So im a 35 year old male, pretty active before this with jiu jitsu but after a decade of pain ive slowed all activities, no longer able to run or do long walks. After hesitating to do a bilateral for years i finally made the jump last week. Wasnt looking forward to getting both done at the same time but i also didnt want to go through recovery twice.
I live in Atlanta so I decided on Dr. Gross, bc he has a stellar reputation and he was fairly close.
im almost 1 week out from my second hip surgery and man im going through an emotional roller coaster. Depression already nipping at my heals, Im having issues with my appetite at the moment and its very difficult for me to walk on my walker very far without getting exhausted.
I dont have much to go off of but they say i should be able to walk a mile at 6 weeks, man it just doesnt seem possible at this time, i cant walk a single step without my walker at this point, hell its hard to stand for more than a minute on my own weight, the thought of walking is so far away. I guess i need to have faith.
Anyone that had bilateral hips, can they reference me for how the progress went, week by week up until the 6 week mark? My hips feel so weak and loose at this point its hard to see anything in my head.
Any words are appreciated as i would describe myself as feeling full of fear and anxiety at the moment, its a strange thing to wake up crippled and unable to take care of yourself all of a sudden but im looking forward to my recovery and feel blessed i live in a time where there are solutions to the things my body failed me at such a young age.
Hi
1 week post op is very early in your recovery. Everyone heals differently and many feel upset emotionally or even depressed. This is very natural.
You need to give yourself some slack - you just had bilateral surgery. Your legs will feel like blocks of cement and things are going to take time to start feeling better. Most people don't walk without a walking aid for sometimes 4 to 6 weeks. Some even longer. You can't wish your body to heal any faster than it wants to. Sometimes athletes heal very slowly and sometimes fast.
We are all different. It is not unusual to be on an emotional roller coaster. I have a number of articles about healing, slow healing and the emotional effect major surgery can have on a person.
http://surfacehippy.info/pats-corner-everyone-recovers-at-a-different-rate/ (http://surfacehippy.info/pats-corner-everyone-recovers-at-a-different-rate/)
Please understand that you are very young and you should not be in the situation of needing 2 hips - but you did. Hang in there. You will get better. Healing is also not a straight line. It is often 2 steps forward and 1 back.
You will most likely feel much better in a few weeks. You just have to sit back and give your body time. Don't be discouraged!!!! The amazing thing is that long after your heal - you hardly remember the crud you are experiencing now.
Your energy is the last thing to gain back. Don't expect it to happen in 2 weeks. You will be surprised that at some point things will change and you will feel much better.
Try to keep the faith, find something interesting to do while you heal. It will come. There are thousands of us who have been where you are. We understand - but know things will be better with time.
Pat
Hey Surrat, I'm a fellow Dr. Gross Bilat. As Pat said, a week out from bilateral is really, really early. Hang in there and be patient. I know that's a hard thing to do, especially hearing about some people's quick recoveries here. You're VERY early in your recovery and have lots of time for improvement.
I was very fortunate and able to get up and around for short distances soon after surgery but was still very weak and unsteady on my feet. What sounds very familiar is the exhaustion... A trip down the hall for a bathroom trip was enough to require a nap! Expect the exhaustion to continue but improve...
Rest up and I'm confident you will see huge improvement in the coming weeks. Good luck!
Awesome guys! Yeah im feeling much better about things the past couple of days, just settling into the long term mentality. Trying to accept where i am and appreciate the small victories. Ive noticed im able to stand longer already. This morning i made grits, eggs, and bacon using a stool and standing, lol i was exhausted by the end of it though.
thanks for the words guys, i read about super quick recoveries here and it seems so far away so Im just going to embrace my path and let that be that, just a certain amount of uncertainty and faith involved in all of this
Glad you're feeling better!
It IS a roller coaster, you'll have good days and bad. Just try to be patient and relax about the whole thing and enjoy those small victories, of which there will be plenty. I know it sounds a little crazy at this point in your recovery, but in a few months you'll look back and be blown away by how the time flew by and by how great you're feeling.
Good luck!
Jeremy, Quig is right. A few months from now, you will feel a lot different. Patience my friend, patience.
quig....I see you are a bilateral with Dr. Gross as well. How much were you trying to walk at th1 1.5-2 week mark? Wednesday will be 2 weeks since my first hip surgery. Mainly Ive just been doing the recommended exercises and walking using my walker only when I need to do stuff like eat or go to the bathroom etc. Im not actually trying to force more walking. I just wonder at what point I need to start trying to walk more. I keep testing it to see if i can walk unassisted but it isnt possible yet I still need the bracing of the walker. [/size]The general sense Ive gotten from reading is at this point I should be resting.... Im just wondering at what point do I start to try to walk more?
