Anyone else had Bilateral THR in their early 30’s?

Hi @lindsaylanz. I'm tagging @sueinm, who while not in her 30s, was in her 40s when she had an ACL replacement followed by subsequent hip surgeries.

Lindsay, it's not often that someone in their 30s requires bilateral hip replacements. May I ask what led to your needing this surgery?

Welcome to Mayo Connect, I am guessing there is an underlying issue here. Are you willing to share a little more?

My hips began to deteriorate in my 30's but I was in denial for a long time - until I could no longer lift my leg to walk upstairs and the hip joints were no longer stable.

Once you are recovered, only high impact activities are off the table. No one will know you had surgery except if they see the scar on your leg.

If you have a choice, use a surgeon who believes in an active lifestyle after surgery. The hips may wear a little sooner, but they are replaceable (I'm on my second set.)
Sue

Thank you for connecting me with @sueinmn, I don’t mind sharing at all. Earlier this year I was diagnosed with bilateral Avascular Necrosis of the femoral heads. We are thinking the Avascular Necrosis was likely caused by steroid treatment I received while hospitalized. Unfortunately when I was diagnosed my L was already collapsed. The surgery plan was L THR and R Core decompression with stem cell transplant. During my pre op imaging, the R had collapsed during that time frame so I am here today bionic on both sides but I am incredible grateful and blessed because Im here, healing well and had an incredible Ortho Surgeon here at Mayo Clinic Florida named Dr. Spencer Gardner!

Thank you for this information Sue. I was diagnosed with bilateral femoral head Avascular Necrosis earlier this year. You will be able to see a little more detail from my reply to Colleen. I had anterior approach on both and healing up well. Like you mentioned, I will be staying away from high impact exercises (I never did them too frequently previously) but outside of that it does not seem like my life will be impacted otherwise and it’s really good to hear that from someone who has been through this surgery. If anything, this surgery has given me my life back and has really given me a new perspective of being healthy and active. Do you have any specific advice about recovery and easing back into normal activities within the first year?

My advice is slow and steady increases in activity and duration, expect achy days when the barometer changes as your body acclimates to new metal parts, and enjoy having your life back.
Sue

Thank you for the advice Sue!

Hello There
I was 25 when the doctor found Necrosis vascular on my femur heads. And 27 when i had my left hip replacement and 28 when i had my right hip replacement
How is your experience?
mine is not that great since the doctor who put the right hip made my leg very long and from that , i suffer from back pain.
When i was 33 i had a hip revision
then i had 2 kids, all good, now i am 47 and i may need another operation since it seems that my right hip has an infection
Kind of a role coaster
I hope your hips are better than mine and not uneven
Take your antibiotics before going to the dentist to avoid infections. That is the only tip i can give you.
I guess if your hips are even you will have a "Normal" life

Hi @mima25au, thank you for sharing your story and I’m really sorry to hear about your experience and difficulties. So far my experience has been really positive so far. Surgery went well, recovery is going well. I don’t notice any leg length differences and I have been able to correct my gait and stop limping. Thank you for the advice and I will be sure to make sure I have my prophylactic antibiotics before any dental appointments, I don’t want to have any issues!

I too was diagnosed with avascular necrosis due to steroid treatments for an autoimmune disease and resulted in hip replacements to both hips at age 55. They lasted 10 years with no problems until they started loosening. My surgeon did tell me they would last that long and I was active. Five years ago, I had hip revisions for both hips. Left hip revision was successful but unfortunately experiencing problems in my right hip revision due to failed allograft. Knowing what I’m faced with another surgery/recovery, I’m procrastinating in making a decision to have another surgery to fix it. I’m 70 years old now and I’ve got too much “fuel in my tank” to slow down, but present situation with my right hip revision is making me so. It’s very daunting for me to make the decision.