Hello, I am looking to see experiences of anyone who has had hip replacement. What I and my primary care Dr. thought was a nerve problem from a previous back surgery turns out to be a worn out hip.

The Dr. is giving me a worse case view of 6 months before resuming full activity, but I wanted to see what others have experienced. It will give me something to look forward to as I recover.

Thanks for your help.

Randy:

Sorry to hear that you need a hip replacement. However, it is not the end of the world. In the past two years my wife has gone through total hip replacement on both hips with amazing results. One of her hips had deteriorated to the point of bone on bone contact and constant pain and the other was deformed from a congenital problem. At the time of her first replacement she was 57 years old.

Now a couple of thoughts from a care givers perspective.

1) Foremost!!! Find a doctor who uses the most up-to-date, state of the art procedures and prosthetics. We have a friend who went through the same surgery at the same time as my wife and he is frequently having his hip dislocate causing a great deal of pain. My wife has never experienced even a hint of problem with her new hips.
2) The titanium/ceramic hips that were used in my wife have a life expectancy of 35 +/- years. Therefore, she will most likely never have to have the procedure done again!
3) After surgery get as active as your doctor allows as quickly as possible. Walk, walk, walk -- with a walker, then a cane, and finally on your own. The more you use it the faster you will heal (don't use it and you will lose it). Within six weeks of each surgery my wife was pretty much back to full activity with some obvious exceptions -- no tennis and basketball, etc.

This surgery has revolutionized her life and she is functioning like someone 10 years younger than her age. She is doing things now that she was unable to do for years, like ride on the back of my LT.

So, with the right doctor and the right attitude, this should be a life improving experience.

God bless:

Randy I had it done in 1990 at 53 years old. Total hip replacement. With the exception of the recovery my nerve pain ceased immediately. I had it done by a highly qualified Orthopaedic Surgeon and it went very well.

Recovery can be tough initially. There was a lot of pain from the trauma of the surgery but with a little determination you can get through it pretty quick. The only advice that I would give is that you get on your feet right away. Just as quick as you can get out of bed. Approach it like you are training for a marathon. Walk, Walk, Walk and then walk some more. NO SHOCK! Very important that you reduce to an absolute minimum any kind of activity that produces shock through your leg. Such as running, jumping etc. If the hip dislocates repair can be very very difficult.

I've had mine for about 16 years now. I do not run at all. I do, however, walk with no limp at all, climb ladders and do just about anything else that I want to. I recently had my hip xrayed and found the prosthesis to be in perfect shape. If you don't misuse the hip it will probably last you a lifetime and be worth every minute of the recovery pain.

Good luck

I had mine done a little over a year ago and the results have been excellent. In my view, the two most important considerations are to find the best doctor you can and be very diligent about doing the prescribed therapy. I had to give up riding the LT before the operation but was back on the bike about three months afterwards.



Bob Schrader
Wentzville, Mo.
'00LTC

As someone who is facing the same thing, I am curious as to what your doctor said about riding. Any specific recommendations from him/her as to size and weight of bike, if riding at all was in the cards?

Bikr12, I have not asked my Dr. yet about limitations with the bike. It is picking it up if I drop it that worries me the most. I will bring this up with him in the near future when I set the date for the surgery. Guess I will have to wait for some help if I do drop it!

Thanks to the rest for the comments. I live in Southern California and work in the medical industry, and have chosen a very qualified surgeon. He uses a minimally invasive technique (compared to 10 years ago) and will use a non-cemented joint. I have every reason to believe it will not be a problem for the rest of my life. I am a bit bummed that I can't play basketball, or other impact sports with my kids, but at least this gives me an excuse cause they are better than me already! And they are only 8 and 10. I knew I should have had kids earlier but I was having too much fun!

I fortunately haven't had the experience myself, however over the last few years my wife has had both hips replaced and her right knee about 4 months ago. From a pain point of view the hips are a piece of cake compared to the knee. Unfortunately she will probably have the 2nd knee done later this year. The results of all this are miraculous. She became used to living with sever pain 24/7 and after the surgery she is pain free. It is truly a life changing event. I would recommend renting an electric lift chair for the first 4 to 6 weeks and be religious about the therapy. The therapy is critical to a complete and rapid recovery. As far as riding, my wife got her motorcycle endorsement and her first bike after the second hip. Granted, it was a 650, not a 1200, but it was still pretty impressive for a 62 year old grandmother!

i have a friend who had it done and it has literally transformed his life. his advice: just do it. you will not regret it.

best on a speedy recovery.

Look, I don't know you and I wish you all the best and the courage that it needs to undergo such a surgery. May you be able to go through the rest of your life free of pain and full of happyness!!!