Episode 32 – The Hip Replacement Podcast – Recovering from Setbacks – Transcript
Welcome to the Hip Replacement Podcast, where recovery meets motivation and healing leads to a whole new lifestyle.
I'm Chris Bystriansky, your host. I'm an author, athlete, and double hip replacement patient. I've been through the surgeries, the setbacks, and the comebacks. And I'm here to help you do the same. Each week, I'll bring you tips, tools, expert advice, and inspiring stories to help you take back your life one step at a time.
Thanks for joining the Hip Replacement Podcast.
New hips, new you. Let's go.
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Welcome back to the Hip Replacement Podcast. I'm Chris Bystriansky, your host. I'm also a double hip replacement patient—one more than 12 years ago and one more than 10 years ago—and I'm here to share my experiences with you.
So, okay, here we are. We are in 2026. Happy New Year everyone. And this is the first show of the year.
I've been thinking a lot about the different topics for the year. And I've put together a host of incredible topics for you this year that I think will help you be more active, more confident, and help you live up to your fuller potential. And frankly, I think they're gonna help you kick some ass this year, okay? If I can be brief and frank about it.
So, I'm looking forward to rolling those out to you. So, stay tuned. And I think it's going to be a great year.
This will be our second year of the podcast. We haven't even gone one full year, but we are moving into our second calendar year. So, welcome back everyone.
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Welcome back from the Christmas break, New Year's break, or whatever holiday break you may have taken. And my kids have been out of school on Christmas break for a long time—18 days.
So, I've been off for a while spending time with my family. And I love spending time with my kids. But I'll tell you what, it is not helpful to my schedule and staying on track. It is a complete bomb to my routine. But I love doing it, and I know there's some consequences that come along with getting out of my routine.
Coming out of the holidays, I feel a little beat up. I feel like I have some aches and pains, and that's because my routine was different. My activity was different. I was standing around more. I was walking around my kitchen more. I was meandering through stores, grocery shopping.
And I have to tell you that little wandering around leaves my hips pretty achy. It's the slow walking around or standing in the same general area that gives me some aches and pains.
I have to say that I could go walk around a golf course about seven miles, or I could ride my bike for hours on end, or I could go for a long walk, or whatever—a little jog, a little walk-jog—what have you. And that will be easier on my hips than that little meandering or wandering around the house or at different events, talking to people, doing little movements. Doing little movements creates a big problem for me.
And I talk about this in a different episode. I believe it is the one on the top five aches and pains. But little movements like standing, washing dishes, and doing slight turning like turning to put dishes in a dishwasher or doing a lot of the cooking—those leave me achy. My hips, my quads, the IT bands on the side of my legs.
And I feel like it's a setback for me, even though I'm so far away from having my hips replaced—more than 10 years and more than 12 years. I still get these types of setbacks.
And if I haven't gone through these things so many times and know that, yeah, these aches and pains are going to come up because I'm doing X, Y, or Z activities, I might freak out because all of a sudden I was doing fine and now I have these aches and pains.
But I know exactly why the aches and pains show up. I know exactly when they're going to show up, and I know exactly how to address them.
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So, in this episode, I'm gonna talk about recovering from a setback after a hip replacement surgery. Whether that's days, months, or even years later, it can be incredibly frustrating and discouraging to have a setback.
We think we're doing fine, or the train is on the tracks, and then there's some type of setback. You got this pain or stiffness. And if you don't know where it's coming from, incredibly frustrating and discouraging.
But the good news is that setbacks are common. They're manageable and often temporary.
What's important to know here is that we cannot let a setback put us in a worse position and then that worse position becomes our new normal, if that makes sense.
So if we're getting better, or if we've plateaued into some great feeling hips and legs, and all of a sudden we have something that knocks us down, we cannot allow that level we were knocked down to become our new normal. We have to address that because if we let that lower level— that new ache, that new pain, those new restrictions—if that becomes our new normal, we have negatively impacted our lives.
And we can't let that happen because we're going to have these hips for a long time. And we can't let a setback knock us down and we just accept it. There's ways to address it.
