broken hip recovery advice needed...............
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Ouch, that sounds like an uncomfortable lockdown coinneach. Sore adductors seem to be a common denominator in this thread, I know I couldn't believe how shot mine felt. Even now, 30 months post injury, they're not exactly the bees knees, and swinging a leg over a top tube is nearly always accompanied with a bit of gurning.
In the interests of continuity....
After two and a half years I'm still pretty uncomfortable, and not walking that well. X-rays looked ok, no avn and I think most of the problem was the bone collapsing around the site of the repair while it was healing (normal, apparently). This accounted for the unequal leg length, and the screw heads standing proud and catching on my ITB when walking. A good nights sleep was/is a rare thing.
I've put some pretty rigorous training plans behind me, and pre lockdown was doing a lot of riding, but power has never got back to anywhere near where it was pre accident. There's no hiding from the power meter, and it's interesting to see that I probably haven't scored a meaningful pb on Strava since getting back on the bike. So it's useful for some things...
After a bit of pushing, I had the screws removed last week. It's obviously early days yet, and I'm not expecting any strength increases, but if the comfort level goes up, I'll be happy.
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Very late to this thread but had a small spill Nov 30th and broke my hip, initially told this was a life altering incident and it would be a THR ( total hip replacement), I was devastated, being only 46 I know the implications of a THR, I was glad the next morning they said ok we are going to repair after looking at all the scans etc. All went well and now 3 weeks since the accident I can walk with no crutches, albeit a tad wonky so I still use one crutch and have been on the turbo a few times ( at 50w for 10-15mins) as part of my rehab. My recovery is going well and the physio and surgeon are pleased with my progress and hoping this continues. Still off work though.
I’m more concerned about the mid and long term, I hear a few people saying 6-12 months getting pain and even hear of upto 24 months the hip joint dies and THR req and back to square one. The thought of arthritis in 15 years does not fill me with joy either but goes to show a small silly spill and this is what your looking at.
I would say to anyone be careful out there, this is one thing I would not wish anyone to go through.
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hope you recover wellthe_spooks said:Very late to this thread but had a small spill Nov 30th and broke my hip, initially told this was a life altering incident and it would be a THR ( total hip replacement), I was devastated, being only 46 I know the implications of a THR, I was glad the next morning they said ok we are going to repair after looking at all the scans etc. All went well and now 3 weeks since the accident I can walk with no crutches, albeit a tad wonky so I still use one crutch and have been on the turbo a few times ( at 50w for 10-15mins) as part of my rehab. My recovery is going well and the physio and surgeon are pleased with my progress and hoping this continues. Still off work though.
I’m more concerned about the mid and long term, I hear a few people saying 6-12 months getting pain and even hear of upto 24 months the hip joint dies and THR req and back to square one. The thought of arthritis in 15 years does not fill me with joy either but goes to show a small silly spill and this is what your looking at.
I would say to anyone be careful out there, this is one thing I would not wish anyone to go through.
i had two years of x-ray checks for avn - the bone dying - but was ok, from reading what little research there is on the younger/fitter, chances seem relatively good, but depend on many factors, including the type/location of break, if the blood vessels feeding the femoral head survived then things are less likely to go wrong
i was way older than you when i broke mine, and the break was in the worst place (snapped the ball off the end), but they said as i was fit it was worth trying the repair (three screws) but should be prepared for it to fail
i'm now almost six years post-op, aside from the screw heads 'catching' at times i'm fine
i had 3+ months on two crutches, not allowed any weight bearing on that leg, that was tough, but once i was allowed to put pressure on it i started physio which left me stronger than i was pre-break and with absolutely no limp - this was sports physio at iseh.co.uk not the standard nhs type which seems aimed at little old ladies
if you're already allowed weight bearing and can exercise, be positive, your outcome can be goodmy bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny1 -
i'd get blood everywhere, againthistle_(mbnw) said:
Can't you get a file out and smooth the heads down a bit?sungod said:
i'm now almost six years post-op, aside from the screw heads 'catching' at times i'm fine
next time i'm going to demand countersunk screwsmy bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny0 -
Hi there,
Good to read all your experiences. What I gather from it all is that each case is unique and can only be compared to a certain degree. My experience/contribution is that I had a collumfracture the 23rd of febr., so a clean break of the left femur neck after a simple fall sideways on my road bike. It was repaired 7 hours later in Heerlen, the hospital in the Netherlands where the most hip surgeries are performed. Afterwards I was glad to know that they used the relative new FNS technique, Femoral Neck System. A small plate with a hole for a blade/screw combi and a small enforcement side screw. They wanted to release me the day after surgery, but kept me a day longer after I could climb the stairs. 16 days after OP I was confident enough to walk with 1 crutch. Because I do triathlon and I am used to recover from injuries I am confident to rehab without a PT. The thing I will allways keep in mind is to take my time and be carefull not to do to much and to listen to my body. My plan was to loose the crutches after 6 weeks, that is because I red that the surgeons who invented FNS do that with their patients. But when I look at the rate of my progress I think that will be much sooner. The chance of AVN is around 5%. I am 52, very young for a hip fracture and in a very good shape, 85% of becoming the old me strength and flexibility wise is the minimum goal. With FNS there will be no removing of hardware, so the very strong pin will stay in. The only annoying thing is the ‘burning’ Fragmin injection I have to give myself for 6 weeks every evening!
