My THR recovery diary
Comments
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@JPT This is so good to read - well done! I'm at almost 26 weeks and don't think I had managed 10k steps by then although now that's what I'm averaging. I found progress slowed as you have but this last month I have really found I'm walking faster and further without getting sore and really feel to have more strength so I hope it's the same for you. True though that people forget we've had it done and just expect us to be back to normal.
Regarding couch to 5k I will be interested to hear what your physio says. I have been given the go ahead to start running again but really don't feel like pushing my luck although I'm back on my cross-trainer and looking at my bike and wondering …
Hope the clicking does sort itself out.
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I started doing easy low impact cardio workouts from the third month, being careful of some twisting movements. I avoided burpees. I find I could squats much better than before.
The thing when everyone thinks you are ok is so true and slightly annoying.
My hip feels a click when I go upstairs. My physio said it's the swollen ligament rubbing the joint. I have to say that my stairs are very steep and I need to grab the rails to climb up. I still don't climb stairs up graciously and I feel like I weight a ton. When I lie on the floor on my operated leg side I feel I have a thick rubber piece. I don't know if it's the ligament, muscle or if this is normal or not.
I'm pleased to hear you are getting used of the length different. Apparently almost everybody has different leg lengths without knowing.
Take care X
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15 weeks
I seem to have lost a week somewhere which must be a good sign of a recovery going well!
Final physio this week which was great as she put me through a pilates class, so many new exercises to remember though! For the first time in a while these new exercises really felt like they were pushing me compared to the other ones I was starting to find too easy. My physio was super happy with my progress and said that people like me were the reason she loved her job! She's been great, really encouraging, bossy when needed, and we've laughed while I get things wrong. I will miss these sessions as I always felt great when I left. I cannot praise the physio package enough if you are offered it, you must take it. Without the exercises I would not be anywhere near where I am now.
I am advised not to start running again for another few months and that I really need to get my leg length difference sorted before I do try to run. Disappointing but not the end of the world. She said I could do speed walking though…
Most days I barely notice or think that I have a new hip which is amazing. If a walk a long way, my thigh and bum muscles still complain but I just think oh I'm just not fit enough yet.
I do some gardening every day and can stretch, kneel, crouch like I haven't done in years. I've been sailing and had no problems with the constant motion, twisting, bending etc. Need to cycle more but happy that I can when I want to. I walked 5k into our village without too much effort and didn't feel the need to recover afterwards.
Life post total hip replacement surgery is great! xx
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@JPT Well done, you're making brilliant progress. Regarding the leg length issue, about 15 years ago, long before I had arthritis, I had severe back pain and went to see a chiropractor. He found that I had different leg lengths, causing wear in the sacro-iliac joint. It was rectified simply by wearing a 'lift' in one shoe.
It's 11 weeks since my THR (although I needed revision surgery 3 weeks later - I posted a separate discussion about this). My recovery is well behind yours, but I fully endorse your final comment. This operation is truly amazing. From Day 1, the joint pain and all the connected ones - in my case, knee and groin - just disappeared.
Keep up with the exercises! I started physio last week and it's really helping my progress.
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@JPT Such good news and so good to hear. I agree with what you say about your physio package - so important to get the recovery right and maximised. I only got two physio appointments so I went back to my chiropractor who I find really good with his advice and exercise regime and I feel most of my recent improvement has been down to him. Sadly I bumped into an old friend recently who had a hip replacement six years ago, was not given any physio, and I noticed seemed to be walking awkwardly and he admitted he couldn't walk up and down stairs properly - so sad.
Good idea to leave the running a little while longer - you've got so much going on it sounds as though you'd struggle to fit it in anyway!
@HarryB good to hear you're progressing now and your set-back is behind you.
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4 months update - op date 6th March 2024
Life is pretty much back to normal now, which in my opinion is just amazing when I think I could hardly walk just over four months ago!
I do have more aches in my hip / thigh area than i thought I would but then again the muscles have been working extra hard doing stuff they haven't done in a long time. Keeping up with my physio recommended pilates exercises at least two to three times a week is a real must and really helps on days when I'm not doing a lot.
I am finding sleeping on my new hip quite a struggle at times so I am going to turn my memory foam mattress round to a softer side and see if that helps otherwise it is quite painful to turn over sometimes. Again I put this down to more internal healing still going on.My scar still looks quite dark but is very smooth and some areas are almost disappearing. Bio Oil is helping.
My clunking tendons are not bothering me as the other hip does it as well! When I look back at my consultant notes from the 80's and 90's my knees did the same and the consultants were not able to diagnose why they were doing this. Eventually it went away so maybe it will with my hip tendons.
The leg length difference is impacting my day to day activities so I probably will just need a shoe insert if I go back to running. I will check with the physio in November when I also see the consultant next for a review.
