Hip Replacement

[sarge]

Just got my hip replaced Tuesday. Took first steeps today. Feels pretty good. Going to be easier than knee rehab. Had the anterior method so muscles all still intact. Doc said i had tight muscles and dense bone mass so it is a strong repair. only question now is "How long will it last?'

Sarge

[liberman]

good luck sarge. it must feel good to have it taken care of - it sure looked like you were in need. i wish you a pain free and fast recovery. i am five weeks out of acl reconstruction today and everything is going well.

[XXX-er]

Your milage may vary but my doc buddy was just saying last week you can get it done twice after the 2nd one wears out there isnt enough bone to stick it back on to

its not unusual to hear of active 50ish types getting 1 or both hips done , the body was never designed to last this long

[mysteryzombie]

hey sarge
i am wondering, how old are you, if i may ask?
i am due for bilateral (well definitely at least the left hip) hip resurfacing in the fall.
i've been out of sports for several years due to the pain and injury- i finally got diagnosed properly when i went out of my insurance plan and paid out of pocket.
it pays to not see the hick doctors in the mountains where i live!
thanks a lot
best wishes and fast recovery

[splat]

Just got my hip replaced Tuesday. Took first steeps today. Feels pretty good.

Sarge

You totally had me going with that.

edit:

Sarge - does the femur attachment put a hink in your skiing future??????

[Grizzly7686]

Sarge, just curious did they use that new special table for anterior or mis 2 incision anterior. I heard anterior is the best way and quickest recovery and less risk of dislocation. I started researching a little over the past couple of months hip replacements. Good luck with the recovery.

[wandering, not lost]

Aren't hips a bitch? I just found out yesterday (after 7 years and 5 different orthos) that I do actually have a labral tear. Unfortunately it was caused by dysplasia on my right side, so I have to have a ganz osteotomy to make my hip socket bigger. It should definitely delay, and potentially prevent, a replacement later. I'm not looking forward to having my pelvis cut in three places and then screwed back together.

[Buzzworthy]

Isn't this the reason you went to a board mostly?

Hope your recovery goes well.

[jerlane]

Just got my hip replaced Tuesday. Took first steeps today. Feels pretty good. Going to be easier than knee rehab. Had the anterior method so muscles all still intact. Doc said i had tight muscles and dense bone mass so it is a strong repair. only question now is "How long will it last?'

Sarge

Hey Sarge,
I see hip replacements coming in that are 20 years old and are just now failing. That's 20 year old technology and 20 year old technique. So, it's reasonable to expect more than that today. Longevity of a hip replacement has a lot to do with you. What kind of shape are you in, ie. keep your weight down. What kinds of things are you doing? Don't start training for a marathon. Many people recommend against skiing altogether. There isn't really a finite number of revisions one can have, but each surgery is harder than the previous one and eventually you run out of material to work with (bone).

Good luck with your recovery!

For those of you asking about what technique is best.... I would say whatever technique your surgeon is comfortable with. Anterior approach versus posterior approach is a debate that has been going on forever and there still isn't a clear winner, much like graft selection for acl repair. I would steer clear of the two incision technique unless your surgeon has a lot of experience with it.

[splat]

sarge....always good for two posts a year.
ya oughta follow up sometime, conway.

[eldereldo]

My Dad has his hip replaced at 60, he had to go back in a couple of years ago (He now 72) to have it done again because it had come loose. However the Doc said that could have been partly as a consequence of a car accident he had been in, as well as a hard fall he took off a ladder where he landed on that leg and jarred his hip pretty good. So seems as if avoiding incidents that put a good impact on the joint is a real good idea.

[sarge]

Update.....ok, so the hip replacement is over 5 years old now. Anterior method, all titanium. Lots of hype on titanium, it is the strongest but small percentage of people have a bad reaction to the metal ions from the wear. You know in about 9 months if you do, I don't so I am golden.

This hip is a no brainer now. I did give up skiing as it would probably blow up the other hip, and hell, I did all I am ever going to do on skis anyway. It is working great on the snowboard. I am less likely to catch air, I was never a big air guy anyway. But I still can ride as fast as shit on this thing.

So that may seem like at 56, I have had to slow down some. Bear in mind however my new passion is dirt biking: Enduro to be specific. So I guess the hip wasn't had a huge impact of my sporting lifestyle other than to prolong it. I can live without catching air (though I can make the 30' tables at the track no prob). Being able to whip through the Wasatch single track at 40 mph sure feels good on the dirt bike. FYI, enduro is the toughest tough guy sport you will ever do! Graham Jarvis is my new sports hero....look him up....look up extreme enduro.

So anyone debating a hip replacement; ride out your natural as long as you can (I had symptoms for 16 years, really bad for 3), then get a replacement. Anterior method for sure! Not sure if the lawyers scared them off doing full titanium or not, but that is the strongest. Also get the largest ball and socket your anatomy will handle. I had mine done my Dr. Mariani at St Marks in Salt Lake City.

Good luck to anyone with the same problem, but don't despair.

Sarge

[Shredhead]

I'm 55, 11 months post op. Anterior approach with a Ti cement-less spike, large ceramic ball and modular PTFE cup. That seems to be the standard and almost nobodies doing metal on metal, except the BHR guys.
I've got 15 days this year. Skiing hard and just came back from a cat trip in BC. My hips a little sore.
Last day was resort riding with a couple of the guides at Red. Conditions were kinda gnarly, windblown mash potato's.
The boarder kicked my ass in those conditions. I've boarded, but I'm way better at skiing. I may have to switch full time.

Good Luck!