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proximal hamstring avulsion Surgery

Posted by upgirl2013 @upgirl2013, 3 days ago

Hi,
I fell on July 3 and tore my hamstrings off my sits bones.
Last Friday I had surgery to have three anchor screws to attached the hamstring to my butt.
My pain on day 3 is only at the incision site and not too bad.
I have found little information regarding personal recoveries.
I currently have knee brace set for 90degree with strict instructions to not put my foot down. I am using crutches as our house is too small for the turning radius of the scooter that I rented.
How do you maneuver stairs? It seems like I have to bend my leg past the brace allowance to go from our living room to our entry way.
I figured out how to take a shower by getting on the shower seat first, taking the brace off and drying diligently before putting brace back on while sitting on the shower chair. We use suctioned cup hand rails on our plastic shower stall.
Any tips, testimonials and questions are welcome.
Katy

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dlydailyhope | @dlydailyhope | 2 days ago

@upgirl2013
I was trying to picture what your braces look like at a 90 degree angle. Are both knees in a brace? How long do you need to wear them? Is there a chance to have someone help move everything you need to one floor to avoid using stairs as much as possible?

I started to picture myself, if I was in your situation, going down stairs on my knees and stomach while holding the railing on one side. Going up, not sure how easy it would be to navigate stairs on my knees and stomach pulling myself up. 😉

REPLY
1 reply
upgirl2013 | @upgirl2013 | 2 days ago
In reply to @dlydailyhope "@upgirl2013 I was trying to picture what your braces look like at a 90 degree angle...." + (show)
@dlydailyhope

@upgirl2013
I was trying to picture what your braces look like at a 90 degree angle. Are both knees in a brace? How long do you need to wear them? Is there a chance to have someone help move everything you need to one floor to avoid using stairs as much as possible?

I started to picture myself, if I was in your situation, going down stairs on my knees and stomach while holding the railing on one side. Going up, not sure how easy it would be to navigate stairs on my knees and stomach pulling myself up. 😉

Jump to this post

It is only the left leg that has the brace.
I watched a lot of YouTube videos on how to use crutches on stairs. I am still amazed how hard it is not to put my toe down. I uploaded a picture of what my knee looks like lying down. Of course the non surgical leg/hip is quite sore from holding up my body weight.
I cannot sit in low places to use the scooch method. I think I just need the confidence to hop forward and not land on the surgical leg.
I will be in this brace at various degrees for at least 12 weeks. The total recovery is 6 months.

REPLY
dlydailyhope | @dlydailyhope | 2 days ago
In reply to @upgirl2013 "It is only the left leg that has the brace. I watched a lot of YouTube..." + (show)
@upgirl2013

It is only the left leg that has the brace.
I watched a lot of YouTube videos on how to use crutches on stairs. I am still amazed how hard it is not to put my toe down. I uploaded a picture of what my knee looks like lying down. Of course the non surgical leg/hip is quite sore from holding up my body weight.
I cannot sit in low places to use the scooch method. I think I just need the confidence to hop forward and not land on the surgical leg.
I will be in this brace at various degrees for at least 12 weeks. The total recovery is 6 months.

Jump to this post

@upgirl2013
Thank you for sharing your picture of your brace! That is quite a significant brace and now see the limitations. It is also good to know you aren’t in braces on both legs. I was once in a similar brace when I injured my knee (while dancing) and getting around was very difficult. My thigh muscle atrophied very quickly which was a pretty scary thing to watch but it came back over time.

It is hard not to get sore when depending on one side/hip/leg but hopefully after your 6 months of healing and physical therapy, you will be able to get back your strength and balance/flexibility.

Take good care of yourself and try not to overdo anything so you don’t injure anything on either side.

REPLY
1 reply
Ann Shrader | @annshrader | 1 day ago

YIKES!
I had a hamstring debridement and repair- not the "full monty" that you had.
This might seem counterintuitive BUT, is there a reason why you cannot stay on one floor of the house? It seems very challenging to navigate the stairs!
I had a single anchor and did not need the brace and was moving at six weeks. NO crutches and the walker was minimal.
Hopefully you get full heal and get on those legs actively!

REPLY
1 reply
upgirl2013 | @upgirl2013 | 1 day ago
In reply to @dlydailyhope "@upgirl2013 Thank you for sharing your picture of your brace! That is quite a significant brace..." + (show)
@dlydailyhope

@upgirl2013
Thank you for sharing your picture of your brace! That is quite a significant brace and now see the limitations. It is also good to know you aren’t in braces on both legs. I was once in a similar brace when I injured my knee (while dancing) and getting around was very difficult. My thigh muscle atrophied very quickly which was a pretty scary thing to watch but it came back over time.

It is hard not to get sore when depending on one side/hip/leg but hopefully after your 6 months of healing and physical therapy, you will be able to get back your strength and balance/flexibility.

Take good care of yourself and try not to overdo anything so you don’t injure anything on either side.

Jump to this post

Thank you for the kind wishes. I am using an arthritis rub on my standing hip and taking time to stretch it when I am lying down.
Yes, atrophy is a concern of mine. I have a great physical therapist and feel that he will get strength back as soon as possible.

REPLY
upgirl2013 | @upgirl2013 | 1 day ago
In reply to @annshrader "YIKES! I had a hamstring debridement and repair- not the "full monty" that you had. This..." + (show)
@annshrader

YIKES!
I had a hamstring debridement and repair- not the "full monty" that you had.
This might seem counterintuitive BUT, is there a reason why you cannot stay on one floor of the house? It seems very challenging to navigate the stairs!
I had a single anchor and did not need the brace and was moving at six weeks. NO crutches and the walker was minimal.
Hopefully you get full heal and get on those legs actively!

Jump to this post

I can stay on one level inside the house. It is getting out of the house is the issue.
There is one significant step to go down into the entryway. I am going to set an armless chair at the tread and then step down with the crutches from that.
My husband has mild cognitive impairment with early onset Alzheimers and he gets anxious easily. A friend is going to stop by foe my first try at getting out of the house. I have help until Sat(day 7 post op) and will assess if I need to call our local aging advocacy center.l early next week.
Thank you for your support and positive thoughts.

REPLY
Ann Shrader | @annshrader | 1 day ago

Take care of yourself. You do have some responsibilities! Now is the time to minimalize what could make your recovery slow or fail. Falling would not be a good thing. Best!

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