Hip Replacement Surgery (1 Viewer)

[boofatty]

I am 35yo and currently facing the reality of needing a total hip replacement due to childhood Legg Perthes Syndrome. The doctor told me when I was 12 (after my first surgery) that when I hit my 30s I'd most likely need this operation. Just thought I'd post here and see if anyone had any experience with the operation, either their own or someone close to them.

I've read mostly positive results from anonymous internet people. I've had friends that had shoulder replacements due to arthritis and they've said it's an amazing difference.

My biggest question is about knowing when to go ahead with the procedure. After playing softball in 2009 I was so sore that I had an Xray and the doc told me then that it looked fine, live with the pain and wait until you literally can't get out of bed to schedule the operation. Three years later I can't walk through a mall for any length of time without experiencing pain.

TIA

 

[renesauz]

Haven't had it but have worked with several patients who have had it.

Amazing how far things have come...how quickly people recover and how well they do afterwards!

 

[NJDawgPound]

Father in law had both done. For the first year and a half or so after, do your rehab and know your limitations. He was in and out of the hospital having to have them put back in after he popped them out. If you get through the first year or so okay, your muscles will adjust whereas the more you pop your hip out, the more prone it is to keep happening.

 

[flapgreen]

Work with them every day as a PT. Shoulder replacements are much more complex than hip replacements for a number of reasons, so I wouldn't really compare the two. Hip replacements are much more successful long-term when you obey your hip precautions and are faithful with your therapy. If you can't bear the pain anymore, you don't have much of a choice but to go ahead with it. Don't put it off too long or you will start to get problems in other joints.

With that said, if you haven't gone through any therapy up until this point, I would undoubtedly go that direction first. Restoring ROM and strength can help delay the need for surgery for years. As I'm sure the doc has told you, you will most likely need to have a revision at some point in your life. They wear out after a few decades.

 

[flapgreen]

Father in law had both done. For the first year and a half or so after, do your rehab and know your limitations. He was in and out of the hospital having to have them put back in after he popped them out. If you get through the first year or so okay, your muscles will adjust whereas the more you pop your hip out, the more prone it is to keep happening.

That's never a good thing.

 

[datonn]

I haven't ever had the procedure, but my mother did this past Spring...and since she lives alone and I help take care of her and her place for her (as she's gotten older), I had a lot of second-hand experience with the procedure this year.

Most importantly, my Mom now admits that she should have had the procedure a couple years ago...not put it off out of fear or ??? She suffered through an extra 2-3 years of pain needlessly. The first few weeks post-surgery were rough. The medications they gave her during the procedure made her nauseous...and the pain she was in right afterward was strong enough where she needed to stay in the hospital an extra day or two, before moving to another hospital for another day or two, before finally moving home. But she'll be the first person to tell you that it was the best thing she ever did...as now she's able to walk and work in her yard and gardens with a small fraction of the pain and discomfort she had before the procedure.

The hardest adjustment for her has been no longer being able to bend in certain ways to do things like weed her flowerbeds or put on her shoes. You just don't have the range of motion you had pre-surgery without running the risk of dislocating that replacement hip. But that's what a lot of the physical therapy post-procedure is for...re-training your body and brain how to pick things up off the floor, or get your shoes and socks on. In addition to strengthening the muscles around the area in question.

My Mom's procedure was a little more complicated in the fact that they actually lengthened the leg in question by over 1/4" during the procedure. She had polio as a child, and the leg with the bad hip was just a little shorter than the other. Which wrecked her hip over time. Which caused a lot of back pain. That's been something that she wasn't expecting to improve so quickly too.

The moral of the story? Be prepared for a couple weeks of strong pain and hard physical therapy! But there is light at the end of that tunnel...and once you've made it through the early recovery period, you'll wish you had done the procedure sooner. So says my Mom...

 

[boofatty]

Work with them every day as a PT. Shoulder replacements are much more complex than hip replacements for a number of reasons, so I wouldn't really compare the two. Hip replacements are much more successful long-term when you obey your hip precautions and are faithful with your therapy. If you can't bear the pain anymore, you don't have much of a choice but to go ahead with it. Don't put it off too long or you will start to get problems in other joints.

