Tired Hips at 7 Months post-op (bi-lat)

[bb]

 ??? Playing basketball again but end up very stiff and hips feel very, very tired.  Makes me limp around a bit.  Not really in any pain, but just very stiff and hips feel like I just ran 10 miles.

Anyone else this far along with a similar experience?

Thanks - bb  ;D

[bothdone]

I had my left hip done in 2004 and my right in March 2008.    Since November 2008 I've been getting back into running and am currently doing about 12 miles a week.      At times both my hips get a bit stiff but I put it down to using the big muscles around the hips.     I find stretching helps.   I had a long hot bath last night and both hips feel fine now.  As I sit here typing I can't feel any tightness or discomfort at all.    Ask me again after my treadmill session this afternoon !

I would imagine basketball would really work your hips hard with lots of twisting and changing direction.   No doubt you are aware of that and are being careful like I am with my running.

Best wishes

Ed

[Todd]

BB,

I am the K-6 bb coordinator in my town, and coach my kids teams too.  I had to give up playing a few years ago as I couldn't take 3 consecutive strides without pain.  Couldn't shuffle on defense without falling over, let alone jump.  How does it feel to hit the hard court again? That is the one thing I miss the most is getting up and down the court and competing again, so I'm really interested in hearing your progress.  Keep at it.  There are few activities that use such a wide range of muscles and test that hip as quick reaction hardcourt activities (hoops and raquetball).  I'm almost 4 weeks post op on my left hip, and I'll be doing my right later this spring, so I've got some time to wait yet.  I'll just have to live vicariously through your hoop stories for now.

[bb]

Thanks Todd - My Dr Nurse emailed me, in response to the subject question, need to keep strengthening and stretching ... which I already knew.  I was getting progressively tighter and tighter as my arthritis got worse.  So, I guess I really need to keep stretching aggressively.  Also need to lose about 25 lbs so I don't wear out my hips, ha, ha .... sigh.

After you get this hip fixed will you be able to play again?  I think I'm going to avoid playing for a couple of months and focus on stretching and strengthening ... which means I'll be off the court for a week.

Hang in their, it does get better and better.  I had my hips done a week apart, kind of which I had waited like you did.  Funny story, on day after surgery Dr Mont came in as I had just stood for the first time.  He said, everything went great, hey I can do your other hip in 2 days rather than waiting the week.   I was like ... (thinking to myself) ... "are you out of your mind! :-[".  Lucky for me, I was having my Achilles tendon fixed right after the left hip, so he had to wait the full week ... close one :D

Cheers - Ben

[Todd]

Ben, I sure plan on playing again--in an old guy sort of way.  I catch myself at my 5th grade daughter's practice demonstrating things, forgetting that my leg can't quite keep up with the rest of my body yet.  So, I'm on the court already...  I can't imagine having them both done so close together.  There is no way I would have been as confident in working the new hip and pushing it if I didn't have my other leg to depend on. It's been nice to focus on just one leg and to have the other as a reference point in ROM and strength.  Some of the PT exercises I had to perform with my good leg so I could understand what my leg was supposed to do--It's amazing what muscles have been unused and compensated for for so long to aleviate the joint pain.