No judo for me. My back can't handle that. But now that I've started getting hip work done it's got me wondering if my back issues weren't caused or at least amplified by my hip problems. The more I think about how I've felt for the last 20 years the more I think my hips have been causing problems for most of that time.
I'm an engineer. Luckily that allows me to spend my time doing whatever I'm able to do at the moment. I've got several projects going on that allow me to sit or stand as needed. About the only thing I'm not comfortable doing it heavy lifting. I run one test program on some of the equipment we built that requires me to move equipment that weighs 56 lbs in and out of an environmental chamber. They usually come in batches of 4, so I'd just grab one in each hand and knock that out in two trips. Not right now. I don't even feel good moving one at a time. Luckily I've got a few minions to help me out with that while I recover. My current boss is the best manager I've ever worked for and is very accommodating. Honestly, I could have come back to work last week and been OK. But being at home was much more comfortable.
I was able to lay on my right side most of the night last night. Best night's sleep I've had in a long time and should be getting better.
I had my first post op follow up with the surgeon yesterday afternoon. He said everything was looking good and there was no need for more physical therapy. I'm cleared to start working in added activity as comfort allows and he said I was doing well enough that he was willing to move up surgery on the other side from early July to mid May if we can find a date that works for us, so that makes me happy.
About the only soreness I have left is in my hip flexor and quad. I asked him about that and he said they would hurt for a while because of the strength of those muscles and how tight they were due to my reduced range of motion before surgery. I will be doing all I can on the right side to make sure it's as loose as I can get it. I worked on the left side before this surgery, but the joint was in such bad shape that I really couldn't do much with it. The right side isn't as bad, so hopefully I'll have better luck.
They gave me an app for my phone to track my progress. Right now I'm averaging walking about 6400 steps per day compared to 2100 average for my peer group, so I guess I'm overachieving there. There has definitely been big improvement, particularly over the last week.
If I'm able to move the surgery on the other hip up to mid May it should put me in position to be back on the mats in fall. I've been hitting the weights on upper body pretty hard the last 2 weeks. I'm the "wow, you're strong" guy at my gym and I'm hoping to increase all of my lifts by 50% before I get back. There's no substitute for horsepower.
"I had my first post op follow up with the surgeon yesterday afternoon. He said everything was looking good and there was no need for more physical therapy."
No more physical therapy after just 1 month?! Why didn't I get a new hip years ago instead of just sucking it up and limping around for a full decade? WTF?!
"No more physical therapy after just 1 month?! Why didn't I get a new hip years ago instead of just sucking it up and limping around for a full decade? WTF?! Awesome news for you though!"
Actually, it was 2 weeks. I haven't seen a physical therapist since March 7th and I really didn't need them then. I still have exercises to do at home, but I don't have appointments to go to. I should have been more clear about that. He also said that my case was atypical and attributed my quick recovery to being in good shape and having abnormally strong leg muscles prior to surgery. He said he couldn't remember a time he had to work so hard on a hip and the level of exertion had him sweating during surgery. The flip side is that they were more damaged during the surgery as I said above. I think the key to having a short run with the therapist is doing what you're supposed to do on your own and showing that you are committed more than anyone to your own recovery.
No significant milestones to report, but things are continuing to improve. My left hip (the one I had replaced) is now feeling well enough that I'm doing enough things to make my right hip and knees hurt. Oh joy. Did some farmer's walks with 175 lbs for about 200 feet the other day and it felt solid. I mentioned in an earlier update that I run a test program at work that requires moving 56 lb equipment in and out of a test chamber. I did that for the first time on Friday and it was no issue. I've still got some occasional soreness in my left quad and hip flexor and numbness in the area. I'm told that is normal, but it seems odd after more than a month.
My flexibility is really the only thing that still gets in the way of normal activity, although that is rapidly getting better. I'm not sure exactly when it happened, but at some point I became able to put my socks on without the sock installation tool that came in the recovery kit. That was a big step. Speaking of steps, I'm averaging about 8500 steps of walking per day which is over three times my peer average at this point of my recovery. I've had a few days over 9000 and one day over 10000.
I am consistently able to sleep on my right side again, so I'm feeling much better rested the last week or so. Twice in the last week I've waken up in the night laying on my left side and in minor pain. Hopefully that will get better quickly and I'll be able to lay on that side regularly.
Part of my home PT routine right now is body weight squats. I do 12 of them 3 times per day. I can't squat very deeply due to reduced flexibility. That will be an issue until I get the other hip fixed next month. But I can tell already that I can squat deeper than I could before. I'm hopeful that getting the second hip done will get me back to being able to squat. Whether or not I actually will do squats will depend on my knees and back. At this point my balance is also still a little suspect, so I'm hesitant to try any weight. I've seen some belt squat attachments we can put on our rack at home and am considering getting one. I haven't really squatted since high school and haven't missed it. Don't know if I'll get back into it or not.
I did the farmer's walk with a trap bar, which I had setup like a rack pull since I can't get low enough to do a normal dead lift. The rack pull was a piece of cake. I've never really dead lifted, but am curious to know what I'll be able to do.
Now that I think of it, I really haven't done any weight training since high school until the last month. I've just done 15-20 minutes on a Bowflex 4-5 times per week for the last several years. A week after surgery I started going back to the gym and doing careful upper body workouts while BJJ is going on. That's felt really good as I've eased into it. Started off really light and still working my way up in weight to see what's comfortable.