With that said, if you haven't gone through any therapy up until this point, I would undoubtedly go that direction first. Restoring ROM and strength can help delay the need for surgery for years. As I'm sure the doc has told you, you will most likely need to have a revision at some point in your life. They wear out after a few decades.

Thanks for the response. In my case, it's not that the pain is unbearable, but the frequency of when the pain occurs is increasing, as well as the duration of the soreness/stiffness.Are there PT treatments that can help postpone surgery?

Either way I'm going to plan a visit to an ortho in the next few weeks. At least start taking a closer look at the situation.

 

[BustedKnuckles]

Im 48 and need to have knee replacement ASAP because its really affecting the quality of my life, but the doctors suggest i hold off for as long as i can because im active and will wear the new knee out that much faster. Its very frustrating because i want to be pain free and enjoy whats left of my youth. I also dont want to be doing this surgery more than once or twice in my life time.

A guy i work with had hip replacement and hes happy he did .

 

[glumpy]

Through my job as a facilities manager I've worked with four people over the years who have had hip surgery during this time, one for both hips in succession. Early on I obtained a custom repaired, smaller size "courthouse chair". If you look up the design it should show a fixed wooden chair with wraparound back and arms combination, contoured seat, and no casters. That chair has been a tremendous value, and the four people in three buildings who used it swore it made all the difference in their ability to work with any comfort at all. The arm configuration allows for supporting yourself into and out of the chair, without casters it's stable, and mine being somewhat smaller than the huge models you'll see in pictures made it manageable for desk use or table.

Here's an Image. I would highly recommend it, and you should be able to find one at a local used furniture store, Habitat Restores, School surplus or the like.

 

[MechEng]

Everyone I know who has had it done wishes they would have done it sooner.

 

[matuski]

As a device rep my only recommendation is to do your research and get a good surgeon. The easiest way to estimate proficiency is a simple question.. "how many have you done, how many in the last year?"

The purpose of the question is to guage whether this is a surgery he is comfortable and has experience with, or a surgery he does once in a blue moon.

 

[Knocks]

I have a friend who is dealing with same issues as you. He is mid 40's and has SEVERE pain in both sides. Crappy way to live.

Anyway...what I have heard is there are 2 different entry points. Traditional goes in from the side, and there is a newer procedure that goes in from the front. I have heard from friend that front entry is quicker recovery.

Good luck!

 

[DerbyDad]

I had both my hips replaced when I was 29. I was in a lot of pain and couldn't walk for sometimes weeks at a time before I had the replacements done. I'm now 43 and they are still working great. I did my PT faithfully and everything worked out great. It took a few months after the surgery to get the strength back in my legs and not have to walk without a cane but once the muscles heal you will feel so much better. I've never had a hip pop out of place as someone described earlier and I have descent range of motion. It all depends on how much you work on the PT after the surgery. Also, it helps that I was young and in good shape, besides the hips, for the recovery. You are still "young" and should bounce back quickly.

 

[Lowen1]

Had my right hip done at age 38 - I am 46 now. Like others have said, I wish I would have done it a few years earlier. I was walking in pain, with a severe limp for at least 5 years. I'm sure you know, but the surgery is basically cutting off the top of your leg bone and inserting a metal rod down the femur with a new "ball" part. I also had the "socket" part of my hip scraped out and a new metal/plastic socket stuck in there. The new hip works great. PT was the suck at first, but gets better as it goes along. Part of it is strengthening muscles, the other part is breaking up any scar tissue that forms. I still do some of the exercises to stretch out the muscles. I was never much of a runner before the surgery and still don't run much. I like to bike and probably ride 100 miles/week. No problems at all on the bike. If I run, I will feel it in my glutes on the surgery side. Back when I did it, they were supposed to last ~20 years. I'm not sure if that has changed. Someone mentioned range of motion - I have more range of motion with my hips now then before surgery. Part is probably due to no more pain, and part is probably due to the exercise. For the first 6 months I thought the joint would pop out if I flexed it to much - but now I don't even think about it.

 

[boofatty]

Thanks everyone for the great feedback.

