👯‍♀️👯‍♀️Hips and Knees part 4 👯‍♀️👯‍♀️

Thanks Silver. I’m four weeks on from a RTHR today. Pain free and sleeping well but still only partial weight bearing so having to take things easy which doesn’t come naturally to me.
I have borrowed a wobble board to use once I am weight bearing to improve my balance. I have set myself a goal of going paddle boarding this summer.

Hop along glad all going well. I mentioned using my wobble board to the physio and she advised me against it, think she thought it was potentially dangerous ( can’t remember….. ) and suggested using a cushion instead.
You will start to notice improvement from now on but still need to take care not to overdo things.

@silverlining48 I am used to being told what I am proposing is too much, too dangerous or not a good idea. I am an experienced sailor and cyclist used to adventure sports so I smile and nod and carry on anyway. Most of the nurses I meet do next to no exercise and think cycling 10 miles is a big deal. Two years ago I sailed solo 2500 miles round the UK while my DH cycled 5500 miles along the coast and raised £12000 for Macmillan while recovering from Breast cancer.

👏 hop along well done to you both.

My eyes nearly shot out when I read you are using a wobbleboard. You can very easily have an accident.

Hip replacements were not made for people to paddle board and I am certain your new hip will dislocate easily as you will have no control if you fall.

Paddle boarding is one of the tamest activities you can do on the water. If you fall off you simply splash into water. The whole point is that it needs a strong core and good balance so I will work hard on that until I am fit enough to do it safely.
Are you seriously suggesting anybody who has a hip replacement should stay home and avoid anything remotely strenuous? Why bother having the operation in that case? I will be back on my bike in a few weeks and riding a hundred miles a week as soon as I am fit enough.
The wobble board can be quite safe if used sensibly. I have had an ankle fracture and neuropathy from chemotherapy and have already worked hard on my balance before this latest procedure. The safest answer is to get very strong to protect the joints from dislocation. Since the cancer I go to the gym several times a week and work with a personal trainer and a PT lifting weights and using the gym machines under supervision. They rein me in and keep me from damaging myself. I shall start back once my surgeon is happy with progress.
We are all different thankfully and that is reflected in what we expect of our bodies as we age.

Well good luck. Hope you don't dislocate your new hip. It happens! My surgeon told me of two dislocations: one was a man doing yoga and the other was a woman who tripped over a toddler.
Do what you like Hopalong but don't expect much sympathy here if you overdo it or dislocate.

My surgeon told me my hip woukd take about 18 months to properly heal. I was out walking a lot earlier than that but did have a bad fall last summer and it’s not as good as it was before I fell. Lying on that side is now uncomfortable. Have had @n X-ray which was clear but something has changed. It’s manageable thank goodness but not sure what else I can do. Currently self referred to a hospital physio.

I understand those concerned about the risk of dislocation. It seems some people are just very unlucky and dislocate with something very trivial like turning awkwardly or bending over. This can be because the new joint is causing impingement. Others dislocate as a result of an accident or extreme positions (like yoga) The best way to prevent this is to build up muscle strength around the joint to protect it, and to know what positions are risking for your own circumstances.
Don’t worry, @Aveline I will cope without sympathy.

Hello happy hipsters ! I have just returned from having an ultrasound guided steroid injection into my hip in the hope it will improve the movement and pain . I had my other hip injected before having a replacement and it did absolutely nothing! But this hip is not so bad ( as I recognised the pain this time ) and not waited so long to have treatment. So 🤞 it will work . I have to say the doc seemed more experienced this time so I’m hopeful , don’t really want another hip replacement yet . …

Good luck Susie, a lot depends on your age, I thought at my advanced age I may avoid a THR but I do not think so. I know I do not want two to match my knee surgery. Rest does not do a lot to help.

Full of hope I had a guided injection before my replacement too but it failed too and actually increased my pain. I think I was unlucky.
Good luck 🤞 and hope it does the trick, and holds off further surgery if only for a while.

The person I know who is 91, is just home from a total hip replacement. The operation itself went very well, no problems at all so far.

She did however pick up two infections while in there. The 2nd one, as a side effect from the antibiotics to cure the first one.
Not sure if it was anyones' fault or not.
The infections were not to do with the wound etc.
May have been more of a case of, she couldnt be mobile for several days.

She was in hospital for just over two weeks.

