10 weeks post op Inflammation problems

[skihippy]

I am 10 weeks post-op, LBHR with Dr. Rector in Boulder, CO. Surgery went very smoothly; very impressed with Dr. Rector. Post-op progress has been pretty good in general, off cane after 3 weeks and doing PT and exercises since. Have not been able to sleep on the operated hip at all, as this seems to cause too much pain. Range of motion and strength showed improvement for awhile with PT, but have I had several setbacks involving imflammation of the the area around the incision.
 
I have read numerous posts, and realize that some setbacks are normal and occur if we push a little bit on our PT. One of the setbacks seemed to be caused by "figure 4" flexibility exercises. Another time from taking my dog for a moderate (1 1/2 mile) walk in a field. My current inflammation is the most severe, I think that I may have pushed some "first-time" water exercises too far.

My most recent problem has caused a pronounced limp, weakness on stairs and quite a bit of pain. My PT says that the problem could be standard inflamation or could be bursitis. Either way, it is frustrating to be "going backward" and probably delaying schedule for expected post-op activities (golf, hike, bike, lite yoga).

Since this seems to be recurring, I was wondering if I should contact the surgeon, or "suck it up" and cut back activities again???

Thanks for the great site, Pat, and the excellent posts that it generates.

[Dannywayoflife]

Sounds like your doing really well for week 10! If you are worried then contact your surgeon. But to be honest i think that you might be over doing it. Your still really really early on in your recovery and you might be irritating some healing soft tissues or something. As i say if your really worried give your surgeon a call. Are you using ice regularly?
Danny

[Boomer]

Ski Hippy - Dr. rector did both of my hips. He has a standard follow up exam set for 12 weeks post op, so you should already be scheduled to see him shortly. However, if you have serious concerns, you should by all means get in to see Dr. Rector. No reason to wait if you are troubled. Go see Dr. rector and get checked out. He will most likely tell you everything is fine and you can clear your mind. He may also scold you for pushing a bit too early. He is very conservative with recovery, but he is also very conscientious and no doubt would be happy to see you and put your mind at rest.

This is not one of those surgeries or recoveries where sucking it up brings any benefits whatsoever.

Good luck to you. I am seeing Dr. Rector tomorrow for my three week follow up.

Boomer

[Tin Soldier]

Chat with your PT also.  When I started taking it up a notch on PT, I was sore, pretty sore for a couple days afterward.  It felt like soft tissue/muscle soreness and it went away quite abrupty after a couple days.  That should be ok.  Just the sign of rebuilding tissue "damaged" during the workout.  Later on, when I started running, I got a pain in the most recent hip and it didn't feel quite right, but it also didn't last long, if I backed off.  That was a little discouraging, but taking a break from that activity was good.  It just takes time.  The nice thing about HR, is that you're not going to be fussing over arthritic pain for an extended time after an activity.  Most of the pains should be temporal and they should act as an alarm to slow down a touch, without causing any long term damage. 

[skihippy]

Sounds like your doing really well for week 10! If you are worried then contact your surgeon. But to be honest i think that you might be over doing it. Your still really really early on in your recovery and you might be irritating some healing soft tissues or something. As i say if your really worried give your surgeon a call. Are you using ice regularly?
Danny

Hi Danny-

The irritation has gotten quite a bit worse, and my ROM has decreased quite a bit, so it seems like more than standard irritation. PT has advised to contact the surgeon, so I will do so soon. I have been using ice regularly.

Thanks

randy

[skihippy]

Ski Hippy - Dr. rector did both of my hips. He has a standard follow up exam set for 12 weeks post op, so you should already be scheduled to see him shortly. However, if you have serious concerns, you should by all means get in to see Dr. Rector. No reason to wait if you are troubled. Go see Dr. rector and get checked out. He will most likely tell you everything is fine and you can clear your mind. He may also scold you for pushing a bit too early. He is very conservative with recovery, but he is also very conscientious and no doubt would be happy to see you and put your mind at rest.

This is not one of those surgeries or recoveries where sucking it up brings any benefits whatsoever.

Good luck to you. I am seeing Dr. Rector tomorrow for my three week follow up.

Boomer

Boomer-

i hope that the 3-week follow went well. I do think that I need to see Dr Rector, as I can't do several execises that I could easily perform 1 month ago - we had to discontinue them due to irritation/inflamation. Same area has been getting worse, not better.

Thanks for the insights

randy

[skihippy]

Chat with your PT also.  When I started taking it up a notch on PT, I was sore, pretty sore for a couple days afterward.  It felt like soft tissue/muscle soreness and it went away quite abrupty after a couple days.  That should be ok.  Just the sign of rebuilding tissue "damaged" during the workout.  Later on, when I started running, I got a pain in the most recent hip and it didn't feel quite right, but it also didn't last long, if I backed off.  That was a little discouraging, but taking a break from that activity was good.  It just takes time.  The nice thing about HR, is that you're not going to be fussing over arthritic pain for an extended time after an activity.  Most of the pains should be temporal and they should act as an alarm to slow down a touch, without causing any long term damage.

The inflamation does get better after a couple of days of low activity. But, it has been 1 step forward, 2 steps back for 5-6 incidents, and I am well behind where I was 1 month ago, and ROM has decreased. Seems to be more than the standard irritation that I was getting earlier in the process.

Randy

[johnd_emd]

If you could get in to see Dr. Rector and have them take films that would tell you right away if there's any problems.  If it's not mechanical than it's soft tissue.  Are you icing multiple times a day?  Are you taking any anti-inflammatories?  You're still very close out from your surgery.  I know I was icing 4, 5, 6 times a day; especially once I started PT and doing other exercises.  You'll be breaking down scar tissue from the surgery, stretching/strengthening muscles more and more as you recover, and that all can cause pain and inflammation.  Are you still wearing your compression leggings?  Dr. Rector did my surgery and he wanted me to wear those things for weeks and weeks after surgery; especially on the surgical side I think it was 6 weeks.