Walking

Bones, joints and muscles
1

Hi All

Just wondering, how were you at 2 to 3 weeks with walking?

I don't mean generally walking around, but if you had to walk 5 metres at a pinch would you have been able to with a normal gait?

I am currently just over two weeks, have been getting stuck into the physio, pain has gone, I am off pain killers and everything is tracking a long well with the exception that I just can't walk. I can only hobble.

Is this normal for day 17? I am concerned that this is permanent and that I will have a pain free but hobbling hip.

2

I had my THR 15 months ago and it seems like I hobble when I'm really tired (I have OA in all my joints)

At 2-3 weeks I was still on a walker. I didn't use a cane until maybe the 2 month  and then just gradually I weaned off it. I couldn't walk far because my leg just felt very heavy and it seemed to tire me out.

Just take your time. don't rush it. We all heal at different rates.

Good luck to you!

3

Hi John, I am 22 days post hip op and walking young house albeit slowly without any sticks, outside need two sticks but can walk about 1/4 mile now with rests in between I.e leaning on lampposts!! Don't think I have got a limp either no pain in actual hip but wound area still very sore and swollen. Good luck with your recovery

4

Hi John,

I am 6 and a bit months post posterior thr and headed for my 2nd thr.

I was nowhere near this level at two weeks. Did you an anterior approach surgery?

Regardless of pain level - just remember that 20 muscles and other connective tissue groups need to heal post surgery. And depending on the length of time your gait was affected before surgery, there is a lot of bad muscle memory to overcome. So ... as my PT reminded me regularly ... "Patience mon capitain".

Several others have posted about the helpfulness of exercising in front of a large mirror to work on their gait and focusing on walking deliberately vs fast - down through your heel to toes. The more you keep walking with a limp the more this muscle memory gets embedded - kind of a Catch-22. So don't give in to this so early on.

Good luck working on this - we really are meant to recover fully from this, including a smooth walk.

L

5

Hi. I'm 3 weeks po tomorrow. Had follow up appt today. Doc said I'm doing fine. Still using cane. Sometimes I forget it after walking a few steps but I still need it. I've walked about 2000 steps in a big store but need to rest afterwards. Most things I asked about resuming doc said give a few more weeks. I can drive at 4 weeks. 

6

Hi john,

By week three i could only manage a very short walk, think it was just a few yards if i'm honest. No my gait is not normal at 9 weeks.

7

Thanks Linda. I am going to remain positive and keep working on it. I had posterior, but a brilliant surgeon. My gait was affected for my entire life leading up to the operation, so around 40 years. The mirror idea sounds good.

8

It's probably early days. I used a crutch, went out and about all over the place, lots of walking, bus, tube, train etc., and did my exercises. Then went to my 6 week physio, and was told I was fine to walk unaided. Now 7 weeks, only a slight limp at times, and no pain. Good luck!

9

Hello. I found it useful and motivating to get my other half to film me each week, walking about twenty metres. This started off on two crutches, then one, then a walking stick and finally several weeks with no aids. By looking back I was able to see that the limp was gradually decreasing week on week. Don't fret, you are very early on along the adventure of recovery!

10

At 3 weeks i got rid of my cane and was doing p/t.  I started P/T 4 days post surgery. I am not sure how far 5 metres is, but, I was not walking all that far. (posterior surgery)

At P/T, I was told to practice walking without a limp even though I did have some minor pain at that point.  

Good Luck !!!

11

Very slowly, heel toe, in runners to support my feet, use your crutches to give you stability so you don't fall.

I found each and every day I just went a few steps more, and let it build up from there, up to about 17 days post surgery, did my stretching exercises, but didn;t leave house, given strict instructions no going outside house for 10 days after getting home, and then only to local GP to get dressing done, back home after that exhausted.

Following day started walking from front door to letter box, then to neigbours letter box,then to next neighbours letter box, repeat, daily, even did these exercise walk twice a day sometimes if I felt like it, also kept up the stretching physio exercises given me by physios, by about 1 month post surgery walking to corner store about 400 meters.

12

Yes yse mirror

Take your time

U will b much better

Exercise 6 tines a day do it

Jozie

13

Bring this to the attention of the Physio therapist. It's most likely a weakness

in the muscles tendons. Sometimes I found that I had struggles so much getting in and out of bed that I pulled a theigh muscle.