I am 8 weeks po today and am still walking with 1 crutch. I try to walk around the house without it but with difficulty, limping heavily and waddling. When i walk with the crutch my walking looks completely normal. I went out last night with my mum and sister anheard them telling a group of people that I can walk okay but i have became dependent on the crutch but the reason for not walking without it is all in my mind i found this really hurtful.
i had a lateral approach and without the crutch i can tell that there is not enough muscle there.
I am doing the exercises as per the pt and also started with my stationary bike.
I have been telling myself to walk normally and trying hard to do it but i can't because it does look odd to walk normally but with crutch.
Has anyone else had unhelpful comments like this? Has anyone been the same way with the crutch?
Im 9 weeks and walking without crutches in the house and with one because im trying to comeoff them because i have surgery in 2 weeks and wont be able to use them. I am no were ready to come off but have no choice.
I do waddle a lot and its worse when im in pain but it does feel like its starting to get a little bit better.
Your family dont understand and thats the issue. You have to just try and ignore it. You will no when your ready. Not them. Your 8 weeks, not 8 years post op. It will be a long journey. Your not expected to be completely able by then. Just remember that and never push yourself to far. Stay strong hun
Do what you feel is right , anyone who hasn't had the op has no idea what it's like , family or not x
Hi Amanda take no notice of what people say you know yourself when you are ready to walk without help as for me Iam in a wheelchair so having a new hip to me will not matter so much hope you go on alright xx
I am struggling too I have 2 sticks now but walk okay with them but without I waddle. Am doing exercises but I guess it will just take time. Am fed up with being dependant on them I just want to get on with my life normally. Hope it's soon.
Barbara Good luck
Thanks for your replies, I think I'm feeling quite sensitive and a bit down anyway as i have been trying so hard to get back to "normal"
I am going to ignore their comments and try to be positive as you say everone has a different rate of recovery.
Hi Amanda,
I have heard different versions of this - not easy to hear and very hard not to be hurt. As we commented many times, people who haven't had the operation really cannot appreciate it's impact on us.
The only advice I can give is just to try to ignore them.or think of a response that you can use in these situations (so you are ready and don't just sound angry). Mine was: I doubt it will make sense to you and I don't fully understand it myself, but i do still need the additional support of an aid to counterbalance.
I also found that practising when alone - with concentration on heel-toe walking slowly helps. My P would also say clench your buttocks as it also helps (some people find this odd, rude) but it worked for me. ☺
Bottom line - it doesn't matter what others think. It really is about gaining the strength and coordination and confidence to walk tall and smoothly again.and that just takes time and hard work.
With several big hugs and a smile to pull out when a comment like this throws you.
Take care,
L
Hi there
I'm 7 weeks tomorrow and I'm exactly the same boat. Doing exercises as told and walk normally with one stick but just cannot walk normally without my stick and waddle like a fat penguin. I'm trying to strengthen my glutes but don't see improvement. I also still cannot stand on one leg yet without holding onto a surface x
Hello Amanda, I can imagine you felt hurt and humiliated. I've tried to walk without the crutch, and am furniture surfing, I will be 4 weeks post op Thursday, and already I can feel people losing patience with the situation. I don't think people understand how desperately we want to get back to normal, but our bodies won't do what we want, and how frustrating it all becomes. I've been walking great on one crutch since week 2, but as soon as I try to put weight on my new hip it lets me down, I waddle like a duck. We will all recover in time, some sooner than others. Try not to dwell on the comments that where made, they just don't understand. You will be fine, only you will know when your hip feels strong enough to hold your weight, everyone on this forum understands how desperate you are to be back to normal, and to drop the crutch. Keep smiling chick, big hugs Julia. Xx
It's nice to know we are all in the same boat with this rotten duck waddle - at week 7 almost and beginning to think it's a permanent thing which I really hope not
Hi Amanda
It's absolutely normal to need a crutch to be able to walk straight - they give a lot of support . Even a walking stick can make a big difference - I used one pre op at surgeons advice but without it I walked with a limp and dragging my leg
So I would ignore others unhelpful opinions , even if they are those you love . Might be worth discussing with them how they made you feel ? Best of luck hon - big hug xxx
That was a very insensitive thing for them to say. Of course, you are trying the best you can to recover. No one wants to be disabled.
Most people are able to walk unaided without a limp from between 8 and 12 weeks. Some people take longer, some sooner. Your relatives are uninformed about recovery rates for total hip replacement, and I hope you can overlook their lack of knowledge. It is possible that with proper PT and time, your muscles will heal and become strong again.
