12 days out from THR Anterior – regarding supplemental naturopathic care

Hey folks,
Quick personal history – injured SI and iliolumbar ligaments doing deadlifts 14 yrs ago & ended up with  sacroiliac joint disorder (hypermobile pelvis). I tried 2 yrs of six different unhelpful PTs. Then one full yr w/a great PT who focused on glute strength & MET to keep me aligned consistently. Then one full year of prolotherapy/dextrose injection to ligaments to tighten them (avoiding sacral fusion surgery!), then 8 yrs of success (woohoo): backpacking, daily dog walks, distance backroads cycling, and light trail running, plus Pilates and PT work throughout each week to maintain firing, balanced muscles.

2 yrs ago I started more hill running and more miles = groin pain. One year of prolotherapy to hip & increased glute work helped. The second year my progress stopped entirely.  I had a THR on the right 12 days ago due to aging and collagen loss (I’m 49, thanks perimenopause), and excess friction from the original injury (lax ligaments), which left me with a solid CAM impingement and hip osteoarthritis.

The reason for my post: if you can, see a naturopathic physician one month before your surgery to get pre and post op supplemental input on how to support your system through surgery. I am already walking without a limp and my swelling is just about gone. I was able to stop narcotics on day 2 and cut my pain meds in half on day 7. I’m down to a few ibuprofen a day. There are very specific vitamins/minerals/herbs/homeopathies that support the immune system, tissue repair, liver (to help deal with all the anaesthesia meds and drugs), swelling (this is a big one), pain, and good digestion despite meds…not to mention good sleep and mood.

I’m shocked each morning at the dramatic step-level improvement this early post-op and super grateful my sister went to an accredited school to become a naturopathic doc.  (Don’t see a night school naturopath! The real ones go to school for 8 yrs, dead lab, licensing, all that.)

Just a suggestion since surgery is hard enough as it is. A little extra care to complement your surgeon, PT, and GP can’t hurt. Best of health and wishes for lots of miles to all!