" I went off the crutches probably on probably day 10 or so. Everyone's different. I don't know if my continued sporting activities and weight training right up until the days before the surgeries helped in this regard. For me, all the weakness/instability went away on both hips right around day 10."[/size]
See I read stuff like this.....this was taken from Joe CA on his post about his bilateral. I cannot relate to his recovery at all. Im at 11 days now and i cant come close to moving around without crutches. My hips still feel incredibly weak and not stable at all when not bracing myself. I know everyone is different but when i read stories like this it confuses and discourages me.
Hey Surratt,
I don't recall how much I was walking at that point. I do remember doing trips around the block a couple times a day early on. I was off the crutches very early.
Well before my surgery I talked with a friend who was a year out from Bilateral with Dr. Su. He is a top level athlete and encouraged me use the 4 months I had before surgery to "get into the best shape of my life". As painful as it was, I did. I KILLED MYSELF in the gym for those 4 months and rode my mountain bike a lot. I was doing weighted lunges a week before surgery (incredibly painful). I think my friend's suggestion was invaluable and paid off an incredible amount.
At this point I think you need to focus on the small victories and little pieces of progress you're no doubt having. It's VERY early and everyone recovers at a different rate and we all went into surgery in different states of physical fitness. It's very hard to suggest how much activity you should be undertaking as too much is probably a bigger problem than not enough this early on. You're 11 days out from getting TWO new hips! That's a very big deal! Keep your chin up and relax... the progress WILL come.
was able to take my first steps today without the use of a walker! only a few lol but it wasnt possible up until this point. Walking with the walker is much smoother as well. I can feel my hip clunking or shifting as im standing but i was told that was normal. Im getting excited about recovery and time is passing quickly. The 6 week mark will be fun when i can start swimming and hitting the exercise bike etc. Im almost at 2 weeks so time is flying.
Yeah! That's the spirit! Time does fly....
I REALLY enjoyed the pool early on, I was in the water as soon as I was allowed. It's a weird feeling, as it really shows which muscles are weak but I feel like it was really helpful.
Keep up the good work. The progress will come.
Hi surratt
I thought that I would share my story to balance out your discouragement in reading some of the miracle healers.
I am a full time athlete; skiing, windsurfing, surfing, tennis at least 4 to 6 hours a day. I thought that I was going to breeze right through the initial recovery in record time; nope. I took me five weeks of attempts and failures to finally get off crutches and move to a cane for another week.Those first few weeks were challenging physically and mentally. Getting in the pool and on the exercise bike after about five weeks was awesome. After my slow start, fast forward to skiing aggressively in challenging conditions at six months, and still going at full speed in all my sports 10 years later. I would say that it took me about 2 years to feel that I was fully recovered. So, a slow start does not have any relationship to where you will end up, so sit back and enjoy the ride at whatever pace it takes. The long term results are worth it.
Don't worry about the clunking. I had plenty of that at first, it gradually went away. I still notice a very subtle slip/clunk when stretching occasionally, but it is tiny and irrelavant.
Awesome...thanks for your words man. I was also in great shape beforehand and very active so i had high expectations. Im doing better by the day and settling into the recovery. I think in the beginning there is so much uncertainty involved it sort of freaks you out. Like you i think the 6 week mark will be where things pick up for me and im able to swim and hit the bike at the gym as well as more stretching.
im a pretty busy guy so i was dreading sitting around the house but to my surprise im actually enjoying just chilling for a bit and watching tv and writing.
Hi Surratt,
Another poster here (named catfriend) warned me that it's unfair to yourself to compare your recovery to others; each person's surgery and musculature are unique. Some will improve quicker than others and there doesn't seem to be any clear and objective reasons behind this . Some of us who healed and got off the assistive devices earlier speculated that it could have been due to trying to keep all of our muscles tone, even days prior to our surgeries. It sounds like you, John C and others have also followed this practice and it didn't appear to make a difference. Perhaps there are simply too many variables involved. John C. also (IMHO) correctly advised that your earlier struggles aren't a precursor to a continued slow progression. You might start healing at a quickened pace in the months to come.
It sounds like you are doing much better, which is great. I also hope your spirits have improved, because you are going to be so satisfied with the results. That's the beauty of this surgery. Regardless of the differences in the pace of each recovery, most of us end up fully recovered and content in the long run.
If you're not off the crutches or walker yet, my advice is to try and push walking without these a little bit (as long as there is no pain involved). Take the walker/crutches with you, and attempt to walk a few extra steps. For me, it was like a switch was eventually turned on. My body and mind knew I was okay without the crutches.
