1. Community
  2. Operations and surgical procedures
  3. Hip Replacement

Waddling!!!!

Posted , 13 users are following.

kim89222
kim89222

I'm nearly 9 weeks post op and I am waddling like a duck, I do my excersises and its getting no better, The physio said i waws to carry on with the excersises I was doing as I had added some from when I had brusitis. Has anyone else had this problem? All help would be greatly accepted. I can walk with one crutch no problem but I'm not quite confident enough to use a cane yet. I feel as if I'm letting the side down sad

Hugs to all 

Kim

1 like, 15 replies

15 Replies

  • brendahis
    brendahis kim89222

    Posted

    Hi Kim,

    I was same as you. I stayed with a crutch because someone advised me it was more secure than a walking stick /cane (the crutch holds your arm). I used it till 4 mths p.o. I'm now 6 mths p.o. and it is only last 3 wks I am feeling back to normal. Still got swollen ankle which is worse when I walk to much. Don't rush it. Your body will do it in its own time.

    Brenda xx

  • elaine23679
    elaine23679 kim89222

    Posted

    I am appraching 8 weeks and still waddle.... and I am using 2 crutches when outside.   Indoors I am trying to walk without any aid... and concentrate on using my knees like a normal walker would. 

    ​Have gone from being a Penguin to Orangutan, and now waddling or my husband sings Wombles of Wimbledon, as I walk across the room.

    ​You are not letting anyone down... we all get to the end result at our bodies time.  Do not give up....

    ​I get frustrated but then reflect on what I was like before the op... Pain, unable to do any walking.. now Pain nearly gone only op healing pain.... and I am getting out and about walking.  

     

  • Lindyloudee
    Lindyloudee kim89222

    Posted

    Eeek! Know what you mean and you are not letting anyone down.

    I waddle because I don't feel confident but zi keep trying heel of foot followed by ball of foot and hold my head up when walking. Give it a try. Good luck

  • sue48675
    sue48675 kim89222

    Posted

    I too am still waddling, it's made me depressed as I thought I would be back to normal after 12 weeks po. My physio says I've got to strengthen my glutes, so keep doing the exercises, but it's quite painful sometimes. It's nice to know I'm not the only one who waddles lol. Keep up the exercises.

  • Mollyjr
    Mollyjr kim89222

    Posted

    I am 7-1/2 weeks po. Sometimes when I feel myself waddling, I try to stand straight and walk heel to toe. I feel that helps. 
  • Polly2016
    Polly2016 kim89222

    Posted

    I am 9  weeks post op and still waddling a bit when I get up from sitting. This may help but have a look at the way your feet are positioned. After I had my right hip replaced I noticed that my foot turned outwards. I now make sure when I am walking to make sure my foot is straight and not turned out. A good exercise as well is when you are standing doing knee bends make sure your knees are going over your number two toes (next to the big toe) and not turning inwards. My ITB problem has improved as well.This really does help. Hope this makes sense. It would be interesting to hear anyone else's thoughts on this.

    • linda38528
      linda38528 Polly2016

      Posted

      This all resonates with things my physio has said too.

      How many times have we heard - our-bodies-are-different-we-all-have-our-own-pace-of-recovery-don't-fret!

      And of course it's true - but we all have some innate competitive edge -whether with others or some version of ourselves (likely 20 years younger too) and of course, stripped of many of the responsibilities and tasks in which we take pride, we want better, dan it better at walking and mosteoporosis any thing else!

      My experience with hip #1 (with other hip limping alongside) wasn't great. And I used the walker (Rollator for some of you) fr quite a while on the advice of my physiotherapist. She believes that it helped me to slow down and practice what several here talk about: walking slowly through heel and toe and trying to land through the middle to outer toes. She also had me look carefully at my alignment of knees and toes as Polly describes.

      I got pretty decent at much of this (even with one still punky hip).

      Now I am going on 3 weeks post my 2nd hip and I am really itching to practice this all, but I am partial weight-bearing for another three weeks (Linda D - I don't know how you kept sane with no weight-bearing for 6 weeks). I find it very hard (okay ... not to be coy, impossible) to employ these same techniques while trying to channel my weight through my arms and hands and walker).

      Hhhmmm .. thinking I hear murmurs of that P******* word ... and I am starting to have the same visceral reaction to it as the S*** word if used in any weather report prior to November 1st!

