New Hip For Summer

[hernanu]

Good description, steven. I'm sure you'll see more improvement as time goes on. Your workouts sound similar to what I did around that time.

[jb46]

Awesome...maybe that should be prescibed trip/timing for surgery and rehab. That's great that you had the time/opportunity to focus on working out at the perfect time.
I'm 21 days post op tomorrow and was happy with my two mile walk today. Now I think I may need to up the work level.

Seriously though, glad to hear you're progressing so well. I'm champing at the bit for my 6 week appt so I can be "released" to increase my work out level...practicing my patience...continued good luck...jb

[stephen1254]

I've mentioned before how impressed I was with Dr. Callander, and particularly his confidence in his ability to perform his surgery. At my 4.5 week check-up I asked him about cup angles. He said he likes to see 40 degrees, and suggested we look at where mine came out. We walked down the hall and pulled up the x-ray that had just been returned - the cup angle measured right at 40 degrees. He does nice work.

[hernanu]

Good to be in the care of a skilled craftsman or woman.

[stephen1254]

8 weeks post-op today. We did our first three road bike rides this past week, and the bike fitness is coming back quickly. Yesterday we did our first big climb, with 30 MPH cross-winds posing a real challenge. No issues at all with the operated leg - it actually felt stronger than the non-operated leg.

We also paddle boarded on Lake Tahoe for an hour and a half on Sunday. I had some concerns about falling off my race board because of poor balance but it was again a complete non-issue. Saturday we hiked a 2.5 hour stretch of the Tahoe Rim Trail. At one point I felt some mild tightening in the operated leg but that went away before the end of the hike.

No soreness and any stiffness after sitting goes away in about 3 steps.

Upper body weight training is now full tilt and I am nearly back to my pre-op poundage's - maybe another week.

So at 8 weeks I am doing everything I was able to do pre-op, with the obvious exception of running and avoiding any impact. While the recovery will seem slow when measured day to day, every day builds on the previous day so you are always getting better.

As I've mentioned before, the better your pre-op fitness the quicker you will recover from this operation. IMHO, the two keys are to push yourself within your capabilities - never to the point where you are more sore the next day than the previous day, but always pushing to what you are capable of - and balance work that recruits the stabilizer muscles. The bosu ball helps in this regard but walking on uneven terrain, like a trail instead of a paved path, also helps quite a bit.

As I've also mentioned before you may have doubts early on about whether you will EVER walk normally again. The operation fixes your hip but leaves your muscles and tendons in your leg starting over from scratch. You WILL recover and YOU will walk normally again. Think of it as that one class you dreaded but you had to take to graduate - you just get through it and when you are done you are home free!

[stephen1254]

9 weeks post-op today and had the biggest test to date - yesterday we did a 12.5 mile hike along the west shore of Lake Tahoe. Not a very difficult hike as it had very good footing the whole way but like all hikes in the mountains it is rarely flat, but meanders from lake level to maybe 200' above the lake and back down.

No hip or operated leg issues. I am tired, but my whole body is tired.

As I look back at it there is some difficulty in separating the benefit of exercise from the natural recovery process, but these are the three exercises that have helped me the most:

1. Walking. Initially on the street until the balance and stability came back, and then on the trails, where the uneven footing brings more of the stabilizer muscles into play.

2. Deep knee bends. Walking up steep hills revealed the lack of strength in the operated leg. I started at 5 weeks doing assisted knee bends, using a bar to assist me down and back up, and then at 7 weeks went to unassisted with my heels on a 2 x 6 to keep my back as upright as possible. Leg strength came back pretty quickly.

3. Riding the road bike. Started this at 7 weeks and the endurance aspect plus climbing seems to leave the greatest fatigue in the legs, but feels the best after recovery the next morning.

[stephen1254]

At 11 weeks post op I wanted to post a brief update. While the muscles in the operated leg are largely healed they are not completely healed. I don't feel any pain in that leg but I do feel some minor discomfort from time to time. We did a 6 mile hike Sunday - 3 miles out and 3 miles back - that included 2500' of elevation gain and a lot of climbing up (and back down) over large rocks. I felt some discomfort at the incision the next day, nothing that I could really call pain, but enough to let me know that the muscles are still not fully healed.

Of course at my age (58) something always hurts.....

[stephen1254]

A quick update at 4 months post-op. To a large degree I don't even think about the implant anymore. The momentary stiffness I felt after sitting for a long period went away at about 12 weeks, and there really aren't any issues anymore, save one.

I've got very long legs - I have a 37" inseam. As a result I have relatively poor leverage - my leg muscles are a long way from their fulcrum point. I have always relied on weight lifting for leg strength in other activities, like hiking and biking. I can't do that now, and won't be able to do that for some time.

On Sunday we did an 11 mile out and back hike that included 1300 feet of elevation gain in the last mile and a half. That left me pretty fatigued in both legs. That is a factor in recovery - not pain, not stiffness, not ROM, but just less strength because of the inability to train legs with heavy weights. That will come back in time, but it's still quite a ways off.

There are no complaints though - zero. I did a very similar hike one year ago, and I was limping so badly at the end I didn't know if I would make it back. This was after several doctor visits but before I got the OA diagnosis - I didn't know what was wrong with me. Now there is no limping and no pain. The heavy weight training will resume at some point, I just have to be patient.

[hernanu]

Good attitude, stephen - you're at a good spot at four months, to do an 11  mile hike at that point is excellent. The leg strength will return, once the bone has grown in correctly and you resume your activities. I went back to more serious weight (about 1/2 of what I did before on the legs) at about six to eight months, cautiously.

Have you talked to your doctor about when and how to return to weights?