Good luck and keep us informed of your progress.
Joe
Yes Im doing much better Joe....a slight setback bc i also had a bad bone spur on my left toe that i wanted to get surgery on early in my hip recovery so i cant walk much for a couple of days so it will heal, But Im feeling better by the day. My hip muscles arent as exhausted as they once were trying to walk.
Tomorrow marks the 2 week mark for both hips, i can walk without any assist but its an unnatural walk and my muscles cant quite properly support it yet so i feel walking with crutches longer distances is appropriate at this point. This time next week ill start trying to walk without total assistance more and pushing it.
Yeah im past comparing recoveries...Im settling into my own recovery and ill push it as much as i feel is appropriate. Its kind of hard to know how much to push and rest considering it sounds like Dr. Gross wants lots of rest. Once this toe heals im going to start going outside more on my crutches and walk around.
lol also I can say that this morning It finally hit me that my actual arthritic hip pain is gone. The surgery pain is to a minimum at this point. The first week the surgery pain and muscle tightness and soreness was so apparent that even though the arthritic pain was gone it was hard to notice or tell....it hit me this morning all of a sudden and i was ecstatic.
Lol the 90 degree rule wasnt a big deal to me bc before surgery i couldnt bend it 90 degrees it was so bad
at what point were you bilateral guys able to sleep on your side or stomachs? Ive actually gotten use to sleeping on my back which i always hated but it will be nice to sleep on my side again. I can get close now but obviously i have to have a pillow in btwn my knees or i cross the centerline and it hurts.... incision pain still a bit too raw to sleep on yet
Great to hear you're feeling better and already making good progress!
Took me quite a while to be able to sleep on my side or stomach (which is how I prefer to sleep). I would guess a good 6 weeks or so? Maybe more. And I remember having to be very careful when turning over. It seems like getting in and out of bed was one of the hassles that lingered a bit too.
I am bilat, about two years out now. Sorry not to post earlier, I was out enjoying my hips, traveling in Eastern Europe, lots of walking and stair climbing every day.
Okay, at two weeks out I was starting to have periods of feeling pretty good. I was experimenting with moving around the house without assistive devices, but was afraid of falling, so sticking near the walls and furniture. I was walking outside with crutches pretty vigorously. That third week we took a long car trip. It was totally manageable, but I did have to be careful about getting too cocky. I think sometime that week I tried going up and down stairs normally and then had a pain in the left hip and so went back to the old style and made myself be more patient. (I was feeling good and just wanted to test my ability.) I still had swelling and most of my discomfort came from that. I remember feeling weak, too, not completely stable and not completely trusting of my hips at first.
I remember those first six weeks just being very very careful. Heck, I was being careful the first six months, investing in solid healing. I think I've mentioned the contrast between me and a friend who had both hips done. I was big on doing whatever I was allowed to do: those post op exercises, walking up to the limit every day. My friend was much more relaxed; she didn't even go out for six weeks. Guess what? She was walking without a limp at six weeks, like a champ, while I still had a little weakness.
Side sleeping? I don't remember. Maybe six weeks? I slept well on my back, much to my husband's dismay because I snore.
I'll add: it sounds like you are doing well. Focus on those daily changes. They will really add up.
Awesome Blinky...ive read your entire thread and post! I can very much relate to your two week experience. Its weird in the last 3-5 days ive gotten so much better its crazy. Im at the two week mark today actually and im able to walk short distances with no assistance, like you said it feels week and unstable but i can do it. No longer getting exhausted or light headed. Im doing lots of pullups and dips as well as forearm exercises for my upper body...band stuff as well. Keeps my mind healthy more than anything i dont like feeling sedentary.
Im not sure how much i should be trying to walk on crutches bc you hear so many people try to push the walking and their results arent much better than the people who chilled. So im trying to find a middle ground, make sure i gou outside on crutches every day to move my muscles around but not try to kill myself. From what ive gathered its all about letting your body heal itself this first 6 weeks.
Taxicab confession...i shouldnt have but i drove yesterday bc i had to make a quick trip. Prolly not the best idea at 2 weeks bilateral but i used 2 feet and it felt fine. It was a short distance and it did feel good to get out of the house but my girl was pissed when i told her that lol.
Thank you for all the words and input guys its a huge help
little update...tomorrow will be the three week mark for my first hip. Man Im feeling great, i just got done crutching outside about .6 mile. Im putting less and less weight on the crutches at this point...i could have walked alot further than .6 but im trying to not go crazy and gradually build up. Not really experiencing a ton of soreness afterwords either.