Good luck to you all, and stay healthy
Roger
***Update now 8 weeks after OP***
After 4/5 weeks I walked without any aid and I started Physio after 6 weeks (twice a week). Why this switch? The feeling kept nagging me that maybe in the long run it could be an even better recovery. I am not convinced that it will but it sure gives me the psychological support I missed. The PT told me I should have started this 1 week after OP, so that my muscles would keep at length.
The groin pain is almost gone now. Another issue I noticed is that my inner meniscus of the left knee is a little problematic. Could be something from the accident, personally I think it has to do with compensation and lack of exercise. Anyhow this should go away within 3 months according to the PT.
Another thing is that the DEXA-scan (standard procedure with a fracture like this) showed some osteoporosis. I had -2.6 in the hip and -1.6 in my vertrebral column. The limit is -2.5. So the next 5 years I have to take CalciumD3 tablets and Alendronine acid on a daily basis. Something I would not have known without the fracture. So a positive thing
***Update 10 weeks post OP***
After a 2h Nordic Walking trip, my groin flaired up again and it felt like it threw me back more than a month
. I started limping again. The PT told me in a calm voice that I just overloaded it, which was a big psychological support, because I really thought that I damaged something. 5 days later the shooting pains during walking settled down again! So no stride lengthening for me again 
Ps. 1. Strenghth training solved the meniscus issue
2. Blood values also showed signs of subclinical hypothyroidism (all for the price of one
). 0 -
2 years on from my second broken hip and the dread3d AVN has bitten me. Femoral head has completely collapsed with pins from the break now sticking in the Cartlidge in my hip socket. Feels great.......
Down for total hip replacement but due to COVID I’m having to consider going private (10k) 😳😳
On the plus side I’ve just bought a Wilier Cento10 NDR frameset to build up 😝0 -
that's a bummer, hope you can get it done quickDrummer72 said:2 years on from my second broken hip and the dread3d AVN has bitten me. Femoral head has completely collapsed with pins from the break now sticking in the Cartlidge in my hip socket. Feels great.......
Down for total hip replacement but due to COVID I’m having to consider going private (10k) 😳😳
On the plus side I’ve just bought a Wilier Cento10 NDR frameset to build up 😝
i'm six years on from breaking mine, still wonder every time there's a twinge, but i think that's just old agemy bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny0 -
That's bad news drummer.
My understanding was that if everything was ok after 2 years, then the chances of AVN were very small, so I'm assuming your last 'good' x-ray was sometime ago, or you've been really unlucky. Good luck with the op, I know riders with replacements who bounced back fine and are still putting the miles in.
I had my metalwork removed at the beginning of December, two and a half years after the repair work was done. Range of movement is much better as are comfort levels, I can sleep on that side now. I'm still working on bike fitness though and with plenty of sudden twinges I'm taking it pretty easy. Rehab work with no gyms or pools open has been a bit hit and miss.0 -
Uh?!the_spooks said:V...initially told this was a life altering incident...
Though, with a bit of instruction, an initial start up, an understanding of the weaknesses created by the op and what you need to do as an individual, you can do the physio exercises yourself.sungod said:
i had 3+ months on two crutches, not allowed any weight bearing on that leg, that was tough, but once i was allowed to put pressure on it i started physio which left me stronger than i was pre-break and with absolutely no limp - this was sports physio at iseh.co.uk not the standard nhs type which seems aimed at little old ladies
Given the above, wouldn't a THR been the better route?
