Hello All, I had my LHR last July and the pain relief has been fantastic however I'm still unable to walk unaided as my right hip has now got no bone space whatsoever and actually clicks on any form of movement, I was with the surgeon on Tuesday and he's put me on the list for a replacement asap my question is has anybody else been completely immobile for a number of years because of the same problem and if so are you now able to walk unaided without looking like a penguin I'm concerned that I'll always be dependant on crutches/walking stick/wheel chair etc, any encouragement will be greatfully recieved. X
No but I walked worse than a penguin for over 3 years as my right hip was completely collapsed so I walked with a stick some & walker sorta just dragged the right leg had a THR a month ago but when I try to walk unaided that leg still bends behind the right leg kinda dragging & my right had become 3 inches shorter so left knee stayed bent up for 3 years now the muscles don't want to straighten out Dr says I need that knee replaced now so I guess I will always need some type of aid & walk like a penguin just glad I can walk some
Dear Ann
This really is a question for your surgeon but unless there is something unusual then I do not see why you should not be able to walk on your new hip without any difficulties unless you are very unlucky. That's my opinion based on a twenty year old replacement and a revision last year and from reading the experiences of many others on this forum. best wishes, Richard
Hi Ann. I am 4 days post op on my left hip. It seems the swelling is increasing not decreasing. Is that normal? I thought it would decrease after surgery. Also, what do you think is the most effective way to ice. IE, only on the incision? All over? separate areas? In your case, all of my friends that have had both hips replaced do not limp and they limped before surgery. Good Luck.
Hi Patricia, yep your right 're any walking is better than none, hope your knee replacement goes well.
Thanks for responding Richard , to be honest just being pain free from my left hip replaced last year is fab so any improvement after this one will be a bonus. X
Hi Cliff, the swelling around my incision site and my leg got bigger and bigger over the 1st week post Op and the bruising was horrendous but I iced regularly on the incision,groin and leg and by the 2nd week it started to go. As for limping I'm sure overtime as my muscle strength comes back I'll be fine. Good luck with your recovery. X
Thanks Ann. As for constipation, I have been taking miralax and colace everyday. It has not been working. Any suggestions?
Hi there, I walked like a penguin for 21 years but walked since I had one good hip, which was replaced at the age of 31. My right hip was also in bad shape and I had lost total mobility and my leg was half the muscle mass since I could not bend it or move it to the side more than 10 degrees. I was in pain but could bear it with planning my activities and using a cane for long walks. I could also bike and drive. This allowed me to take care of my young family. Well, after 21 years of bearing most of my weight in my hood, left, replaced hip, it came loose and my right hip could not handle the demands. I had to have a resection and 8 weeks of no weight bearing. My right hip had to work extra hard and it locked after it would crack with every move I made. The pain was horrible. The leg was weak, I had almost no glutes it hip abductors and very small quads. My leg dragged. My right hip was replaced in July and it has been 7 months of physio, gym, swimming and working. I have sensory nerve damage but no mobility nerve damage do little by little I have been working on those muscles, gaining flexibility and strength, learning how to walk properly and I no longer walk like a penguin, which really shocks my friends and acquaintances. More importantly I am pain free. Sometimes I have to use my walking stick, specially on uneven ground or when I over do it. I believe that when there is a will there is a way. So my goal is to make those glutes get stronger and yes they do complain. I let the rest and push forward. Now I can lift both my legs off the ground. I can walk, I can squat, I can dance and if I have to use my cane. I know that my family is happy that I am doing better. The rest of the world, well I have learnt to not give any of my time to worry about it.
Hi Ann. Yes. Well if I could. I had pain in both hips for the last few years. Waiting to age more so that my implant would last plus I kept putting it off out of fear.
Had my first replacement in 2016, easy and recovered quick. Had my other side done and I’m 13 wks post op. But due to problems after this surgery, pinched nerve and pain on the side of hip down to knee I’m still not walking with pain. May be the IT band causing the pain on side. If I didn’t have these issues I would be walking fine without aids and pain.
Wishing you a quick and total recovery.
Still not walking without pain is what I meant.
Hi Cliff I had swelling all down my leg, it used to get worse as the day went on. I used to elevate my legs and use a cold pack on the swollen part. Re constipation, I used to try to drink plenty of water, also loads of veg, and prunes , dates etc, seeds are good, linseeds, you can sprinkle them on cereal. Once I was off my meds, initially I found everything went straight through me! Good luck
Immobility is very limited unless you have a neurogenative bone disorder.
My goodness Claudia you've been through the mill , mine hip wise is just arthritis but like most people I've been left too long and the pain has been dreadful, my bigger problem is spinal stenosis which the surgeons have decided is to complicated to operate on due to a high chance of decompression so my mobility problems are heightened by this, but reading stories like yours and others on this site spur me on. Keep up the hard work Claudia your an inspiration.
Fingers crossed this is just a blip, hope your on the mend soon.x
I've got spinal stenosis which I've had for over 20 years this complicates matters but reading the stories on here gives me hope that once my right hip is done I'll be better able to get on with life. Thank you for responding.
I’ve got it as well but the back pain keeps me from walking a bunch. Have you ever tried Radio Frequency (Ablation ) treatment for the stenosis. Right now I have little back pain because of it. Lasts about a year and is minimally invasive
I have had spinal stenosis for years as wel.
Well hello Ducksoup and thank you for responding, I've just looked that procedure up and will speak to my surgeon 're this as once this hip has been replaced I can then concentrate on my spine. It's good to hear it's working for you.
Morning Dsilik05, I wish you well with your recovery ,have you read the blog from Ducksoup that might be helpful for you. Keep in touch and let me know how you go on x