Butt Pain and Walking without cane

[blitz373]

I am 3 1/2 weeks after surgery and I have pain in butt- hip area, when will this go away ??  and when will I be able to get rid of cane and walk on my own?    thanks ....

[wayne-0]

I can't tell you about the pain but with the cane issue this is what I did, I walked around the house not using the cane but I kept it in my hand just in case I felt that unstable feeling so I could put it down and stabilize myself. I remember early on when I was trying not to use the cane I still felt occasionally unstable (it kind of felt like walking around drunk) I would sorta stager off a little to the side. I would put the cane down and stabilize myself and then keep going til the next stager incident. Before I knew it I was doing my whole walk without ever using the cane, but continued to carry it for a while just in case. Hope that helps and speedy recovery to ya.

Wayne

[sgoulet]

I walked with a cane for about 7 days then was able to get around without one for the most part.  I didn't do a lot of walking, like some members of this forum, so I was never going long distances.  I rode the exercise bike for strength and flexibility.

I am now 8 weeks post op and still get "butt" pain late in the afternoon (probably after walking all day).  I also get a little bit of groin pain, again, late in the day.  The pain is probably a 1 or 2 out of ten, more akin to an achy pain than a sharp pain.

I can't tell you when this pain might go away, as I am still relatively early on in my recovery, but I am getting stronger every day, the clicking and clunking is subsiding, my flexibility is getting better and I can do more on my new hip.

Good luck in your recovery and keep us updated.

Steve

[dw]

you are walking on your own!

Your glutes and ligaments are still healing, as well as your incision. If you're doing any kind of PT, your stressing them (and getting stronger). You'll feel that.  I'm almost 6 weeks, and still use the cane. The way I look at it - I don't want to get into poor walking habits. I can walk straight with longer strides and not use the cane, but want to use it when my leg gets tired, trying to promote good walking habits and not keep the "lurch" or "penguin" walk.

[Mudpro]

From week 6 until 8 I walked fairly long distances w/o the cane, but I had a limp.  Beginning at week 8 the limp is not really that noticeable any more and I can walk up to 2 miles at a stint but I feel it...  Back at week 3 I was only walking 100 yards or a little more twice a day and using the cane.

I used a cane until week 6, I could get around the house w/o one a week or two before that, but the cane took off enough pressure that I could walk normally with no limp.

[John C]

My recovery was a bit unusual in that I was on crutches for six weeks before the surgery, so this slowed the initial recovery. After the surgery,I was on crutches for about four weeks, and then walking poles for another week. Both my doctor and the PTs that I went to were insistent that I used crutches for any long walks until I could walk without a limp. None of them were in favor of a cane, except for around the house. They felt that barely touching the ground with two crutches was preferable to using a cane, because it allows a more natural stride.