Just come from the 6 week check and all looking good.
Being sent for physio now so I asked why had this not been done sooner.
What they prefer doing in Oswestry is give time for the wound and leg to recover sufficiently with walking onlyand then start strengthening where they believe the leg will strengther quicker with less problems than if physio was started earlier.
Otherwise allowed to do everything apart fromthe 90 degree rule and ironing (got them to agree that one )
well done, you sound to be doing great, can see were they are coming from, how long were you in hospital for? do they give you all you need to come out of hospital with, ie. toiket seat walkers..etc...Did they give you painkillers to come out with.
All I was given by the hosiptal were crutches. I had sorted everything else before the op. My bed was ok and had a high chair so that was sorted but some were leaving with blocks etc to raise their beds and chairs.
Painkillers and blood thinning tablets to come home but didnt really need the painkillers after the first week.
Hi Kev. Just been for my pre-op assessment at Oswestry - talk about a conveyor belt. A very well organised one but still felt like a battery hen being processed!
Glad you've been 'signed off' as it were and it's interesting they don't do any physio until past the six week check. I hadn't expected that but I guess walking steadily and often makes sense.
Do think ironing should be one of the exercises though - just think of the muscles you can build up in those arms.....
Good luck with the rest of the recuperation and keep posting. I shall start the diary after June 19th which is Hip Hooray Day for me.
no i live in france, so going to a private clinic in Annecy, but not havng it done until july, as am going to visit my daughter in Chicago in june, not seen her for two years. just need to be armed with as much info as possible, worry over the slightest thing. still trying to worth out 90o , i know so many elderly people that have had this done and i mean in there 80s and say its the best thng they had done, but i thnk its natural to be aprehensive. I dont thnk it helps when my french is very limited...lol
I was laughing with the Specialist today about the fact I was so close to asking to go home when they were waiting to wheel me into theatre but am so glad I went through with it. Watching people stand and sit in obvious pain reminded me today that I dont have that today. Superb.
Not sure that ironing isn't allowed...although I don't do mine anyway!! I'm still using my hooky stcky thing to pull up my thanks though.....never had a problem dropping them!! Lol!!!
Glad your review went well...now for the physioterrorist!! Be afraid.......
It's a real pain but our nearest hydrotherapy pool is 20 miles away in the hospital I am due to be operated in. Too far to travel out here in the Shropshire wilds unfortunately so if it rains (warmly) I'll be out there waving my arms about!
Good Kev, Great! I'm very happy for you. I get an in home physical therapist (France) every day but all he does is massage my leg, he will support the leg completely and manipulate it around. He said the same thing, it is really to early for exercises, let the leg heal for a while.
I think it al really depends on the type of surgery you have, there are different approaches such as anterior or posterior which both have drastically different recovery times, and other factors such as anaesthetic used, implant type and cemented versus cement less which all affect your immediate mobility. Your health authority and consultant will also have their own opinions, which differ drastically.
I had a titanium/ceramic prostheses with cement less attachment and a posterior operation, this meant that I could immediately weight bear on the operated hip and was in hydrotherapy pool 2 days after my op. I was expected to walk 200-300 yards 3 times a day and start using stairs by day 3 and told to extend this daily when I returned home on day 4.
My initial physio in hospital gave me one set of recommendations while my surgeon, and second physio different recommendations. I followed the second as I heartily believe that getting the muscles working as soon as possible is the best way forward. I personally can't see the logic in letting the muscles fade for a further 6 weeks before starting exercise!! As I said though, this is specific to my circumstances and type of operation and prosthesis.
The best you can do is to follow the advice you are given, but Google is your friend when looking for others who had the exact same operation to compare notes and experiences.
I had some bed exercises, especially for the abductors and was advised on lying flat to make sure that the flexor muscles didn't tighten. I was allowed to do some standing exercises with the weight on the unoperated leg and I moved the operated one forwards then touch down 10 times, backwards and touch down 10 times and outwards and touch down 10 times. When I showed off that I could do it I was allowed to stand on the unoperated leg and raise the knee of the operated leg. All of them were to be done holding on to something like a worktop.
When I discovered that my abductors were getting out of balance at about 7 weeks I started to cautiously introduce some of my pre-op abductor exercises which has helped to balance up my pelvis again and I've just started back in my class to tone up the other leg for knee replacement in the next few weeks.
Sounds like my hospital. Wrightington, as my surgeon said at consultantion, 3 weeks walking with one crutch, at 6 weeks we start some weight training and swimming. As they do over 1500 hip ops a year they must know what they are doing? I spoke with the nurse and said no physio .. She said just walk around ...thanks for the post it's given me some more comfort and it makes sense to me, I also contacted a local physio who said it was personal choice but asked if I would consider exercising with a sprained ankle, answer no, so why would I want to exercise a healing hip more .. Fair point
Sounds like you are progressing well Kev,long may it continue...I am 8 weeks PO,at my 6week check all was well I did say to my Consultant "I am so grateful I don't know whether to hug you or kiss you?"he of course said"neither please! I am now back in the gym 4 days a week,weight training,walking,ski machine,cycling but not doing any weight bearing exercises on my new hip apart from leg extensions for the quads....I love doing my Physio in the pool,stretching,leg raises,gentle hopping and swimming,other people in the pool think I'm Barry but they don't know what us Hippies are going through....I am so happy with no limp,pain or tablet to take anymore and putting both socks and shoes on unaided apart from a few grunts!.......There is one downside for me though which is because my new hip feels like mine and feels strong it has highlighted other weaknesses,in my case it is my left knee,so my procedure for up and down stairs is op leg then unop leg,completely against the rules but it works for me.
I wish all you Hippies a continued,healthy recovery...I'm off to mow the grass take care...
Don't worry. I'm getting the other knee replaced and going down hospital stairs 'correctly' was just possible but domestic stairs was scary and when I was tired downright hazadous. This was less than 3 weeks post-op so I contacted the ward who got the ward senior physio to contact me and he assured me that while this was unusual I wouldn't harm the hip if I kept the leg in the correct orientation. I've done it ever since!