Limping and gait issues prior to surgery and how they resolve after surgery...

[claudia]

I'm full of questions today so thanks in advance for answering.
4 years ago my hip should have been done.  I was scheduled with Dr Gross but other health issues prevailed and had to cancel. In the meantime, I've just put up with it until last year I was on our property in the mountains and I tripped on some roots and fell slam on my hip.  From that point, it was downhill and for the past year I really limp badly and cannot walk very far at all.  My foot is turned slightly out on the bad hip and my entire gait is off.  Thank goodness I didn't break the hip.  Just wondering how long it will take for me to get a normal gait and not limp.  I would imagine it's a bit hard as it's such a way of life for me.

[John C]

Just based on my own experience, I am willing to start the conversation with a wild guess of 3 to 6 months. I was to the point that I was on a cane or crutches for the two months before surgery, so for me it felt like learning to walk all over again. The real answer is that it depends a lot on how hard you work on getting rid of the limp, and if you have someone like a physical therapist help in guiding you through the process.

[claudia]

I think I read somewhere that Dr Gross does not like PT after his surgeries.  Was that the case with you?

[John C]

You are correct about what Dr Gross expressed to me about his feelings regarding PT. He explained that his concerns are based on some experiences he has seen where PTs were too aggressive early in the recovery process, and injured the patient. Part of the problem can be that many PTs are not experienced in working with resurfacing patients, and are used to working with THRs where over stressing the femoral neck is not a concern because it has already been amputated. I did have one very brief experience with a young PT who was starting to be too aggressive in pushing my flexion too early in the process, and I made it clear that he was going to end up flat on the floor if he did not back off (I was seeing him for a different issue, and he could not resist wanting to push on my hip).
What I did find valuable, was working with a PT skilled in gait analysis, and working together in front of a mirror to analyze my gait and get suggestions on how to effectively improve it. This is something that I do not think Dr Gross would disapprove of, but I also think that he would say it was not necessary. In my extreme case I think it helped to speed things up.

[Mike D]

Hi Claudia,
My leg seemed to turn out at the knee prior to surgery and I had a very heavy limp.
After surgery, I could see everything was in perfect alignment and when I stood Up, my wife said I looked taller and straight.
I kept my crutches and then a walking stick for as long as it took to walk without any limping at all, probably 2 months.
Don't ditch any walking aids too soon is the best advice I could give.
Even when you're back walking strong, keep a fold up cane for when you get tired of you'll end up limping again.
You'll be fine, cheers Mike

[blinky]

How long the limp lasts really varies. It will depend on how long you were compensating before surgery and then probably on factors like your age and strength going into the surgery.


Take your time and listen to your body. I agree with the posters who have said to use the crutches/cane as long as you need to, and to have those devices handy even after you don't really need them if you are going to be walking a lot in case you get tired. I took a cane with me to NYC at four months post op even though I didn't use it at home any more because it was supposed to snow and I was afraid of falling. We had an epic snow that closed the city. I was so glad to have the cane with me! A few weeks later I did not take the cane on a transatlantic trip and regretted it when I was in crowds (and couldn't board the airplane first).


Good luck! I look forward to hearing about your surgery!

[karlos.bell]

 :) My experience.
The longer compensation happens the longer it takes to get back right. Connective tissue has to repair on fixings all over for active daily tasks.
So if it is compensating for a long time this takes time again plus the surgery to get "right" So  Dr Gross probably is right why have a huge PT after surgery when first it all has to get stronger then the PT can help. My experience I was on crutches for 7 -8 years and it is still coming right after nearly 3 years. A bilateral also is twice as long.
4 years I think I will be good
All the best with your surgery.
Cheers K 8)

[surratt]

7-8 years of crutching and 4 years to get rid of your limp....did you make some typos there?

[LWChafin]

Whew!  Can't imagine waiting that long to get the hip fixed.  I went 5 years living on Ibuprofen but was not on crutches before my surgery so my experience may not help much, but I limped pretty badly for at least a year before I went in for the procedure.  It took me about 6-8 weeks to get to the point that I did not have a noticeable limp.  My wife would walk behind me at the mall and let me know whether I was limping or not - at a month post op I could not tell because compared to the pre-surgical pain I had, everything felt fine.


And FWIW mine was done by Dr. Mont, and he did not prescribe any PT following surgery.  I did the resistance band exercises he gave me and the home exercises without the bands, and I did a lot of bicycle riding starting about a month out.  After 12 1/2 years of no problems, I think that was the right approach.

[karlos.bell]

 :) Ta Surratt for the post of the post. Assume limp no. 4 years Back to full strength of the hip. The limp went after the surgery. Cheers K