Six months post op

[mstar]

I had my right hip resurfaced May 27/09. At the six month mark I am no where near the recovery that I had expected. I hear a lot of you out there are doing a lot shortly after surgery. I was told six weeks on ctutches with touch weight bearing only. When I went for my six week appointment, I was then told to continue with the same restrictions (no crossing of the legs and no bending past 90 degrees), but I was able to walk with a cane until I was able to do so without. This was to continue until the three month mark. After three months I was told to go and do what ever i wanted to. I was not to let the new hip prevent me from doing anything, but to do what ever muscle strength would allow.

I am now at the six month mark and just finishing physiotherapy that I have been attending since September. I am still unable to cross my legs and have trouble walking up stairs due to weekness in the legs. My knees hurt and I am experiencing pain into the groin area. The physiotherapist can't understand why I am having so much trouble with this and is requesting another extension. I will be seeing the surgeon on Dec 21 and if anyone can maybe help me with suggestions on questions to ask I would appreciate it.
Has anyone else had the same issue as I am having. I am at this point extremely frustrated with this whole ordeal. I need to know it is just taking me a long time to recover or if this is how I am going to remain.

[Pat Walter]

Hi

Welcome to Hip Talk.  Who was your surgeon and what hip device did you get?

Normally, people are pretty well healed at 6 months.  Why did you have such restrictions that would not allow you to put 100% of your weight on your operated leg?  Normally, that is not normal unless there is some problem.  What was your problem before surgery.

Some people have had very slow recoveries, but they are in the minority, especially at 6 months.  So it is important to know all your background information.  Have you had x-rays to show if your device including the acetabular cup is placed properly?

You might want to get a second and third opinon at this point.  The top surgeons like Dr. De Smet of Belgium, Dr. Bose of India, Dr. Gross and a few others will often give you input if you send them an email with a copy of your current x-rays attached in a digital format as a .jpg. 

None of us are doctors, including myself, but we know what to normally expect.  So please give us some more information.  What has your surgeon said about the situation.  Do you possible have nerve damage?

I can understand you being frustrated and you do need to ask a lot of questions.  I certainly hope you don't remain at the level you are.  The pupose of hip resurfacing or a THR is to get you out of pain and active.

Pat

[obxpelican]

I concur with Pat, find another surgeon, a very experienced surgeon.  At 6 months the norm is for people to be pretty well pain free and living a normal hippie life.

If you got recent x-rays request them from your doctors office or have some additional x-rays done, be the best patient advocate for yourself that you can possibly be.

Wishing you painless, good hip health in the future.


Chuck

[mstar]

Hi,

I have a Birmingham Hip. My surgeon is Dr. Emil Schemitsch at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. He is the head of Orthopaedics there. I had a previous back injury about 12 years ago, but have not been bothered by that until after this surgery. The physiotherapist has explained it to me as this...
He said you can have a car like a Chev Cavalier and if one thing goes wrong with it you fix it and go on. If you have a Ferrari and one thing goes wrong with it, that one thing affects the something else and so on and so on. He says I'm like the Ferrari and that we just have to iron out all the connecting problems. It will just take time.
Maybe I'm just one of the few that is going to take a long time to heal.
I'll just have to be patient I guess and see what happens.

[mstar]

Hi again,

Oops! I accidentally sent  the last message before I was done. I have to say that I am glad to be pain free in the hip and have not taken so much as tylenol since the end of June, it's just frustrating when you have trouble putting on your socks and shoes still after this length of time. It is not a matter of pain so mush as it is the lack of strength and mobility.
The physiotherapist has given me a request for a referal to see a Neurologist to rule out any neuro/muscular problems. If that is the problem, then I will have to deal with it when the time comes.
I was on your site prior to surgery and got a lot of good information. It is good to have somewhere to ask questions, as there are not a lot of people who have even heard of a Hip Resurfacing. None of the physio places I contacted have a clue. I appreciate the feedback from you others who have had this surgery.

