Post op questions

Preste121

Hello all

I'm week 2 after a total hip replacement and constantly being told not to do ‘too much ‘

but what is too much ? I don’t start physio until next week so may be I will get answers there

currently I’m on 1 crutch and walking round the house a lot with possibly a 10 minute walk outside

is that too much for week 2 ?

Cath100

Hi @Preste121

Thanks for your message and for saying hello and welcome to the online community !

Everyone is different in terms of what levels of activity they normally do and so what they may consider 'too much' compared to this can differ. It also depends on many different things including your age, your general health, the strength of your muscles and the condition of your other joints. Obviously follow whatever advice or precautions that you have already been given but yes, it would be probably be a good idea to ask your physio next week or call your surgeon/ask your GP as you say, but you can also find some info here on hip replacement surgery including information about recovery

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/treatments/surgery/hip-replacement-surgery/

It might also be helpful for you to look up the Royal college of surgeons 'hip recovery tracker' as this is also really helpful too.

Best wishes for your recovery too !

Cath100

(moderator)

CCM

Exercise is a very personal thing. Two bits of advice heard many times, Listen to your body and your physio.

Did the hospital not give you any pointers?

Good luck.

RogerBill

@Preste121 In addition to doing a reasonable amount of exercise make sure you adhere to the rules you should have been given re bending, lifting, etc. You don't want to take unnecessary risks and end up with a dislocation.

When I asked questions like yours I always got an answer along the lines of "everyone is different" which is undoubtedly correct but nevertheless frustrating. I agree with @CCM that you need to listen to your body and physio. I found that the effects of overdoing exercise hit me later, sometimes the day after so I had to learn from experience. But even then I had good days and bad days so calibrating the amount of exercise wasn't easy.

Preste121

Thankyou all for your comments very useful. I didn’t really get too much from the hospital as I was leaving but looking back perhaps this was because I didn’t ask or take in enough - and there’s a lot to take in as you prepare to go home !

CliveClive

Hi Preste121, I'm having the same delima - not 4 wks post hip operation. I have good days and bad ones, normally after doing too much. I just push on and do as much as you feel possible. If following the rules for bending etc... I don't think you can hurt the new hip, the pain/aching is your body gaining its strength.

Preste121

Hi Clive - thankyou for this . I’ll be week 4 on Monday and I now notice that I am getting stronger . Im not one for measuring things - but my physio told me I should , for example , monitor my step count so I can both see progress and also understand when I’ve ‘done too much for me’ . So I’m now a step count convert !!

Good luck with your continued recovery

Lilymary

I found out the hard way about doing too much after surgery, I got a bit over-ambitious in my little walks round the village one day (you know the scene ... “just round this corner”...). All of a sudden the muscles around my hip said “I don’t think so” and my husband had to go home and get the car to get me home again! So yes, listen to your body! Just build it up gradually. The surgery may be “routine”, but it’s a very big op and it does take a while for your body to rebuild around it. As others have said, we all heal at (very) different rates. Just do what feels right for YOU. Good to hear you feel you’re making progress, well done!

CliveClive

Hi Preste121 and Lilymary, thanks for idea of a step counter, something I hadn't thought of. I'm now 5wks post opt. I seem to walk 30mins one day and then the next I need a rest. I think we all have the same issues and develop in our own time. Yes, it's a big op and we need the tendons etc...to settle down in the hip to improve walking. One week left of the compression stockings! I can't wait. Good luck folks.

RogerBill

Hi @CliveClive Something to measure progress is a great idea to help motivation. I tried two different step counters but in the early days post op I found they were both wildly inaccurate presumably because of the way I was walking. I changed to a walking app on my phone which measures time, distance and calculates speed. The first couple of apps I tried were also inaccurate but OutdoorActive seems to work well and it's free.