9 weeks post op and walking still limited without crutches

[Jill the hip x2]

I had my second hip resurfaced on 6th November 2012. 
I find I can walk for miles with one crutch but without it I limp after a fairly short while.   My first operated hip and leg (13 years ago) has begun to ache after walking without the stick.
I have tried to ignore it and continue to walk but my gait deteriorates as I go along and I have to stop or use the crutch again.   
I also still have lower back ache from time to time and am not sure what I am doing to cause this. 
After an incredibly fast recovery following my first resurfacing I am feeling deflated and frustrated!!
Anyone else had these problems? ~Am I doing something wrong?

[Ross]

Hi Jill.

Try using your cane.  The crutch made me limp worse.  All those muscle are probably super tight inside your hip and they connect around to the back of your spine.   Get a good massage therapist that has multiple certifications.  None of that massage Envy mubojumbo.  They should be able to rid some of that from your low back.  I was specific told not to let anyone apply deeper pressure around the replacement but your back, butt, IT band, hamstring and quad are all fair game but I had cement less.  Try focusing on the tilt of your pelvis when walking so you don't stick your butt tout but tuck it down and pull your holders up back and then down.  Your mechanics are mixed up probably.  Go see a PT that is good and let. Them watch you.
Ross

[Jill the hip x2]

Thankyou for your reply Ross - I did go and see a PT  - via a Bupa run hospital which cost me a quite a lot for really very little.  The first session which was limited to half hour exactly was just questions about what I'd had done.  The next was just a very tiny massage and then some radio waves were sent into my affected area which I could not feel.  The PT was able to identify a very sensitive area - an 'ouch' area that I nearly took off when she poked it!!  she said that it was my hip around the operated area and not my back that was hurting.  She thought it would settle and sent me away without another appointment. 
I really dont know where to go to find a good PT.  Some days the back is not so bad and sometimes it is awful.  I never know what I have done that is different to cause it.  Laying on my back and sitting are the worst - walking is not so bad so long as I use a stick.....which I hate!!
I will give it a bit longer and then see another physio - If anyone knows a good one within travelling distance of Southend  - please let me know. 
thanks again Ross

[Ross]

Where is Southend?  Who did your surgery?  I have found that lying down with my legs Indian style and letting them fall has been loosening my back and also lying flat on my stomach and bringing my heal to my butt.  My surgeon Dr Gross who I love to death said something interesting to me.  As your hip heals and strengthens so will your back.  Don't push it.  I am a bull in a China shop so I remember that when ever I do his exercise program.  If your body tells you to back off then back off.  Somedays do the exercise other days do the walks but no both.  Remember as many have told me ...its not a sprint....it is a marathon and the only thing that matters is not where you place but how you finish.  This info comes from way more seasoned veterans than me and I am just passing it along to you.  Don't get lost in space if you know what I mean.
Cordially,
Ross

[Jill the hip x2]

Thanks Ross.
Southend on Sea is in Essex.  I had Mr Mcminn do both my hips 13 years apart!!  thank goodness he didnt retire in the meantime!
You are probably right - I am wanting things to move faster than they are ready to.  If I think back to how my back was pre op I would have to admit it was not so good then.  I could not lay for long on my stomach and bending down to reach things was hard.  The movement is coming back slowly.  I am now able to use a dustpan and brush! - it still hurts but at least it is possible.  Stretching out to the side is still painful but i think its getting a little easier every day. 
I am hoping to get an exersise bike soon as walking has not been possible some days due to weather conditions.  My work entails sitting down all day behind a computer screen which is really not helpful for my back or legs.  I do try to take a break and move about a bit but I am still sitting still for long periods of time. Short of getting a different job I am stuck with the situation and just have to do what I can when I can. 
It is good to hear the words of  your surgeon - as the hips stregthen so will the back.  I guess thats obvious if you think about it but it is good to be reminded!!  Thankyou again Ross for your advice and words of support.   

[hernanu]

Hey Jill, Ross had some great advice and covered a lot of ground. The back will come, you just need to give it time.

I didn't really get good stretching until about five or six months along. Your back has been compensating for a lot, some muscles overly worked and others may be atrophied due to the OA. Time and gentle exercise gets you back. If you have a shopping mall nearby, those provide a nice stretch for walking (although you'll have to guard your wallet carefully).

[Dee Dee]

Hi Jill,

My surgeries are 6 months apart and I was caught off guard by my right hip becoming sore while recovering on my left hip.  I am 7 weeks out and getting stronger every day, but only able to walk 1.5 miles before I stop due to back stiffening and sore hip muscles.  My doc said that it is not uncommon for that to happen given the extra load. 

I think if you can do some core strengthening that may help your back.  It has for me.

I hope you get resolution. 
DEE

[Ross]

I am 8 weeks postop bilateral Dr Gross and while I am walking without a cane at one mile my back becomes an issue and my left groin will get some sharp pains.  My home PT has changed to Stage 2.  I either do most of the exercises and not walk or walk and not do all the exercises.  I could ride a stationary bike for an hour without any problem but 10 minutes on an elliptical and my groin is saying back off.  It really is trial and error.  I would not go by what others can do but think about your small accomplishments every week.  I want it all yesterday too but it doesn't work like that so take the good with the good.   You will get there in time.