My exercises they gave me are boring as hell at this point. Im doing lots of pullups dips and forearms exercises to try to keep my upper body in decent shape. Im breaking that 90 degree rule wayyyyyyy too much lol. Not terrible but sometimes my feet itch or something and i reach past. I cant wait for the 90 degree thing to be over. What is the danger of that anyway? Is it dislocation or just tearing muscles?
Im walking alot around the house not using my crutches...its a super gimpy and very slow walk but its nice to be able to carry stuff without making 50 trips.
Similar to blinky i think at about the 5 week mark ill head to the gym and start trying to swim and hitting the sauna that I miss so much. My 6 week check up Im going to drive up to see Dr.Gross , man i cant wait for that.
Also I know im not suppose to and my girl gets pissed but i drive to the store and do small trips. the way my pedals are setup i dont have to lift my leg to change pedals i can just pivot on my heal or drive with 2 feet.
probably not the best idea but i dont feel my driving ability is hampered, but i do keep driving to a minimum.
Im eating good food but im simply eating too much! Sitting around the house all day i just munch too often. I was 182 before surgery... 3-4 days post surgery i was 200 pounds from all the swelling and now 3 weeks later im at 185-186 and its hard to keep my weight under control. At the 6 week mark with swimming and using the elliptical and bike it will be easier to keep the weight down.
anyway thanks guys for the words and getting me past that first 10 days full of uncertainty...it feels like smooth sailing from here
anyone ever experience lower back pain and stiffness during the first 6 weeks. i have no issues as far as my back health but i feel like being unable to stretch my hamstrings and back due to the 90 degree rule have left my lower back a bit tight. i just started doing a couple of stretches that may help but i cant wait until week 6 where i can start stretching more and doing more exercise.
I have an inversion table i use as well that gives me lots of relief but im not using it the first 6 weeks. Ill discuss it with Dr. Gross at the 6 week mark but im willing to bet he says leave the inversion table alone until the 6 month mark.
Also my walk without crutches is way better... I use no assistance around the house now but i do notice im still going side to side to compensate for hip weakness and ive noticed me oblique side muscles are sore from that.... walk is slowly getting better though
Hi surratt. I am willing to bet that your low back is doing its job right now, which is too protect your hip area by keeping you stiff and somewhat immobilized in the surrounding area. Our bodies evolved for tens of thousands of years before the invention of casts and splints to protect an injuries area while it heals. Our bodies do this by making the area around an injury stiff and sore enough that we don't do anything stupid and overdo it. I would suspect that as your body heals, it will ease up on the stiffness and soreness around the area, including your low back, so that you can start moving and regaining motion again. The rehab process is constantly treading a line between letting the pain and stiffness protect the area from further injury, and finding subtle movements that are safe and beneficial. It sounds like you are doing a great job with that so far.
Hmmm, I didn't think of myself as having lower back issues until pretty far out, like a year and a half out. My observant PT, however, pointed out that my SI joint was weak and noisy on one side about six months out and she worked to fix that.
I did notice some strange lower ab weakness a year out when I discovered I couldn't do some lower ab exercises like mountain climbers very well. (Two years out I can do them.) Maybe that's part of what you feel? Some subtle ab weaknesses? Hip flexors and psoas are traumatized by the surgery and by the time you spent compensating with a bum hip, too.
The real lower back stiffness and weakness I didn't feel until I was doing a lot of walking and standing (of all things). When H and I were exploring new cities, walking everywhere, going to museums, standing and staring at exhibits, at the end of the day my back would be very stiff. This was as recently as a year and a half post op. That has gone away, too.
I'll agree not to push too hard this early. Let yourself heal. Yes, do keep a list of weaknesses and watch how they improve or don't improve. Some stuff goes away on its own, some new stuff pops up when you think you are fine. You can ask Dr Gross about them at your check ups. At three-four weeks, I wouldn't worry about lower back stiffness.
(Something to look forward to: I was so excited to bend over at six weeks. I envisioned myself sitting on the floor and picking things up off the floor with ease. Ha! I was still stiff and weak. Yeah, I could do it, but it wasn't pretty. Lee had to coach me on getting down on the floor.)
yeah i think you guys are right....i actually feel a bit better today just doing those stretches. Also not being able to do any ab exercises likely contributes. Over the years ive found that hamstring flexibility has alot to do with lower back stiffness and like John said the body compensates in ways when things arent working right so its really not that big of a deal. But im super excited to hit that 6 week mark so i will be able to attack this more with exercise and stretching.
