Glut minimus not firing 10 weeks out.

[Tretts]

I had surgery 10montgs ago and I still need a cane to walk. I have gone to physical therapy 2 a week and exercising 2-3 times a day. Laying on my side I can not lift my surgical leg up at all. My therapist says he thinks my glut minimus is not firing at all. Any ideas. I meet with Doc soon.

[jimbone]

A lot might be explained by the surgical approach as well as the surgeons experience level.  My surgeries used the Direct Superior- the periformis is released and reattached but the glute minimus is only retracted to the side for access.  That stretching however is trauma enough and was and still is a source of continuing challenge to heal at 4 and 6 months respective of each hip procedure.  10 months seems like a very long time for soft tissue to heal.  I would want the doctor to do a very thorough examination and I'd be insistent imaging include tissue status.  A question I would ask you- do you know or remember if you were able to flex [activate'/fire] the glute muscle prior to surgery?  A pretty big red flag for myself was realizing prior to surgery when I started exploring various stretching exercises to relive some of the OA pain was that I'd lost most of my capacity to flex the glute muscles and trying to do so caused me pain in my front flexors.  Fortunately the surgeries fixed that after a few months of therapy and recovery exercises.  Hope your doctor appointment provides an explanation and plan for repair.

[John C]

Can I ask what surgical approach was used? My understanding is that some approaches are more vulnerable to the symptoms you describe than others.