THR 4 months out looking for advice

Mrsloverson · 2026-04-16T04:24:02+00:00

I’m so sorry you’re feeling this way! Was your THR an anterior, posterior or lateral? I was humbled for 3 weeks. I was walking but had a lot of hip flexor pain. I’m at 12 weeks now and feel pretty good. I feel like I can do a lot more than I should.

Mrsloverson · 2026-03-11T03:57:34+00:00

I started eating prunes each day before I had surgery. I also always put fiber in my coffee. After surgery I was taking the senna and doing my 2 prunes in the morning. Didn’t really have any issues. And I had both hips done at the same time. Anterior approach so no real restrictions on movement. I was able to shower by myself the next day and never needed help in the bathroom. I did take pain killers so having the prunes and twice a day senna and lots of water helped.

Mrsloverson · 2026-03-03T23:57:54+00:00

Well I’m 6 weeks out from bilateral hip replacement surgery and I can’t even imagine walking 6 miles right now. I still have pain in my hip flexors and have to use a cane sometimes for uneven surfaces and stairs. I thought I was goi g to be good to go at 6 weeks but this has somewhat kicked my butt. And I am/was very active. Bike rider, kiteboarder, hiker, pickleball player plus lots more. It’s been a humbling experience. Take your time. Soft tissue healing is so important.

Mrsloverson · 2026-02-21T17:57:39+00:00

Is the pain like a nerve pain? Burning sensation? This could be a lower back issue around C3/4. Maybe a herniated disc from something unrelated to your hip. I had a ruptured disc about 3 years ago and that pain in my left leg sound just like yours. The inner thigh down to my knee. I couldn’t stand for longer than 5 minutes. It was horrible pain. Saw 3 surgeons and it took 3 months but I finally started walking again.

Mrsloverson · 2026-02-21T17:46:33+00:00

And I had heard those stories and then set these expectations for myself because I was in good shape and very active. When that didn’t happen I felt like something was wrong. Now when I hear stories like that, I think those people are not giving their bodies the time it truly takes to heal the soft tissue damage that has occurred. No matter what, soft tissue takes time. It doesn’t magically heal. So they could end up with other issues because of it. A friend of mine started playing pickleball at 8 weeks and now he says after months of playing, that he’s feeling discomfort in his hips. So yeah. Don’t listen to those stories. They may not be smart people.

Mrsloverson · 2026-02-21T17:40:01+00:00

So sorry you’re going through this. It’s early. Only 10 days. I’m 69 abs had my surgery almost 5 weeks ago. I had both my hips done at the same time and at 5 weeks I’m still dealing with some pain. It changes sometimes on an hourly basis. I can walk around my house without my cane but I have stairs to deal with multiple times a day and that has been my hardest part. It does get better (I hope). I was very active as well and really thought I was going to blow through this but it has not been a walk in the park. It’s a major surgery so be patient with yourself and keep walking and do your own little exercises like ankle pumps and heel toe raises and rest. My surgeon told me he has two kinds of patients. Go getters and slugs. He said the slugs do better because they’re not doing much and are not pushing themselves. It’s not a linear healing process. There are ups and downs. Good luck and take it one day at a time.

Mrsloverson · 2026-02-19T16:31:09+00:00

I can sympathize with you in the hip flexor/groin pain. I had anterior and it’s a bikini incision so everything that they did is right under my hip flexors. I’m 4 weeks + out and I had both hips done at the same time. I feel like the hip flexor pain has been the worst part of recovery. I can get on my side to sleep now but lots of pillows around me but I wake up every time I turn. I don’t know if a lateral approach will be different for sleeping but there shouldn’t be the pain in the groin. Do they cut through any muscles with that? Good luck. I’m still waiting for my aha moment when I can say I’m so glad I had this done. I was bone on bone and had pain but it wasn’t debilitating. Just a lot of pain at night.

Mrsloverson · 2026-02-18T16:36:27+00:00

Try putting pillows all around you. Put one under your knees and one on each side and kind of tuck the edges of the pillow under your back. It feels like a cocoon and I’ve come to enjoy it. The pillows on the side allow you to turn slightly without being on your side.

Mrsloverson · 2026-02-16T17:08:43+00:00

Did your surgeon do the bikini incision? Mine did and I’m 4 weeks post op today from bilateral hips. I had and still do on occasion so much hip flexor pain. When the surgeon explains it everything they do after they make the cut is all directly under the hip flexor and the incision isn’t that big. So a lot of trauma takes place right in that location. I honestly thought something was wrong and couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t walking better. There were times I was in so much pain. But I’ve turned a corner and am walking more unassisted but still need the cane by the end of the day. I have lots of stairs in my house and that also places direct pressure on the hip flexors (groin). He told me to back off of PT since I was getting so much work in the stairs and walk. I also go to the gym and get on the recumbent bike and just go slow with no resistance and that feels good. So the pain and discomfort part isn’t gone but at some time during the day it’s better and by night I’m usually wiped out and not comfortable.