...and 'catching' screws?!
I was pedalling on rollers (very gently*) within 3 weeks and back cycling proper in 8 weeks after the last one. I wasn't going far or on hilly routes.
*5 mins of the slowest movement to maintain mobility, saddle raised. T bar fitted to the rollers before anyone asks.
seanoconn - gruagach craic!0 -
Yeah. My screws started backing out last July (15 months post op) but due to COVID I couldn’t get seen. I think ultimately their movement has knocked the blood supply. Now the ball part of my femur is no more!!
The right hip I broke some 8 years ago and had pinned (pins then removed is and has been fine once the pins came out. Sadly this time I didn’t get chance.harry-s said:That's bad news drummer.
My understanding was that if everything was ok after 2 years, then the chances of AVN were very small, so I'm assuming your last 'good' x-ray was sometime ago, or you've been really unlucky. Good luck with the op, I know riders with replacements who bounced back fine and are still putting the miles in.
I had my metalwork removed at the beginning of December, two and a half years after the repair work was done. Range of movement is much better as are comfort levels, I can sleep on that side now. I'm still working on bike fitness though and with plenty of sudden twinges I'm taking it pretty easy. Rehab work with no gyms or pools open has been a bit hit and miss.0 -
At 6 years you should be fine now pal.sungod said:
that's a bummer, hope you can get it done quickDrummer72 said:2 years on from my second broken hip and the dread3d AVN has bitten me. Femoral head has completely collapsed with pins from the break now sticking in the Cartlidge in my hip socket. Feels great.......
Down for total hip replacement but due to COVID I’m having to consider going private (10k) 😳😳
On the plus side I’ve just bought a Wilier Cento10 NDR frameset to build up 😝
i'm six years on from breaking mine, still wonder every time there's a twinge, but i think that's just old age0 -
Another broken hip to add to the data set
Full interscapular femoral neck break
Age 32
Boxing day the Festive 500 curse bit me again
I have found it quite an emotional and sometimes lonely journey. The injury can feel very life altering. Consultant follow ups are pretty rushed – 'Very big injury. Dont put weight. Bone might die. Goodbye' – and 6 weeks in a long time between them.
Its been interesting observing how the mind finds ways to come to terms with the body's situation though. I found myself getting to a place where I realised that if i was on crutches indefinitely it wouldn't be the end of the world or that whilst bike riding is stupid fun, I dont need it to stay happy. Obviously these positive moments have been interspersed with smatterings of absolute despair and frustration too – especially as more shaved legs are starting to glisten in the sunshine!
Being on crutches i ended up getting approached by quite a few chatty folk and everyone had a story to tell... Friends who lost limbs on motorbikes or spouses who did terrible injuries falling down stairs. It has been a rapid realisation that whilst i always assumed i would make it through life relatively unscathed and be creak-free well into my 90s, that a smooth course just isnt a given.
I would also recommend finding a desk based project that you will find really hard to do and sink yourself into it - time flies when you are trying to start a direct-to-consumer business in an industry you dont know much about.
Very glad to have found this thread
Ciao,
James0 -
I have had a lot of physio on my hip problem but what I have found is cycling, especially hills, is making it much better.0
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Hi,
Thought I would post on this after reading most of the pages!
My back wheel slid out commuting home mid December at a slow speed, landed square on my left hip. A fair bit of pain, managed to get a lift home from a kind motorist, phoned an ambulance, had an unfortunate 8 hour wait, was eventually x-rayed and found to have a displaced intracapsular fracture. Was operated on later that day (about 19 hrs after the accident). Had a DHS, derotational screw and plate fitted. Was punted out the day after op, with crutches.
Have seen NHS physio quite a few times, plenty of exercises, which I'm doing most days. It has been very slow going. After 3 months can walk a wee bit without crutches, but have a fair limp. One crutch is best, still have discomfort in my groin.
I've only had 1 x-ray, at the time of my accident, unfortunately after staying COVID free for the last couple of years I managed to catch it a couple of days before my appointment to see the Orthapedic surgeon at the 3 months post accident stage, this was the same week I was due to get a bone density scan. Managed to rearrange the latter, but unfortunately noword about another Orthapedic appointment. very frustrating!
