Post Op

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Having thr next week.  Concerned about post op restrictions.

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  • Posted

    Hi Synergy in what respect are you concerned with the restrictions, give us a bit more info and we can respond appropriately. Good luck with the op,
    • Posted

      I had a knee replacement three years ago and I was not restricted with regards to bending and sitting.  I’m confused about the correct angle to bend at, etc and for how long.  Basically I’m getting very nervous about being confined to certain positions.
  • Posted

    Hello! I,too ,was very worried about post op restrictions.The big one for me has been not bending past 90 degrees.My reaching stick, grabbers, and long handled shoe horn are my good friends,Doctors are different in what they tell you. Have you talked to anyone in the office yet? If not, you probably will be told at the hospital. There have been some good posts on here about managing at home.Good Luck!
  • Posted

    You'll have a few days in hospital at first. During that time the PTs and OTs will come and visit you and help get you ready to go home and teach you the exercises you need to do.

    Initially walking will be much more difficult and bending down will be much more difficult. Most people use aids for walking and picking things up.

    Overall recovery takes about 6 months until you're back to normal.

  • Posted

    This forum is full of good advice but the main point is listen to your surgeon. You do not say what type of procedure you are having and recovery/quality of new hip can be dependent on how the surgeon carries out the operation.

    As a guide, for the first week you will be pretty much out of it due to the drugs in your body, lack of sleep and your leg which is probably very swollen. . Your leg will be like a lump of dead meat. You will be sleeping on your back and not very happy with life. You will be wearing TED stockings for around 4 to 6 weeks (until you are up and mobile). These help prevent deep vein thrombosis but are uncomfortable. They need to be changed every few days and you will need someone to put them on you. You will be taking pain killers as well as anti coagulant drugs so expect some constipation. You will be able to get around the house on your crutches and maybe even just one of them. Don't rush it. At all time adhere to the 90 degree rule on the bending of the hip.

    Second week you will be able to move your leg better and be more mobile. You may even be able to sleep on your side with a pillow between the legs. Expect pain from the operation area as both your muscles and skin have been stitched. At 2 weeks, you can have your dressing removed and if the incision has healed nicely, you can have a shower. You will probably be able to stop taking pain killers at this point.

    Third week on is all good. More mobility on your leg, much less pain and you will probably be able to walk for short distances without the crutches. Sleeping is better and there is light at the end of the tunnel.

    Fourth week will see the end of the anti coagulant drugs and hopefully the pain killers so if you had constipation, it will be gone soon. You will probably be able to get in and out of the bath using a step but still be careful not to bend the hip past 90 degrees. If you are mobile, you can get rid of those TED stockings...great relief. They are only for when you are inactive and help prevent DVT. Now you have to restrain yourself and not push too hard.

    Sixth week and it's the surgeons review. At this point he will push and pull your leg around, put it in positions you could not achieve before and give you the advanced set of exercises. If you drive and are doing well, he will give the OK to drive. Walking is the best exercise but if you can, swimming and cycling are also good. (No golf under any circumstances) Welcome back to the real world  and you can enjoy life again.

    This is only a guide based on mine and others on this forum but it does give you an idea of what will happen. Hope it helps

     

    • Posted

      Wow thank you for all of that.  Bummed about no golf!  JK LOL
  • Posted

    Dear Synergy

    It is easy to be influenced by the experience of others so please bear in mind that when someone posts what to expect it is usually based only on THEIR own experience and that can differ hugely from  person to person!   I had a hip replacement twenty years ago and made a very rapid recovery, walked out of hospital needing only one stick for support, was walking a mile or so within a couple of days of being home on rough county tracks and back to office work in about a week and driving a low manual car in three weeks.   I did no exercises apart from walking and do not recall having to take any precautions but obviously I should have!

    Please be aware that this is not the norm and perhaps this is as good as it gets. I've very recently had a revision because over twenty years I wore out the poly cup and my recovery although pretty quick was not as quick as when I was 55 but has been no less good......so far!    

    Listen to your body, do the exercises as strong muscles will safeguard the hip and help to avoid a dislocation and observe the twisting and bending advice.  Use BOTH crutches until your muscles are strong enough for you to walk well with a good gait and no limping.  

    I had the posterior approach both times and favour this as it gives the surgeon as much space as is needed to do their work with the minimum of fuss and struggling and able to see exactly what they are doing.   In both cases the scar disappeared quickly.  Very important to use a surgeon with a good track record of doing hip replacements.

    Good luck, Richard

     

    • Posted

      Forgot to say that within a day or so of being home I no longer needed crutches.   Push yourself but not too hard, only you will be really able to deturmine this of course and if you have pains ease up for a day or so.   Being a non smoker helps recovery.

      Cheers, Richard

    • Posted

      I know you do not mean it Richard, but your opening paragraph is a bit insulting.

      Synergy1 asked for information on post op restrictions and all anyone can do is give their experiences.