So, whenever you have aches and pains or you feel a little bit off or you've had a setback, it's best to address those so that you don't lower your expectations for what's reasonable or what's acceptable for how you're going to live your life. Because you know and I know that we all want to have very active, pain-free, fun, sexy lives.
And we don't want these setbacks to hold us back from any of that.
So, here are eight things to keep in mind as you continue your life with a hip replacement. And I hope you find these helpful.
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Number one, recovery is not a linear process.
So you do not get better at a constant rate and you are not always improving. Sometimes you go back a little, sometimes you stop improving.
We all have peaks and valleys no matter how long it's been since surgery. And if you think that you're going to have surgery and you're going to do some exercises or walk and three months later or six months later everything's going to be A-OK and you're never going to have to revisit this and you're never going to have an ache or pain, I think you're going to be slightly discouraged and surprised that that's not the case at all.
That we all have these ups and downs and it's cyclical. So you think about a wave. It goes up, it goes down. And that's how the aches and pains can be following a hip replacement surgery, sort of forever.
Maybe we have six months of no pain and then there's a slight ache that resurfaces. But keep in mind that setbacks do not mean failure or that something is wrong with your hip.
Overdoing activity, illness, travel, stress, or even long periods of sitting or standing can trigger pain or stiffness after the surgery. And this is what happened to me in the holidays. A lot of time in the kitchen, a lot of time at the grocery stores, a lot of time shopping, wandering around.
Slow movements that do not create enough activity or enough movement in the hip to bring in some hydration, if you will, some bodily fluids into the hip. And it makes my muscles and my legs kind of tense up if I'm not doing bigger movements.
Think about it this way. A setback is feedback. Something is different and you may need to make some adjustments.
So we're not going to get overly concerned because we can address those.
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Number two, identify the trigger of the setback.
There's always a reason for it. Ask yourself, did I increase activity too quickly? Did I give myself time to heal? This is a big one. A lot of people want to go too fast, too soon.
Did I skip strength or mobility exercises? Have I been sitting more than normal? Have I been standing more than normal? What behavior has changed? Am I sleeping poorly? Am I sleeping differently? Am I sleeping in a different place?
Maybe you did something on purpose. I did something on purpose. I spent more time with my kids. Maybe it's extra long activity, time with family, and it's all a tradeoff.
And if we know that something is going to cause us some ache and pain, well, to a certain degree, that's acceptable. It's acceptable for me. I know if I'm out of my routine, if I'm not doing my exercises, my stretches that I would normally do because I'm spending time with my family and doing other things, I know I'm going to be a little bit achy, but I know how to get back. And it's important to get back for everybody.
So once you ask yourself all those questions—and you don't need a perfect answer, just a likely cause—this helps you respond calmly instead of guessing or panicking or rushing back to the doctor every time there's a new ache or a pain.
And here's a word of caution, okay? Once we're going through asking ourselves what could possibly be different, don't be too quick to blame external sources.
And one of the biggest scapegoats for how we're feeling, and maybe these aches and pains come up, is the weather. We like to blame the weather for us not feeling as good as we think we normally do, or for increased aches and pains.
And the danger with this is that it suggests that you don't have control over your body or over your aches and pains. It's an easy excuse to say, "Oh, it's not my fault I'm not feeling great. It's not my fault that my aches and pains are there. It's something else beyond my control. It's the weather."
And that may or may not be true. I'm not saying the weather cannot impact your muscles. I'm not saying that weather cannot impact your joints. I'm suggesting that there's something that we're probably doing or not doing that is causing us to have some setbacks, to have those little aches and pains or the stiffness.
And just know that you actually have way more control over the setbacks than you think you do.
For example, maybe it's not the weather that's causing your aches and pains, but maybe your behavior has changed. Maybe you're less active or more active, or your activity has changed. Maybe your clothes have changed or your footwear has changed.
Consider the things that you're doing or not doing that could lead to a change in your comfort level or how your body is working.
