Well I picked up a wabble cushion the other day for £5 in TK Max. I've started using it and wow it's hard work! It really really works the hip stabilisers. I defiantly recomend getting one!
Ok, so what is a wabble cushion?
It's an inflatable cushion that you stand on (I do it with one leg.) it works your stabiliser muscles. Think there's various variations on the theme. Like the bosa ball. It's basicly a piece of kit that works all the small vital muscles
If you google wobble cushion it brings loads up
I used it in PT, first without any other objects involved, then used it holding a soccer ball and doing figure 8's while balancing. Eventually my PT wanted to throw a heavy ball at me, but I thought hippy bowling was a bit much and demurred.
I stood on mine the other day with cane to stabilize - I think it's a bit soon for day 26 but will check with my PT next week.
Yeah personally for me day 26 would have been too soon!
I started at about 3 weeks. I think the stabilizer muscles maybe aren't quite ready early on.
My PT says that the whole idea of instability (light un-expected changes in balance) greatly rebuilds the brain-muscle connections. I have to agree. So not only are you building muscles to strengthen the hip, you're also rebuilding snappy and unconcious responsiveness to changes in balance. That will help greatly when not wearing rubbery slippers in the shower. We don't need anyone falling around here with a new hip. ;)
Yeah mind muscle conection your right. Yeah I think I'll get one of those rubber mats for the shower.
I used one recently when referred to the hospital gym for some physio aimed at helping relieve the OA pain.
Of all the exercises I did, this thing helped the most.
I definitely felt stronger after a few sessions and will be investing in one myself post op.
My physio said it was very common for people to lose confidence in their balance very quickly as you try and protect yourself mentally from falling.
Great investment Mike! They can be had off the interweb for around £10. Your appointment with Mr Treacy must be comming up soon?
April is all I have so far-I'm looking every day now for a likely looking envelope dropping on the doormat giving me a date. The sooner the better,Danny.
Once he's seen you and decided to operate the process is pretty fast. I think his average waiting list for the op was around 8-9 weeks when I had mine. I just took the first slot that came up!