Seasons greetings one and all! I'm gearing up for my first THR on the 19th Jan.
So anyway, I went to hip school and was surprised to be told that I would have no restrictions after surgery, apart from 'if it hurts don't do it'. Apparently the risk of dislocation is so small it is no longer seen as necessary to put restrictions in place. Has anyone else been told this? Needless to say I plan on imposing restrictions anyway as no matter how small the risk I don't want to be in that percentile!
I'm going to be having a cementless ceramic on ceramic using the posterior approach.
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Jennifer, UK
I had my hip replacement 19th Nov and was told all the restrictions are in place for 6 wks. Cementless ceramic on ceramic. So id defo stick to them if I was you. As there was a lady in hospital who had had a dislocation and it knocked her confidence. Plus she had to have anorher op to change the fittings as they where the wrong size.
The 90° restrictions are important for posterior or lateral approach surgeries. If you have the minimally invasive anterior approach, like I had, there are no restrictions because the muscles and tendons that keep the hip joint together will not be cut and reattached to the bone. The anterior approach moves them to the side to access the bone. So the infrastructure is not compromised. My mother-in-law had a lateral approach surgery and had the 90° restrictions and made a full recovery. It's a valid approach, but the recovery is slower because the muscles and tendons have to mend. Suggest you google about the different approaches to learn more.
No restrictions doesn't mean you shoud take unnecessary risks. It just means you don't have to panic if you bend over to tie your shoes or pet the dog. You will have plenty of exercises and work to do as you heal, just no extra concerns.
Oh my.im very surprised they said that.
Every one else on this site had those restrictions.
However I had anterior approach.That one there are no restrictions. But the others do.please check while your in the hospital.ask good questions.write them before you go though.
Her in the U.S.a woman who had the posterior approach just put her legs on the coffee table and it did dislocate.and she was a month post op. So be careful.
I too had the anterior approach for both my THR's. Was told the same as you were while in THR class. I asked my doc what was the worst thing I could do Post op and he said fall down. Otherwise, he said to walk walk walk. My first one was perfect and I did all the standard exercises for recovery, however, the second one was total opposite and has caused 14 months of excruciating pain. In Feb. I will have a revision done with the lateral approach. The prosthesis, the ceramic socket came loose and ball is slightly dislocated because of that. I am sure I did nothing to cause it to happen.
So, I am a living example of both sides of the coin! Do exercise caution and report to your surgeon if anything prevents you from being able to do the exercises besides regular pain to be expected. That was my first clue about the 2nd one that something was amiss.
Hoping a great outcome for you! Keep us posted so we can be your cheerleaders!
Hugs,
Dawn U.S.
So glad you were able to find out what went wrong with your prothesis. Hope your revision in February goes well. Keep us posted on how you do!
Wish I hadn't read your post Dawn..After a successful LTHR I've been told I now need a RTHR..My worry is that like you I develop complications this time..
In fact there seems to be a fair number who have issues with their second op.
Or am I just looking for an excuse to not have to go through the pain again..maybe?
Good luck with your revision surgery.
Paul. UK.
Hi
I'm very surprised about that
You seem to be happy enough to try to follow them so I would.....its only for 6 weeks not that long except for the sleeping.....that seems forever LOL
I've had 2 THR's
Good luck with yours
Love
Eileen UK
I can't help you since my first THR is scheduled four days after yours. I am impressed that you have a hip school you can go to. I wasn't told anything,which is why I started coming here.
But it seems that having some restrictions at first just makes sense. I know with the shoulder and knee replacements there was physical therapy within a few days of going home but the activity was very regulated so as not to disturb the surgical site. It wasn't the artificial joint itself they were protecting but the muscle/ligament/ tendon attachments to it. But I will for sure find someone to ask before the hip is done.
Sorry Paul. I did not wish to frighten you. I guess when we go under the knife we have to be ready for anything. Admittedly, my 2nd outcome shocked me. I guess God in His infinite wisdom allowed me to have the good THR first, because that gave me one strong leg for the second one.
We really cannot live in fear of the worst or we would go batty, right? Go forth Paul and know that you can handle anything that comes your way.
Thanks for the well wishes on my revision. I believe that this time will be better. A different surgeon will do it. My light at the end of this tunnel!
Wishing you the very best in your THR journey!
Dawn
Lee, how did your shoulder replacement go? I need both of mine replaced and know nothing about it. I joined the shoulder replacement forum, but There are not many conversations.
Thanks!
Dawn
Hi, I just had an anterior hip replacement done and was told there are no restrictions on what I can do. However I am recovering
from major surgery and as such would not do anything which would hurt unless under the supervision of my surgeon and physiotherapist. The muscles in this op are separated out to access the diseased hip and not cut as in the posterior op so the chances of dislocation are less after this operation. However, rest assured you have to work hard to get these muscles back in shape and it hurts! I'm 12 days into recovery and have physio every other day for an hour. I can walk unassisted but slowly, I can lay on one side and almost on the second side. I can get into bed but the repaired hip has to be assisted but the physio will show you how to do that. I can go up and down stairs and can get up a curb. I cannot keep going all day, bend down from the waist, push a vacuum or mop floors. yet. I have 20 staples in my thigh area. I cannot drive and there is nerve pain as I heal. I cannot put on socks and I need to rest when I get tired. I'm thrilled to bits to be so ahead of the game and can't wait until my second hip is done.
Hi Carol,
If you don't mind, could I ask you if your staples are on the outside of your thigh?
Thanks,
Dawn
Hi Jennifer,
I think you are wise to stick to precautions for a while as I must admit I've never heard of anyone not having restrictions on a posterier approach. The restrictions are there for a reason. I would double check when you go in for the procedure just to be sure.
Wish you all the best of luck with your op and hope you have a speedy recovery.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Cathy UK
My stitches are on the inside groin area. It's an anterior procedure. About 20 staples I can see. My bikini wearing days would be over if I cared but I don't. I want a pain free life.....well as much as possible! I'm told life is easier once the staples are removed and I'm only 12 days post op.
Hi DawnDedee!
My shoulder went really well, better than I had anticipated . My surgeon told me that the shoulder replacement was the most complex of the joint replacements and would be a harder recovery than with the knees, but I did not find that to be true in my case. Post op I had my shoulder in a sling strapped to my body so that there was no movement at all the first week, and after that I had home physical therapy. The pain was no worse than the knees, just different. The hard things to do were getting up from sitting ( try that with your arm strapped to your side), getting use to using only one arm and such. Within a month I was using it okay except for reaching around my back and up high. Within two months I had full range of motion, so that was really good. It was nice having a replacement that still allowed me to walk around and take care of myself. If you have any questions or if I can help anyway just let me know.
Merry Christmas!
just be careful anyway... and good luck !!!
Right! Pain free definitely wins over fashion and I never thought like that until this phase of my life.
Happy Holidays and wishing you a speedy recovery!
Dawn U.S.
Many thanks! You too have a great Christmas Holiday and hopefully pain free future too!
I was reading there are restrictions at the beginning with posterior replacement such as not bending 90 degrees to sit down or bend forward. You should confirm what you can do to save yourself from doing something which will jepodize your new hip. Anterior replacement has only the limitation of the pain of the muscles coming together again. Your body will tell you for sure what will work until you heal but take no chances.