RDH’s Hip Resurfacing with Dr. Brooks 2016 Update
At 8 weeks out (and when my hip is not tired) I feel pretty darn normal physically and mentally – which is great! Having said that I know that there I still have much work to do strengthen the hip and the rest of my surgical leg since it has seen very limited use since surgery…
Takeaways:
* it seems that my doc is more conservative than others requiring 6 weeks on crutches and waiting a year before running or hard cycling that will stress the femoral neck.
* hip feels better right away, though I’ve experienced lingering soreness to the quadracept that is just now diminishing. To be more specific the sensation has changed significantly over the 8 week period and early on the quad was very stiff and it took 2.5 weeks before I could bend my knee more than 45 degrees. After applying heat I quickly got to 90 degrees and my quad is now nearly as flexible as my non-surgical leg.
* muscles in quad and hip weaker than expected and will take time to recover
* at 8 weeks my gate is nearly normal, though this might change with exercise that makes the hip tired/sore (think more muscle fatigue than painful sore).
* Being on crutches makes many things very difficult. Since your hands are used on the crutches it is difficult to carry/transport things. You can’t carry a basket of clothes to the washer, it’s difficult to carry a plate of food or a cup of coffee. You learn to improvise, but crutches really slow you down in many respects.
* The Cleveland Clinic staff (everyone) was awesome and I received great care while in the hospital from housekeeping to clinical staff – all were really fantastic and made me comfortable during my stay.
* My wife is awesome (but I knew this before surgery) and she took great care of me while at home and during the period that I was on crutches. She was incredibly helpful, thoughtful and patient through my recovery.