General question for the folks that have had it done: Prior to the replacement, was your pain "constant" or similar to my situation where it generally only starts to bother me after working out or walking around frequently. It's odd that I'll have good days and bad days, so it's tough for me to tell if now is the right time to go ahead with it.

I realize that pain is very subjective, just trying to get a feel for what made people decide "now is the time". Mine is daily or at least weekly depending on my activities. I've stopped running and focused on biking or walking for exercise, which has helped to some degree.

 

[boofatty]

As a device rep my only recommendation is to do your research and get a good surgeon. The easiest way to estimate proficiency is a simple question.. "how many have you done, how many in the last year?"The purpose of the question is to guage whether this is a surgery he is comfortable and has experience with, or a surgery he does once in a blue moon.

Thanks, definitely important questions.Do you sell the hip replacement parts? I've read of several different types, many of the newer ones seem to have promise of longevity but no long term studies available yet.

 

[NJDawgPound]

As a device rep my only recommendation is to do your research and get a good surgeon. The easiest way to estimate proficiency is a simple question.. "how many have you done, how many in the last year?"The purpose of the question is to guage whether this is a surgery he is comfortable and has experience with, or a surgery he does once in a blue moon.

Thanks, definitely important questions.Do you sell the hip replacement parts? I've read of several different types, many of the newer ones seem to have promise of longevity but no long term studies available yet.

If you decide to source the replacement parts yourself, be sure you get OEM rather than aftermarket.

 

[DerbyDad]

Thanks everyone for the great feedback.General question for the folks that have had it done: Prior to the replacement, was your pain "constant" or similar to my situation where it generally only starts to bother me after working out or walking around frequently. It's odd that I'll have good days and bad days, so it's tough for me to tell if now is the right time to go ahead with it.I realize that pain is very subjective, just trying to get a feel for what made people decide "now is the time". Mine is daily or at least weekly depending on my activities. I've stopped running and focused on biking or walking for exercise, which has helped to some degree.

Everyone I'm sure has different experiences. For me I would have good weeks that didn't have a lot of pain but then I would have bad months that I would be in constant pain to the point that I couldn't hardly walk. They would flair up and I would be down and out for a couple weeks. However, even in the good week I still had some discomfort and the range of motion was limited. I guess you kind of get used to the low pain level when you can remember the terrible pain.

 

[Lowen1]

Thanks everyone for the great feedback.General question for the folks that have had it done: Prior to the replacement, was your pain "constant" or similar to my situation where it generally only starts to bother me after working out or walking around frequently. It's odd that I'll have good days and bad days, so it's tough for me to tell if now is the right time to go ahead with it.I realize that pain is very subjective, just trying to get a feel for what made people decide "now is the time". Mine is daily or at least weekly depending on my activities. I've stopped running and focused on biking or walking for exercise, which has helped to some degree.

For the year or two before surgery, I had some pain most of the time. More if I walked a lot. I was taking large doses of OTC pain meds to get through the day (back then it was Nuprin). I also needed the pain meds to sleep a lot of nights. What made me decide to have the surgery was talking to this foreign doctor when I was giving blood one time. He saw my limp and asked me if I thought about having hip surgery. I asked him how he knew it was a hip problem. Apparently he was a hip surgeon back in India or wherever he came from, but was now working for Red Cross taking blood donations. He asked what I was waiting for. I told him I was waiting until the pain got really bad. He asked if it hurt to walk distances (yes). He asked if I had pain at night that kept me from sleeping (yes). He asked if the pain impacted lifestyle things I like to do (yes). So then he asked what was I waiting for? I didn't really have a good answer. So I scheduled the surgery.

 

[boofatty]

As a device rep my only recommendation is to do your research and get a good surgeon. The easiest way to estimate proficiency is a simple question.. "how many have you done, how many in the last year?"The purpose of the question is to guage whether this is a surgery he is comfortable and has experience with, or a surgery he does once in a blue moon.

Thanks, definitely important questions.Do you sell the hip replacement parts? I've read of several different types, many of the newer ones seem to have promise of longevity but no long term studies available yet.

If you decide to source the replacement parts yourself, be sure you get OEM rather than aftermarket.

Good point, also don't want to void my warranty.