Ive got one little stubborn scab that is keeping me from getting in the pool. It is the size of a dime and taking forever to fall off. It feels healed underneath so i think im going to pull that badboy off and apply bactroban, hopefully it will be ready at the 5 week mark for the pool. (will be at 4 weeks on friday)
I know you arent suppose to pull scabs but i read that sometimes they can actually slow the healing process and it can be appropriate to remove it. At 3-4 weeks out i feel its pretty healed under it. Im ready to start swimming next week so Im going for it.
As far as walking...I crutched 1.4 miles yesterday and .2 was without crutches. Not really sore after it either or super tired. So my goal is to be able to walk a mile without crutches at the 6 week mark so I made a chart where every day I add .1 mile to my over all walk until i get to 2 miles then i add .1 every other day to my walk without crutches. The idea being i slowly get to walking 1 mile at the 6 week mark.
Lol if you reference my earlier posts I didnt see how i could possibly walk a mile at 6 weeks but things are healing very fast at this point and now it seems very reasonable.
Hey Surratt - I was in there with you for PT class, got my left hip done the same day you did your first surgery. My wife and I were thinking of you and it's good to see the progress. I'm 4 weeks tomorrow and it's been up and down but generally moving in the right direction. At 3.5 weeks for no apparent reason I started "clunking" and could feel some movement so may post to the "clunking" thread to see what others' experiences have been.
Dr. Gross's office says it's totally normal and the implant hasn't moved, so I'm trusting them. I'm also excited to get in the pool and have one last scab that I'm dying to lose so I can swim!
Hang in there.
Rick! Yeah buddy same here with the clunking and shifting. I felt that as I started moving more as well, but after reading and talking with Nancy everyone has that issue early on just due to a compromised hip capsule and surround muscle. Mine is actually getting better and from what I read its gone for most people after a couple of months which makes sense.
I dont know about you but that first week or so was rough as hell lol. Im glad I did both at the same time though bc the worst is over now at almost 4 weeks. I would be in the pool already but my left hip still has a little scab left so im going to wait a bit longer.
Keep me updated as to how you are doing, its nice to stay in touch with someone who is literally going through the exact same thing I am at the same time.
Just a note on clunking; I had a fair amount of it in the first few weeks, and at the time it was hard not to be concerned. Dr Gross and Lee both assured me that it was common and normal, and that it would go away with time. As usual, they were right. In my case it did not magically disappear overnight, but was a gradual process. It was much less after six weeks, only during certain movements or stretches for the first year or so, and now only happens very rarely with certain stretches. To quote Dr Gross; "It must go away, because patients stop talking about it after awhile".
In my experience there were two variations. In the beginning I think that the muscles and joint capsule do not do their job of keeping the two articular surfaces in constant contact, so they separate and "clunk" back together until the muscles and capsule heal enough to regain constant contact. The other clunk is a much more subtle feeling that takes longer to go away; it feels like the two surfaces make a very tiny slip against each other and "clunk" into a new contact point. I think that it is because the metal surfaces are not quite as perfectly frictionless as a natural hip, so the two metal parts sometimes bind slightly before sliding into a new position against each other. It is very subtle, rarely happens, and is definitely not a problem.
At week 4 Im able to walk about .3 without stopping using no crutches, ill finish up the walk with crutches at around 1.5 miles. Im still limping and compensating without crutching, Im wondering with you bilaterals that had them done at the same time, at what week did you notice your limp had diminished?
Also im finally able to go swim this Tuesday so im excited....im wondering also if leg extensions and curls are a good idea at week 4-5. its not putting any stress on my hip so i dont see how it could hurt.
going to get my first swim in tomorrow...any tips on what type of workouts to do or what type of swimming is best for someone 4-5 weeks out like myself?
also im trying not to worry about it seeing as though its week 4 but my right side I noticeably feel more pain in when walking, a sharp type of pain thats hard to pinpoint. Im limping more on that side and I have to compensate in the walk. The pain was worse in that side from day 1 as well. I may be pushing too hard bc i feel an ache type of pain after my walks so im going to rest it a day or two. Just wondering if anyone experienced that in a bilateral
That's funny, my right leg feels worse, too. It did from the beginning. Lefty was more messed up, so once it was fixed the relief was amazing and a huge contrast. Righty was messed up, but shouted down by the left leg, so I really didn't notice it. I wouldn't worry if they don't feel the same, but do let your poor right leg have a break. The slower leg will set the pace.
Swimming! At last! For your first swim, start modestly. I think I swam 400m of free, then did some pulling, maybe some pool walking. As I recall, my legs felt pretty alien at first, much to my surprise. But the swimming came back quickly.
