Why You Can't Lift Your Good Leg when You Walk After Hip Surgery

[00:00:00]So, after my hip replacement, why is my other leg dragging? So, my patient, Mrs. Bowman, looked completely confused when she asked me that. And she said, >> "So, you mean to say that supposedly my stronger leg is struggling because my affected leg is still very weak. That doesn't make any sense."

[00:00:23]>> Mrs. Bowman had recently gone through a left hip replacement, and even though the surgery side was the left leg, her right foot kept dragging, and she even shuffles it when she's trying to take a step forward, back, or even to the side.

[00:00:39]And when she walked, she looked like she has a limp, and honestly, that scared her because she is going to attend her granddaughter's graduation, >> [music] >> which is happening very soon.

[00:00:55]>> [music] >> Hi, I'm Nathan. I'm your occupational therapist. And my goal is to help you be more consistent with your therapy at home. So, today I'm going to show you three exercises that I gave my patient, Mrs. Bowman, rebuild her strength, her confidence after her hip replacement.

[00:01:15]So, what she was experiencing actually makes perfect sense [music] because if the left leg cannot tolerate full weight-bearing long enough, the right leg, which is supposedly the stronger leg, doesn't have enough time to fully clear the floor, and when that happens, the foot drags, she shuffles, her limp developed, and ultimately, the balance might get worse. But most people think the problem is the healthy leg because it is not moving, right? And they think that it is getting weaker, but many times, the real problem is still the affected leg. And that is why simply telling our patients walk more usually doesn't help them at all because walking alone doesn't force the weak leg to properly accept the entire weight of their body and over time compensation happens and that's when the body starts normalizing the limp. So, if you want to learn about the exercises or the exercises I gave to Mrs. Bowman, just follow along with me and you'll improve your walking once again. All right, so for these exercises, you don't have to buy any special equipment. Just be safe, maybe be in a corner or have somebody with you. All you need is a chair, a sturdy chair, and a book and maybe a book bag. So, we'll be using the book bag just like what we did with Mr. Bowman. So, we will be doing a stronger leg on a book sit to stand. So, if your weaker leg is your left leg where you had the surgery or if you have a stroke, you're going to put it on the floor and place your stronger leg on a book. This will eliminate the ability of the stronger leg to carry the entire weight.

[00:03:06]So, there'll be about maybe 60% is on the weaker leg and 40% of effort is with the stronger leg because it it is now elevated, right? So, we are going to do 10 repetitions. We're going to go sit to stand.

[00:03:24]Let's go. Just push up.

[00:03:26]Then, sit back down. Make sure your knees don't collapse, by the way. So, let's do nine more.

[00:03:33]Two.

[00:03:36]Three.

[00:03:40]Four.

[00:03:43]Five.

[00:03:46]Six.

[00:03:50]Seven.

[00:03:53]Eight.

[00:03:56]Nine.

[00:03:58]One more time.

[00:04:00]10. So, this is a very effective exercise. In fact, after a week of doing this exercises daily, Mrs. Bowman started to lift her right leg, her stronger leg, off the floor. That means that her left, weaker side, is beginning to tolerate more of her weight when she is walking. So, try to do this stronger leg on a book exercise. Next exercise I gave her was side stepping with a backpack. Yes, I made her use my backpack. But, for you, you might have a backpack lying around. Or, if you don't, just use uh maybe two cans. You hold a can in each hand, and you're going to just do the side stepping. But, you need to have resistance when you do this exercise because our body needs that demand in order for it to make the more normal movements, right? So, wear a heavy backpack. Now, well, not too heavy to start with. Maybe just a few cans, and then as time goes on, you might want to put more cans in it, or maybe more books. So, what we did was side stepping with a backpack. This will activate the hip muscles that surrounds the hip joint.

[00:05:25]And this is very important because as time goes on, if those muscles are not activated, then those will also lose the function.

[00:05:36]It will forget to contract. So, this is why side stepping is very important.

[00:05:42]Though, a lot of my patients keep on asking me, "When do we do side stepping?" Well, you do when you have to go through a narrow passageway. When you're moving side to side, when you don't find the middle of your bed, so you have to adjust. Or when you're getting in the bathroom with your walker, you might have to do side stepping. So, let's try to do five more of this side stepping, all right? So, that was one.

[00:06:12]That's two.

[00:06:16]Three.

[00:06:21]Four.

[00:06:25]And five.

[00:06:27]All right? So, just go slow. I'm going fast, that way you don't get bored. But, if you want me to not say anything or not explain why these are very effective. Why we became therapists, right? So, we can explain. But, if you don't like why I have to explain, type it down below in the comments section.

