Ok. It's now 6 months after the knee and 9 months after the hip operations. The knee is really great! It's hard to believe, but the pain has gone, the flexibility is there (although kneeling is still difficult and sore), the swelling has gone and the scar is fading. It's almost impossible to believe especially as the first few months I felt as though I would never be back to normal. I'm so pleased with the knee.
But something has happened with the hip. I believe it's the psoas ligament which is causing pain when I raise my leg, get into the car, go up steps, and when I walk uphill. It's no so bad walking on level ground, but it is debilitating and although I didn't notice it after my operation (perhaps I thought it was all part of the healing, and perhaps it was disguised a little by the recovery period after the next operation), it is noticeable now. I went to have a cortisone injection which my surgeon advised, but unfortunately it didn't work. I now face having a bone scan to discount an problems with the bones, and then a cutting of the actual ligament. The end result will mean continued problems with going up steps (and climbing), but other ligaments will come into play and presumably help strengthen the hip. It seems this is likely as the surgeon doesn't think there is anything else wrong. The operation isn't as simple as I'd anticipated; it is a 2-3 day stay in hospital with rehabilitation taking up to 3 more months. I am not terribly happy, but what else can I do?
Ok... Here's the postscript:
I grew more and more concerned with the thought of having the psoas tendon cut so I asked a retired physio her opinion and thank God that I did. She recommended deep pressure massage, something I'd not thought about or considered, and certainly something that my surgeon had thought about. After an hour long massage and therapy, I felt 50% better. Next day I was 80% better, and so far, each day has shown a real improvement. It's only been a week, but I am just so relieved to have had this 'rescue'.
Here's the question:
Why is one not offered all these alternatives, or given different options?
But something has happened with the hip. I believe it's the psoas ligament which is causing pain when I raise my leg, get into the car, go up steps, and when I walk uphill. It's no so bad walking on level ground, but it is debilitating and although I didn't notice it after my operation (perhaps I thought it was all part of the healing, and perhaps it was disguised a little by the recovery period after the next operation), it is noticeable now. I went to have a cortisone injection which my surgeon advised, but unfortunately it didn't work. I now face having a bone scan to discount an problems with the bones, and then a cutting of the actual ligament. The end result will mean continued problems with going up steps (and climbing), but other ligaments will come into play and presumably help strengthen the hip. It seems this is likely as the surgeon doesn't think there is anything else wrong. The operation isn't as simple as I'd anticipated; it is a 2-3 day stay in hospital with rehabilitation taking up to 3 more months. I am not terribly happy, but what else can I do?
Ok... Here's the postscript:
I grew more and more concerned with the thought of having the psoas tendon cut so I asked a retired physio her opinion and thank God that I did. She recommended deep pressure massage, something I'd not thought about or considered, and certainly something that my surgeon had thought about. After an hour long massage and therapy, I felt 50% better. Next day I was 80% better, and so far, each day has shown a real improvement. It's only been a week, but I am just so relieved to have had this 'rescue'.
Here's the question:
Why is one not offered all these alternatives, or given different options?
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