I wear boots once in a while, not because there's a lot of snow where I live, but because if I don't wear the boots, the boots will disintegrate if they're in a closet for many years. So, when it gets a little cool, I'll put on some big boots and go for a walk. Now, those boots treat my feet a little differently. And I know that if I go too long in the boots, I'm going to have some aches and pains. That's what I'm talking about. If you change something, maybe that change is the root cause of those aches and pains, okay? Of that little setback.
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Number three, slow down or take it easy for a while, but don't stop.
One of the biggest mistakes is doing nothing after a setback. It could be a minor setback, but if it's more intense, maybe you do have to go back to the doctor.
And it's important not to stop everything unless a doctor says so. But there's other things that you can do.
You can reduce the intensity of whatever you're doing. You can reduce the duration, maybe not stand as long, or reduce the load.
But it's important to keep moving daily. Walking, gentle mobility exercises, gentle stretching. If you can't walk, there's still things that can be done from a seated position, whether it's working your upper body or some gentle rotational or simple leg exercises while you're sitting to help keep you a little bit active and to keep that blood moving.
Avoid pushing through sharp or increased pain. We don't want to cause any more damage, obviously.
But movement is medicine most of the time. But just like medicine, the dosage matters. The amount, the timing, and the frequency matter.
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Number four, return to the basics when things flare up.
When you have a setback, when you're having more discomfort or tightness than normal, go back to the fundamentals. Go back to the little things that you started with.
And if you're just starting now, consider short walks, gentle hip mobility exercises, core and upper body strength. Work on what you can work on. And of course, basic hip and butt or glute muscle activation to get that area of your body moving and stronger.
And hopefully you were able to get some of these exercises from a physical therapist, probably from the physical therapist.
If you were told not to get physical therapy, we'll have to talk about that separately, but it's possible to look online specifically for exercises for patients with your exact type of hip replacement surgery and maybe work on some of those. Check with your surgeon, of course.
And if you're doing basic fundamental exercises, these can rebuild confidence and help your muscles loosen up and get stronger safely.
This is one of the major purposes of physical therapy. I'm so adamant about physical therapy. I think it's so important.
The physical therapy is so that you learn exercises to strengthen and support your body during the few months following surgery.
And also, and this is what I think a lot of people forget, the physical therapy is also for years later. Not that you have to go back to the clinic, but once you learn those exercises and stretches shortly after your surgery, you can use those for the rest of your life.
You can return to those exercises you learn years later as you need it.
So physical therapy is not only for the weeks and months following surgery. It's for years later. It's for life.
If you don't have exercises to return to, get online and look for exercises or stretches specific for your type of hip replacement surgery. But it has to be you have to be recovered from the surgery first to apply those exercises. If the bone hasn't healed, probably don't be doing too many exercises.
Again, this is what the surgeon is for. This is what the doctors are for. This is what the physical therapist is for.
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Number five, use some smart recovery tools depending on the symptoms.
I talk about some of these tools in a different episode.
You can use ice or heat or both, whichever feels better for you or whichever works better. You can elevate if swelling is present. You can do some light stretching. Nothing aggressive, but you could be moving around.
One of the things I read most about on social media, I don't post much on social media, but I look at it once in a while. One of the things I'm seeing a lot of posts about is people having pain or numbness on the front or the side of their legs.
And I had a very sharp pain on the side of my legs for years and I didn't know what it was. I thought I broke my leg. I thought the femur broke and it was just a tight IT band and I had to work through that.
So light stretching or using some of the tools to stretch the IT band is helpful in that scenario. You can also do some rotational exercises that really helps stretch the muscles around the hip and the legs.
And also extra rest days. If you're working really hard or you're overexerting yourself, you need some rest. Rest and taking care of yourself like this are definitely part of the process.
You have to spend some time to take care of yourself. It's not the situation where you're going to have surgery and you're going to be back on your feet in a month and you're good for the rest of your life. That's not the case.
So, if that's what you were hoping for, you kind of had the wrong surgery or you haven't had enough time after surgery to realize that, wow, may have to go back and revisit some of those things that helped me in the beginning.
