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What is Hip replacement surgery really like?
Right hip is bone on bone. Excruciating groin pain after over working in the yard. After 1 month hip pain is gone. Have surgery scheduled for June. Can't decide if I want to have the surgery. What is the REAL experience like?
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@beachbabe The only pain I e perienced was the muscle pain that comes with the stretching of the trochanters they use to hold the muscles aside to do the work. No muscles or nerves were cut. I have not experienced any numbness but I was on pregabalin prior to the surgery and I am sure, as is my surgeon, that may have helped. Most surgeons will put you on that or gabapentin after surgery to help with nerve pain or numbness, but I was already on it for my chronic myofascial pain syndrome. I have friends who hav3 numbness, but I couldn’t be happier with my results and the fact that I have no pain anymore unless I totally overdo it. I am four months out, but totally recovery and strengthening of the muscles takes up to a year, but after a few months what I feel is minor compared to before. I am in the NC Triangle area and my surgeon was Rhett Hallows at Emerge Ortho.
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1 Reaction@loriesco Good Morning,
Thank you for the info you shared. I am bone on bone in my right knee…NO PAIN.
So bone on bone is not always the indicator for surgery. But if you have pain and it impacts your ability to do what you need and like to do, surgery, by a competent surgeon is a GREAT option.
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2 Reactions@beachbabe I have friends who have had successful anterior surgeries and my physical therapist was aghast that I had chosen posterior. But I also know a person whose anterior replacement got dislocated although that can happen regardless of anterior/posterior, but I also know two people who had nerve damage from anterior placements. Since I have nerve issues in my legs from my spinal issues, I didn’t want the possibility of more nerve damage, no matter how rare it might be.
In the end, two articles influenced me the most, as well as knowing that my surgeon would have more choices as to the length of the implement that goes into the hip if I had the posterior approach. My surgeon went in through the side of my hip, not through the buttock muscle. The scar is only a few inches long and much faded now, plus not where anyone is going to see it anyway. Reading these two articles made me decide to go with a doctor who did posterior hip replacement. Of course I also found out all I could about him and made sure thathe had a good reputation. My doctor was board certified and had done over 10,000 joint replacements.
The articles: https://kingandparsons.com/2019/08/19/reasons-not-direct-anterior-total-hip-replacement-surgery-portsmouth/
https://holycrossleonecenter.com/anterior-approach-2
Again, I know people who have had completely good experiences with the anterior approach. I’m the outlier by deciding on posterior, but I had a great experience with the posterior approach and three years later am so happy that I had my hip replaced. It is a miracle surgery in my opinion.
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3 Reactions@crankyknee knees are really different than hips and lumbar surgery. Healing is very difficult after knee surgery. I think the surgeon once told me that there are a myriad of directions that the hips can go and that is why. But your hips are the biggest weight-bearing joints in your body and when compression happens, it can be very painful, especially when you try to move and there’s no cushion. My lumbar spine stopped being painful when my nerve endings were squished, and my vertebrae grew together. That was dangerous. But my body waited until I found the world’s best surgeon so I was happy!
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1 Reaction@kildaren96 thank you for your response.
A significant concern for me with the posterior or mini posterior approach is the post op restrictions. I am afraid that I will have a difficult time not being able to bend over mostly but also sitting in the right type of chair since my counter and dining chairs are armless, I have a soft couch and 2 chairs in the living room that may not be best.
I have a small dog and it will be so hard to take care of feeding him and picking him up, etc.
I know it's temporary but 6 weeks is still too long for me.
I also am impatient and an option for a quicker recovery period is more appealing.
I am a bit puzzled that some people who have had posterior report not having any restrictions. My brother- in-law who lives in Myrtle Beach had none and while he had quite a bit of pain initially he did recover rather quickly which surprised me. So I know that it can be different for everyone.
@steveinarizona that sounds great and I'm glad you had such a good outcome. Unfortunately I don't think I live anywhere near Dr Chow and I can find any surgeons in my area who perform the Superpath procedure.
@beachbabe well…look at this article below! Incidentally, the only person I know who dislocated their new hip, was a male friend who had an anterior hip replacement. Indeed, he dislocated it getting up from the couch so if you have a soft couch, you might want to get a cushion like I did for my eKornes chair which sits kind of low. I’m still using it today because it supports my lower spine so well. It’s an “Everlasting Comfort” seat. I bought it on Amazon and I bought the one that sells for $47.99. The company makes several different kinds.I’m going into my third year of using it on a daily basis and it is still like new, the foam in it has not compressed.
I completely understand your situation. It’s difficult if you live alone and don’t have someone else to feed your dog or do chores that require bending forward. The whole intent of restrictions is to make sure that you don’t dislocate your new hip while it’s getting seated into place. The article below however, says that those restrictions may not be necessary anymore.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11651519/
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2 Reactions@beachbabe My hip replacement was four years ago so things may have changed. In the pre-op room before the procedure Dr. Chow walked in with what looked like a ten page document from the hospital stating the standard post op requirements: no crossing legs, etc. He tossed the document into the waste paper basket and said he had only three requirements: (1) take your meds; (2) Do regular icing with compression from the ice machine rental he provided as part of his fee; and (3) be a couch potato for five weeks because "the one thing I can't do is make bones grow". It was an uncemented procedure...hence the five week waiting period.
I had zero post operative pain.
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2 Reactions@steveinarizona
That's amazing
@kildaren96
Thank you for this information.
Actually I am married and don't live alone. But my dog is my constant companion and, while my husband does help, I am really the one who provides most of the care and feeding. It would just be very difficult to refrain from bending over and worrying about complying with the restrictions would just cause me more stress.