Thanks
D Mstar

[KarenC-hippy]

Hi mstar

I had my BHR with Dr. Schemitch on May 15 this year and my recovery is very similar to yours. I too was on toe weight  bearing for 6 weeks post-op which Dr. S explained was his cautious approach for reducing complications. I think this contributed to the muscle weakness I have been experiencing.  At my check-up I was told the BHR was perfect and I could resume all activities with no restrictions.  My operative leg was very weak initially. My leg turned in a few times going up stairs and actually appeared to give out on me , which was scary but that has much improved.One thing that has helped is using a personal trainer who has experience with prosthetic rehabilitation. I am gaining strength in the operative leg and can almost do a complete squat which was next to impossible a month ago. I can also cross my legs although I don't find it comfortable to sit that way for very long. Putting on socks and shoes is easier if I bring my leg up when sitting rather than bending over which apparently is due to my very tight hamstrings.  My goal is to resume curling before the season ends.
I have read posts from others on this site and I do think it will probably take a full year before we can expect a full recovery. I know my body didn't get in it's poor pre-op state overnight so I presume it might take a little while to recover.

Overall I am very happy I had the surgery. I can walk, dance and have even started kickboxing all pain free which would have been unheard of 6 months ago. I learned the hard way not to overdo it as you can bring on problems such as bursitis and muscle strains all due to over zealousness and all recovered now.

Many thanks to Pat and all who post here as the wealth of information has been incredibly helpful both before surgery and after.

Happy Holidays to all!

Karen

[Pat Walter]

Hi Karen

Glad to hear you are making progress and you understand we all heal at our own rate.  Sounds like you are doing well and in time will be able to do everything you want to.

Glad you are patient.

Stay in touch. You have a great summer of 2010 ahead of you!

Pat

[mstar]

Hhi Karen,

Glad to hear you are alright. Maybe I'm a little too anxious to return to my previous activities. How is the kick boxing? I'm a Taekwon-Do instructor and had to close my school last December. I have slowly started training on my own trying to get back in shape. I am looking forward to hopefully re-opening in the new year sometime, but have to at least be able to perform techniques properly.


Happy holidays
D Mstar

[Gav]

Hi mstar, like you I have a problem with my groin, but the surgeon told me not to compare myself with anyone else, as we all heal at different rates. He said if it did not get better, then I should advise him and he would do an ultrasound scan to see what was wrong if anything.

I'm hoping that it won't be necessary, as I think it is getting better slowly. The physios in the hospital post op were trying to get me to do straight leg lifts which was impossible. It has taken a while for me to do a straight leg lift, but I can now with some pain in the groin area.

But we are all different. I have been disappointed, when I have read posts on here about hippy's doing biathlon at 3-4 months post op, because I was just getting seriously into distance running before I had to have my op. Surgeon told me I can start running again, and the joint will stand it now, but he advised me that I could do a couple of miles twice per week and no real distances!!!

I was hoping to start training for another half marathon in the new year, but I suppose I'll have to pass on that.

So I guess you just have to take it steady like I am having to do.

Good luck with your recovery.

Gavin

[B.I.L.L.]

My recovery was s l o w and I remember being disapointed at the 6 month mark as well.  But it was right at the 6 month mark where I was able to start pushing myself a little more without paying for it quite so much and progress started to come a little faster. I think (for me at least) that the muscles were so weak with limited rom for so long that it just takes time to build the muscle and rom back.  I am at 1 year and 3 months now and am still making progress slowly but surely. I had the same leg turning in on stairs issue, and difficulty with shoes and socks at 6 months as you describe, and it GRADUALLY got better and better, but no overnight instant sucess that is for sure.
Don't let the superhero marathon at 6 month stories bum you out, you'll get there    I am at 15 months and doing anything I want and still improving weekly, keep plugging away and remember how bad your hip worked 6 months ago, it's easy to want to be superman right away and forget how far you've come already. Good luck and stay positive  

[mstar]

Thanks,

I saw my sugeon on Dec 24th and he told me to keep on going , things will get better. He told me to come and see him in three months and at that time, since I am having groin pain on both sides, he will x ray both hips and send me for a ct of my spine, incase the problems are back related. I did have previous back issues. I have actually been kicking the bag and practicing my Taekwon-Do lately. It seems the more heated up I get, the better I feel.