I have tried to get on the turbo, position is different, have got an adjustable stem pointing up to the sky as it's uncomfy to be in my previous cycling position.
My main problem seems to be the Achilles tendon, all of a sudden flared up after a couple of weeks on the turbo. NHS physio measured my duff leg at 1.5cm shorter than my 'good' one, thought it could be this. Have tried insoles and shims, but nothing seems to help.
I have reigned use of the turbo back as don't want a crap Achilles as well as hip, tried lowering saddle, flat pedals, but nothing seems to help. Walking generally fine for the Achilles, just cycling that sets it off.
Anyone else experienced issues with their Achilles after hip surgery?
Many thanks.
Ian0 -
Hey ijm,ijm770 said:Hi,
Thought I would post on this after reading most of the pages!
My back wheel slid out commuting home mid December at a slow speed, landed square on my left hip. A fair bit of pain, managed to get a lift home from a kind motorist, phoned an ambulance, had an unfortunate 8 hour wait, was eventually x-rayed and found to have a displaced intracapsular fracture. Was operated on later that day (about 19 hrs after the accident). Had a DHS, derotational screw and plate fitted. Was punted out the day after op, with crutches.
Have seen NHS physio quite a few times, plenty of exercises, which I'm doing most days. It has been very slow going. After 3 months can walk a wee bit without crutches, but have a fair limp. One crutch is best, still have discomfort in my groin.
I've only had 1 x-ray, at the time of my accident, unfortunately after staying COVID free for the last couple of years I managed to catch it a couple of days before my appointment to see the Orthapedic surgeon at the 3 months post accident stage, this was the same week I was due to get a bone density scan. Managed to rearrange the latter, but unfortunately noword about another Orthapedic appointment. very frustrating!
I have tried to get on the turbo, position is different, have got an adjustable stem pointing up to the sky as it's uncomfy to be in my previous cycling position.
My main problem seems to be the Achilles tendon, all of a sudden flared up after a couple of weeks on the turbo. NHS physio measured my duff leg at 1.5cm shorter than my 'good' one, thought it could be this. Have tried insoles and shims, but nothing seems to help.
I have reigned use of the turbo back as don't want a censored Achilles as well as hip, tried lowering saddle, flat pedals, but nothing seems to help. Walking generally fine for the Achilles, just cycling that sets it off.
Anyone else experienced issues with their Achilles after hip surgery?
Many thanks.
Ian
How are you progressing.
Hope it is going well for you?
Just seen this and thought another thread which I started when I came off and broke my hip like you. My break was inoperable so had to have a hip replacement, but there are posts on the thread from people who had breaks and operations too.
I found the insights from others brilliant. Some years on I do everything I want to apart from running and playing vet’s football! I’ve done loads - off walking the Haute Route in Switzerland this summer, my only wonder is how long the hip replacement will last. Felt like the end of the world when it happened, but actually made me flore determined to do things. Will be 58 this summer and have posted many pbs riding since the accident.
I paid for a physio at the time and that really helped get muscles and joints going again.
Best wishes,
Molteni
https://forum.bikeradar.com/discussion/13073435/just-had-hip-replacement-any-advice-please/p10 -
ijm, as above, if you can do it then try private physio
one that specialises in sports and experienced with bikefit to figure out how to manage the leg length difference
fwiw i went to https://www.iseh.co.uk/
i had over three months on crutches, then several months of physio/exercises, it was pretty tough, but it took me from limping/unbalanced to no limp and stronger than before the break, that was in my late-50s, many years on now and still ok
my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny0 -
Hi ijm.... again as Sungod says, get the specialist physio if you can. Helps loads. I was on crutches for months too and worked to eliminate the limp. Thats 11 years now for me!0
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I broke my hip three months ago - fixed with three cannulated screws same day. Have been on crutches with no weight bearing ever since. On Wednesday the surgeon gave me the go ahead to try walking on it. So I walked home from the hospital, slowly and carefully (about 2 km). Felt OK, but weak and wobbly but not painful. The next day I felt fine walking around the house, muscles a bit sore as expected, but fine. Then I walked to my daughter's school, but within a few hundred metres my hip was really hurting when I put weight on it. The pain is on the inner side. Came on gradually, no stumble or shock or sudden increase. It got worse until by the time I got to the school (about a kilometre) I really couldn't walk, and had to ask my wife to bring crutches to get home. 24 hours later it's still just as sore, hasn't hurt this much since a few weeks after the break.