      Well .. thats enough of a rant for our Thanksgiving holiday - time to stuff the turkey! I wish you and yours a beautiful day with so much to be thankful for .. including the company of this lovely forum.

      L

    • Polly2016
      Polly2016 linda38528

      Posted

      Good luck with your recovery. Sounds like you have a lot of patience. :o)
    • linda38528
      linda38528 Polly2016

      Posted

      There is that word again (shuddering, next thing you know that white stuff will start falling)!

      Thanks Polly. I hope Thanksgiving dinner here does not derail me too much - I usually waddle a bit more the following day.

      Good luck with your recovery.

      PS. - did you even know that you had an IT band prior to this surgery. I continue to be astonished at how much new knowledge I am acquiring about my body through this journey.

      Hugs,

      L

  • junegro
    junegro kim89222

    Posted

    Hi Kim I am near 10 weeks post op LTHR and I got severe bursitis in the operated leg knee and it hurts like hell.  They gave me a cortione shot and that did not help.  Had a bone scan and it showed the knee is shot and full of  osteoarthritis, funny never had a problem with that knee before surgery.  Now he told me to coool down the exercises a bit but I am going back to phsio for heat and tens machine and see if that works, but I can hardly walk at times.  The hip feels great but my knee got messed up in the process.  Guess the osteo was there but it never botherd me.  I know it mean a new knee in the future but I had 2 surgeries this year and yes I am waddling.. Godd Luck

    Hugs June

  • Canada_Hippy
    Canada_Hippy kim89222

    Posted

    My surgeon told me that the most important exercise to reduce and eliminate waddling is side leg raises. He said even if you only do this one exercise, it really works.

    Stand next to chair or counter touching your unoperated side to the chair. Lift your operated leg out sideways and hold for count of 5. Do a set of 10 twice a day.

    You are not allowed to do this before 4 weeks post op.

    • lyn1951
      lyn1951 Canada_Hippy

      Posted

      Canada - That is one of the exercises they showed me when i first stood up, in the hospital exercise room, explained to me, even if you can only move the ankle say 4 inches from the other ankle, thats all we require for now, and not until it hurts, but just until you feel the pull, by day two was able to move maybe 8 inches, than every day improved a little more, interesting the differences.

      Also had me doing - stand on good leg and reach straight back, with operated leg, they were shocked at just how far i could rotate my operated leg straight back behind me, I think I scared physio's with fear of dis-location, but I was delighted, had real problems with walking gait because I had not been able to get big toe past ankle for many years, spent a fortune on physio for so called tight tendons in legs.

      Only during surgery had my theory been proved correct, that i had dead/damaged bone in the hip joint from accident 30 years previous, and it wasn't tendons, but a boney issue.

  • Rocketman_SG6UK
    Rocketman_SG6UK kim89222

    Posted

    Kim, have you got rid of the pre-operation OA pain .... if so, you are a winner already cheesygrin.   Personally I don't really care if I waddle or limp a bit, it's so much better that pain I had before.  

    It's like when people insist on having anterior surgery over lateral or posterior, what matters is the outcome of the surgery, not where the scar is.  

    If you haven't built up confidence yet, well that's your speed of recovery. we all keep trying to compare ourselves to others,and foret we are all so different in healing rates.

    Try not to let it worry you - easier said than done, I know, I get bouts of depression over my hip.

    Best wishes

    Graham - 🚀💃

  • renee01952
    renee01952 kim89222

    Posted

    hi kim, 

    I know what you mean .... I am many moons post-op from 2 THR surgeries and still waddle at times .... many years of bad posture and walking has ingrained bad habit - to correct this takes a lot of energy and thinking how to walk - I know for myself that I became very rigid, trying to do the steps right - so much to think about - straight posture, yet relaxed in the shoulders, soft knees, take step heel to toe, ....your body needs to find her balance - we just want to go forward !

    it is so challenging, isn't it ?

    don't worry too much about it - use the crutch for as long as you need it - 

    you are doing great, darling - 

    big warm hug

    renee

     

    • kim89222
      kim89222 renee01952

      Posted

      Thank you Renee

      I don't know what I'd do without you, your replies are always warm and encouraging, that hug feels like a real one xxx

      Returning the hug 💜💜💜

      Kim

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.