[Jill the hip x2]

Thankyou all for your posts - sadly I have done something seriously wrong now because my back has gone into spasm and I cant stand up straight. Turning over in bed is hell.  Cant bend over and cant walk hardly any distance.   I think I may have overdone the excercises.  The pain is mostly on the longest operated side - not the one I had done 10 weeks ago. Ho Hum - will things ever go back to normal??!!  Heres to patience - of which mine is being severely tested right now!!

[Dee Dee]

Jill,

Can you get to a doc for some help.  I had some back and leg spasms in my recovery and the muscle relaxer Flexeril really helped.  Also, you may want to consider resuming anti inflammatories until your symptoms get relieved.   I have a back condition that required epidural injections to alleviate the pain. It really helped me!  I sound like a drug pusher, but not really.  I think they have a place and can help us to recover from issues.

I hope you can find a good PT. Mine is very hands on, almost like a combo of chiropractic, massage therapy and physical therapy exercise.  The back issues get treated with manipulation and then I do core strengthening to keep the alignment. 

I hope you get better soon.  I am still sore and recoverying slower in ROM than I had hoped, but I know every hip is different. 

dee

[Jill the hip x2]

Hi all - thanks for all your posts and replies.  I have some good news to report and some not so good news   Four months after the operation to resurface my second hip and my back is good and no longer painful.  It seemed to hit a peak and since then it has slowly recovered.  It is my longest operated leg that is now painful.  It has been tetchy since I had the other one done but I put it down to over compensating and weight changes along with differences in my gait.  However, it now has a steady ache if I stand even for a fairly short period of time - mostly around the buttock and outside of the hip and radiating down to the outer side of my shin.  The pain increases if I stand so that I have to sit down. It is not as bad if I walk and is fine if I am sitting or laying down.
I am hoping it will still come right as my back did.  Anyone else had this??

[Ross]

Hi Jill

I have read many others posts about getting pain in the first hip that was operated as a result of compensation.  Everyone compensates in a different way to get out of pain or avoiding the tender area.  I was told that it would be six months to a year until I felt really good.  I am 4 months out from bilateral and I feel good.
Ross

[evant]

Jill - hang in there, I hope it all comes good for you.

I notice unpleasant aches on my non-operated hip and I logically feel I'm simply not sharing the weight equally between my hips.

If I swim or cycle I don't have this problem.

It's still relatively early days for me and for you to some extent. Let's hope your recently operated hip starts sharing equally to allow the pains of your other hip to go away.

Ross - glad you're reporting that you're progressing well. I remain in awe of people who had simultaneous bilateral resurfacing and you've battled through brilliantly.

[Dee Dee]

Glad your back is better.  I dont know how it works in the UK, but i would consider calling McMinn's office and asking for a consult.  It may still be your gait is off from the second surgery, or it could be a pinched nerve or it could be your hip but you won't know unless you get evaluated.

I hope you get relief soon and answers.

Dee

[Jill the hip x2]

Thanks all  - patience is still needed I guess!!  its good to know I am not the only one. 
I have contacted Mr  Mcminns Office Dee Dee and hope to speak to his assitant on Monday.  I so hope its not the other hip - its been there 13 years and I hope it will be there at least that long again!! I suppose that is one of my fears  - I dont think my employers would wear another two months or more off work..... and the pain of surgery and afterwards  is not something I want to go through again for a while!   
I will update.  thanks again. 

[Jason0411]

That pain going through your buttock down to your shin sounds like you have pinched you cyatic nerve to me.
If it was your hip I would have thought you would be feeling it in the groin area.
My Brother had a McMinn hip 13 years ago as well by the way. We were playing Rugby together yesterday.
Did better than England. What a debarcle that was.

[Jill the hip x2]

I wanted to update you all  - you have kept me going through harder times and I am grateful for that!!  I am now 6 months post op and I feel great!! yes - back pain gone, 'most recently resurfaced hip' is brilliant - I have noticed that I do not compensate with my 'older resurfaced leg' - I dont need to!!  It still gets a bit sore sometimes (the older resurfaced hip)  - for no apparent reason  - but it always goes away and is helped by excercise - i can walk through it -  and it stops hurting after a short while....and it is getting less and less.......very happy!.  Just to say  -  i feel better than I have for years  - and I think Mr Mcminn is a very fine person!!  all that stuff about being patient is spot on....three months ago I would never have thought I could feel like this today...fab!!  hang in there all of you!   
thankyou for all your support folks!  x

[happyhopper]

Pleased that things are improving.
I have had many muscles issues, but to summarise.
Strengthen lower back supporting muscles by lying on tummy and slowly doing leg raises.
Strengthen glutes and abductors which support whole pelvis by lying on side and doing leg raises. 
I have been to a specialist physio in Aylesbury (Don Gatherer)who uses a computerised system to check the strength of all your muscles.  He then gives you a progressive training programme.
I thought Mr McMinn is not hot on muscles issues and didn't really help me when I went to see him and was suffering with muscles imbalances and weaknesses.
Best wishes.

[hernanu]

That's great Jill, glad that the patience has paid off.