It has been a month since my hip replacement surgery and the progress is going well. It took nearly three weeks to finally feel like myself again, fatigue, pain and sleepless nights really wore me down. I didn’t realize how much energy it would take to recover from a surgery of this scope. I’ve had children and remember times of exhaustion, but I was blindsided by how hard this kicked my butt. I tried to resume going to work about 14 days post-op, rookie move! You would think I should know this, but I was ready to get out of the house and back to normal. After trying to go to work, I paid the price for two days following. With that in mind, the following week I started working two short days only, and I’m almost back to my full workweek now, at a month into the recovery!
My follow op visit with Dr. Rasmussen consisted of the removal of the external stitches and reviewing restrictions, driving, and recommended exercises. My X-ray looked great with that dual mobility hip, lever and two screws (see attached). I was also informed that with hip dysplasia, my left hip might last 3-5 years before it will need a replacement, I’ll be better prepared for this next one!
The goal for the next month is to continue on my mobility and strengthening, and progress with activity within restrictions as tolerated. Most important is to avoid crossing legs, internal rotation of the hip and flexion past ninety degrees. Your body immediately lets you know when you are pushing the restrictions, so the goal is to be smart, listen to your body and be diligent with the exercises daily. I’ve found that long periods of sitting make me very stiff, I call it, “crampy butt pain.” I miss skiing and actually watched this women run by my me as I slowly walked my daily loop, I though to myself about what a mess I’d be if I ran right now.
The hip muscles are still weak and my gait has a new swagger to it, but I am confident in my full recovery. I highly recommend the replacement if you’ve been thinking about have the procedure. Why wait? Why be in pain and not do what you love to do especially if you are younger. Thanks for following my story and hope I have given those of you some insight to the surgery, recovery and impact on your life. I’ve gained an appreciation for what our patients at Alpine Sports Medicine are going through, and I think the progressions in orthopedic surgery are giving people a future that can be happy and active!