Can anyone advise on this one? I'm four weeks post op after a THR and am pretty ok during the day; I can walk around the house without any help and just a little discomfort, no limp or feeling my leg is about to drop off! I can go up and down stairs normally, and walk outside for maybe half a mile using one crutch. Taking paracetemol only night and morning for several days. So far so good. But the nights! Last night I woke up at 2:30am, then regularly until 5:30am when I gave up, got up, made tea and took codeine, then dozed till about 8am when it got so bad I had to get up. I lie on both sides (cleared by the consultant) with pillows for support or on my back, but the pain in my hip just gets worse and worse all night and this seems to happening more and more in the last few days. Is it part of the healing process? Does it mean the bone/nerves are recovering from the hammering they got during surgery? Or is something wrong? All comments welcome!
hi maggyh
you have had a major operation and it does take time for things to settle down after all they surgeon will have knocked you around.im 5 weeks post op I get back ache on my operated side and still have to sit with a cushion under my bottom because it's so tender. If you really are worried have a word with the doctor
all the best
don't over do things
Thanks, Denise, I know you're right - I'm just impatient, I think! I get backache, too, and think it may be related to using crutches. Take care, Maggy
hi maggyh
you are right those crutches are a pain I got shut of mine ASAP they where causing to much pain in my shoulder
all the best
take care
Perhaps you are doing too much in the daymaggy. . I am 6 weeks on Thursday and couldn't poss do as much . I can manage with one crutch in the house but have a limp when I try without . I also ache at night I am hoping when I see doc for check up on wed he will tell me it's normal as I have been doing as they told me . I understand you want a quick recovery there was a younger man than me on ward same time and he walked non stop while in hospital but wasn't too good afterwards nurse told him he had to rest . Listen to your body and rest a bit more . Good luck
Thanks, Mary, it's very hard to try and find the right path between not doing as much as one can, and doing too much. I'll take it a bit easier for a day or two and see if it helps.
Good luck on weds.
Hi Maggy I think your body gets stiff at night as you are not moving around as much as during the day. From the comments on here the nights are always worse, however with each week on post op I am finding the stiffness does get less and I agree with the amount you are doing during the day may well be the reason it is stiffer at night.
Dear Maggy, perhaps to change the routine a bit. Rest in the day some, put your legs up on pillows. In the evening, take a nice warm bath, showered to help your body relax and loosen the muscles from all that you have done in the daytime. I noticed some meds actually caused me pain and once I was off them, the pain cycle stopped. Sounds strange, but when I had another orthopedic surgery, I went back to the doctor and he told me I should not be taking anything anymore once I stopped taking the med, so stopped the pain. At this point, I only take something very rarely and seem to manage without. Hydrate yourself, too, when deyhrated you can experience more symptoms. There are some nights when one cannot sleep and after much effort, it is almost better to get up and move around for a while or take another warm shower/bath. Just some suggestions and see what might help that is different from what you are doing now. Keep us posted and hope you get some relief soon, Susan
Hi Maggy!! I am 43 years old, 7 1/2 weeks post op THR. I am just now getting a better night's sleep. I have been cleared (at week 6) to sleep on my tummy. Sleeping on my back was extremely difficult for me. I experienced horrible stiffness in my legs. Now, I am able to sleep on my side (with a pillow between legs) and on my tummy. So during the night I can now switch to 3 different positions. Before I was only sleeping 2 hours at a time before i had to get up and walk around and movemy legs. now its safe to say i can sleep 4-5 hours without any major stiffness. some of the stiffness still occurs, but i turn over on my back and do ankle pumps to get the muscles feeling better again. it does get better, hang in there! good luck to you! Ginny USA
Hello maggyh,
I am about 16 wks post thr and I still have deep aches in my legs when I sleep - fine during the day. Some around the wound, some in the quad. My doc said it was blood pooling at night. That made sense. So now when I get the aches, I lay in bed and stretch and do all the small exercises they gave me for the first 6 weeks - quad and glute sets. That helps me and then I feel much better and can sleep. I also think that maybe being a little more active before I go to bed helps (maybe). But listen to your body as everyone here says. We all are different. I am a lot farther along then you so this may not be relevant.
Sandy
Hi maggyh,
sounds like you are doing an awful lot during the day and it could possibly be causing your pain. It sounds like you are overworking your muscles and they are cramping on you at rest. Try to cut back a little and if you have muscle relaxers take them throughout the day. Before going to sleep you might want to apply a muscle cream or get some of the heat patches.
I hope this helps and good luck on continued recovery.
I am 15 days post-op and doing very well.