I'm hoping that I just over did things and there's inflammation in there that's causing the pain... anyone else had similar? Did it resolve? I'm a bit concerned that it may have all crunched down a bit inside. If it doesn't get better by Monday then I'll contact the hospital - for now I'm sure they'd just day to rest it for a couple of days and see.
Thanks all!0 -
To go straight from crutches and not weight bearing to an unassisted 2km walk outdoors seems a tad on the drastic side to me.
See a doctor, get a scan and/or x-ray, then you can make an informed decision on your recovery plan.0 -
yeah, going from three months no weight bearing, straight to walking without crutches is asking for it
muscles and joint have had months with barely any use, loss of strength and flexibility, in addition there's the scar tissue from the initial injury and the operation
based on my experience, plan to use one crutch for several weeks, gradually using it less and less, combined with physiotherapy to recover strength and limp-free mobility - that's proper physio, not the little old lady/gent type
my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny0 -
Thanks both. Feeling slightly better now, but still not able to stand on it. I'm sure that nothing catastrophic has happened inside though, so I'll just be a lot more gentle to it... It is frustrating though, three months is more than long enough to put up with!0
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looking back at things...
began with two crutches and instructed just 25% weight bearing, consultant said to ease back to 100% over a month, and expect to feel fairly normal after about three months, but i'd need physio
it took a while to be able to go more than a short distance before the injured leg fatigued
in the first couple of weeks, i was at the gym doing one-leg 'steps' on a machine set at the easiest setting, i.e. less than my weight, the good leg staying on the ground, it helped get going again
as soon as i could walk 50m unaided i got on the bike, much easier than walking and i'm sure it helped flexibility
flew off for a holiday at +5 weeks, still needed both crutches to go any distance, then reduced to one
after maybe 8 weeks abandoned any use of crutches and started serious physio at iseh
at +4 months i flew off for a cycling holiday and was ok on hard climbs, overall power down, but felt pretty normal
physio really helped, still have no limp at all, and full mobility/flexibility
physio visits lasted about 6 months, then they gave me exercises and targets to try to hit on my own, eventually was pressing 125-130kg one-legged (i weigh 78-80kg)
only long term thing i notice is the odd twinge, or if i catch the screw heads which stick out a bitmy bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny0 -
Thanks for the info sungod - that's really useful. I know everyone's different, obviously, but that gives me some good perspective.0
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Here's an update in case anyone in future finds it useful. After about ten days of really resting, my hip started to feel a lot better and I could put some weight on it again. I had my first physio visit then, who told me that I had done way too much and recommended that I get it checked for damage. So I went back to the hospital - xrays showed no change, no collapse or anything, but the consultant said that I was lucky not to have damaged it. I felt a bit daft, but in my defence, the consultant that I saw simply said "OK you're allowed to walk now" with no guidance or limits...
Anyway, now another couple of weeks on, I've been using crutches for any distance, but crutchless around the house, and doing physio exercises. So, still a bit frustrating but it's a huge difference being able to do simple things like carry stuff around the house!0 -
Good news grayham.
You've probably read the thread so can see a lot of various individual experiences.
I'd agree with sungod's advice about a specialist sports physio, one whose experience isn't mostly with octogenarians.
For me, the best walking exercise was up and down the shallow end in the pool, but I appreciate this may not be for everyone.0 -
Thank you so much to everyone who has posted here (especially those who've continued to provide updates even after a decade). It's been so enormously helpful. While I fractured the same bone as many of you (I have a subcapital femoral neck fracture), my situation seems drastically different so I'll add it for anyone else who might find it helpful.
About 9 1/2 weeks ago, I crashed really hard on my mountain bike and landed on my hip. It was a really bad crash but I managed to get back up the hill by putting my weight on my bike as I pushed it up the hill. A friend of mine who was with me offered to push the bike for me but I found I couldn't walk if I didn't lean on the bike. Even though I was in pain (especially at night), I didn't think I'd broken anything so I rested for about a week and got around with the help of a hiking pole. I also continued to walk my dog but since he had just been diagnosed with glaucoma, the walking was super slow and at the time, I was really more focused on his pain which I think caused me to ignore my own.
