee recovery. I still have some knee stiffness because the knee requires movement or it stiffens up. The hip surgery has stiffened my knee because I am not moving as much but my surgeon assures me all will be well as the hip gets stronger and I move more. My hip surgery went very well, almost no pain but it is weak from the muscles and tendons being cut. They will all heal in time and I expect it to give me no problems. The horrible hip pain I had before surgery is gone and that alone is worth all of the rest. Good luck with your recovery. Just give it some time, just because you can walk without the crutch does not mean all the inside muscles and tendons are totally healed. It takes about a year for everything to get back how it should be. With my knee, I was waiting until it felt about back to normal before I would do my hip. That was 11 months. I was walking fine much soone, but still was tiring easily and having days my knee felt stiff and foreign. Between the 10th and 11th month was when I finally stopped remembering it was a replaced knee every time I took a step. It started feeling like my normal knee and I was not tiring as quickly when doing things. I felt back to normal. I expect the hip will go much the same. I would not worry about the limp unless you still have it after six months or so. Regards,

Peg