So taking care of yourself is not time lost. It is time invested so that you can have an active, healthy, pain-free life.
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Number six, manage the mental side.
Most of the time we talk about the physical side. I've got this ache and pain. I've got this hurts. That's stiff. Should I go back to the doctor?
And we often forget to address the mental side because setbacks can often trigger fear.
Did I damage the implant? I had this. I just mentioned that. I thought I broke my bone, my femur, and it was just a very tight IT band.
Most setbacks are muscular. They're not mechanical.
The implant and the components are made of very hard materials. They're very difficult to break. So often it's the muscles and the tissue around the implant in the legs and the back that are causing the issue and we can address those.
So remember that pain does not equal harm. The implants are durable.
And if you have a lot of fear, the fear can run away. It can make our minds run away and increase tension and slow the healing process.
So stay focused on what you can do today. Whether that's some light stretching, some exercises to increase the muscles around the hip, make them stronger, more flexible, more pliable, or other parts of your body, whether it's upper body or anything else that you can do.
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Number seven, rebuild gradually once symptoms calm down a little bit.
If you had pain and once symptoms calm down a little bit, increase the activity by small amounts and add strength before adding intensity.
Meaning, do more reps at low weight or low resistance before adding speed or high weight.
And consider how, or track how, your hip feels the next day. And not just during exercise. Things may feel great while we're working out, while we're exercising, while we're doing the stretches.
But then the next day, we're in a world of hurt.
Maybe we overdid it. We need to scale it back a little bit.
Remember that consistency beats intensity. So if you do something every day, that's great. A little something every day is way better than overdoing it once a week.
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Number eight, know when to ask for help and seek professional guidance.
Doctor, physical therapist, trainer, what have you.
If you have pain that is worsening instead of improving. If you notice something new regarding instability or locking, or maybe some sharp pain, or if the setbacks keep repeating and do not improve despite your efforts.
Most of the time a physical therapist or a surgeon can help course correct.
You want to get help if the pain is very severe. You want to get help as early as possible and not try to tough it out.
But consider if it's muscular and maybe some stretching. That's all it is.
Yeah, with my IT bands, I had to stretch for months and then it would get better, get a little bit worse, get a little bit better. And then I noticed a pattern.
When I was doing too much cycling, when I was failing to stretch the IT bands, that pain came back hard. And that was a setback for me for several years until I realized that, oh, this is what I'm doing that's causing my IT band.
And you may come to the point where you know if you do a certain activity, it's going to cause you a certain painful result.
So you can either stop the activity or modify the activity or put together a routine to help you recover, to help you address that minor setback or that minor pain.
And the more you exercise, the more you stretch, you'll learn what works for you and what doesn't, and you'll be in full control of how you feel and what you can do.
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So, the bigger picture: recovery from a hip replacement is a lifelong process of adaptation.
There is no recovery finish line. I'm sorry to say once you hit the three-month mark or a year mark, you're not done.
It doesn't end in one month. It doesn't end in three months or a year after surgery. Recovery is a lifelong process. There are just different stages.
You go from healing to doing a little bit of exercise to more aggressive exercise, more stretches, more mobility exercises until you get to like a maintenance phase.
And because I'm so far out, I'm in a maintenance phase most of the time until I change my activity which causes me another pain, and then I go back into a mode where I'm doing more to put my hips back into the great feeling situation that I know they can be in.
As you're going through life following a hip replacement surgery, the goal is not to avoid setbacks. That's not even possible.
The solution is to respond to setbacks intelligently, calmly, and confidently knowing that in most cases, you do have control of the outcome. You do have control of how you can get back to that high level of comfort of pain-free living.
I hope these eight ideas help you live your best life following a hip replacement surgery.
Keep in mind that you're going to have setbacks. Everyone has setbacks. Whether that's a week, a month, a year, 10 years following a hip replacement surgery.
Over time, we can learn how to address these things so that we can live our best lives. You can do it.
Focus on your health. Know that you can recover from a setback.
Thanks so much for tuning into The Hip Replacement Podcast. And until next time, I wish you the best recovery possible.
