When you have hip replacement surgery, you will often lose some range of motion that should come back as you become stronger. Hip replacement surgery can take a long time for anyone to recover from, but your recovery will likely be a little faster if you didn’t have hip dysplasia, because it’s a more major surgery for people with this condition. I had hip replacement surgery a few years ago because I was experiencing hip pain that would not have gone away without surgery, and I lost a significant amount of mobility that has still not returned. Mobility loss is frustrating because I don’t have as much range of motion, and things that used to be easy no longer are. I have had to make changes to my life to accommodate my mobility loss because the old way of doing things no longer works. I never realized how many tasks I did in a day that required the use of my hips until I lost mobility and things became harder. Many everyday tasks are possible with my mobility loss, but they are more difficult because when you have less flexibility, you have more limitations. In this post, I am sharing five things that have been more difficult since losing mobility.
Exercise– I was not able to exercise for the first couple of months of my hip replacement recovery and was on total bed rest because I have limited sensation in my legs, and you can’t teach me to walk with limited pressure like you would be able to if I had normal sensation. After I was cleared to start moving, doctors encouraged me to exercise every day because you can’t expect to gain strength if you don’t move your body. It is possible to exercise after hip replacement surgery, but when you lose mobility, it is more difficult because you have limitations that you would not have with a full range of motion. I was not expecting to lose mobility after hip replacement because that was not made very clear to me, and I thought that I’d be able to resume my exercise routine once hip replacement surgery precautions were released, but I could not have been more wrong. I cannot exercise in the way I used to and have had to make tweaks to my exercise routines because some moves that I could do before surgery are no longer possible. I have figured out a way to exercise that accommodates my mobility loss, but it is more difficult because when you have less mobility, you have less options. I have had to stop doing exercises that I love and start doing ones that aren’t my favorite because it’s the only thing I can do. People never realize how much of a privilege exercise is until you have severe limitations and can’t do much at all if any.
Getting dressed- When I was a child, I went to occupational and physical therapy and was taught how to dress myself because that is an important skill that everyone who is able should learn. Getting dressed has always been a relatively easy task, and I have never struggled with it until I lost mobility and had less range of motion. People never realize how much more difficult it is to put on a pair of socks when your leg only partially bends. It takes a couple of minutes longer for me to get dressed than it used to because I don’t have as much range of motion and can’t do things as quickly. It is even more difficult to put on my leg braces because I can’t lift my leg as high, and it takes me more effort to put my leg in the braces. Shoes can be difficult for me to put on if they are new, but tying them is not that difficult since I am able to bend my legs enough to do that. Getting dressed was a task that I needed help with in the beginning, but I am able to do it now independently, but it’s not without struggle. I have to give myself a little more time to get dressed because my mobility loss makes it more difficult.
Getting a glass of water– Before I had hip replacement surgery, I was able to stand by the fridge and use the filter to get water, but that way does not work anymore. I am not able to stand and get water from the filter on our fridge, and I have to do that task sitting down because I don’t have enough stability to be able to do it standing and not fall. It has never been easy for me to get water as a physically disabled person because when I use the filter on my fridge to get water, I have to let go of one of my crutches and balance to be able to get the water. Getting a glass of water is more difficult when you lose mobility because there is a slightly higher fall risk when you do anything that involves water, and when you don’t have as much control, it increases your fall risk. I have gotten more strength over time, and it has gotten a little easier to get a cup of water, but I still can’t do it standing because even though I may make something look easy, that doesn’t mean it is.
Taking a shower- It has never been easy to take a shower because anytime water is involved, there are more challenges, but I have learned how to do it independently, and I am not usually given a shower unless I am recovering from a surgery. Showering is even more difficult after hip replacement surgery because I don’t have as much stability and don’t have my leg braces on, which gives me more stability while I am in the shower. I have never been a fan of shower chairs because I feel like I can clean myself better by sitting at the bottom of the tub, but I started using them when I lost mobility. Mobility loss adds extra challenges when you are in the shower, and although I don’t use it to take a shower, I do use it to get in and out because it helps me do transfers safely. Showering has gotten easier as I have gained strength, but it’s still difficult because I don’t have the flexibility I used to and can fall more easily, so I have to be extra careful.
Walking down a step– As a physically disabled person, walking down a flight of stairs has never been an easy task, but it’s even more difficult when you lose mobility. I don’t have as much strength and can’t lift my leg as high, which makes stairs incredibly difficult. When I had hip replacement surgery, I was not able to do any stairs for a good year, even if it was only one step, and as I have gotten stronger, I have gained some of that ability back, but even though I can do something, that doesn’t make it easy. I am able to do steps better than I could at the beginning of my hip replacement recovery, but depending on the height of the step, there are still some I can’t do because I don’t have the strength to lift my leg high enough. Steps are more difficult when you lose mobility, and before I go someplace, I have to check that because if there are too many steps, I might not be able to do it. I have always struggled to walk up a flight of stairs, but never to the extent I do now. I have gotten better at walking up a step and can do it, but it takes me a little longer because it takes more effort.
When you lose mobility, everything in life is harder because even the simplest tasks that you wouldn’t think would be hard take a lot more effort. In the beginning of my hip replacement recovery, I required more assistance because I was weak and there were some tasks that I could not do independently, but the more I did them, the easier it got. Mobility loss is frustrating and sometimes prevents you from being able to do things in the same way, and that is okay because if folding the laundry is difficult one way, you can always find another way to do that task. I sometimes will ask for help on tasks that are very difficult, but not doing anything that is hard is not a choice for me because things still need to get done one way or the other. I still have to be able to dress myself, even though it is more challenging to do with mobility loss. I take more time to do things because of my mobility loss, and that is okay because the most important thing isn’t how long it took, but that you did it. If you have lost mobility, what things are more difficult for you? If you liked this post, please leave a comment below and share it with your friends.
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