Hi,8 weeks post op left thr. Doing fine and recovering well still using crutches outside but inside trying to concentrate without aids
to work on gait. Curious to see what others are doing at same stage .
HI Linda
I'm 6.5 weeks post op LTHR and like you am walking without aids inside as much as possible while trying hard to maintain a good gait. I'm still a bit stiff starting out though and sometimes have to do the penguin walk for a few steps. Outside or among crowds I'm using one stick for security and so people will make allowances.
I'm planning to try a pair of trekking poles (xmas present!) when the weather improves so I can keep up with OH and the dogs on walks. Have you tried driving yet? I had a go last week and did ok, but lifting my foot on and off the clutch quickly became tiring. At least it's not my braking leg, so I don't need to worry about emergency stops.
Hope your recovery continues to go well,
sjhips
Wishing you
Hi Linda, I am exactly 5 weeks post op and still walking indoors with a crutch. If I don’t I find I walk like a penguin still. I haven’t been outside with my crutch yet as it’s too wet and slippery. I get hardly any discomfort during the day, I’ve bought Bio Oil for my scar as it’s a bit sore and have been a bit lax with my exercises so I must start doing them properly again. Glad to read you are getting on ok 😊
10 weeks post op. Anterior procedure. Was in gym on bike 2 hrs. after hospital discharge. Running again. No problems.
Sounds like you're doing the right things there Linda, concentrating on walking with a good gait rather than trying to be fastest to recover. Steady and sure wins the race in this 'game'.
Best wishes for a good 2018
Graham
Hi Sarah pleased your doing so well. Iv read that the best exercise is walking for hip replacement have you been doing any different ones to the usual stretches and bum clenching. I was told at my six weeks check I could do gentle exercise bike. I only done 2 mins then puffed out but aiming on building up this week.
I haven’t been doing much really. I’ve no confidence going out with two crutches let alone one. The ground is so wet and slippery. Also I’m getting a bit worried about my operated leg which is still sort of bent. That chair exercise where you stretch out your whole leg, my foot point inwards not like the other leg where it points straight out in front. I’m finding it almost impossible to get that foot to turn straight so will have to find out what I can do to train it to point straight again.
Hi Linda, we are all different with our healing. I was off of crutches at six weeks no other aids but that is because of a sergeant major of a physio who told me to get off of them and made me walk the length of the physio corridor without them which was scary at 4 weeks! I was in mid 50's at time of surgery. I had problems post op with my foot turning out. Surgeon told me to turn my foot inwards as an exercise. so I suppose you could do the opposite, its re educating the muscles, which can take up to two years to heal.
Hello,I'm the same as you I have tried driving because I felt OK but when I come to do it well it was a totally different matter. I had to lift my operated leg which I thought was quite risky so I wont attempt it again for another week. I can also lift my leg normally but when I try stairs I have no strength to do them without aids. Must master this soon. Happy recovery.
Hi when iv concentrated on the walking I must master the steps. I live all on one level so iv noticed when I come to try stairs I can't fully weight bare on operated leg without crutch. I hope this all comes together soon.
Yes I also live all on one level and can’t climb stairs normally. I must practice this more to get more strength in the leg.
I can walk without a crutch but when I’ve asked someone if I’m still limping they always say yes, apparently I walk with a “swinging gait” whatever that looks like I don’t have a clue. So I prefer to carry on walking with one crutch until I’ve seen the physio. As for getting my foot to point straight it seems near impossible, not painful but it just won’t straighten
I was still limping for a while, and my operated leg used to swing out. I thought I was ok, but my husband used to tell me, so I could correct it. It should all get better. I think Richard (?) once suggested looking in shop windows as you walk along, so you have an idea of how it’s all looking. All the best, Judith
The physio wouldn't let me out of the hospital without a successful stairs test. I guess as you get little or no practice with stairs, you will find this difficult at first.
It’s good to have someone tell you how you’re walking. I have to ask, I guess people are too polite to tell me
It was the same with me. I had the op on a Saturday, nothing happened on the Sunday, but Monday was like Piccadilly Circus with physios, OTs, helpers, volunteers ...... We had to pass a physio test including walking up steps twice, along with a load of other tests. We could then go home.
10 weeks from LTHR.. I was limping terribly for 2 years so muscles need retraining. I was really disappointed but am coming along. Heel-toe, heel-toe...walking etc is something we do without thought. It is like being a child and focusing all the time on something we take for granted.
Baby steps but we will all get there...
It’s difficult to get back to walking properly again. I have no pain at all when I walk yet I still find myself limping.