PT at 5 weeks painful

[ginnie]

I will be 5 weeks post op on tuesday. I was told to go ahead and start PT last week. My therapist puts me on a hot pad for aoubt 20 minutes, then begins the MOST PAINFUL streaching you can imagine (Im talking "it takes me back to giving birth" pain) .. but I am so much more limber now. he gets it all worked out, then we begin about 30 - 40 minutes of strengthing exercises. If you havent started with a therapist yet I recommend it, but be prepared, those muscles are tight after the surgery. 

[Pat Walter]

Hi Ginnie

I gave you your own topic because this is important.

Does your surgeon know the PT is doing this painful stretching with you?

Most of us have been told that you don't do anything that hurts - especially at the hands of another person.  If they haven't worked with hip resurfacing patients, I definitely would talk to my surgeon before I went to another session of this type of PT.

Dr. De Smet does not even recomment PT after returning home from surgery.  He also warns two things:

1. Don't ever do PT with a person that is use to doing PT with athletes - it is not proper for a hip resurfacing patient early in recovery - which you are.

2.  Don't do anything that hurts!

I would not allow anyone to hurt me in PT after hip resurfacing surgery. 

For everyone - be very cautious of taking PT from aggressive PT people.  They can do damage.  You are not an athlete returning to sports after hip resurfacing, you are recovering from Major Surgery.  Until you are 6 months to a year out - I would never do anything agressive unless I spoke with my doctor.

Many people never do any kind of PT and heal fine. They are just as active as any person taking normal PT.  I am not talking about the very few that have run marathons at 3 or 6 months.

This is just a warning - be carful, listen to your doctor and listen to your body!

Pat

[xocy]

Call the doctor! This is why Dr. Gross is hesitant to use PT's outside of the ones at his hospital. He is concerned they do not understand uncemented resurfacing. I'm doing fine following his instructions without a PT.

Mike
Bilateral
Dr. Gross
L 6/23/08  R 6/28/08

[TomBuell]

I told my PT not to use the hot pad - I've been told by several trusted medical types that there's rarely a reason to use a hot pad, and that in some cases it can slow recovery. Instead I ride the stationary bike for 10 minutes to warm up.
As for stretching, I have found that it's helpful, even if a little uncomfortable, but that kind of pain sounds like a bad thing. I'd have a tough talk with the PT.
- Tom

[ginnie]

I will definately go over this with him in our meeting tomorrow.