[00:06:47]So, let's move on to the third exercise.

[00:06:49]For the third exercise, we're going to do step up and step down. And start with maybe I just a thick book instead of your stairs or your stool. Just use a step book first. All right. All right. A a thick book. My bad. I'm sorry. But, anyway, use a thick book. We're going to do a step up. Let's practice first with our stronger leg going up. Therapists would always say, going up, you step up with your strong leg.

[00:07:20]>> [music] >> Stepping down, you step down with your weaker leg. So, the good goes to heaven. This is how you you remember this. The good goes to heaven.

[00:07:30]The bad goes to hell, right? So, let's wear your backpacks for a little bit more resistance. Start with just a few cans inside it. But, this will really help you get stronger.

[00:07:44]Get you to the next level, right? So, if your stronger leg is your right, step up with your right. If your stronger leg is your left, step up with your left, all right? So, step up, then step down with your weaker leg, all right?

[00:08:00]Now, reset. If you need to, just go around it, reset.

[00:08:05]Step up, step down with your weaker leg. Now, reset.

[00:08:12]Just go around your book.

[00:08:16]Step up, and step down with your weaker leg.

[00:08:20]After a few tries, maybe you need to get a little bit of assistance or use your walker.

[00:08:29]You need to practice stepping [snorts] up with your weaker leg. Cuz as adults, we don't step up like this and then just use the same leg over and over, right?

[00:08:40]So, we need to practice alternating stepping ups, alternating legs. So, now step up with your weaker leg. Now, step down. Just step down now.

[00:08:51]And now, step up with your weaker leg, then step down. Mrs. Bowman did not like this exercise at first. She was very nervous.

[00:09:00]But, going to her granddaughter's graduation, there will be steps. I'm [music] pretty sure about it. And in their house, they also have steps in the front part of their house, front door.

[00:09:16]So, she needs to practice this.

[00:09:19]Right? So, after just a few repetitions of step ups with your good side or your stronger side, you also need to practice with your weaker or surgical side leg, right?

[00:09:33]So, try to do that multiple times during the day.

[00:09:37]And if you are tired, just rest and do it again.

[00:09:41]If [music] the book bag is giving you more a challenge, you can also take a break without wearing it. We won't be wearing a book bag anywhere anyway. This is just to really force our body to get stronger.

[00:09:56]We need resistance in order to get stronger. So, I hope those exercises weren't too hard for you, but these are very effective. We were able to help out Mrs. Bowman, but here's what surprised Mrs. Bowman the most. The problem was never really the right leg, the unaffected leg. It was still the left leg where she had the hip replacement.

[00:10:22]It wasn't tolerating her weight confidently enough, and once we were able to improve the strength and her brain and body connection, her walking changed and her balance improved. And that's when her confidence started coming back because recovery doesn't change when people stop avoiding the weaker side. And this will start rebuilding trust that they have on that leg. Let's go back to Mrs. Bowman. So, on the third week that I visited her, Mrs. Bowman mentioned to me that during her granddaughter's graduation, she wanted to wear a sundress again. And the walking has improved. So, it also improved her confidence. But, Mr. Bowman heard this and immediately Mr. Bowman looked at her and [music] said, "Why are you suddenly trying to wear a sundress again, huh?"

[00:11:21]And honestly, I think it is good for my patient to feel confident, to look pretty, right? But, for the first time since surgery, Mrs. Bowman started to smile again, laughing, and instead of worrying about a lot of things during therapy and for her granddaughter's graduation. But, she's able to walk and move so much better. So, Mr. Bowman should not be worrying about her wearing a sundress, but should be proud of her that even her confidence has improved, right? But, for that tendon's check, which will help me reach the audience that this video is going to help, please type down below in the comment section, what is making you motivated, continuously motivating you to improve your walking, whether after a hip replacement or after a stroke or any other injury or disease. What is motivating you to walk again? Is it a graduation for a daughter, a granddaughter, a grandson, or is it playing golf, or is it taking a vacation, or is it going to gain your confidence again to wear a sundress or maybe wear your golf shorts, right? So, please type it down below. And any questions that you have, also type it down below. I'll try to answer them as much as I can. But, anyway, if you know somebody who is struggling to walk and has been shuffling because of a limp, please share this video to them and you will be the key to their improvement.

[00:12:58]And give it a thumbs up if you find this video helpful. This This will really help my channel and don't forget to subscribe, all right? So, just a reminder, consistency is the key and never give up. Until next time. Allahm.

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