 

[boofatty]

Thanks everyone for the great feedback.General question for the folks that have had it done: Prior to the replacement, was your pain "constant" or similar to my situation where it generally only starts to bother me after working out or walking around frequently. It's odd that I'll have good days and bad days, so it's tough for me to tell if now is the right time to go ahead with it.I realize that pain is very subjective, just trying to get a feel for what made people decide "now is the time". Mine is daily or at least weekly depending on my activities. I've stopped running and focused on biking or walking for exercise, which has helped to some degree.

For the year or two before surgery, I had some pain most of the time. More if I walked a lot. I was taking large doses of OTC pain meds to get through the day (back then it was Nuprin). I also needed the pain meds to sleep a lot of nights. What made me decide to have the surgery was talking to this foreign doctor when I was giving blood one time. He saw my limp and asked me if I thought about having hip surgery. I asked him how he knew it was a hip problem. Apparently he was a hip surgeon back in India or wherever he came from, but was now working for Red Cross taking blood donations. He asked what I was waiting for. I told him I was waiting until the pain got really bad. He asked if it hurt to walk distances (yes). He asked if I had pain at night that kept me from sleeping (yes). He asked if the pain impacted lifestyle things I like to do (yes). So then he asked what was I waiting for? I didn't really have a good answer. So I scheduled the surgery.

Sounds very similar to my situation. I guess the biggest concern is not wanting to do it more than once, but it seems like corrections are mostly unavoidable. Only variable is the type of activities you do which would increase the wear and tear.

 

[matuski]

As a device rep my only recommendation is to do your research and get a good surgeon. The easiest way to estimate proficiency is a simple question.. "how many have you done, how many in the last year?"The purpose of the question is to guage whether this is a surgery he is comfortable and has experience with, or a surgery he does once in a blue moon.

Thanks, definitely important questions.Do you sell the hip replacement parts? I've read of several different types, many of the newer ones seem to have promise of longevity but no long term studies available yet.

No, I am not familiar with the products for hips.. but I am fairly certain Stryker is a leader in this category.My advice was general in nature. Anyone having any surgery should ask those questions.

 

[NJDawgPound]

What makes someone need hip replacement surgery?

A bum chassis.

 

[boofatty]

What makes someone need hip replacement surgery?

For me it was Legg Perthes Syndrome (same thing that got Bo Jackson). Bo had his hip replaced then because he was full grown. My surgery at age 12 was more reconstructive because I was young and still growing. I think severe types of arthritis are the most frequent causes of hip replacement.Funny story, when I was 12 and going through my first major orthopedic surgery, so was Bo Jackson. I was living in Kansas and a huge fan of Bo since he played for the Royals and also enjoyed watching him play for the Raiders. I even remember seeing the exact play when he got hurt. So I thought that Bo and I were meant to meet each other since we had the same injury, going through surgery at the same time. I wrote him the best three page, heart felt letter a 12y.o. could write about how we had so much in common. I think we were even going to have surgery at the same hospital (KU Med Center).I fully expected Bo to show up at my house in BFE Kansas to play catch. Instead all I got was a fan club form letter...I still haven't forgiven Bo for that.

 

[SHIZNITTTT]

I am 35yo and currently facing the reality of needing a total hip replacement due to childhood Legg Perthes Syndrome. The doctor told me when I was 12 (after my first surgery) that when I hit my 30s I'd most likely need this operation. Just thought I'd post here and see if anyone had any experience with the operation, either their own or someone close to them.I've read mostly positive results from anonymous internet people. I've had friends that had shoulder replacements due to arthritis and they've said it's an amazing difference. My biggest question is about knowing when to go ahead with the procedure. After playing softball in 2009 I was so sore that I had an Xray and the doc told me then that it looked fine, live with the pain and wait until you literally can't get out of bed to schedule the operation. Three years later I can't walk through a mall for any length of time without experiencing pain.TIA

It's time to get it replaced. Usually the standard is if you can't handle the pain anymore then get the surgery. I have had patients that said the pain literally would wake them up at night, and their quality of life was declining. The new hip components can last a very long time. Do you know what your surgeon will use in your hip? Which system? Is the surgeon going to use a robot, or laser assistance. The most minute calibrations can mean a few years of extra life out of your hip components. Since you are a young guy, I would recommend finding a surgeon who uses the latest and greatest hip replacement parts. If you are 80 it wouldn't matter you would never out live the components anyway. Good luck

 

[shuke]

As a device rep my only recommendation is to do your research and get a good surgeon. The easiest way to estimate proficiency is a simple question.. "how many have you done, how many in the last year?"The purpose of the question is to guage whether this is a surgery he is comfortable and has experience with, or a surgery he does once in a blue moon.