D Mstar

[halfdone]

Hi mstar.  Have you tried hydrotherapy/water based PT? You might find it easier to combine stretching and strengthening exercises in the supportive medium that the pool provides.  Plus, maybe you can start (to warm up) and end (reward and relaxation) in the hot tub.     Just a thought.  Water exercises worked great for me.

[ZAP]

Now I'm scared.  I don't want to be out of commission for a over a year.

[hipnhop]

msstar,

sounds like a lot of restrictions after six weeks.  I was told not to push anything till six weeks, after that I could do whatever I wanted as long as it didn't cause pain.  Running over 1/2 mile hurts so I am taking it easy. Heavy swimming and cycling though.  Try water exercises and see if that helps with flexibility.  Also, my 30 minute PT sessions were a joke. I took whatever they gave me to the trainer at my gym and let them put together a good flexibility/strength program. I feel I get much more progress adding to my PT than PT alone.

Good luck

[sfinrecovery]

I am glad I found this topic.  It has been a while since I have posted because I was waiting to have something good to say about my recovery.  I am at almost 8 months (July 8, 2011) and I am still having problems going up stairs, waking up with groin pain when tossing and turning, somewhat losing my balance, and glute pain that will not go away.  I am pretty much in pain 24/7.  My body has adjusted, so I do not take any pain medication.  My injury was due to a fall three years ago and had two previous unsuccessful arthroscopes for labral tears before l discovered I had developed avascular necrosis and needed a BHR.  While I understand my case is not a slam dunk, I am extremely frustrated.  I am still doing PT, Feldenkreis, acupuncture, biofeedback to deal with chronic pain and pool therapy.  It is still somewhat painful getting in and out of the car - I get this groin pain that some of you have talked about.  Each of the three surgeries were different doctors since I did not want to go back to the same one - the symptoms prior to the surgeries are now very similar and replicated even after 8 months of the BHR.  Given the complication, I found out that the operated leg is now 1/4 inch longer than the good one, which has sent me to a Podiatrist for orthotics.  I have been using them for 2 months now.  I still cannot walk or stand for more than 1/2 hour without the ensuing pain in my operated glute and groin.  I welcome any insight. That being said, I admire the tenacity to recover I read about in these blogs and the great success stories...

[hernanu]

Sorry that you've had these problems with recovery. Have you gone back to see your surgeon about this? I'd bring it up and eliminate a few things so that you can be more confident that it's muscular issues. I'm at seven months on one hip, 10 months on the other, so I'm about where you are. The left (10 mo) is fine, I still get some twinges in it, but it is really performing pretty well. The right (7 mos) is doing well also, but has some lingering things (balancing, startup, IT band on stairs, numbness every now and then) that I previously had with the left.

I can stand for long periods, but my right feels it a more after a good period (stood for ~3 hours at a Earth Wind & Fire concert this past friday). I don't have the glute and groin pain. It may be the difference in length that affected your muscles and you are now dealing with recovery from that. I know that I had a stride issue with my left forefoot (treated by a podiatrist) in my second rehab that I believe retarded my second recuperation - I would check with your surgeon first to eliminate the larger issues (cup placement, etc) and then continue with your recovery.  Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[Lopsided]

... stood for ~3 hours at a Earth Wind & Fire concert ...

You stood? Are you sure you were not getting down and giving it some?  Earth Wind & Fire, now we know why your hip degenerated.

Juan, you should not be in pain. I agree with Hernan, bring this up with your surgeon.

D.

[hernanu]

Well, I didn't just stand. The whole thing was fun, half the crowd had rainbow 'fros on and looking as fly as can be 

I danced quite a bit, but did not sit for the entire thing (no one else did either); just realized that this was something I could not have done for years before. I might have skipped the concert altogether.