I'm 5 1/2 weeks post op and am doing extremely well. I have discarded my crutches within the house apart from stairs. Discarding them was not really deliberate, I just found I was not using them and managing fine.
however when I go outside I find that I can not walk without limping however hard I try. Can anyone suggest anyway to minimise the limp or should I carry on using a crutch?
Yoi have probably discarded your crutches to early. Walking outside is more painful then walking inside which will make you limp more. Although i have a constant limp i find i limp far worse when i walk outdoors and begin to struggle. Discarding crutches to early could make things worse in the long run for you
Hi YOU....Yes I was doing like you at 6 weeks...be careful though because then at 10 weeks I was stilll limping quite badly. I was referred to physio and as another post has said....I came off crutches too soon. I have been on them now when out walking ( one crutch) and limp going and now at 4 months tomorrow..heavens I am walking without a limp. I will take one crutch when walking more than 10 minutes.
Hope you are having a peacful day.
Alice
I was the same after 5 weeks but when I went to my 6 week consultation the surgeon told me that the limp would not improve unless I used at least 1 crutch so that the inner muscles strengthen. Like me You probably walk straight with a stick and limp without. The more straight walking you can do the better your gait will improve because those inners are getting stronger. Good luck
Hi,
It is about balance. Practice weightbearing on one leg
and then on the other. Until you can do this you will walk
with a limp.Climbing stairs only puts weight on the hip briefly.
When going for a walk take crutch/cane, you have gone
'solo' too soon.
good luck, Cathie
Hi there
Agree with what everyone said, my physo said keep walking stick it will get rid of the limp . It helps strenghen your new side.
Hi Thursday!
I am 8 months out and walk fine around the house with no cane and no limp but when I go out for any length of time I find that I limp with or without a cane, not very badly, but limp nonetheless.
Good luck to you!
Hi I'm at 7 weeks and the same as you. All it is is impatience. We were so lucky to have no problems early on... Then THE LIMP. You will find during the next three weeks that you will get stronger. Keep standing on the operated leg. Ray.
The thing i seem to notice on here is that everyone discards their crutches far to early because they think there ok to do so. That is when problems happen. Although the doctors say "you will be healed in 6 weeks" means bott all really. You probably wont be and need more time. This happened when i broke my collar bone. I thought ohh the pain is gone oh i can move it i can take my sling off. 7 month on and now i need an op to fix it. Discarding your crutches early could lead to the exact same thing happening. And learning it the hard way like i have means when i get my thr ill not be getting rid of my crutches to early even if i feel i can just to be safe
Yes. Physio, physio and physio. Within reason but you need to strengthen the butt muscles that were cut, so concentrate on those exercises.
Hi you dont say how old you are and in what shap before the operation, but a limp requires a stick on the opposite side to the limp, just use a stick and dont waddle, keep up with the bed excersises pressing down and butt clenches...it worked for me...Keep in touch Ian.
Use the crutch until you can walk properly without it
Point taken.
I didnt mean tl sound rude or anything. I was just trying to explain.
No... You're not rude. Just agree with what you're saying.
Oh right haha
I think everyone here has good advice. You're limping because the butt muscles aren't strong enough and if you continue on limping they don't strengthen and the limp stays. My surgeon and physio both emphasised keeping the stick whenever I limp.
I have been looking at heel to toe walking. We often have developed poor gait with painful hips so need to concentrate on learning to walk again. There's lots of good YouTube videos if you're interested.
I now stand up straight tighten my butt muscles and make sure I put my heel down properly. It's quite a re-education! But I feel so much more comfortable walking when I do it.
Kikeena
Greatest advice i ever got was ...walk straight.... head up....heel to toe with each step. Im 4 months. .. did have a longer leg. ....now no limp..can do anything except squat
Thanks for posting this thread and thanks to everyone who has responded. I am supposed to be non-weight bearing until at least Jan 22, but in the past five days or so have hardly used crutches at all inside the house out of laziness and complacency.
Having read the warnings here, I will use them all the time from now on until the doctor says otherwise. I DO NOT want to end up back in surgery.
Good idea. You deffo do not want to make things worse for yourself