I am probably going to have this done, and I'm scared. I've read some things online that make it seem painful, a lot of rehab, and a lot of restrictions on activity afterwards. Seems like one wrong twist and the whole thing is wrecked.
People on the forum have been kind and encouraging, and one person suggested I ask others what their experience with hip replacement surgery was.
Right now, I'm not in pain, but my walking gait is wonky, and I can't put my foot out far enough for a normal step. Either something is "catching" in the joint, or my body won't let me put full weight on that side.
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I was Discharged the next day. Began outpatient PT the day after I got home. My surgeon insisted I have the evaluation at PT appt set up prior to surgery.
I also had to attend a mandatory pre op education class to learn what to expect.
Sure, I had post op pain but it was relieved with pain medication. The pain in my hip, however, was gone.
I say go for it if you have a good surgeon and are committed to getting up and moving afterward (and quickly). They don’t mess around!
I took aspirin as an anticoagulant (it wasn’t determined that I need Coumadin post op). I think I took 325mg for a few weeks per MD order.
I was back to work in 3 months.
I qualified for the anterior approach as I am not overweight. I believe obesity prevents an anterior approach and I didn’t want a posterior approach due to more post op pain thus a longer recovery time. I switched surgeons as my first one was not trained in the anterior approach.
I can still cross my legs with my anterior approach.
I was 60 at the time.
I do have occasional anterior thigh nerve pain due to the proximity of the nerve affected by surgery via the anterior approach.
My advice - do the therapy ASAP. The quicker you begin to get up and move the better it is.
Plus with the anterior approach I didn’t need to use the abductor triangle wedge while I slept. My MIL had a posterior hip repair and she needed to use that wedge every night and it was difficult for her to maintain that position.
Good luck! Go anterior if you have the choice.
My neighbor had hers done at 80 and was very mobile very quickly with very little pain.
I plan on seeing an ortho doc sometime in January. Thanks again for all the helpful advice.
Vicky
I haven't answered one of these in a long time. I had both hips replaced this summer, 9 weeks apart. Anterior approach. Home exercises, very faithful to them seems to be better than neglecting them!!! (I did better with the first hip than with the 2nd.) My hips had been eaten out with arthritis, both of them, causing lots of pain. As others have said, the relief was so great that even the post op pain almost seemed like nothing at all.
The xrays will tell he Dr. which approach you are a good candidate for. It is easier for me to say than for you to do, but you do need to place your trust in the Dr. and Do the exercises or therapy or whatever is recommended. DO NOT be afraid. Fear is its own Worst enemy!!
Praying for you and your decisions!
Vicky
She told me that she did her exercises regularly which she believes helped in her recovery, and was just plain DETERMINED. No pain killers other than OTC when she was discharged. She has noticed a great improvement in not only the pain level but her gait as well. She can't wait to hit the links this summer.
Good luck to you, surgery is always scary, but you'll know when it's time.
The day I had surgery & was back in my room- the nursing staff got me up & helped me stand!I was so afraid to put weight on my right hip— but when I did I was shocked to see I had no pain — at least the the pain I had endured for 4 months! I had a quick recovery!
The secret to your new hip is to always do your exercises! I still do my stretches!Hope this helps!
A month after my surgery I went to get out of bed & misjudged grabbing my alter & fell out of bed & landed on my new hip! I sure gave myself a scare! I went to the hospital by ambulance to get checked out & every thing was fine!They did e-rays & no damage!
Knee replacements are a different matter— it takes much longer to recuperate ! I have had two knee replacement done! They are 17 & 16 yrs old! They are still doing great! I am 71 yrs old!
Hip Replacement surgery is touted as one of THE most successful surgeries there is. It has come a long way with recovery too because of advances made. I highly recommend robotic assisted surgery because they will custom fit your implant and socket.
if you follow the post op care and exercises you will be amazed that usually by week 3 or 4 you are back to driving.
they get you up and walking the same day as the surgery.
walking "wonky" as you put it is affecting other muscles and joints because of compensation. Go see the surgeon and ask lots of questions to put your fears at rest. The surgery itself takes less than an hour. My first one was done in 30 minutes!! It truly is a miracle.
There were some restrictions, but, not so extensive that it is totally life-altering as it is a short-lived disruption. I did not go to a rehab facility but did require the assistance which I received from family and friends. 12 days after the surgery I was serving Christmas dinner at my house. I had a simple menu, and many were made prior to the surgery so all I had to do is have someone put them in the oven or slow-cooker to heat up.
While surgery can have risks, as I stated earlier, my experience was a good one and it was the best thing I did for myself. I have grandchildren that I can dance and play with now that I was unable to do prior. I also have no more pain or fear of falling due to that catching that you expressed you have been experiencing.
Best wishes on what you decide to do.
