Monthly Archives: July 2013

10+ week status — Open Surgical Dislocation (SDD)

I started this blog with two purposes: 1) to inform the world of how I’m doing, and 2) as a record I can look back on to remind myself how I was doing at certain points in my recovery (really helpful when I’m coming up on a follow-up with my surgeon, as is the case this Wednesday).  This post serves the latter purpose (i.e., it’s probably gonna be boring and you might wanna skip reading it).  I warned you!

I am 10.5 weeks post-op on my left hip SDD (a little more than 7 months post-op RPAO).  I have had several sessions of PT (one/week) and one session of hydrotherapy (PT in the H2O).

PT Exercises — status:  

  • Most of my PT sessions are about determining my current level of ability to perform existing exercises and introducing new exercises into my routine.  The therapists also massage and stretch some of the tendons and muscles that are tight or sore so as to improve range of motion.
  • My limp has definitely improved since my first session, but it is still there and gets worse the more exercises I perform.
  • I continue to perform my PT exercises at home including PT Phase I post-op PT exercises (i.e., seated leg extensions, cow pose to child’s pose, core/glute tightening, and quad stretches) and SOME of Phase II post-op PT exercises (including bridging with red elastic band abduction, bent knee fall-out with red elastic band resistance, standing abduction on the affected side, core stability with hip extension + abduction, balance and proprioception, and upright bicycle).
  • I am unable to perform standing abduction on the unaffected side (where I have to stand on my left leg and extend my right), posterior gluteus medius strengthening (where I have to extend my left leg to the back/side at 45 degrees with a red band) or contralateral elastic band for stability (again, standing on the left [affected] side and extending the rights side with a colored band.
  • Hydrotherapy is great because, when you are in the water, your body doesn’t hurt as bad so you can do more than if you were doing therapy on land.  It’s also terrible because, since you don’t hurt as bad, you don’t realize that you are overexerting yourself until you get out of the water.  That’s what happened with me, and I will be avoiding further hydrotherapy sessions until I am stronger.

Non-PT activities — status:

  • I use one right forearm crutch (Millenial) whenever I walk to off-set the limp and because it’s painful otherwise.
  • To date, the most I have walked in the course of a day is approximately 15 blocks, and I was extremely sore/in pain and exhausted at the end of it.  In average, I walk no more than 2-3 blocks in a day.  I use Access-a-Ride almost exclusively for traveling in the city as my local subway station does not have an elevator and I have a terrible time going up and down stairs.
  • I AM able to ride a bike, which I do on occasion when it’s not a million degrees outside.
  • I am still unable to sleep on my operated side.
  • When sitting my left leg needs to be extended at least 75% of the time.  Otherwise my knee becomes progressively more painful.

Pain levels — status:

  • My pain seems to have increased in the last few weeks, from very little pain at 6 weeks post-op to some level of almost constant pain in my hip, back and knee.
  • I have constant pain in my left side of my left hip.  I would not say it is in the joint itself.  Rather, I would say that that it’s in the trochanter or in the muscles between the trochanter and my lower back (the gluteus muscles).  The pain is relatively mild (around a 2/3 out of 10)  most of the time but can spike to a 7/8 out of 10 depending on my level of activity.  I cannot abduct my left leg at all when lying down (i.e., no “clam shells” — a PT activity for abduction).
  • My Sacroiliac Joint (SI) on my left side has been hurting a lot since my hydrotherapy session.  Note that until recently, I have not had any significant pain in my back and SI joint since prior to my RPAO in December.
  • My left knee started hurting about 2-3 weeks ago, in the area behind and just below my patella.  I am guessing it has something to do with tight tendons / IT band but honestly I have no idea.  It looks swollen — I have tried ice and Voltaren anti-inflammatory ointment on it but without much luck.
  • I manage my pain through a combination of rest, elevation, ice, Tylenol and, on occasion and if needed, stronger pain medication (as was needed as few times in the last week).

Next post will be more interesting — promise!

Hey there freedom!

Tomorrow marks 8 weeks since my left hip Surgical Dislocation but today, for 26 minutes and 13 seconds, I rode a bike, outside, and was totally utterly free.  No crutch, no cane, no limp!  And it was fantastic!  I love to bike ride and lucky for me, biking is one of the few activities I can do with only limited pain.  Since there is a Citibike station around the corner from my apartment, I plan/hope to ride a bunch this summer.

In addition to getting back on a bike, over the last couple of weeks I have slowly been trying to get my life back on line.  I started PT on Monday the 24th — mostly stationary biking, bridging, leg lifts — but it was kinda fun and my therapist was really helpful (which is good since I’ll continue to go 1-2/week for many months).  I rode the subway for the first time since May 7th and was stunned by how exhausted I felt at the end of my trip.  I’ve been using Access-a-Ride to go to the city to work two days a week.  This past Saturday I met a friend for some shopping and brunch in the city and then my husband and I went out for dinner.  I think I am finally, slowly coming out of the hermit’s lair I have resided in for the better part of 6.5 months.

In terms of how I’m feeling, I would say that I am doing OK but not great.  I ache a lot more this time than I did after the PAO.  My left hip hurts, at least mildly, almost all of the time and for the first time, I have had trouble sleeping because of the pain.  I cannot stand on only my affected leg (the leg that had the SDD) or I fall over.  Technically, I can walk without a crutch but not very far and only with a pronounced limp (the limp magically disappears when I use the crutch).  Also, my PT says I’m not supposed to walk unaided until I get rid of the limp (they don’t want me to develop a bad habit) so anticipate I’ll be crutching for several more weeks at least.  My right leg continues to have pain when I perform certain movements and it aches but only when I have been sitting for a long time.

So that’s that – just a quick note.  Happy 4th of July to all!