Thanks, definitely important questions.Do you sell the hip replacement parts? I've read of several different types, many of the newer ones seem to have promise of longevity but no long term studies available yet.

That's the tradeoff. Everyone thought metal-on-metal were going to last forever, but they have caused a lot of unforeseen problems. And you're not going to be able to "pick" your implant, but like matuski said you can definitely pick your surgeon.

 

[boofatty]

So updating this from a year ago. Tomorrow morning is my hip replacement surgery. I'm excited to get it over with but a bit nervous since I haven't had anything like this done in a long time.

I'm told that I will at least practice walking by tomorrow night, which is just unbelievable. Should be home in 1-2 days and back to work in 2-4wks.

Thanks again to all that provided their insight.

 

[Fennis]

Good luck, boofatty!

 

[boofatty]

Thanks Fennis. So yesterday was impressive for me. Got to hospital at 5:45am, was on the gurney by 6:30 and into OR around 7/7:15 I guess. After that I was wide awake a little before 9am, which is not at all what I expected.

The rest of the day was painful, but around 1pm the therapist was there and I was on my feet with a walkerandpracticing putting weight on my leg, taking step like motions, etc. I noticed the hip feels better when Im on my feet vs laying in bed. Did more exercises later in the evening and it felt great.

I didnt sleep well last night due to pain/discomfort, but the pain doesnt seem too much worse than the pain I was experiencing before surgery. So today I should be headed home after the therapists confirm i can handle myself safely.

Considering the type of surgery Ive gotta say it really hasnt been too rough an experience. Hopefully the wound/muscles heal quickly.

 

[3C's]

Awesome man. Hope you heal up quickly and can be pain free. I have a "failing" hip and surgery was mentioned as a possibility down the road but I'm putting it off as long as possible, forever hopefully. Doing some PT, lost some weight, drinking a ton of green tea. Feeling improvement actually.

 

[SteevieG]

Good deal. I'm 51 and I know I'm looking at hip replacement sometime soon. My hip will wake me up in the middle of the night, several times a night and I walk with a limp most of the time.

Thanks for the info everyone and good luck bf.

 

[Fennis]

Awesome, soon you'll be able to jump like 50 feet

 

[glock]

Great to hear, Boofatty!

 

[boofatty]

Day 3 update. The worst part has been trying to get comfortable to sleep. They gave me Percocet, but so far I've only been taking it at night. All day today without anything more than a single aspirin.

My muscles feel like they were tied up in literal knots. They're swollen and very firm/painful, but I can't say I've noticed any joint pain, just the muscles. A guy I know told me the anterior method is easier on the muscles. My doc prefers the posterior method and he said there's no right or wrong way.

My therapy exercises are all about stretching out the muscles. If I wait too long between sessions the muscles tighten up real quick and get painful. I can definitely notice regaining strength and flexibility with the stretches already.

But overall, 3days in and it hasn't been the most pleasant experience but far better than my expectations. If all goes well I should be "walking" somewhat unassisted within a week.

 

[glock]

Day 3 update. The worst part has been trying to get comfortable to sleep. They gave me Percocet, but so far I've only been taking it at night. All day today without anything more than a single aspirin.

My muscles feel like they were tied up in literal knots. They're swollen and very firm/painful, but I can't say I've noticed any joint pain, just the muscles. A guy I know told me the anterior method is easier on the muscles. My doc prefers the posterior method and he said there's no right or wrong way.

My therapy exercises are all about stretching out the muscles. If I wait too long between sessions the muscles tighten up real quick and get painful. I can definitely notice regaining strength and flexibility with the stretches already.