Most of the time now I am not even thinking of my hip which is fabulous and if I do think of it, it is just to realise how lucky I am to have this fabulous new hip. It still amazes me that I went through such a major operation without really thinking how major it is but because you are looked after so well either in hospital, at home (if you have help) and with the physio team and with support on this forum, it really makes it easier to deal with. 😊0 -
@JPT it sounds like you are doing really well.
I'm just a few weeks ahead of you with my left hip,1st of Feb, and 9 weeks since my right hip. It is amazing the difference it makes having these new hips isn't it?
Physiotherapy is so so important for a good recovery and I don't understand why some don't automatically get it.
We have a good memory foam topper over a mattress that has different zones of softness/firmness and this time I found myself sliding down to find the most comfortable spot for my hips . I am able to sleep on my newest hip side for a short time and it is getting better every day. It is hard to remember when I was struggling to sleep longer than two hours at a time just a couple of years ago.
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@jpt - it's great to hear from you and that you are doing so well, I imagine in another couple of weeks you will be doing even better. Remarkable surgery isn't it?
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Some of you might appreciate this card that my sis in law sent me for my birthday 🤣🤣
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Especially on days when I have done too much and my leg doesn't seem to feel my own 😂
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5 months update - op date 6th March
Life is getting back to normal now, keeping busy and active. I have been swimming in the sea a few times. I'm not a strong swimmer at all and I realise now that when I was trying to swim last year that why doing breaststroke my leg really was not kicking out as it should because it was locking. Now it feels like I might be able to swim properly for the first time in years.
My garden is starting to look a lot less like a wilderness at last and kneeling, bending etc is so much easier now than before.
I do feel a lot of aching in the muscles around the scar and down the front of my thigh but hopefully this is down to normal living and the healing process still going on deep in the tissues and muscles. I am keeping up with the daily exercises but maybe I need to walk more. I don't count steps anymore as I was getting a bit obsessive about it.
I've been out on the boat a fair bit but mostly in calm weather until yesterday when it was quite rough. Being on a boat means a lot of involuntary movement and my leg ached so much when I got ashore a few hours later. For the first time in months the first thing someone said to me was that I was limping 😕 I think today I will take it easy. I didn't think five months on I would be struggling but I must remember this is not a race and everyone says what a good recovery I have made. I guess a bit more patience is required!
I stayed at a friend's house recently and hadn't really thought until the first night there how you get used to your own chairs, bed etc. oh my I was so uncomfortable on their sofa and bed! I couldn't get comfortable at all. After three nights I just wanted to go home to mine.
I am incredibly grateful to have had this surgery and I am fairly sure that if I hadn't I would not be able to walk now. Reading back through the early days of this log of my recovery, I really did not expect this positive outcome and on achey days like yesterday I remind myself how lucky I am.
Take care all x
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WOW! You are doing brilliantly and that gives me inspiration. Although I have been told how well I have recovered I do sometimes doubt myself with the odd ache and still feeling it when I lay on my operated side. Then I kick myself. I haven't tried swimming yet like you I'm not a very good swimmer and have to be able to put both feet down on something solid. My physio told me no breast stroke too which is my only stroke lol. Might see if I can find a partner for aqua aerobics.
Keep up the good work and enjoy your new hip
Trish xx
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@JPT Well done, you really are doing well and I think we probably all have those days when we've used muscles we don't normally use and we end up aching. I do know what you mean - I sometimes think I've overdone it, and then a couple of days later I'm fine. I think we don't always know how much exercise is enough and how much is too much so we find out the hard way.
You made me laugh about counting steps. I've always been a bit obsessed. If I've not hit 10,000 by close to midnight I go out and walk until I have! I'm really pleased I'm back to my 'normal' now and am averaging 12-13000 steps a day - no swimming or sailing though!
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@JPT Thank you for charting your recovery. I’ve found it really helpful and reassuring 11 days post op. Reading others comments and details of their recovery as well is just so inspiring.
Knowing there are ups and downs whilst making progress is so important. We are very fortunate to be able to have this life changing surgery. I am incredibly grateful as I am already feeling such a difference.Have had a busy day today with a couple of 10 minute walks, standing chatting to a neighbour and visitors this afternoon plus the usual exercises etc. Have managed to get my jeans on which made me feel almost normal again.
Thanks again
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@JPT Fantastic progress - well done! Don't worry about the aches - from the research I've done these are quite normal, and are usually attributable to muscle healing and the body readjusting to changes in gait after surgery. I am 15 weeks post-THR and have experienced similar symptoms to those you describe. I have kept up the daily physiotherapy exercises, which have helped greatly, but until recently I had not done a long walk. Most days my daily walking has been less than half a mile, to the shops and back, because my hamstrings and glutes ache after just this distance. Recently I have tried longer walks - the longest 4½ miles with a 20-minute rest at halfway - and have discovered that around the mile mark the aches have almost disappeared. We are so keen to return to 'normality' that we forget that we have had major surgery. Thinking back to how I was before the surgery, I am immensely grateful for the change it has made to my life.
