Frustration and Recovery have been the theme for the last few weeks. Whitby goth was amazing but 2 days then cost me 7 days of pure resting (literally not moving from the sofa) and after last Saturday I’m also back to resting again.

This persistent knee trouble, is affecting my hip again, with pulling the piriformis all the time, as as the knee hurts and fails my posture and walking leaves a lot to be desired. It needs help fast.

And there lies the problem, my referral can take up to 26 weeks. And that referral is only to MSK not even a surgeon!! So even if they said surgery that would be another whole heap of waiting.

So I decided I couldn’t accept that is the earliest as they aren’t quite understanding how impacted my life is with it. So now we are trying to get a more urgent referral to MSK or ideally I would like to be referred straight to an Orthopaedic Consultant.

Why am I so desperate to be seen?

How an abnormal gait shifts the center of gravity. Instead of a fluid, upright posture, the torso often tilts or guards toward the painful side or hitches the hip upward to clear the leg without fully straightening the knee. This creates an uneven pelvic tilt, forcing the muscles supporting of my 2019 right hip replacement to work at an awkward, strained mechanical angle.

An antalgic gait significantly shortens the “stance phase” (the amount of time my right foot stays on the ground). Because my brain wants to get off the painful right knee immediately, it hitches my weight rapidly over to the left side. This means  my 2021 left hip replacement is bearing an asymmetric, rapid loading force with every single step.

This is why it’s important to try and get physio and doctors to see the body as a whole, each part is an important link connecting the rest. Kink the chain and its not as stable undoing all the work of recovering from the hips.