Total Hip Replacement/Hip Resurfacing

I had a THR in Sept 2008, 2 days after I turned 50! I had so much pain that I had to swim with a pull buoy, couldn't kick at all. Four weeks after surgery I was back in the pool, swimming easily and resistance walking. I asked 5 physical therapists when I could start doing flip turns. These guys had over 100 combined years of experience and they couldn't answer this question. I got so sick of open turns, I started doing flips 2 weeks after swimming, or 6 weeks after surgery. It was a non-event. Breaststroke kick, however, still is a mess. It doesn't feel good at all. I need to strengthen my hip rotators. I do a leg workout once/week, but must not be pushing those rotators enough. I also still feel some discomfort in the leg which is coming from the non-cemented implant - still bonding going on (it's been 6 months today). All my other strokes are doing well and my energy is back. I am very happy with my THR and wish I had done it earlier. Hi Jenny I'm glad that your THR is going well. I have a few thoughts for you based on my rehab experience from a 2006 hip resurfacing. Like you I was back in the pool as soon as could be and most things went well. Like you my breaststroke kick was horrible (though I should say that it was always fairly horrible.) However, over time things have continued to improve and a few weeks ago I was surprised to swim my fastest 50br since I was a teenager (I'm 50 too). My take aways: 1. Be patient - you may find hip strength and flexibility can continue to improve for years - mine has. 2. Do as much hip strengthening as possible, both in and out of the water. For example, after workout I stand in the hot tub and do adductor/abductor strengthening against water resistance. This is also something you can do between swim sets. 3. Keep the hip specific PT going indefinitely. If you are interested I might be able to find my hip PT program and send it - but you probably have plenty of exercises already. In my case, I had lost years of conditioning from "protecting" my painful hip, so it's not too surprising that I had a lot of work to do to regain strength. Your breaststroke may always feel slightly strange, but my guess is that with patience you'll get back to a breaststroke kick you're very happy with. Good luck PS Off the block starts are another item to be patient with!

I had a THR in Sept 2008, 2 days after I turned 50! I had so much pain that I had to swim with a pull buoy, couldn't kick at all. Four weeks after surgery I was back in the pool, swimming easily and resistance walking. I asked 5 physical therapists when I could start doing flip turns. These guys had over 100 combined years of experience and they couldn't answer this question. I got so sick of open turns, I started doing flips 2 weeks after swimming, or 6 weeks after surgery. It was a non-event. Breaststroke kick, however, still is a mess. It doesn't feel good at all. I need to strengthen my hip rotators. I do a leg workout once/week, but must not be pushing those rotators enough. I also still feel some discomfort in the leg which is coming from the non-cemented implant - still bonding going on (it's been 6 months today). All my other strokes are doing well and my energy is back. I am very happy with my THR and wish I had done it earlier. Hi Jenny I'm glad that your THR is going well. I have a few thoughts for you based on my rehab experience from a 2006 hip resurfacing. Like you I was back in the pool as soon as could be and most things went well. Like you my breaststroke kick was horrible (though I should say that it was always fairly horrible.) However, over time things have continued to improve and a few weeks ago I was surprised to swim my fastest 50br since I was a teenager (I'm 50 too). My take aways: 1. Be patient - you may find hip strength and flexibility can continue to improve for years - mine has. 2. Do as much hip strengthening as possible, both in and out of the water. For example, after workout I stand in the hot tub and do adductor/abductor strengthening against water resistance. This is also something you can do between swim sets. 3. Keep the hip specific PT going indefinitely. If you are interested I might be able to find my hip PT program and send it - but you probably have plenty of exercises already. In my case, I had lost years of conditioning from "protecting" my painful hip, so it's not too surprising that I had a lot of work to do to regain strength. Your breaststroke may always feel slightly strange, but my guess is that with patience you'll get back to a breaststroke kick you're very happy with. Good luck PS Off the block starts are another item to be patient with!