The harder part was the logistics! I had to think how to change clothes by myself and how to get into the pool. I brought the grabber and wore easy to change out of clothes. Thankfully, the head of the gym offered to help me if necessary. I didn't need her help, but she popped her head in to be sure I was okay. Do you need to go up and down a ladder? That may be more awkward than you think. Since you can't bend 90 degrees yet, just pulling up on the side is not allowed.
I think you can do it. Bring your sense of humor and be ready to improvise. You will feel so much more normal once you can swim.
lol yeah im pretty sure a ladder is the only way out I didnt even think of that. Im breaking the 90 rule more often than I should at the 4-5 weeks. I dont go far past it but I do break it.
I miss the sauna so much too so i cant wait. Cant go today bc we got snowed out!
Yep its funny bc my left hip was the worst preop now the right hip is the one lagging behind. Im sure the left leg is laughing at the right.
little update for people wanting to reference what 5 weeks in on a bilateral is like. I am no longer using the crutches or walker around the house at all. My right hip muscle is weaker than the left and i limp still as im walking compensating but i can walk at a fairly normal speed. Lol Im still cheating at the grocery store with the scooter bc its fun but Ill likely quit that this week.
Im driving every day now going to the gym and even though you are suppose to wait 6 weeks I feel fine. Im not the best swimmer so i get tired after just a few laps but it feels great to push my heart rate for the first time in 5 weeks. I sauna 15-20 minutes a day and do side walks and stuff in the pool. Im also lifting weights again but I avoid any exercise where im placing extra weight on my hips, so mainly machines and stuff but it feels great. Also they tell you not to do sit ups but im doing crunches on the crunch machine bc it doesnt stress my hip area. Also Im doing 20 minutes of the bicycle a day making sure to set it so I dont break 90 degrees and at no resistance, just to move my joint around and legs.
Ive gained 5-7 pounds just sitting around, ive been eating healthy food just too much, around 2200 plus calories a day so i cut back and now the exercise is helping me check it.
Im doing my 6 week check up driving back to SC soon and Im excited so I can start stretching more and try to see if I can do the ellipitcal but im guessing that will be hard at this point.
Im ecstatic with my progress although I was anxious in the beginning but things are going great an Im ready for the next stage
I’m very interested to hear what Dr Gross and Lee Webb say about your exuberance, and training routine. Please share their insights.
I commend you for the enthusiasm and the desire and fully understand your apprehension to weight gain and inactivity. I chastise you on setting expectations for others as everyone is different on listening to their body and what’s the hurry syndrome. Some people have different pain thresholds than others and cautious approaches seem to be the advice of many on this forum.
For sure, reading all of the different stories on here for sure, everyone is different. Some people do little to nothing some do too much and Im not sure where Im falling in there. Maybe Im doing too much? I feel great and I dont feel like Im stressing my hip in any way so Im trying to just listen to my body and go off of what Ive read people doing on this forum. I did start hitting the bike 1 week earlier than Dr. Gross recommends but like i said im not breaking the 90 degree rule and its no resistance. Other than that Im not breaking any of the 6 week rules. Last time I spoke with Nancy she said just to follow the basic guidelines and listen to your body, as far as lifting weights, Im not actually lifting anything, everything is light and high reps and on machines as to protect my hip.
Packman Ill run all this by Nancy again and see what she thinks, what are you seeing in your opinion that you think i need to back off of as an experienced Dr. Gross patient?
Drove up to Columbia to see Dr. Gross for my 6 week check up. Everything is good and Im cleared to start the second phase of recovery which is exciting. I had a huge list of questions of things i can and cant do and as always he was more than willing to just chat with me for like 20 minutes. To sum it up he basically said use common sense and listen to your body and push it at a rate you are comfortable with. I told him about my inversion table and he said just wait until the 6 month mark. Honestly I think it would be fine to go half way down which still gets a good stretch, I may try that and just wait 6 months to go fully inverted.
At week 5 I started doing the stairmaster and bike at the gym as well as swimming, Ill also be adding the elliptical. Today i did 15 minute low resistance on the bike and 6 minutes on the stairmaster and 6 on elliptical. Im also swimming, so ill be doing a combination of these for the next 4 months or so for cardio and increasing resistance as I go.
I specifically wanted to know about body weight squats which he said were fine just dont go deep. He also said its fine to do box squats with light weight and gradually work the weight up. Leg press the same, just dont go deep. Dont go deep is the running theme, but its exciting that I can slowly start building leg strength back. Also he I wanted to know about hyper extension and low back raises, he said that was fine.
He said there is no risk of hip dislocation as long as the legs are straight so hamsring stretching is fine, ill be trying to get my flexibility back in my ham strings which also helps with lower back stiffness. My goal is to be able to touch my head to my knees again, Im a long ways off from that so Ill just keep stretching every day.
