Walking without a hip joint

Hi. My name is Rick. I’m 74. I had my hip removed in Feb 23. I had Chondrosarcoma cancer in hip and pelvis. It has been a painful year. My leg is about 2-1/2 inches shorter and my femur is no up to the ilium bone or top of hip area. I have been walking on a walker for about 8 months. I get around pretty good. I have been practicing walking with 2 canes for about a month and can walk about 60 feet. It’s difficult. I think I’ll be walking with a cane by next winter. I’ll always have a limp and wear a 2 inch thick shoe. But that’s much better than the alternative. You have to work your leg muscles every day and be determined. Good luck to you. All the best, Rick Peterson

Hi Rick...my name is Cindy and I'm 72, live in Michigan. I had my left hip removed in Feb 2022 due to severe infection and I can never have another one. I'm doing pretty good in that leg and do exercises daily to both legs. My problem is the severe arthritis I have developed in my opposite knee. I suppose from taking a lot of the weight from walking with crutches or walker. I can walk maybe 10 steps with nothing, but it's not pretty. Do you find that your other knee gives you trouble? If so, any ideas? The last thing I want to go through is a right knee replacement. I'm considering the Synvisc Injection to knee to see it that helps. I do lots of exercises to strengthen also. My left leg where hip was removed feels so strong right now, I feel if I could get my Right knee to cooperate....I could really walk!!!

Hi guys, my right hip was removed about 4 years ago. I had a Periprosthetic femur fracture 3 days before Christmas in 2017. After 2 attempts (2 non-union) my hip was removed, and a rod,plates, and bone graft, I am still non-union. Please get that shoe lift if you don’t have one. I went a long time without. Now I need lower spine surgery, and a left knee. I use crutches, and was very active. As if that wasn’t enough, my right shoulder is torn due to the leg (weakness). Sad to say that I’m so bummed out, I haven’t had anything fixed. Just pounding down advil, and a low dose of gabapentin. I have to start somewhere. I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired. About 3 hours of sleep a night. I do put weight on my right leg, but truly walking requires a hip. Hang in there.

Question: I know that there is a prosthetic femur, is there a surgery that would transplant a donor femur? My right knee (on the hip less leg) is right behind my left as far as replacement. 60 years old. No cancer, no infection, healthy otherwise. I sure would like to walk again. Maybe a orthopedic “super surgeon “ will read this.

Hello....I read both your comments. I'm so sorry you are having so much pain and I hope you can get that under control. I just saw my Orthopedic Surgeon in Michigan yesterday for my "good leg" that now has severe arthritis and torn lateral meniscus. My left Girdlestone leg is doing very well and feels so strong with no pain. I'm going to try some HA gel injections in my Right knee and he also measured me for an "off loader knee brace" to wear when I want to be more active. He said it helps for some people and not for others. My Ins should cover at least part of the cost, so we'll see. He wants to avoid any surgery at all costs due to the extent of damage in my Girdlestone leg and infection. I do daily strengthening exercises for both my legs and also ride an exercise bike for 8 miles a day which helps a lot. I take Meloxicam 7.5mg twice daily and OTC Tylenol as needed some days. I'm happy to say at age 72, I sleep like a teenager most nights and thank God for that. I hope you can find some relief for your pain and get better sleep......Cindy

Ik verkeer sinds een maand in een Girdlestonesituatie. Veroorzaakt door een geïnfecteerde heupprothese. Het is de bedoeling dat er een nieuwe heupprothese wordt geïmplanteerd als de infectie verdwenen is. Krijg nu een oraal antibioticum. Kan en mag mijn been niet belasten dus ben zo goed als immobiel.

Dear rayban33, you should consider a knee replacement....my sister had one and is walking good now. Good luck!

In a car accident I broke both hips and pelvis.
Right hip has had 5 hip replacements.I'm told no more bone left to replace a 6th.
I will be hipless.
Extreme concers of quality of life and issues like infections.
I was 19 now 60.
The pain is so intense I can hardly put any pressure on it.
Doesn't matter walking, sitting,laying. It's all painful. Sometimes a shooting pain flows through the outer thigh to hip area. When there is no movement at all.
There is no muscle mass. It's very weak.

Hi, I'm so sorry about your accident. I was in a similar situation except instead of a car accident, I have RA and suffered a terrible infection which eventually destroyed my left hip area. I could not stand on my hip and I was in very bad pain. My life pretty much stopped. I had girdlestone surgery about a year ago and the pain is gone for the most part. I can stand on the leg that no longer has a hip in it, which gives me hope that I will eventually be able to walk short distances on it using a walker as so many on this message board have been able to do. There is life after girdlestone.

I'm so sorry to hear what you have endured since 19. Have you had all the hardware removed from your hip at this point? I am 72 and 2.5 years post Girdlestone surgery, so I have no left hip joint and doing quite well. I only had one surgery due to massive infection and surgeon determined at that time I was not a candidate for revision due to extent of necrosis and osteomyelitis. I continue to do daily exercises to keep my leg and buttock muscles as strong as possible. I am able to walk with walker and crutches easily. I can do one crutch or cane for short periods and even able to take 50-100 steps unassisted in the house. I cook and clean up in the kitchen by holding onto counters, etc. I also ride upright exercise bike inside most days and have a tricycle I ride outside. I don't really have any pain now to speak of and very grateful for that. I live in Michigan. I'm wishing you all the best and I believe with determination you will have a good quality of life.......Cindy