If you are a bi lat resurfacing patient I recommend getting inpatient acute rehab if at all possible. Why? Its a no brainer. If you go to impatient acute rehab you will get 3 hrs per day of PT for 4 to 10 days, instead of 1 hr/ per day, 2 or 3 days per week if you get PT at home. The inpatient acute rehab will maximize your full recovery.
That said unless you have other disabilities, complications or poor at home circumstances, resurfacing patients most often don't qualify for inpatient acute rehab unless they have had bi lat resurfacing. Even if you have bi lat resurfacing you need to be proactive to make sure you qualify for inpatient acute rehab.
My advice is as follows:
Make sure you let your Pre Surgery an Post Surgery Case Manager know that you want to go to inpatient acute rehab.
Make sure your Post Op Case Manager applies to your health insurance company for inpatient acute rehab approval on the same day that you have your first PT session in the hospital if at all possible. You want to show as little progress as possible when you request approval. The insurance company will require submission of all PT notes in making their evaluation. Stay on top of the Post OP Case Manager and make sure they do their jobs properly and promptly!
Also, make sure you let your Physical Therapists know that you very much want to get approval for inpatient acute rehab. Tell them that you do not want to do anything that will potentially disqualify you for the coverage. They should be familiar with the criteria. If they are not insist that they become very familiar with the criteria right away. Do not walk to far, go up or down steps or successfully perform activities of daily living, i.e. get in and out of bed, put on shoes and clothing, climb steps, etc... before your request for approval of inpatient acute rehab is approved. It shouldn't take more than a day or so after the application for approval is filed with the insurance company.
When should you have your surgery??? The timing of your surgery can be problematic. If the application for approval is filed on Friday afternoon or even Friday morning you may not get a ruling until Monday, b/c they insurance company is closed on Sat and Sun. Meanwhile, pending approval you must be VERY CONSERVATIVE WITH YOUR PT AND YOUR IMPROVEMENT> Hence, it would be best to have your surgery scheduled not later in the week than Wednesday afternoon. This way you have your first PT on Thursday and the application can be filed on Thursday afternoon at the latest. If the application for approval is submitted and completed properly and promptly by the Post Op Case Manager and PTs, by Thursday afternoon, you should get a ruling by Friday. That said, if doing it over again I'd rather have surgery on Mon thru Wed. morning if I had my druthers.
IF THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE, Friday afternoon may be the best time for surgery. You may be in the PACU until Sat. afternoon. Your first PT will be Sat afternoon most likely. You can take it VERY EASY during you PT pending submission of your application for approval on Monday morning. If the app is completed properly and submitted Monday morning, you should get a ruling Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning.
Hi
A lot of the really experienced surgeons normally don't recommend a lot of agressive PT. 3 hours per day is way beyond what any normal hip resurfacing surgeon that I know of would ever recommend - Bilat or not.
Most of the surgeons recommend very easy exercises for the first few days. Hip resurfacing is quite different than a THR.
I would definitely suggest most people ask their surgeons what they recommend. I know Dr. Gross would also never recommend 3 hours a day of PT for anyone during your early recovery. I don't know anyone who would actually be able to do that for the first 10 days.
I was able to walk about 1 mile by 13 days post op when I came home from Belgium, but that did not include 3 hours of additional PT.
I know of no surgeons that recommend such PT after leaving the hospital in a few days.
If your surgeons suggest 3 hours a day of PT, I think it would be interesting to hear who he/she is and how anyone a few days post op could do such PT even with hip resurfacing.
You can't not force a recovery. A large amount of PT will not make you heal faster. In fact, many of the very best hip resurfacing surgeons don't suggest any special PT after leaving the hospital and we all healed well.
You can not control your bodies healing - that is done at it's own pace.
Pat
Pat,
Dr. Su was my surgeon. I began the PT 7 days post op. I cleared the routine with him when I got to the rehab program. Dr. Su's primary concern was to limit weight bearing. I was told not to go on the treadmill but to instead use a stationary bike with very low to no resistance. I was also told to not do bar exercises where I put my weight on one leg unless I was bearing some of the weight on my arms. Consequently, I stand b/t the bars and bear some weight on both of my arms and I alternate legs b/t each rep. This week I shifted to PT for 1 hr/day 3 days per week. I go to see Dr. Su next week for my first post op visit.
It does sound like you were doing more walking than I an however. I walked around in the grocery store for half an hour on my crutches. I walk around the house and take several walks a day in my cul de sac. The cul de sac is probably 2/10th of a mile round trip.