HopalongKaty

I understand those concerned about the risk of dislocation. It seems some people are just very unlucky and dislocate with something very trivial like turning awkwardly or bending over. This can be because the new joint is causing impingement. Others dislocate as a result of an accident or extreme positions (like yoga) The best way to prevent this is to build up muscle strength around the joint to protect it, and to know what positions are risking for your own circumstances.
Don’t worry, @Aveline I will cope without sympathy.

I absolutely commend your approach HopalongKaty and you are right to recognise how different we all are in terms of age, strength and flexibility. It makes a huge difference. The advice from orthopaedic surgeons who specialise in joint replacement varies enormously so it's not an absolute science. When my hip was replaced I was given the 'no restriction' protocol and for my age and level of fitness I have done extremely well. My surgeon told me of a brother and sister that he had under his care and they had returned to fell running 6 months post operatively with no problems at all.

Thinking steroid injections. I had one in my right knee just four months before TKR when my leg was very mis-shapen, it had absolutely no effect. My left knee is showing early to mid signs of needing replacement, a steroid injection a month ago has worked wonders. It aches no more. Maybe the sooner the better?

I’m very happy, 5 days after the injection into my hip I’m able to go up and down the stairs more easily and I have less stiffness 👏. I think that it maybe right, in having it done sooner than later is more successful . Definitely the one I had into my other hip had no effect at all , and the arthritis in that hip was much more advanced, but also this time I think the doctor was far more competent! Maybe just luck too ? Off on a good walk today …

That's sounds great SusieB50. Enjoy your walk.

Good morning all,
I’m having a TKR in four weeks and I’m dreading it! I’ve read through all the ‘cons’ about dislocation, nerve damage, continued discomfort in the knee, severe pain, stiffness and loss of use of the knee…plus not being able to kneel (I thought of this as I was on my hands and knees clearing up a split yoghurt pot my small grandson dropped). I love to hear some ‘pros’.
At the moment I can get about ok, I can walk quite a way on the flat but have to go up and down stairs one at a time and the knee is constantly aching and has been swollen for years but I’m used to it.
I had a THR replacement four years ago and my femur was cracked in the process, rendering me non weight bearing for six weeks. I believe another ‘con’ is a split in the bone when the new knee is inserted.
I’d love any comments or advice because I’m really in a quandary!

Try to focus on the positives rather than what might go wrong. Easier to say than do! However, I've had TKRs in both knees and am so grateful for them. No more pain. Much increased mobility. Out and about and walking lots. I go to Aquafit classes three times a week. Up and down stairs no bother. Recovery takes a while of course but often it's matter of logistics. Get the planning right and you'll be fine.

Thanks for your positive comment, Aveline, make me feel better 😊

@Madmother21 I think you have underestimated the effect “constantly aching and swollen but I am used to it” has on you. I really didn’t think my hip was a priority but once it was done I realised how much the disturbed sleep and constant dragging pain had been affecting me. I have been lucky with a straightforward recovery and no swelling pain or infection afterwards and it has transformed my life for the better.
Thanks @Calipso for your kind words. I was going to keep quiet from now on for fear of general disapproval but you have reassured me that not all 63 year olds are ready for their rocking chair yet.
Today is my last anticoagulant injection and I put my shoes and socks on unaided for the first time in years!

Madmother I agree with every word Aveline says. I have had both knees replaced at different times. I did experience a lot of pain each time which lasted for 6 weeks but we are all different.

Anatomically it is more difficult to dislocate a THR than a hip.

I have no pain in either knee now. I cannot kneel but some can apparently.

Daily living is no longer a problem. I can only walk about 1/2 mile but I have other problems. My new knees are the best thing since sliced bread.

Mistake, that should state more difficult to dislocate a hip than a knee.

A happy day for you hopalong. I got to hate those injections more and more as time went on, and was so pleased when they came to an end. The other thing I disliked was sleeping on my back.
Hello madmother, there is a wealth of experience and advice on here and hope you can be reassured that all will be well.
Mine was a thr but mr neighbour has ha£ both knees done and has no regrets. It’s understandable though to be nervous. Keep looking on here and asking anything you are worried about. .

Madmother I had both knees replaced about 10 years ago. I had no problems at all. Yes , some pain afterwards and discomfort when exercising at first. Within six weeks I was out and about without any trouble.
To be fair , I cannot kneel but its not a big problem in life.