My wife.....bless her heart.....chastised me for doing leg lifts.  She said the doctor said no sit-ups before six weeks because it works the hip flexors, and therefore no leg lifts for the same reason.

I don't recall that, but then again I forget a lot of things.

So, assuming she's right, what is it about working the hip flexors prior to six weeks that's a no-no?  Just curious.

I can't answer your question, but I can share a funny story.
I had my surgery late in the day, so no PT until the next morning. When I was laying in bed that first night, I tested moving my leg around, and felt no pain ;D.  I thought; cool, lets get started on some PT. So laying there that first night, I must have done at least 30 sets of 20+ leg lifts, totaling in the hundreds. My wife loves to tell the story of when the PT person shows up the next morning and I happily tell about how I had got started on my own PT by doing hundreds of leg lifts; and then the PTs face looked something like this  :o, followed by a forceful admonition to STOP doing that.
Whoops :-\; and here I had been so proud of myself. Sounds like our wives could tell a lot of similar stories about their crazy husbands ::)

Leg lifts are part of Dr. Gross's phase two protocol!

Yea, I saw that, but I'm wondering what the danger is of doing them earlier than that.  What is it about those muscles that is dangerous to work earlier?  I always want to know the "why" behind things....

"Because I said So"   in my most "mom" like voice    LOL   :P

Ha!  ;D

I just couldn't tolerate leg lifts for the first few weeks.  I don't know how you did it John.  As soon as I could tolerate the pain I would start raising my leg.  Slowly it got stronger and stronger. 

I can't imagine that you would do any damage after a couple of weeks just lifting the leg.

Best wishes.

Dan

I know that when I started PT at 6 weeks all sorts of leg lifts were part of the program.

Also that I needed to move my legs just to get blood flow the first 4 weeks.  I would walk up with a numb operated leg or just do lifts in bed to get blood flow.   Not breaking the 90 degree rule but if it didn't hurt or break the rules I don't see why not.

Matt

I started on leg lifts in home PT, at about 2 weeks. They were modified to remove the stress a bit, the non-lift leg bent and the leg lift done with the leg straight, but slowly. I did about three per set, 3 sets for the next few visits, we increased the number until I did about 15 by the time I graduated (four weeks).

I tried them earlier than 6 weeks but it really was not comfortable on the monkey fist area for me.  After being told to start them at 6 weeks, they were a bit uncomfortable but only for a couple days.

John C,

I just had to LAUGH hearing that story. That was just the kind of thing I'd do. What possessed you to do those leg lifts and just keep going? Must have been the feeling of no pain. Wounderful.

Jeremy