Guest Blog: Rejoicing On the Success of My New Hip

Over 30 years ago I was free climbing when I found I couldn’t make the final pull over the top to finish the climb. I fell 40ft and smashed my pelvis. I recovered well but, this set me up for issues in later life.  It was a long time coming but at the start of 2019, it felt like I had reached the point, where, as people had said “you will know when it’s time”. I saw my doctor, got a review with a consultant and it was agreed I was a bit of a mess and I should get a new hip.

For the few months I had been using an online program to do prehab working on my glutes, thighs and core to try to remain a little fit. It was like spinning plates and every few weeks somebody was adding another plate to my lot, it kept getting harder and I was losing the battle. I could do less and less and to go upstairs had to be considered, to check whether it was really required. Or, if I went into the garden could I then go to the garage, just a few feet further on. It was tough.

Lost in the system

I chased the hospitals and discovered a form had been filled in incorrectly, not returned and I was lost in the process and not on any waiting list. To vent my frustration, I had a look online and fortuitously came across a clinic in Lithuania with stellar reviews from all its clients.

The decision to have surgery abroad

I emailed the clinic, many questions were answered and two and a-bit weeks later I was on the surgical table, topped up with “champagne”. I had to put my trepidation about being cut to one side and the “champagne” helped as lost consciousness.

Two hours later I awoke, I started to have a play to see what I could do and immediately found my left leg collapsed inward at the lightest of touches. I was unable to control it at all but early days I’d see how things progressed. Six hours after coming round I had regained feeling throughout my legs and feet and made a much-needed trip to the loo with the help of a larger Zimmer frame. A little wobbly but the legs did what they were supposed to do. I could walk, so the next day I did. Up and down the corridors, many times, all the way to a reception desk at the other end and back. I had a short rest then more walking. I eventually ended up outside the front door of the hospital after trying the stairs to see if I could get up and down them okay. I had needed one crutch but everything worked fine and I felt confident and stable moving.

The Recovery Journey

Then it was the move to the rehab spa, something not included in the NHS package. It was a five-star hotel, with a gym, multiple “spa” treatments, a swimming pool, beautiful wooded surroundings and with the addition of rehab facilities to help people recover from surgery and accidents.

The spa rehab program was:

• 30 mins massage, generally just on the back but when I asked, they had a go at the glutes as well.
• 30 mins physio – Having done so much prehab we were both on the same wavelength, if the physio said ‘press down more in the lower back’, I could do that immediately as I had already learned how my body worked.
• 2 mins of cryo therapy – minus 30 deg air blown around the wound site, this in effect wrung all the cells out as they contract in the cold.
• 10 mins of light therapy using hyper-polarised light – this activated the body’s healing systems, enabling the scar to heal more quickly and counteract any bacterial activity.

The facilities and all the staff were excellent with most of them being completely fluent in English. I stayed 7 days, each day extending my mobility and endurance. By day 4, I did 3.5km through the forest, taking it at my own pace and enjoying my new found ability. I then became worried what I’d do next as my progress was so rapid, should I try out the one of the hire bikes? I managed to remain a little bit sensible and was able to just enjoy the rest of my time there.

However, my left leg was still collapsing inward and I couldn’t do the Clamshell exercise (laying on my side and raising the knee), that had been a regular part of my prehab.  In fact, my left leg was a dead weight, if I wanted to move it in bed, I had to physically lift it with my hands and push it around with my other foot.

When I discussed this with the physios, they said it would probably be fine in a few weeks, but the night before I came home, the tension and pain in my left glute was stopping me sleep. The obvious choice was to stretch the muscle to turn it off, but having a new hip, that would put the joint in a compromised position, potentially causing dislocation. Not good. The other approach was to tense the muscle even more than it already was, so that it would then be able to relax. Much safer, so I gave it a go.

Imagine trying to wring out a cloth that is dry, because you have a bizarre notion that you can extract a few more drops from it. It was just like that with the obstinate muscle, nothing happened. So, I kept trying, wringing the muscle ever tighter until eventually the knee started rising, like something called back from the dead. I let out a huge yell of success that probably woke my neighbours, then tried it again a few more times before there was no strength left.

At home, I rapidly found that I could move around, climb stairs and even drive, without any need for a crutch. Although it felt like I was sitting on a golf ball in the car seat, especially when going around a corner. That would press my backside into the upholstery right where the tense muscle was, making it quite uncomfortable.

Accessing Therapies To Support Recovery

Fortunately, a friend and fellow Emmett Technique therapist was happy to help and after one visit using a sonic hammer and some Emmett, the tension eased off a lot more. All the work was performed away from the scar line as I still had to have the staples out at that point.

Over the next couple of weeks, I continued to use self-massage, being careful to only work towards the scar line to avoid stretching it.  A month after the operation I was fully mobile, able to work on all those tasks that had been put off and held in my “after I get a new hip” list. It was a long list and it took a while to get through!

Two months on, I was able to volunteer for a ScarWork training course and got some free treatment there.  Now at 4 months, the allotment was successfully put to bed before the winter, I’ve tried running (just a little) and I’m improving my hill climbing on my bike, dancing on the pedals as I go, I’m still exploring me but it’s all looking good.

By Neil Marshall

Neil is a soft tissue therapist, having changed career from IT project management 3 years ago, to something more fulfilling and people related.