I'm not exactly sure when, but I think I started walking without the hiking pole after a week and then ten days after my crash I went for a 25 mile ride with some friends and actually felt good that day. Since I didn't know I had a broken hip, I continued to ride a couple times a week (going much slower than usual though). I also swam or did yoga everyday which always made me feel good. Each week I felt better but at week 4, the one remaining symptom I had left was pain in the groin when waking up in the morning or after sitting for long periods which would go away after I started walking. I mentioned this to the friend who was with me when I crashed and who is also a doctor. She told me that I didn't have a big bruise like I thought and that I might have a femoral fracture. So I got an xray and sure enough that's what it showed - a healing but mildly displaced subcapital femoral fracture. Yikes.
However, by the time I saw a doctor about the the xray, the pain in my groin had gone away and my only remaining symptom was that I didn't have my full range of motion back. I was expecting a referral for physical therapy (what you guys have been calling physio, we call PT in the U.S.) Instead she said I had to be on crutches for a month (partial weight bearing). No biking, swimming, or yoga, even though I had walked into the hospital like a normal person with no pain.
I spent a week on crutches and went from feeling no pain to feeling like everything was hurting (this is what happens when I don't get exercise unfortunately) so I made an appointment to see another doctor (an actual orthopedist which the first doctor was not - the health care system in the U.S. is horrible). The ortho gave me permission to swim and also to walk without crutches if there was no pain. So I started to wean myself off crutches and swim again though no bike riding. I started to feel better, although now that I know how serious my fracture is, I'm hesitant about putting too much weight on my "bad" leg and am likely not walking normally like I was before I knew about the injury.
Last week I had a setback - after feeling really good for about a week, I went for a 1.5 mile walk which caused the pain in my hip to return so I went to see the doctor a couple days before my scheduled 9 week follow up. He said the xray still shows a healing fracture and that I likely just over extended myself so I spent last week on crutches again just to be on the safe side. What's really weird is that after a week on crutches, my pain is mostly in my lower back and butt (so it's hard for me to sit for long periods - it actually hurts more for me to sit than stand) and for the first time in the last 4 weeks, I've had to start taking Tylenol everyday. Has anyone else experienced this?
If you've read all the way to the end, thank you!! All the research I've done about this type of injury has made me super anxious and worried about AVN especially because my case has been so different from everyone else's. My entire social life has always revolved around physical activities - cycling, hiking, backpacking - so the recovery process has been lonely.
Good luck to everyone else who is dealing with this! (also, for reference, I'm a 52 y.o. female so not young but also not old...at least I never felt old until now!)1 -
Hello all and first THANK YOU all for your honest and helpful stories, especially filterfine; I crashed off my bike seven weeks ago today and I’m 52 as well so hello! we are nearly in parallel paths!! And we are NOT old 😄 Although I certainly didn’t walk around on it for weeks like you, golly you must be tough.
So: on my way home from work - racer-come-tour bike, rear panniers and all - on 23/5/22 I slipped on the white triangle of paint as I slowly - just 20kph - turned left at a bike path T-junction (in the Netherlands here) and felt my rear wheel skid out from under me - no other road user involved, recent heavy rain... not a scratch anywhere else on me and fell with all my weight on my left hip, knew something wrong when I couldn’t sit up. Ambulance, hospital and two hours later I was X-rayed, diagnosed and tucked up in a ward waiting for a surgeon. The neck of the head of my hip was broken clear across (yike) but no displacement and no damage to head or socket (phew no hip replacement !). I could still wiggle toes and move leg in various directions without pain - but any turning/twisting was agony. Too many other urgent traumas that evening, so the next morning it was fixed with a plate screwed to femur and two long screws into the head. Scar about 10-12cm long, it looked HIDEOUS to start with as they had kind of made a long tuck in the skin - don’t know how else to describe it, it was like a slim little rolled-up sausage of extra skin (ugh), but after about a month has smoothed out and is now a very tidy scar, phew.
Was v worried about my bones (am post-menopausal => osteoporosis??) but surgeon said he didn’t think so - will request a bone scan later to check anyway. Surgeon also said I would have more post-op soreness than ‘normal’ because as a fit runner/rower/cyclist they had had terrific trouble pulling my muscles out of the way during the op 😂 and indeed my upper and then lower leg showed (and felt) extraordinary bruising over the next 3-4 weeks! Followup Xray planned mid-Aug.
