SarahH – 8 weeks: back in the saddle after a minor scare

Hi there

When I last reported at nearly 2 weeks, I was very optimistic: walking was getting progressively better & I was back to using stairs to get to our 4th floor apartment. At 10 days I could walk, with help from a trekking pole, the 3km to my PT appointment.

Then my physiotherapist started getting ambitious with rehab exercises. The following two weeks felt like two steps forward, three steps back.

A few times I protested that the exercises seemed far beyond the scope of the surgeon’s recommendations for the first month. The PT, having rehabbed several pro dancers with THRs, poo-pooed that – you’re strong, you’re not a granny! That being said, he did make the exercises easier.

Still, at 4 weeks, I was back to using both crutches much of the time as my hip felt so damn tender when I put weight on it. When I described the exercises, my normally-affable surgeon was livid with the physio and feared displacement.

Happily it turned out to be just muscle overuse, and the surgeon was very pleased with my x-rays & progress when he saw me at 30 days. He gave me a prescription for NSAIDs and told me to lay off PT for a few weeks. That was a weight off my shoulders (not to mention, my hips).

Two weeks later, at 6 weeks, I had ditched the crutches & NSAIDs and felt like I was back to making progress. The best part, was now that I could walk without support, I was OK to bike, s l o w l y, outside!!!!

(While my surgeon fully supports running post-THR, he wants me to wait until the 3-month mark).

This is a BIG deal. We live in 700 sq ft apartment in the middle of Paris and don’t own a car. Even before Covid, I preferred getting around by city bike rather than public transport, and now that we’re fully into the 3rd wave here, the metro is even less appealing. And it was the pain from cycling that made me opt for a THR at 49.

So city bikes are my ticket to freedom as I can only walk so much still. Thankfully Paris is mostly flat as those bikes weigh a ton. Riding around town I felt like I was 6 years old again and had just gotten rid of my training wheels.

But the cherry on top was last Friday. The night before, the government announced our 3rd lockdown would start this weekend, with movement restricted to a 10k radius of our homes.

So Friday was our last day of free movement for at least 4 weeks, it was sunny, and I hadn’t been out of the city limits since September. I pulled my winter riding clothes out from storage, pumped up my tires, and followed the riverside path out of the city for 25km.

It was slow – my avg speed was well under 20km/h. On the way back, the hamstring on my operated leg started to complain, so I  hopped on a suburban train (empty) for the final 10k home. But it felt GREAT to be able to ride my road bike again, even if 40k was pushing it a bit. At least I proved that I could I can still ride, and I could see a bit of nature at last.

Now I have 4 weeks of lockdown to focus on building up my strength and the nordic walking. Really looking forward to it!