Replacement joints

linda53

Hello all I have both hips and my right knee replaced I find it very difficult to put clothing on that needs to go over my feet socks underwear tights are almost impossible and trousers. I live alone please can you tell me what I can do thanks

[Deleted User]

Hello linda53 and welcome to Versus Arthritis forum

Sorry to read of your current problems after having the joint replacements. We have many members of the forum who are, and have been, in similar position to yourself, of which I'm sure some will be on hand to offer you help and support.

I have found this link which may be of help to you:

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/living-with-arthritis/

Please feel free to call the helplines for any further help, the number is at the head of the page.

Enjoy the forum

John

dreamdaisy

Hello, it's nice to meet you and I hope we can help. I still have my original joints but with two kinds of arthritis and many affected joints getting dressed can occasionally be a time-consuming and painful process.

I dress sitting down, that makes getting lower garments on and off easier. I haven't worn tights for years and only resort to socks when it is very cold (I wear men's as they are looser around the tops). In the warmer weather I wear long skirts (which also reduces the need for knickers) with loose floaty tops (no buttons, arthritic fingers and buttons are not a good combination). Come the cooler days it's leggings which I find far easier to manage than tights. Bras are fastened at the front then swivelled round so I can 'lock and load'. I am a lady of the larger persuasion and, even though I have a husband, he has never once helped me to dress and hopefully never will. I regard it as a useful form of exercise as it involves bending and stretching, it's a good way to warm up my muscles.

I guess replacement joints are not as good as fully-functioning undamaged originals but I hope they are not restricting your movement and activities too much. I am in my twenty second year of this nonsense and yes, arthritis has changed many things about my life, including my appearance and how I dress. I am clean, colourful and have managed to create a new image despite (and thanks to) the vagaries of the disease. Luckily I am of an age where I care not what others may think of my appearance. DD

stickywicket

Hello and welcome from me, too

I've had both hips and knees replaced and I also have arthritis in hands, elbows and shoulders. My wrists and ankles have fused themselves and the rigid ankles do make getting socks on even harder.. Here's how I go about things:

1. I ditched my bra very many years ago. It's not as if I ever had a great deal to put into it
2. I stopped wearing dresses and skirts, not quite as long ago as the bra but almost. I found it far more trouble than it was worth trying to hold a skirt up while pulling knickers down. Trousers ensure that everything is going in the same direction at the same time.
3. I got rid of tights even before I got rid of skirts. No way could I manoeuvre them into place. For a while, I used stockings with elasticated tops. Then they went along with the skirts / dresses.
4. There are loads of different sock aids on the market and I'm afraid the only thing is to try several. It's expensive but, for me, essential. I've only ever found one that works for me but it works well.
5. Trousers are not too bad. I have different kinds to suit different days / situations. My hands aren't strong enough for most elasticated waist ones but, if I shove both wrists down and use them instead, I can usually manage. Ones with a central zip are easiest. (I can't reach side zips.) I get Mr SW to attach a zip puller (https://tinyurl.com/yc4qqpjb ) to the zip (any zip, anywhere) which makes zips much easier to use. I don't fasten top trouser buttons as I take ages to fasten and unfasten them. They stay up OK without and I leave blouses / tops outside my trousers so no-one can tell. I like jeans but they are heavy to pull up and need a belt. It all depends on a 'good hands day'.

Here's my morning routine:
1. Return from shower where I have already dried the bits I can reach.
2. Fling my bath towel on the bed, ignoring grunts and protests from the other side , sit on it and roll around to dry my back.
3. Get knickers. Throw them on floor so that the back part is behind front. Wriggle toes under front bit and get a leg through the leg hole. Repeat with other leg. Roll backwards, totally inelegantly, with legs in air, resembling a dead tortoise and allow knickers to slide down (ie up) leg. Sit up. Grab them. Stand. Pull them up and discard towel.
4. Repeat with trousers.
5. Place sock on sock aid and, with much mumbling and cursing, pull hard until sock aid slides off with sock, hopefully, in place. If not, repeat :roll: Repeat with other sock. Use one of my favourite gadgets – a long handled shoe horn with a 'hand' at the other end (https://tinyurl.com/yalclh28 ) – to manoeuvre the tops into the correct position by use of the 'hand' bit. I always buy soft top socks. Cosyfeet (just google it), to my mind, do the best but also the most expensive.
6. Slide feet into surgical shoes. On a good day, I can fasten them (velcro) using the same gadget. On a bad day I have to ask Mr SW.
7. I use either button-through blouses (I have a button hook) or, often in winter, a base layer with a gilet on top. Scrunch up back of base layer. Balance it all precariously on top of the long shoe horn's hand. Throw it over head. (More curses might be needed here )
8. Add gilet.

Having said all that, I've never found my replaced joints to be the problem that the original ones were before being replaced. If your upper body isn't too bad then maybe some exercises to strengthen hips and knees would help a lot. Have a look here https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/managing-symptoms/exercise/ or, better still, ask your GP to refer you for some physio. But, the best exercises for knees and hips, including replacement ones, are those given before and after the operations. You'll already be familiar with these. I still do mine daily to preserve my range of movement.

I hope this helps. I'm sure a grabber stick would help too instead of my shoe horn thing. It does all take time but, hey, by the time I've got my breakfast in front of me I've (a)worked up an appetite and (b)done some useful exercises Good luck m0150