Question
I have had problems with my right hip beginning at age 11.  My doctor relocated my hip and inserted three screws at this age.  I have had noticeable problems with my left hip since the age of 20.  I am now 36 years old.  I had LTHR on September 16, 2008 and will have RTHR in the near future.

I am doing very well with recovery and most of the pt, but I just can not manage to do heel slides where you bend your knee and slide the heel toward the buttocks.  I have also noticed my leg tends to turn outward when I bend it while sitting down it a chair.  Could this be related to muscles that have not been used for several years?  If this is the case, will these muscles ever be able to  function normally?  

Answer
Jason

Heel slides were the bane of my existence.  I hated them.  But they are important. I do believe that your muscle weakness is the problem.  Ask your doctor about pool walking.  That exercise has no impact and will build muscles in the areas you need.

You need to get those muscles strong and you will see a difference.  Unfortunately for you that means heel slides.  And it may be that eventually your PT will ask you to wear ankle weights when you do the slides.  Try and get through them.  You need to build up the thigh muscles and that's the exercise that will do it.

It takes time to build those muscles, and your surgery was less than one month ago, and you need to give it three to six months.  If you are not active, it might take longer.

Sharon