The crunch and crumble

That's what my hip joint did today at PT. It was less 'ouch' and more like nails down a blackboard.

Who knew (clearly not I), but the directions on my PT prescription for "scar mobilization" actually meant just that - moving my scars around to avoid 'the bumpies' as my PT person calls them. You push them up, you push them in, you push them to the side... it's like the Hokey-Pokey for scar tissue. It was sore but not unbearable, especially since I was motivated by her chat about how the flesh beneath my holes was getting lumpy/knotty and the prodding would help them lay flat when they healed completely. Aparently the first 4-6 weeks after surgery are critical to mobilizing the scar tissue both externally and internally, before everything sort of gets "set" and harder to maneuvre.

I MEAN... THANK GOODNESS I went to PT @ 2 weeks!!!! I KEPT TELLING HUBBY that there HAD TO BE things PT could do for you post-surgery that didn't involve them being able to twist yourself into a pretzel. Yet again, I am right. It's sickening, isn't it!?

So, aside from scar mobilization I have some swelling still in my thigh and groin that I need to take care of with some ice. I can sense it more than see it from my perspective but, aparently, it was like completely obvious to them once I was laying on the table. Huh. The swelling (both that we can see and that is deeper in the joint) is causing some limitations in my range of motion (ROM), so we need to work on that from the inside out also with some pretty tame ROM exercises and stretches. She also moved my leg around a bunch, to try and loosen up the tendons, tissue, and muscles in there, which was where the heinous crunch-and-crumble came in. There's nothing like feeling as though your femur just ran over a gravel pathway located in your hip socket. Lovely. Fortunately, she had the good sense to keep me talking the whole time so it was only on the periphery of my consciousness.

Then we did some electronic pulses coupled with some ice on my thigh and groin, practiced some stretches, and that was it.

Amazingly, my range of motion improved just in that hour! We all saw a big difference from the time I came in to the time I left. PT ROCKS!

My homework:

- Hokey-pokey massage my scars 2x per day
- Hamstring stretches
- Some thigh mobilization through abduction and adduction whilst laying prone
- Some kneeling stretches for the front of my groin (which felt mighty good, I might add)
- Biking 2x daily... yes, on like a regular bike and everything. Whoooeee!
- Occasional swimming (the front-crawl type... grrrr, I'm a breast-stroker)
- Icing 2x a day

My next appointment is Wednesday and thereafter I'll be going 1x per week.

Tonight, I bike!