Are you able to balance on just your surgical leg at all, for a few seconds or longer, without having hip drop? Most people with THR can balance on that leg at this point - 8 weeks. I ask because I had a lateral approach last July and I had a complication. I am sorry to say that I am still walking with a crutch or walker a year later, and walk beautifully with them, no sign of a limp, but when I walk without an aid, I have a terrible limp. I have never been able to balance on the surgical leg since surgery was done. It was determined in my case that I have a gluteus medius tear that is severe enough that I need surgery to repair it. The gluteus medius and minimus aid the hip in holding the hip steady when on one leg.
Time will tell if you will recover normally, and I certainly hope you will. If you continue to have this problem over the next couple of months, make sure your surgeon is aware of it and try to get extra help.
Hi Amanda,
I dont think its all in your head. There may be an element of us subconsiously trying to protect ourselves, but I think its mostly down to what our bodies have gone through. I'm six weeks post op and have been told by the consultant to phase out my crutch. Like you, its difficult to walk without a limp or waddle. I find really focusing on tensing my glutes helps but it means I get sore quickly. I think also, the limited movement of my old joint meant that some of my muscles have not been used properly in a long long time and its taking time for my body / mind to remember that they are needed. I'm just doing short distances without my crutch and the minute I start limping or it gets sore I use the crutch again.
My physio advised that the worst thing I could do would be to completely stop using the crutch and limp as I would find it difficult to get rid of the limp longterm. He gave me an example of someone who is 18 months down the line and has a permanent limp because they rushed things....
Sounds like your doing the right stuff. Keep up the good work 
David
Hi Amanda, 8 weeks is no time at all, It doesnt matter if your still using crutches, so long as you feel confident about going out. I'm sure theyve never had to recover from something like this. Think its wonderful that your not just sitting at home and getting depressed, well done you. I've not had my family say anything ,but I have had some very strange reactions from people on the street and in resturants too.
Good luck with everything XXX
Hi AnnieK,
No I can't balance on the operated leg yet but I couldn't before. Last week when I saw the consultant he wanted me to stand on the operated leg but just couldn't do it. He did say that two muscles (sorry can't remember the names) were still very weak. He said give it time to all my questions.
Thanks for your response, sorry to hear that you had complications, it is good that they are going to do something about it. Good luck with your surgery.
Thanks you just reminded me of what i was like before and of course the with the muscles not been used properly in a long time. Daft as it may seem I have had my focus on recovery post op and I just realised how quickly I had forgotten about my walking before the op. Horrendous limping, severe pain, tiredness and heavy leg. I had also become really unfit so why did I think that I would be able to do it "normally" within weeks anyway. Like you said retraining body and mind.
Thanks
I do the buttock clenches but I haven't noticed a difference yet, but it does come in handy when I have overdone things and I get the feeling that I am sat on a lemon. The first time I felt it, it frightened me so much I thought the ball had dropped out of the socket but it turns out to be excess fluid according to the consultant. The thing that go through your mind!!!hey
Well, if they haven't had it done how do they know why you still need a crutch. If you still need it, then you use it. I went for a walk in fresh air tonight and forgot yo take a stick ( useless) so my husband found me a branch to lean on, I couldn't have done it without! Do what your body tells you, only you know how you feel. Xxxxxxxx
Hi Patsy,
I've had strange reactions too, but on top of that I have found a new found respect/understanding of people who have to use crutches as a way of life. The amount of people in the street who would try to squeeze past me and almost send me flying, or people on buses/trains in the disabiity seats who clearly had no disability but didnt move for me, etc... there are so many more examples I could give.
I too was the same, jusy couldn't balance on my new hip, and had a terrible limp.
two things for me, I had very weak gluteus medius and minimus muscles, it took some time with physio but did evetually come right.
I also had a leg length discrepancy 10mm naturally that wasn't recognised before surgery, and then another 10mm was added during the surgery, so overall my left leg is now 3/4inch longer than my right leg.
I have had it measured by another surgeon, and a physio, and I can see it for myself with help from another person.
You need a bench seat or a boardroom table, lie on your back, heels up towards your bum, knees bent, another person to stand at your toes and tell you if you are straight through your legs, hips body to shoulders, and also to see if your heels are at the same level square to your body and each other. then you can look at your knees are they different one higher than the other, thats the give away, also your friend looking from the other angle at your kneecaps, one more prominent than the other, I have that from both angles, even had to show physio on her table and get her help to make sure I was straight, then she could see what i was talking about, her reaction was wow.