Fell on Monday 5pm, op was Tues mid-day, weight-bearing with crutches the next morning and out on Friday having had 3x physio in hospital and climbed some stairs. Home visit from the physio 6d after fall, since then two sessions a week at the practice, fortunately only 450m from home! She listened carefully to my aims (I want to get back to daily run/row/bike training plus some weights) and prescribed: focus on flexibility and mobility only for 6w and then start on strength. It helps that as I went into it all pretty fit, my chances of a good recovery are good and the aim is that after 6m I should be back to where I was with fitness and strength. But she stressed that this is an aim, not a guarantee…
I left hospital on two crutches; after fourish weeks down to 1 at home / 2 abroad, around 5-6w often no crutch at home but always one when out and about. Lots and lots of exercises, spend about 1.5-2h per day, plus 20-40mn spinning easily on a Tunturi exercise bike (only €125 secondhand, well worth it). After 3-4w, once I could sit reasonably comfortably, I wanted to work again - was getting bored - but found that with unpredictable sleep (now improved phew) and timeconsuming rehabilitation exercises I didn’t have the mental space for it; I got tired easily and couldn’t focus. Mercifully work have been lovely and signed me off until back from holiday after 11w. I have an office job but it’s quite complex engineering project management so needs more than an exhausted and fed-up brain …
It’s 7w today and I’m with the family on holiday for four weeks, using a light cane (yay! No crutch) … to make sure I walk “well” (unaided walking is more lurching…) and don’t muscle-learn bad habits. I am walking loads, trying as much unaided as poss, also doing a morning and an evening session of exercises with resistance bands (started them at 6w) so I can pretend it’s actual real training and using the pool a lot which is GREAT - I can “run” in the shallow end and it’s easy to work on flexibility (alas still nowhere near knee to nose). Driving is fine (but we have an automatic so easy with a L hip fracture) and would love to cycle again, but the physical (getting my leg over the frame) and mental (bit scared tbh) barriers mean I’m not pushing it. Darn nuisance as in NL it’s not just sport but my primary transport … btw learned about AVN on this forum as it wasn’t mentioned to me by doctors here.
Advice: don’t underestimate how slow it all is, try to get as much time as you can off work (recovery can be exhausting and I have had a few really down moments), get as much physio as poss, massage your scar area (arnica cream is great) and find a good friend who doesn’t mind being moaned at now and again. Nobody likes a moaner but it really helped me now and again to have an outlet, and best if it’s not your spouse … Use pain relief as and when you need (why not?) although call your dr if you have big INcreases in pain, and ask for help sleeping if you need it (temazepam is your friend).
Good luck to all of you and I hope I will be able to post a positive recovery message a few - or many - months down the line.
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@amse1 Thanks for sharing your story!! It was super inspiring and encouraging to read. I was having a spell of depression last week because of the pain in my lower back and butt. I started wondering if I'd have chronic pain for the rest of my life or if I'd ever be able to ride my mountain bike again (reading about AVN was not good for my state of mind unfortunately - I've yet to find a case like mine where the doctors decided not to operate and allowed for early weight bearing so I'm pretty worried about it).
I'm feeling better this week - walking short distances and back in the pool again. Swimming has been a lifesaver! And I'm started to accept that life can still be good even if I can't go back to bike racing after this.0 -
Hi Filterfine and Amse 1. I’ve posted on here and on another thread re breaking my hip. Unlike you my break meant I needed a hip replacement. However, one similarity which I think is very relevant to anyone is to listen to your body. I kept busy and progressively did more walking, but found I needed to rest plenty too… just like you amse my sleep was disrupted, so I wasn’t t afraid to go and have a sleep in the day time.
The body heals…. I think movement is really good, but you will know when you have overdone it!
I found walking in a shallowish pool super helpful too once my scar had cleared.
Amse - I was also diagnosed as having osteoporosis - I’m male and I later found this was caused by a parathyroid problem ( a whole other story!). I didn’t know about the osteoporosis so it is worth getting this checked out if you have suffered a bad break.
Keep grabbing and getting the correct medical advice. Someone always gets on here and rants about not using a Forum for advice, but I found people’s anecdotes and sharing super helpful !
Take care both. It takes time but everything you are doing will be worth it in the long run! Six years nearly for me and I do everything I always did … the whole thing made me even more determined at age 52 as I was then. 58 next month and feel as fit as ever. Have just started Pilates which is great for the hip. ( Not yet for you two, or others who are recovering!)
Best wishes.
Molteni0
