Water is amazing. It has the ability to allow you to walk on your own after hip surgery. Time where you don’t have to rely on crutches, or a wheelchair to move just a few steps.
My hydrotherapy sessions after surgery were so important to me. To get that one hour of normality back in my life. One hour where I felt independent again and could see the light at the end of the very long recovery tunnel.
So when my six weekly sessions at the NHS hospital pool had finished, I wondered if there was anything else I could access in the community or any way I could get myself into a pool. After a bit of online searching I found that my local pool offered “Community Hydrotherapy” aimed at people with mobility issues. I arranged to meet with the instructor for an informal assessment and filled in the form explaining my condition and the surgery I had recently had.
Just a couple of weeks later I was back in the pool and was given a personalised list of exercises to complete at each session. These exercises were specifically given to help build up the strength in my legs, making walking on land a lot easier. From a physical health point of view, continuing my hydrotherapy out in the community was of huge benefit to my recovery and gave me the chance to see that light of hope every week.
I also found it really helpful to have something to look forward to each week. A week is a long time in recovery and my hour in the pool gave me that chance to do something which allowed me to meet other people. I must admit, the phrases “no it wasn’t a hip replacement” and “I know, it’s not often there are younger people here” did get a bit tiresome but it did give me a weekly opportunity to raise awareness of hip dysplasia in adults!