[Anna]

Sounds like you are doing well Stephen! Very pleased for you  ;D

[kamoynsgi]

Really enjoyed reading your posts Stephen and all the responses to this thread.  Eleven days to go to my op.  Your recovery is inspiring and I will, as you say listen to my body post op.  Amazing to hear that you are back on your exercise bike to soon after the hope.  Something to aspire to.

Ka

[RJKELLY]

Wow, surprised at the exercise intensity shortly after hip resurfacing.  I'm a bilateral who is 10 days post surgery.  My last surgery was October 2011.  Shortly before my recent surgery, I sat through the 2 day FDA Advisory meeting concerning MoM hip implants. Although most of the discussion was focussed on total hip implants, there was a lot of revealing discussion on resurfacing. Most memorable was discussion about revision rates and their causes, many of which were due to "over-achieving" patients trying to quickly return to their former level of activity.  Example: patient at 3 weeks post-op jogging on incline treadmill who fractured his femur head.  Like many of you I researched this procedure to death and learned that the surgical sites where the bone is shaped is very susceptible to trauma. My surgeon encouraged sustainable, low impact training for at least 6 mos, followed by gradual return to heavier weight bearing exercises. My first hip is 9 mos and strength is still returning, and thankfully no problems to date. 

[David]

Great to hear of your recovery Stephen.
Long steady hikes were the key to my recovery during the first four months as well.
Gave myself a goal to hike the Grand Canyon at four months.  Working up to that and the strength it gave me, I believe has allowed me to return to running relatively soon.
Keep on...
D.

[hernanu]

I agree, David. I did a lot of good PT for both sides, even hired a trainer after my second hip's outpatient PT was done, so I could integrate my new and amazing core stuff into my overall workout plan, but I really think the walking was the best for getting and keeping the improvement during the early months.

The impact is low compared to other things, and the right muscles are being strengthened and developed.

[stephen1254]

Jogging at 3 weeks post op seems crazy - I don't think anyone on this forum would disagree. My exercise is all of the low impact variety. I will start VERY light jogging at 6 months, and I won't increase my leg training beyond body weight deep knee bends until the doctor says OK.

Still, that doesn't mean I can't push other things. I've trained with weights for 35 years and in the last 4 days I set PB's in the bench, incline press, standing barbell curl, weighted chin ups, and weighted dips. The fact that I can't "over achieve" with my hip recovery doesn't mean I can't over achieve somewhere else.

[David]

Who is jogging at 3 weeks?  I'm too lazy to go back and look at the thread.  I was probably the biggest doof starting too soon at everything after surgery and I am OK...don't worry.
D.

[stephen1254]

5 months post op and I have......nothing to report. I'm not even aware of the new hip - it's just part of me.

OK, one thing to report. My balance, which was never very good, seems to be a little bit off. I notice it when out on Lake Tahoe on the paddle board. I have a race board which isn't all that stable to begin with, but I seem to be more affected by boat wakes than I was in the past. I've put the Indo Board next to my desk and I need to work on that daily.

So I'm one month away from beginning to run again. I printed out a suggested program that someone else posted for easing back into it and I intend to follow that. Running does concern me just a bit, because all of my other activities have come back at their former level without issue. Running, especially, the balance part, may be a bit different. I have a month to worry about it.

Yesterday morning the temperature was about 5 degrees colder than it has been all summer, and this morning was another degree colder yet. Winter is coming - although it is still a good 2+ months away - and I am giddy at the thought of skiing again. The last 3 seasons have been severely compromised and this year there are no excuses. We perused all the used ski racks at Squaw Valley's ski sale yesterday, but we need to demo skis before we buy - they are so different than what we bought just 4 years ago. I can't wait!!!

[Spanielsal]

Stephen, I've re read your story, it's great to be able to see your recovery go from strength to strength. Thank you for all your enlightening posts! Whilst not an athlete, I'll be following in your footsteps for a bit of the way at least. Sal

[hernanu]

Hey stephen, congratulations on your Seinfeldian recovery. I ran into balance issues all over the place, which is why I did a lot of exercises to strengthen just that.

I use (in no order of importance):

• A balance board like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Reebok-05-55101-Balance-Board/dp/B003PAZ7B4/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1346172800&sr=1-1&keywords=balance+board
• A slide board I bought on ebay - simulates ice skating, really good for the side to side motion: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Slide-Board-6ft-x-2ft-NEW-Ultimate-Skating-Trainer-/150511428458?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item230b2e236a
• Juggling with beanbags for those little hip movements, overall retraining of the small muscles: http://www.amazon.com/Loftus-Juggling-Bean-Bag-Set/dp/B00020UWLK/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1346172961&sr=1-1&keywords=juggling+bean+bags
• Terrifying shaving while balancing on one foot. (Just my own way to try to force some balancing focus, may not be the best idea)
• Balancing on one foot and lifting up on the ball of the foot.
• Clamshells and adductor machines (lightly, I did them first with a very attentive PT).
  

I just put the links in as an example, as long as they are functional, used or local is fine.

I started doing these at about 4-5 months, first very lightly, ease into it, but later they become rote.

I think (my own theory) that we should work on these in addition to what we do, since some activities tend to strengthen one set of muscles but leave others behind. I still need some balancing work on both sides at two years (not too much), so the work is ongoing and I expect will be so for a while - not a problem for me, as I want to improve things and give as much support as possible to my Chromium/Cobalt life-changers.

[Tin Soldier]

I like the idea of the balance board.  Those are exactly the types of exercises my PT had me do, without the more interesting stuff like shaving.  I should do more of that again.  Once I got pretty far along in recovery I started doing some slack-lining (before it was popular) and on 3/4 webbing, not the wide stuff they do tricks on.