Seven weeks post op now after thr at royal orthopaedic birmingham and feeling fine.when I consented for my op it was originally for a resurface as i have a physically demanding job also being in my forties I thought revision surgery may be easier in the future,but to cut a long story short it had to be converted to thr.
Had my six weeks check up a few days ago and all is well as far as the consultant was concerned who encouraged me to step up my exercise regime even though i was still on one crutch at the time(only use it now for long walks as i start to walk side to side after a while),i asked him if I needed any physio but he said no just go and live your life he had given me the latest technology hip available see you in three months.So now i am feeling some what lost , i have been going to the gym for twenty years so i could not wait to get back,first time back this week and have been doing bike,cross trainer and walking on tread mill and upper body weights but feel i could do so much more but my question is how much to push things I'm not even breaking into a sweat,some guidance would be great.
My inclination is to say take it easy ! You may feel fine at the moment but you're still healing and it would be so easy to overdo it. You may not be sweating but I bet your hip is being stressed ! 👣
Good work! It is easy to overdo it so take care and if you have the slightest tendency to limp keep on with the exercises and to help in establishing a really good gait continue using both crutches.
I am now 3 weeks post op. I am 40 and work outside very hard, and go to gym, My first week I just over did it by walking to much. My leg bled internally and swelled huge. Now I cant bend my knee, and the physical therapy is rough getting knee to bend again. Today my surgeon warned me that I must take it easy for first 3 months, and to look at each day a very little step above the previous day. He said at any time in the first 3 months, I could do the same thing by pushing it to hard. So that's my advice to you. To many people on here, have had major setbacks late in the game, 2 months out, 3 months out, 6 months out! Be careful. My set back has mentally drained me! I was walking so good barley using walker at day 8 and now at week three, I was wheel chair bound for 3 days, and having difficult time with walker.
I'm in the same boat that you are. I'm 7 weeks post op and wanting to step up my workouts...so I have. However, I'm keeping in mind that I don't want to overdo it and letting pain be my guide. I just did yoga for the first time since my surgery and it was great but at the same time nerve-wracking. I was nervous about some of the positions so I just modified them to not put so much stress on the hip. Hard to do but satisfying nonetheless. If you want to break a sweat, I suggest getting on some piece of cardio equipment such as the elliptical machine, which is what I'm doing, and put in at least 20 minutes at a good pace. You'll work up a sweat! It's low impact and doesn't put the hip in a compromising position. You can still do a lot of upper body work and I've incorporated some easy adductor/abductor exercises from a mat that I believe really help not only building the hip muscles but also in regaining some flexibility. Do them just after you get off the machine and you'll sweat, I guarantee it! Just keep it real and don't think you're superman and you'll be ok.
You have plenty of time to recover. Don't rush it. Walking is great. Also the hip exercises that your PT gave you to do at home. I returned to swimming after 6 weeks and that has been a great help in my recovery. I just went to my first spin class today, 14 weeks after LHR.
Warm welcome to the hippies forum - Great responses and feedback right ?
I am assuming that you had the superior approach and muscles, tendons and nerves etc. were cut - this needs time to heal -
Maybe get a physical therapist check you out and show you the exercises you can do ? maybe you can have a couple of sessions authorized - I don't know, of course -
the fabulous surgeons are more interested if the hardware is placed correctly, stayed in place and show no cracks - Congratulations on a job well done ...
Hips actually don't need much exercise to get better. They do a pretty good job of it all on their own if given half a chance. Trouble is, we are impatient and sometimes don't give them a chance and end up with all sorts of aches and pains and sore spots.
Keep in touch and let us know how you are getting on!
Hmmm........No PHYSIO? Never heard of that! I think if I were you, pjb, I would see if it's possible to get some. They are the ones who kind of guide you along in your recovery after hip replacement. It meant all the difference in the world when I had mine. Of course, I am quite a bit older than you are, but still, they kind of assess where you are and what you need to be doing to get back to normal. That said, after about 3 weeks of my rehab my surgeon told me I didn't need it any longer. But, I felt I still needed some more and so did my physio!! She said that the Docs have this attitude that as long as you're walking at all, no need for it!! To me, that's kind of a crazy attitude. My physio was fantastic! And yes, I kept going anyway until both she and I said I was about ready to fly on my own. I think if you have any way to get it, by all means..........GET IT!!!!
I too was told no physio, only walking. My surgeon is a young guy, very knowledgeable and his philosophy is that with the anterior approach, walking is the best physio for it...and he was right. I've recovered well and relatively rapidly. He's allowed me to add exercise at my own pace letting pain guide me. I'm not saying that no one needs physio but apparently there are cases where it's not necessary.
Morning Pjb140!! Wow so happy for you!! It's so easy to do more when you and your new hip feel so good, but seven weeks is still pretty new so take it easy and don't over do it. The healing is still going on and things could go south very quickly if you don't take care of this hip. Remember it's an artificial hip. Im back at gym too. Started back late January. But I had to go slow as I dislocated my first hip and had to have a total hip revision. But it's really great that you're doing so well. A steady pace is better than over doing it. Best of luck to you for a continued recovery and happy trails to you. God's blessings to you!! Hugs 🤗 Linda
We'll twenty years ago I had THR and had no physio just lots of walking. With the revision a few months ago I went home with some exercises to do and I turned down an offer of physio as I thought it would be more trouble than it would be worth.
Both surgeries were posterior and in both cases I've made an excellent recovery but need to get my shoes mended due to all the walking!