Benchmarks

[Eitan]

I wasn't sure whether to add to "Hipnhop's" thread or to start a new one.

I am 8 weeks post op and would like some idea as to when I can expect to be able to do certain things.  (I understand that everyone is different, but ball park averages would be helpful.)  If those who have come before me could give me some comments/ideas, it would be greatly appreciated.  So far I can walk, almost without limp, go up and down stairs easily, no pain at rest, no pain at night.  I do have considerable pain and stiffness in the am which gets better as the day progresses.  I looked over the X Rays with my surgeon last week, and everything looks good.

Here are my questions:

1)  When should I expect to be able to stand on the operated leg with the unoperated leg off the ground.  (I can do this now, but it hurts in the groin).

2)  How about hopping on the operated leg?  (Can't do this at all.)

3)  Jogging?

4)  Running?

Thanks for your responses.

Eitan

[FlbrkMike]

It's really amazing to me how differently we all recover.  Some are able to certain actitivities soon after surgery but not other activities.  For other people the order may be reversed.

Take hipnhop's post for example.  He's doing all sorts of physical activites that I couldn't come close to at this point - 7 1/2 weeks (probably because he's in much better shape than I am).  But he just got to the point where he could put his socks on without the thingamajig.  I was putting my socks and shoes on in the first week, though with some effort.  I walked three miles on Sunday in my hilly neighborhood with no cane, no limp, but I'm not ready to ride a bike yet.

To answer your specific questions,

1)  I can stand on either leg for a minute or more with no pain and no problems.  In fact, at my PT appointment yesterday they had me doing it on a soft plastic pad that makes balance more of an effort.
2)  I can hop a little bit but haven't really put it to any test.
3, 4)  not ready and don't know when I will be.

Another benchmark I'd like to find out about is golf.  My doctor said a couple of weeks ago that I could start swining a club, but only short irons and start with a half swing (I might go to the range this weekend).  I'm wondering how long it will be before I can unleash my monster drives once again.

[halfdone]

Hi Eitan, glad to read that you are doing well and that all looks good.

My personal reaction to your questions was "I really don't know" or "when you're ready"  .  I really do think that we are simply too different for useful average benchmarks on many of these questions.  I even experienced significantly different recovery and rehab trajectories on my 2 HRs.  When you consider all the many possibly relevant factors (level of pre-op fitness, weight, activity history, state of hip, how surgery went, how has recovery and rehab gone, etc. etc.) I can see that different folks could come up with very, very different answers to questions like "when will I be ready to run".  I find all the shared experiences on the board very helpful to understand how to manage my own rehab trajectory, but at the end of the day they are all different.  For example, the skiers might be on skis in a few months - as a poor skier I wouldn't dream of doing it before 9-12 months.  Just the same for running - those scrawny greyhound runner types might be dashing around within a few months - this lumbering clod will wait some time longer!

Sorry this isn't more helpful, but best wishes on continued good recovery.

PS My "start-up" stiffness got way better after about 3 months this time, it was a little longer last time.

[hipnhop]

Eitan, I think if we focus on some of the P/T mentioned by Hern, June and Half in my post, we will be hopping down the street in no time.

I cant hop on the operated leg at all.  If I stand on it I get pain too. I know the unop leg is really doing a lot of work to help compensate.

from what I read, It seems that people don't try to jog/run till six months. I am shooting for 4 months P/O and 15 lbs weight loss. They say every pound loss takes 3-5 lbs off when running.  I am 185 now so got to stop exercising the mouth. Trying to leave Crispy Creme alone...

[maxi]

happy to hear alls well eitan.
we are all different with recovery times, listen to your body is my advice, it will soon tell you when you have overstepped the mark ..

Mike, i had a swing at 7 weeks no probs and continue to twice a week, i make sure i stretch and loosen up well before hand and start the round by just swinging through the ball, as i warm up the swing loosens up enough to have a bit of a go ...  on a whole im driving the ball about an extra 30 mts than pre op .... so good to swing pain free ..

get out and have a go mate ...   

[Eitan]

Thanks for the replies.  Glad to hear that the morning stiffness and pain I experience is not unique to me.  I don't know if others have this same experience, but I feel that no matter how many gains I make in a day, the next day I'm almost back to zero.  (This feeling is slowly improving.)

I also am shooting to be able to run at 4 months post op.  I tried light jogging the other day from my house to the end of the block (about 40 feet) and couldn't do it.

I am also disappointed that I am still requiring the anti-inflammatories (about 4 x 200 mg of advil per day.)  Was hoping I would be off those things by now.

If there are any grapplers/no gi ju jitsu practitioners out there I would be interested to know if you were able to get back to the sport, as that is my ultimate goal.

Thanks.

Eitan

[John C]

Here are a couple of thoughts on your time line questions. My understanding is that the bone is still doing major remodeling (breaking down and rebuilding to adjust to the prosthesis and new forces) for the first few months. In part because of this, my doctor does not allow any impact, such as jumping or running, for the first six months. I started very gentle hopping from foot to foot, and jogging up and down soft dirt trails, at just before six months. I did a lot of one leg balancing starting at about four weeks, but it was months before it was solid and pain free.
As far as strength progress, my understanding is that the body continues to replace scar tissued with normal tissue for two years, and at three years, I continue to see improvement in strength and other factors. If you are still approaching 4 months, you are very early in the healing process from an athletic point of view.

[Eitan]

Wow,

Glad to know that I am still "early" in the healing process, as I enter my 10th week post op.  Alas, I wake up in the am and feel like I want to get out and run etc.  This feeling may be coming from a rebound psychological euphoria from not having the nagging pain that I had before the surgery.   Hard to tell.  (I don't know if others had the same feeling as I did, but prior to surgery I actually felt like I had something in my groin that I can only describe as a "nausea".  It would float up from my groin and literally make me sick.  When I had that nausea feeling I could feel so sick I would sometimes skip meals.  Anyway, glad that that feeling is gone.)

Yeah, I definitely am not really ready to jog or run.  But that didn't stop me from trying to race my 7 year old girl up the block yesterday.  She beat me bad.  Gives me something to shoot for.  I'll probably try again in a few weeks.

Eitan

 

[FlbrkMike]

I keep noticing a lot of little things that I couldn't do before my BHRs or at least couldn't do well.  Here's one...

I noticed on Saturday that I can sit cross legged on the floor (25 or 6 to 4, for fans of old CTA music) quite comfortably, something I haven't been able to do at all in recent memory.  I probably could have done it weeks ago but just didn't think of trying it.

[hipnhop]

John C, thanks for the post. I really would love to hear from more people who are further into the healing process.  It helps me slow down and not push too hard.