Doing those leg lifts to the side are the hardest, those muscles are very weak. I feel those muscles the most when walking, I can physically walk a mile at this point but its hard on those muscles so they need a ton of work.
Im excited to see where I am 6 weeks from now being able to work on those weak leg and hip muscles, also working on my flexibility. People werent lying when they say the time flies, Im sure the next 6 weeks will go even faster.
I downloaded a free app to learn spanish and have been working on my guitar and catching up on shows ive wanted to watch so I actually love the down time. Although Ive gained 6-7 pounds so I need to lose that weight.
Glad you got a good report and also happy that you can expand your range of activities.
Do continue to be cautious. You are going to feel much much better and be tempted to do many stupid things. Don't forget that your femoral neck is vulnerable to fracture and will be more vulnerable at three months than it is now. (in part because you are going to feel so normal...)
Those leg lifts will get easy. It is so funny looking back at how hard they were at six weeks. Walking sideways in the pool will help strengthen those sideways moving muscles.
Looking forward to more good reports!
lol ok so Im not the only one who had difficulty with those leg lifts? The side ones are the hardest especially. Yeah in between sets in the pool I ill walk sideways for those muscles as well
Also are there any stretches or movements that anyone would recommend besides the ones Dr.Gross recommends to get the hips functioning better? Im not working for another 6 weeks so Ive considered getting some professional PT.
this past week or two ive been experiencing pretty bad tailbone pain...so much so that i can no longer relax in the recliner bc it hurts so bad.... its starting to really worry me and gets worse the more i sit. Im assuming the recovery period that I spent mostly in the recliner put too much pressure on that area but i really have no clue. The pain is terrible today after a 6 hour drive I made.
Anyone experience tailbone pain like this from maybe too much sitting?
lol im pretty much talking to myself lately on this thread but ill keep posting in the case that maybe it helps someone who had the same questions or concerns that I did.
The tailbone pain came from my recliner for sure and putting pressure on one spot. I did some exercises and stretches as well as iced it alot and took hot epsom salt baths. I also bought a donut pillow to sit on so after a week of treating it aggressively with those things its getting a lot better.
Im at week 10 almost, Im able to do body weight squats but Im still feeling a consistent clunking so im not going to add weight yet, im just sticking with side steps with bands, leg extensions, curls and lower back lifts. Hopefully in the next month i can but a little weight on the smith machine and do some box squats. Ive been working on my flexibility so i can touch my toes now and put on my shoes pretty easy thank god, but bending down still feels odd. Im concerned about the clunking and shifting, i guess its getting a bit better but it prolly does it 100 times a day moving around and stuff so that makes me anxious.
lol and i weigh 193, i went into surgery 183, i havent been eating bad but never the less i put on weight so Im going strict keto until i get my weight back down bc im starting to look chubby.
I'm listening!
Are you walking? Getting outside? Getting in the pool?
I think the tailbone story just shows there are all kinds of little surprises.
I think a lot of people just read and don't comment much. There are hundreds of people that are not members, so they can't post but they read the stories. I have had many people email me commenting or sending a personal story and mention that they read the posts all the time, but they don't care to post.
So even though you feel alone, there are a lot of eyes watching your story and comments.
Hang in there. Week 10 is early in your recovery. Many people have a little break through at 6 weeks, but we are all different in our problems and pains. Just be patient and things will work out. Don't be too aggressive, you will have plenty of time to be active this summer. We can't make our bodies heal faster than its own timeline. When it hurts - don't do it. Give yourself time to heal. You can't go by other people's stories.
Good Luck. I look forward to your future posts on your recovery.
Pat
Quote from: blinky on February 19, 2018, 09:31:45 PM
I'm listening!
Are you walking? Getting outside? Getting in the pool?
I think the tailbone story just shows there are all kinds of little surprises.
yes im swimming, walking about 1.5 miles a day, then doing the stairmaster and elliptical machine.
Quote from: Pat Walter on February 20, 2018, 08:29:45 AM
I think a lot of people just read and don't comment much. There are hundreds of people that are not members, so they can't post but they read the stories. I have had many people email me commenting or sending a personal story and mention that they read the posts all the time, but they don't care to post.
So even though you feel alone, there are a lot of eyes watching your story and comments.
Hang in there. Week 10 is early in your recovery. Many people have a little break through at 6 weeks, but we are all different in our problems and pains. Just be patient and things will work out. Don't be too aggressive, you will have plenty of time to be active this summer. We can't make our bodies heal faster than its own timeline. When it hurts - don't do it. Give yourself time to heal. You can't go by other people's stories.