But overall, 3days in and it hasn't been the most pleasant experience but far better than my expectations. If all goes well I should be "walking" somewhat unassisted within a week.

Keep working it. If my MIL can do this, you can kick its ###!

 

[boofatty]

Good deal. I'm 51 and I know I'm looking at hip replacement sometime soon. My hip will wake me up in the middle of the night, several times a night and I walk with a limp most of the time.

Thanks for the info everyone and good luck bf.

That's what it was like for me. The past two years though when the weather would change I'd have to be off my feet for a couple days due to joint pain. The doctors will tell you to wait, I wanted it now because I want to chase my kids around while they're young. My dad became disabled when I was my kids' age and we missed out on a lot of fun. Maybe silly to some, but I don't want to miss out in their youth due to my hip restricting me.

 

[flapgreen]

Forgotten all about this thread. Glad to hear it's going well. Stay up on your therapy and you will feel better than you have in years in no time

 

[boofatty]

Day 9 update. This morning I was able to wobble around without any crutches. Still very far from normal but much sooner than I ever could've imagined. Most muscle swelling is gone, but a bruise has shown up on my hamstring. Doesn't bother me so ill watch it before I call anyone.

I still need the Percocet at night, just to get some consistent hours of sleep. Occassionally through the day as well. It's still spotty because I just can't stay in a comfortable position all night.

I'm mostly using one crutch now throughout the day. If I move around too much though I'll get worn out fairly quickly. Not sure if that's due to lack of good sleep for a week or some other reason

Still so far so good.

ETA, so this afternoon I ventured to hobby lobby with my wife using both crutches. Got home and felt like hell. I think the exercise was good, but now it hurts like crazy. No pain no gain I guess. I'll probably start some mini adventures each day to try and work through it.

 

[matuski]

Day 9 update. This morning I was able to wobble around without any crutches. Still very far from normal but much sooner than I ever could've imagined. Most muscle swelling is gone, but a bruise has shown up on my hamstring. Doesn't bother me so ill watch it before I call anyone.

I still need the Percocet at night, just to get some consistent hours of sleep. Occassionally through the day as well. It's still spotty because I just can't stay in a comfortable position all night.

I'm mostly using one crutch now throughout the day. If I move around too much though I'll get worn out fairly quickly. Not sure if that's due to lack of good sleep for a week or some other reason

Still so far so good.

Keep up with the rehab!

 

[munga30]

Thanks for this and keep up the good work!

 

[boofatty]

1 month update: feeling awesome.

The arthritic pain that has held me back over the years is gone. In the past two years, dramatic weather changes would put me in pain and immobility for days. Since my surgery on 12/4 i have experienced none of those occurrences. Not even the arctic vortex has caused any pain.

The only remaining pain is the occasional muscle soreness. My major muscles seem to be healed, but the minor flexor muscles are lagging behind and still causing some discomfort.

I returned to work this week and im walking briskly and confidently. Flexing my hip for stairs is about the only time i notice some soreness.

I gave up the crutches around day 13 and have gotten better at moving around every day.

This week I have experimented with light exercise, really just going through the motions with situps and stationary bike. No pain, but i can tell that I need to ease back into it.

Overall im thrilled. The week of my surgery while decorating the christmas tree Id have to sit every 30min due to pain and joint stiffness. Four weeks post surgery I am already way better off and looking forward to the rest of 2014.

Many people say they wish theyd done it sooner, in my case Im glad I didnt wait any longer, it was just the right time for me. Im 36 yrs old so I likely healed quicker than an older patient would, but if you need it done you should go for it. Be sure its a good doc and hopefully your experience is as good as mine was.

Thanks again to all that contributed to the thread. If i can answer any questions for anyone Id be happy to do so.

ETA: I had to wean myself off the percocet. For a week I took half doses every other night and it worked perfectly. Havent needed it for over a week now, but the first few nights I tried to go without it before the wean process I had withdrawal symptoms e.g. restless leg, irritability and insomnia.

 

[CurlyNight]

Congrats on your new lease in life!

 

[Wilfredo Ledezma]

for the thread, have you considered Mexican surgery next time?

Congrats though.