The recovery slump???

I am two weeks shy of 4 months post op and the past 2 weeks have been tough and painful.  I don't really know what happened but suddenly I wasn't feeling good and the pain persisted.  So in my biweekly hospital physio appointment I described in detail what had been going on when my physio-therapist asked how I was doing.  Reminder:  I have been receiving physio as outpatient in the hospital, as per the operating surgeon.  After I was finished describing what I was experiencing the therapist reminded me that I had surgery 3 months ago and it's normal to experience some pain.  I nearly lost my mind right there!  Are you kidding me?  I am well aware as to my whereabouts 3 months ago.  In that moment I wanted some support, an idea as to what might have aggravated my pain and what solutions might help reduce the pain.  To top it all off - she graduated me from physio that day and told me to call back in the next two weeks if I was having any problems.  Clearly she wasn't listening.

So a week went by, I was continuing my exercises, biking each day and swimming a few times a week.  The pain was still there and I was seriously wanting to add new exercises to my routine, but I wasn't sure where to start.  I worried I might implement something new that would additionally irritate my hip and things would get worse. Then I remember a friend had suggested a physical therapist that she really liked a few years ago when she was recovering from a torn ACL surgery.  So I called and made an appointment.

Yesterday I met the athletic therapist for the first time.  He spent an hour with me and assessed my mobility, strength and range of motion more than my previous physical therapists had before.  I was hopefully optimistic and encouraged when he addressed my strengths and was amazed at my recovery so far.
Then something interesting happened.  When he had me move my operated hip in certain poses, he asked what was stopping me from moving any further.  My answer was tightness and that I was afraid of pain.  Right then and there, things changed.  I had been living for years with a body that had made adjustments and accommodations in an effort to protect my injured hip.  He explained that it was going to require some mind work.  I learned the specific muscles that were working overtime and he encouraged me to practice turning those muscles that have been working overtime off.

Well after leaving his office, the tension in my operated hip is mostly gone.  Today, three days later it's the same.  So it appears that my recovery slump has transformed into my biggest recovery milestone yet!