What is Hip replacement surgery really like?

@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.

@beachbabe ah, I understand. I will wish for a most speedy and uneventful recovery for you, regardless of which kind of surgery you choose. Discussing with your doctor what you can do and shouldn’t do after surgery will be your best guide.

@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.

@kildaren96
Could you please tell me more about your experience with the surgery- was it mini posterior? Type of anesthesia, overnight stay or home the same day, pain afterwards and meds used? PT after surgery, how long with a walker/cane, any leg length issue, sleeping issues, any difficulty with restrictions post op?

@beachbabe sorry for the delay in answering. I was in CA to attend my grandson’s high school graduation and spend time with family. I have some pretty great grandkids and a wonderful son and daughter in law to boot!

My surgery was posterior, not mini posterior. Regular anesthesia although the spinal block (for lack of a better word, I don’t think that it’s an actual spinal block) was also offered if I wanted. My doctor didn’t care which I chose and I’d had the spinal block when I had my ACL repaired 25 years ago. Back then the anesthesiologist gave me too much and I had to wait forever to get un-numb so that I could go home. My anesthesiologist for the hip surgery promised that would not happen under his watch but I chose regular anesthesia anyway. I had surgery very early in the morning, around 8 AM and was home by 3:30 PM the same day. They had me up and walking several times before they released me, with the walker of course. NO pain while walking, I was ecstatic since I had had a lot of pain in my left leg before the surgery. Dr. Carrothers made me a perfect match in length to my other leg, no issues there. I started physical therapy about 5 days after the surgery with a PT that I’ve had for my spinal issues for 10 years. I have always had sleep issues. I had some really bad restless legs afterwards so I spent a lot of time walking with my rollator/walker for several days after surgery. I’ve had restless leg syndrome for years and I suspect that a combination of the wearing off of anesthesia and maybe the tramadol I took in the beginning, exacerbated the restless leg syndrome. Interestingly enough, now I only get restless legs in my leg that does NOT have the hip replacement. I asked my doctor if Medicare would pay for the other hip to be replaced to cure me of my RLS, lol.

I followed the rules for post-op that the doctor gave me and didn’t have any problems following them. I had a really good experience but I’m a data point of one. I went into it with a positive, expectant attitude that it would be a positive experience and that’s a good part of how well one’s surgery and recovery goes I think.

Best of luck to you in whatever you choose to do.

@kildaren96
Thank you so much for your response. I am very glad that you had a positive experience and that you are doing so well.

I am doing pretty well at the moment. The injection I had last month seems to be working and I currently have little to no pain. I am trying to avoid surgery for as long as possible.

I struggled for years over the decision to go ahead with hip replacement surgery on my left hip. As a physically fit 73 year old, I could function fine during the day even if I was limping a bit at times or experienced some minor pain. What led me to the decision to go ahead with the surgery was the degree of pain while sleeping would often wake me up and was interfering with my sleep. It has been close to 6 weeks since my surgery, done via the anterior approach. My recovery has been tougher than I expected, although I never had any major surgery before. While I am now functioning cane-free in my home, I do use a cane when I go outside. I don't have my first follow-up with my surgeon's office for another week or so (7 weeks after surgery). My hip/thigh is still somewhat numb, sore, and sensitive. I was reading that it takes months for nerves to regenerate and that sometimes the numbness doesn't complete go away. What bothers me is the soreness and degree of discomfort that I often experience while sleeping. I can't help but wonder whether everything is going well or not. I guess the fact that I can do the exercises they prescribed and can walk around my place cane-free at 6 weeks may be a good sign but I'm concerned about the soreness/numbness and general discomfort I'm still having particularly at nights. I know I will learn more when I have that surgeon's appointment next week. I may have underestimated the recovery. I recall some people that had the anterior approach claiming they were 'pain free' within a very short time (weeks) and were walking long distances - that has not been my experience.

Hi. I had THR in 2012. It took some PT and working with it to get it right. In 2022, I had to get a revision- meanwhile, my sister had an orthopedic surgeon who used robotics on her. She was walking without assistance 1 week after. If I have to get another one, I’d definitely use robotics. But, the anterior is the way to go & remember: your attitude is everything!