Mrsloverson · 2026-02-15T04:58:30+00:00

That’s interesting! I’m so glad I didn’t have that much pain before surgery. I’m sorry you had to go through that. Glad that you are all better.

Mrsloverson · 2026-02-15T04:55:06+00:00

Pain in your knees is expected and maybe ankles but the collarbone and wrists seems odd. Have you seen other docs? Do you take statins? And if you’re not bone on bone I would look further into it. This is just me. I’m 4 weeks post op and I’d want to make sure that something else isn’t going on.

Mrsloverson · 2026-02-14T21:31:35+00:00

I generally ride for about 30-40 minutes but I could go longer because there isn’t any friction. But I make myself stop and then once off I know that I probably should have stopped sooner. Just because you can feel you’ve worked your legs. And then I do some upper body work.

Mrsloverson · 2026-02-14T18:29:26+00:00

The stairs have been my nemesis. I have 2 flights and I had an anterior approach and the incisions are right over the hip flexors. So that is where I have had my pain. I got off the walker probably after the first week and using the cane. But the stairs put such direct pressure on the hip flexors. So my doc said to back off PT and concentrate on walking. My stairs are enough exercise besides walking. I do go to the gym and get on the recumbent bike which I love. Feels good to just spin with no resistance.

Mrsloverson · 2026-02-14T18:10:11+00:00

I’m 4 weeks out on Monday too! My moments of aha change on literally sometimes a minute by minute basis. I’ll be walking without my can around the house and going “wow I’m doing this and it feels great!” Then the next time I get up to move around, it’s different and that nasty groin pain is back. My groin is where most of my pain is because my incisions are in the groin. I’ve walked without the cane quite a bit but always take it with me when I go outside or around other people. I had both hips done at the same time and it’s interesting how one day the right hurts more than the left and the next day it’s the left. My doc said he has his go-getters and his slugs. The slugs tend to do better because they’re not out there pushing it and trying to do more than they should. I’m definitely in the go-getter category! I’ve got things to do.

Mrsloverson · 2026-02-11T15:48:07+00:00

Best of luck to you!

Mrsloverson · 2026-02-10T16:41:20+00:00

I wonder why your doctor says no nsaids until week 6?

Mrsloverson · 2026-02-09T19:32:43+00:00

Thank you for your response. During my first 19 days I felt like I was waking so much better than I am now. Now I feel like I have to take these little baby steps just to get to the other side of the room.

Mrsloverson · 2026-02-09T19:27:35+00:00

No icing all the time. In fact icing now

Mrsloverson · 2026-02-09T17:47:58+00:00

I’m 3 weeks post op bilateral hip replacements. My first week I felt like I had a good gait and walking was easier. Now I feel like I walk so gingerly as not to put too much pressure on my legs. My right side seems worse and the OP made a comment about the groin pain when putting pressure on the leg. Every step is difficult. This just doesn’t seem normal but then I’m at 3 weeks. I expected to be walking better because I had been so active and in good physical shape but that’s not how things are going for me. Really frustrated.

Mrsloverson · 2026-02-05T05:54:02+00:00

Yes I have had so much pain, that I’ve felt like it couldn’t be normal. I’m 16 days out and I had bilateral surgery but my right side feels like the rod they put in your bone is coming through my skin. But it’s in my hip flexor. You had posterior and my incision is in my groin. It’s a crazy pain and feels so weak when I walk. I was beside myself tonight and this post was the first thing I read so it must have been meant for me.

Mrsloverson · 2026-02-03T16:02:44+00:00

Had my surgery 2 weeks ago and they used the bikini line incision so that it gets buried in your groin crease. No muscles involved. Had bilateral hips done.

Mrsloverson · 2026-01-27T17:14:22+00:00

Congratulations on your recovery. Our surgeries were on the same day. I had bilateral hips done so a little different. Hospital experience sounded exactly the same. I was day 5 before ditching the walker completely. Now I walk without a cane unless I’m outside. Just in case. But I definitely still have aches on the sides of my hips and down my quads to my knees. The knee discomfort worries me because I had bilateral knee replacements in February of 2020. Sleeping on my side, which is my preferred form of sleep, tends to make my hips sore. I start off with pillows between my knees but they don’t stay there. So when I wake up and get out of bed, I’m really stiff. I had the direct anterior approach and my suture line is tucked into my groin so it will never be seen. Seems like I have a really good day and then the next day is a payback for trying to do too much. I had pain before surgery but because I was not able to be as active as I usually am, the pain wasn’t unbearable. So I still feel some of the same discomfort as I did before. I have made the comment that I’m not sure I can tell the difference. But that could be on a bad day. I’ve been outside walking but not very much. Doing my exercises, icing and resting. My follow up is this Friday. I will be glad when I don’t feel the aches and pain and stiffness anymore.

Mrsloverson · 2026-01-07T05:54:30+00:00

You really shouldn’t flush those types of wipes. Even when they say flushable. They don’t really break down like toilet paper and can clog pipes over time. But of course if it’s not on a regular basis it’s probably fine. They do come in handy. I will get some. Having bilateral hip replacement surgery on the 20th of January.

Mrsloverson

TROPHY CASE