Good Luck. I look forward to your future posts on your recovery.
Pat
good point, before I signed up i was reading here for a good while and never posted
I also still had clunking and shifting at 10 weeks. It will gradually decrease over time, and should be mostly gone by six months. Clunking is long gone for me, but I will still feel an occasional minor shifting feeling which has no affects on my activities or sports. As good as the lubrication is, the metal interface is not quite as frictionless as lubricated cartilage which is sometimes likened to the slickness of oiled ice.
I feel it the most now when doing hamstring stretches, bending over to touch my toes.....I just wonder if im doing damage or something doing these muscular and tendon stretches that create this clunk. Im not even sure what is happening inside me causing that sensation but in my head it feel like I may be causing wear on that metal to metal surface, not sure if I should be worried about that or not.
Few setbacks in my recovery...ive been walking a ton as well as 25 minutes of elliptical a day. Probably 4 miles of walking. May have overdone it bc the last week ive experienced some groin or possibly psoas pain that isnt terrible but i feel that walking only makes it worse. Ive been dreading it but im going to take a few days off and see if its get better and just stretch.
Im religious about stretching at this point, im spending 1.5 hours a day stretching putting lots of emphasis on my psoas, hamstrings, and quads. I couldnt even touch my toes after surgery i was so tight, my goal is to be able to touch my head to my knees again like i could years ago. Hopefully i can obtain that goal by summer and when i start doing jiu jitsu again. My psoas is still very tight so hopefully ill see improvement there as well.
Back to work! This is about 3.5 months or so after surgery an Im a technician for lexus so its around 5-7 miles of walking a day and lifting heavy things like tires and batteries. I feel incredible, everyone comments on how smooth I walk now and how i look taller! I guess my posture is better or something. I almost had to bend over slightly to reduce pain when my hips were bad. Its quite incredible to have come all this way considering how helpless I was in the beginning but the time passed so quickly. I feel great at work though, way better than i did before the surgery, my body quickly adapted to all that walking and lifting is not an issue.
I ordered a program on stretching and mobility of the psoas and it helped bigtime, im still stretching and strengthening everything religiously and enjoying the improvements. I feel like at 6 months ill almost all the way there as far as recovery. Its only 3.5 months so Im not suppose to run bc my femur is still healing but it feels like I could at this point. I tried it out for just 20 feet and it made me so happy bc there was no pain at all vs before the surgery I couldnt run period. Im excited as hell for the 6 month mark to start jogging a few times a week again.
I almost postponed this surgery until next year and I thank god I didnt bc now the worst is over and at 3 months im better off than I was before the surgery and I still have alot of healing and improving left to do. I will say that my hip is still clunking around mainly when i do a certain squat or hamstring stretch but its getting better. I was able to do my first unnasisted parallel body weight squat a few weeks ago so im getting stronger, lunges are still difficult but im building strength. The weighted leg lifts are fairly easy for me now but I still do them along with other things.
I know Dr. Gross says PT isnt nescessary but I think a measured approach is beneficial, strengthening, stretching and mobility emphasis will only improve healing in a conservative way IMO. I ran everything i was doing by the nurse and they said its fine just listen to your body if there is any pain which I did. My psoas and groin area had issues alot of it from before the surgery but after working hard on it for a month i noticed real results. Id recommend everyone work that area consistently.
Ive also lost all the fat I gained, went on a keto style diet just ate more protein than is usual on a keto. Took lots of collagen and gelatin as well to hopefully aid my bone healing.
Wow, that's great news. I'm at just over 5 weeks post-op, so your recovery is inspirational. Enjoy all that pain-free activity!
Hang in there...it starts getting way better after 6 weeks. Im excited for the 6 month mark where i can get back into jiu jitsu and also jogging/biking. Its weird I feel younger or something, maybe its just my subconscious or something but with those arthritic hips if made me feel as though i was older mentally bc of my pain and limited mobility. Now that the pain is gone I just feel more youthful.
https://youtu.be/L_bFOPBT1nI
first day back to jiu jitsu after almost 7 months....feels great to be back on the mats!
Hey surat, congratulations on getting back on the mat. Your video would make an incredible advertisement for hip strength and flexibility after resurfacing. I can remember back to your early posts when you were very concerned, and seeing you now is a wonderful reinforcement of what is possible. Well Done!!
lol I know man its crazy to think of the various stages of progression and doubt that came along with it...pretty surreal to be back on the mats again
Wow! That was amazing!
I hear ya about feeling younger. There is a spring in my step and I am braver about trying new things, even non physical things. This is how I am supposed to feel!