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4th September - 6 Months update - THR 6th March
I can't believe it is six months today since my hip replacement surgery. It seems so long ago!
Life is good and I guess as normal as it can be at 56! I have been sea swimming every day for the last month, doing breaststroke that this time last year was impossible with my leg refusing to move in the right direction.
Yes, I still have strange aches and feel slow first thing in the morning but 99% of the day I don't think about my leg, don't notice my scar with is still reasonably dark at times but fading well generally. Sometimes at night I feel like I have a trapped nerve when I lie on either side but it doesnt last. The clicking doesnt bother me so I am not worrying about it (seems my knees used to do the same and the surgeons had no idea what it was about and it all went away). I do still think I may need a wedge in some shoes as sometimes I do feel wonky when walking.
I have gardened so much with much to catch up on. I could never have done this much bending, stretching, kneeling last year or probably even the year before. I haven't done as much sailing as I would have liked but weather and other events have prevented it. When I have gone out, I have ached a lot the next day with all the constant movements of the boat when the sea has been rough. It doesn't worry me but I am just extra careful not to overdo it.
I tried a mini jog the other week when I got caught outside in the rain and it felt fine which I am so happy about.Swimming has replaced my need for running at the moment but I might change my mind when the sea gets cold! I will probably wait until after I see the surgeon in November for the 8 month review and xray.
For everyone going through this recovery, stay positive, it does get better :-)
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@JPT Wow, I can't believe it's six months either. And you are doing so well. I'm amazed you're swimming daily in the sea, especially breaststroke - I wouldn't dare, but then I'm not really a swimmer so it's not something I really want to do.
Breaking into a little jog too - I've done that and it does feel good. I have decided not to go back to running too, but my walking is building up and I'm averaging well over 10,000 steps a day without really trying, so happy with that.
It did amuse/amaze me that you started to jog when caught out in the rain. I remember in the early days and weeks when I was terrified of rain and falling.
Take care.
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7th October - 7 Months update - THR 6th March
I must be doing ok at 7 months as most of the time in daily activities I don't really think about my new hip which is fantastic. I am sea swimming 2 or 3 days a week which is really helping and much better than just trying to do normal exercises. I think the decreasing sea temperature may be numbing my senses though!
I do feel the need to keep moving and not sit around too much as I do feel a deep ache in my hip muscles then or when walking up stairs. Sometimes I do feel that there is still a lot of muscle strengthening to do still and I really need to ramp up my exercising. I haven't been out on my bike for ages and that will help I think.My main issue is standing for a long time, it might only be a 5mm difference but I cannot stand equally on both legs but either stand on just my op leg for a short while or stand feet apart which makes me look lopsided.
Compared to twelve months ago, life is so much better, pain free and mobile. x
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@JPT So good to read 'compared to twelve months ago, life is so much better, pain free and mobile' - I agree entirely.
I have just got my appointment for my 12 month review in December - at ten months now it's great, although I have to say I did walk too far last week and am suffering a bit, but on the other side to my operated hip. A sign, I think, that it's still important to be careful and not overdo things, and that there is still more muscle strengthening to happen.
It's good to read you are so active though - I'm sure the sea swimming will be helping - will you continue as the weather gets colder?
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9 month update
I'm a bit behind in posting an update. At 8 months post op I was getting a bit worried that improvements were not happening and I had aches I hadn't had before and I really wasn't getting any where near my 10k daily steps goal. It's strange how the body recovers I guess. At least now the feeling of trapped nerve has gone.
So hubby finally booked us a holiday and last month we went to Cyprus. It was lovely and warm and I swam in the warm sea every day. Proper swimming.
Having come home, I seem to be able to walk much better, further and faster. Most of the aches have gone.
My consultant discharged me last week 😁
My x-ray looked good and showed how the bone was growing around the implant which is truly amazing to see.
My leg length difference has evened out a bit so it is less than 5mm now and not giving me any real difficulties now.
I go cold water sea swimming once or twice a week and I am contemplating starting couch to ?K again in the near future, slowly and probably not 5k but maybe 4k depending on how it feels.
Compared to this time last year - well there is no comparison.
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@JPT I love your final line - 'Compared to this time last year - well there is no comparison.' How true, and well done on your recovery and really helpful updates.
It's interesting how a month ago you were frustrated at not getting far enough, fast enough - it's so easy to feel that way and then suddenly we've moved on again. I do wonder how long it will be until I stop feeling progress - my physio said 12 - 18 months, or even up to 2 years. But it's important for those following us to know that fairly quickly we're better than we were pre-op but that progress continues.
Well done with your progress, especially sea swimming and Couch to 4k sounds perfect!
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