Just be careful not to catch Covid while in hospital and you should be fine.
Take care. Love and prayer.
You'll be advised about not bending your hip more than to a certain angle until everything has had time to settle down. Perhaps the best idea would be to ask your surgeon's physical therapy team how to get yourself as fit as possible in advance, for a good recovery after.
Good bone density would be in your favour, too - no worries on that score?
You may have to wear compression stocking(s) for a while. Buy spares! And consider getting a device to help you put them on, but if possible do try before you buy - they all tend to need a bit of practice before they're much help.
I will tell you that in the final analysis I have seen everything, having worked ortho years ago, and with any surgery I like to say it is like a fingerprint. All of us have one, but each is unique. I wish you the very best of luck. A wonky gait isn't only bad for your hip pain, but it throws out your back, your knee and ultimately your ankle. So in the final analysis you are, with a bad hip joint, almost without an option. It is at some point, and your doc will tell you when you're there, a case of do it or do more injury to yourself.
I sure do wish you great good luck.
Because I was still having so many issues with my hip, my Dr opted to do the posterior surgery, even though the anterior is much more popular these days, which meant that I couldn't bend more than 90 degrees. They get you up the same day to try and walk, and the next day I was sent home. My daughter stayed with me for 10 days after my surgery, as I was still caregiving for my husband who was still mobile at that time, though moving very slowly. After that I was on my own, as she had to return to her family who lives 2 hours away. I was still moving slowly myself, when on day 14 after my surgery, my husband ended up in the hospital, where he remained for 7 days, and because his speech was so limited since his stroke on 1996, I had to make sure that I was with him as much as possible, to be his mouth. I of course couldn't drive yet, so had to get friends and neighbors to take me and pick me up. I normally would stay(before my surgery)about 12-14 hours with him when he was in the hospital, but this time I was lucky to make it 5 hours as I still couldn't sit comfortably or walk too far without pain.
Now because my husband remained in the hospital bed for a week, he was having great difficulty trying to walk, and I told the social worker that he would have to go to rehab, because I would not be able to care for him or help him up if he were to fall. And even though I was his medical and durable power of attorney, the fact that my husband didn't want to, and hadn't yet been diagnosed with vascular dementia(that happened 4 months later)the hospital sent him home to me, (without a diaper on, and so he was soaked by the time he got here), despite my pleas not to. Needless to say it was a hot mess. We survived barely, but only by the grace of God.
Now in my case, I still do have pain in my left hip area and groin, that I to this day haven't been able to have Dr's tell me why. They've had lots of guesses, but nothing definitive. I do know that my iliopsoas muscle(which is your main hip flexor muscle) has since severely atrophied and is as the ER Dr. told me when I asked what exactly that means, he said that it was dead. I also have since developed osteoarthritis on my right side, I believe from all my weight I had to put on those joints for 7 years during all my surgeries. I already know that I have a right shoulder replacement and right hip replacement in my future, though I'm not in any hurry for either.
I had catching in my hip area, shortly after the incident and it was discovered by MRI, that I had a torn labrum, which was my very first arthroscopic surgery. That did solve the painful catching I had , but now I have catching in my inner groin, whenever I bend, which I'm still trying to get answers for. My recovery was longer being the posterior kind, than friends I know who had the anterior, so if you have a choice, opt for the anterior. Best wishes.
Anyway, I had very little pain afterward. I was sent home the next morning with NO physical therapy orders; just to walk 4x a day, first with a walker, then a cane, then nothing. Walking is the best PT for THR. No bending, no putting socks on, nothing like that for the first 2 weeks. I needed help for the first week; getting up from bed to the bathroom, etc. I had a toilet riser which helped; nothing in the shower. I showered myself the whole time; the bandage came off rather quickly if I recall. I was back to work in 3 weeks.
"One wrong twist & the whole thing is wrecked" is very bad info! The new hip is very very strong. It takes A LOT to 'wreck' it. I'm sure if you were to try jogging or biking, you'd FEEL it and that would stop you from hurting yourself, you know? I think the worst you'd be able to do is pop the stitches from the incision! But your body tells you when to stop, too. You're not going to do something 'automatically' that's going to foul up your surgery!
One day I thought it would be a good idea to get on my KNEES and clean up some dog hair from the area rug in the dining room, so I did. As soon as I got down there I started sweating. I thought, Oh Great, How Are You Gonna Get UP Now? I was home alone. I managed, although it took me a while and set me back a bit in my recovery. The point of this is to say I was feeling SO good SO fast, I thought I could get on my knees and clean!! LOL
Things are not going to get better with your joint.........things only get worse. Don't let fear stand in your way here. Medical science has come a LONG WAY with THR in the past few decades, and it's miraculous the new body parts we can be given!
Good luck!