      Most of the replies (except yours) were exactly that, advice based on their experiences as to restrictions on post op movements. No one was trying to influence Synergy1, just answering the OPs question.

    • Posted

      Dear Tony

      I'm very surprised that you should feel my reply had anything in it that was insulting.  I apologise to anyone who felt as you did and would be interested in knowing what you found offensive.  I replied to the OP based on two hip surgeries and hoped that it might be helpful as just another viewpoint.

      All the best, Richard

    • Posted

      Hi Tony

      Now play nicely boys 😆. Richards comment wasn't 'offensive'.....ie directed towards anybody. If you read his many responses you will see he often says that recovery is different for everyone and whilst we can relate our own experience maybe we need to emphasise that it differs for everybody. All too often on here we see people posting that they are angry, depressed or concerned that their recovery isn't where they think it should be. Their perception is usually based on the recovery of others.

      All we can all do is offer support and advice if applicable.

      Sandra

    • Posted

      Insulting?  You have to be kidding  Richard was on target. Everyone heals differently. A lot depends on the approach, age and health. 
    • Posted

      Everyone advice is appreciated.  I haven taken something from everyone’s post.  Thank you.
  • Posted

    As the others say check with the professionals re restrictions. I went for my signing off with the Physiotherapy team after four weeks and asked about the 90 degree rule being lifted. They looked at my notes and said I did not have any restrictions anyway and could have been touching my toes if I wanted. I had assumed the 90 degree rule from what I read on this forum but it obviously does not apply to everyone. I had had a lateral posterior incision and assumed that meant restrictions, I was wrong! 

    I was worried silly about coming home and managing. I think the best gadget I had which was given by the hospital was a length of material knotted together for lifting my leg into bed. It was brilliant. I also found that I was able to walk much better than before my op when I could only totter about the place with a lot of pain. I must admit I did not even bother with a stick let alone crutches in the house as it is a small Victorian cottage. I just furniture surfed. 

    I was was allowed to shower in hospital except there was only one bathroom with a shower and I always seemed to arrive when someone else was there apart from my last day! I had a separate shower at home rather than one over the bath which helped. 

    I had to take anti coagulants for five weeks and was given a load of pain killers to come home with including Tramadol. I only took paracetamol which seemed to work fine and had virtually no pain. 

    • Posted

      Dear Ptolemy

      Your information about anti coagulants reminds me that my being on blood thinning tablets for several years following my total ankle replacement meant that the nurses said that I did not need those horrible injections when I had the hip revision earlier this year which was a huge relief to me!!    I SUSPECT that being on these blood thinning tablets was the reason for the much greater degree of bruising which slowed down my muscle recovery by quite a bit.

      Cheers, Richard

       

    • Posted

      Dear Richard, I am on steroids which also seem to love bruises. I got very bruised on my lower leg during the operation. You must have been pleased not to need blood thinners. I had rivaroxaban. One of the new type. My sister was reading the data sheet on side effects and number one was death, the side effects for two, three and four made you think that death was probably preferable!! 
    • Posted

      Dear Ptolemy.

      That's interesting information, thanks. I was horrified at the degree of bruising that I had. On the day of the surgery although I was up and about the ward and corridor with the Zimmer frame it was not what I had hoped for when compared to twenty years previously..

      The next day on crutches I did the stairs test and made the one hundred yard trip back very well but then the muscles simple could not cope which rather shocked me.

      The following day I went home but thanks to the passenger ambulance driver I was thrown into the floor and apart from being additionally bruised suffered a cracked pelvis!

      Three days later my revised hip suffered a dislocation but it was an out and in job so I was fortunate not to have an additional revision!

      Good luck everyone here.

      Cheers Richard

    • Posted

      Dear Richard, what a terrible saga. I do hope you are recovering OK. I was talking to an orthopaedic surgeon friend a couple of days ago and he said he always had masses of sheepskins to protect the patient. I think they also use that memory foam nowadays too. I had a spinal with no sedation and do not remember seeing any sheepskin around although I may be maligning them. 
    • Posted

      Dear Ptolemy

      Thanks yes I've made a good recovery though because of the fall and cracked pelvis I was instructed by my surgeon to stay put and not be weight bearing for five weeks. That was more than frustrating because just before the hip wore out I was due to have my total ankle replacement revised and that had to be put on hold and I'm now back on the list for that.

      Cheers Richard

    • Posted

      Dear Richard, what a nightmare. I cannot imagine not being weight bearing, particularly as I am rubbish with crutches. 
    • Posted

      Dear Ptolemy

      Yes it was soooo frustrating just basically having to lie on my bed cooped up in my bedroom all those weeks when I just wanted to get going so that I could then have the ankle revision done which was giving increasing concern due to osteolylis destroying the bone in my TAR leg.  All I could do was very mild exercises, read and watch TV.  Trying to move around a very small bedroom on crutches was very fraught but at least the bathroom and the shower was just feet away.

      Cheers, Richard

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