How long to regain stability?

[MattFL]

How long did it take you to regain natural-hip-like stability in your new hip?  I'm about 5 weeks post-op, improving every day, walking about 2-4 miles a day with crutches (doctors orders for 1 more week).  But without crutches I've got a bit of a limp and the idea of trying to stand on the new leg and do an airplane stretch just seems like a really bad idea at this point, the stability isn't there yet.  So I'm curious what the timeline was for everyone else to get solid stability back in the new hip. 

[BSarchet]

For me it was 8-10 weeks to really be focusing on walking gait and regaining strength. And I think 12-14 weeks to really be feeling very normal outside of little things here and there.  I’m at 15 weeks on my left side and only in the last two to three weeks am I doing things like a full squat to pick things up, or going up stairs two at a time.

Your restrictions and mine were really different though. I was off the walker to a cane at about 1-2 weeks and was off the cane entirely at 3-4.


But last week I was walking about 7 miles a day and snorkeling on vacation and otherwise than feeling muscle fatigue because I don’t have my strength back, I felt pretty great. 

[IRONMAN]

I’m 6 months now and still feel the stability is off compared to my natural hip. Balancing on one leg seems off.

Strength also isn’t the same and for a posterior approach I have a feeling it may never be the same again. With such a big surgery I don’t think we can expect to ever be as good as we were naturally.

However there are still improvements being made but they are ever so slow and small at this stage and sometimes you feel it’s not going anywhere.

I’d love to say I don’t think about my hip anymore because that’s not the truth. I’m aware through stability, strength, clunking and walking I have an artificial hip.

[MarvinB]

Coming up on 5 months post-op, and just starting to feel like the left is as strong as the right.  Stability is still not 100% but still improving every day.  Post 6 months is the goal for starting heavier exercise and stretching.  Gotta wait for all those muscles and connective tissue to heal properly before getting back to “normal”.