Ten Weeks Post-Op -- Walking Again

So now, ten weeks after my surgery, I am back in NYC and walking without crutches, two big steps towards getting back to "normal!"

Last Wednesday I packed up my things and moved from my parents' house in Connecticut back to my apartment in the city. On Thursday and Friday I worked in the office for the first time in over two months.

Thursday I used one crutch for pretty much any walking I did around the office, as well as to and from the office. I took a cab to work in the morning but I took the subway on the way home. On Friday I only used the crutch for getting to and from the office; all day long I walked around in the office without crutches. And on Saturday I went crutch-free all day!

At first I was not very steady walking without the crutch. I don't mean that my balance was off, I mean that my gait was strange and halting. It was as if I'd forgotten how to walk normally. I was overly conscious of my posture and my stride, and I had a sort of limp. I was not in pain -- my hip would get tired and uncomfortable, but it did not hurt in the way it did before the surgery. Mostly it was difficult to get my leg to move properly for the walking stride.

Interestingly, climbing stairs was one of the first things I was able to do "normally". Even a few weeks ago when I still used crutches for everything else, I could climb (not descend) stairs fluidly and without pain or discomfort of any kind. I wonder if this is because stepping up with the operated leg doesn't put the same kind of pressure on the joint as taking a step on flat ground -- and the stair-climbing muscles (hamstring and buttock) were already getting back in shape from my exercise bike riding.

As for the occasional discomfort I've felt these past few days as I have been weaning off crutches, it is the muscles -- not just near my right hip, but throughout both my legs -- that are hurting most as they build back up. Physical therapist Jaime told me to expect this.

Today, for example, my right soleus muscle is quite sore. That makes sense since that muscle is critical for walking and standing, two things which I have not done with that leg in a while. If I am going to be really whiny, my entire right leg is pretty sore, but the soleus is the worst.

I should also mention that as I'm relearning to walk, my right knee is almost as jerky and confused as my right hip. I suppose it is because the right knee fell into just as much disuse as my right hip while I was on crutches and so all it's surrounding muscles need to shape up too. Now when I get up from sitting for a while, my knee is often stiffer than my hip! I can walk it off in a few steps, and it is not painful.

Unsurprisingly, I am exhausted by what used to be standard NYC walking. On Saturday I walked to the Seaport from my apartment (about a half mile each way) and felt like I'd walked a 10K. It gives me a new appreciation for what good walking shape I must have been in before!

My left leg has been quiet through all of this increased activity. I am just waiting for it to start hurting (but hoping it doesn't). Dr. Millis said I can get the left hip done in as soon as a month's time, but I am not anxious to leap back onto the gurney just yet. I'm hoping my left hip can behave itself until October, so I can do all the fun summer activities on my calendar without having to coordinate my outfit with a pair of crutches.

Finally, I should note that the numb spot on the outer thigh of my operated leg is almost entirely gone now. It still feels a little bit strange when I rub it, but much improved from immediately post-surgery. For the most part it is almost back to normal sensation.