Walking without a hip joint

Posted by dzoneill @dzoneill, Mar 10, 2017

Is anyone currently walking without a hip joint?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Bones, Joints & Muscles Support Group.

Not sure if I've commented on your post yet. Yes, I am living without a left hip joint - it can be done - msg me if you have questions or email pfwalker@accesscomm.ca

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@JustinMcClanahan

Hello @dzoneill, and welcome to Connect.

Would you mind telling us a bit more about your question? We have a lot of members who have discussed having hip issues or replacements, but I have not come across the question regarding lack of a hip joint. Is this from an injury, surgery, or other medical issue?

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i was born in 1944 with congenital dislocation..i had hip surgery at Shriner Hospital when I was 2 my leg was two inches shorter at that time,,,,at 76 just hap a hip replacement I have been in the hospital for 3 months..I have had 3 more surgery..and and yeast infection ,,,i am being transferred to the UC hospital in SF where they are thinking of taking it all out...I am very worried any suggestions????

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@bevrials

i was born in 1944 with congenital dislocation..i had hip surgery at Shriner Hospital when I was 2 my leg was two inches shorter at that time,,,,at 76 just hap a hip replacement I have been in the hospital for 3 months..I have had 3 more surgery..and and yeast infection ,,,i am being transferred to the UC hospital in SF where they are thinking of taking it all out...I am very worried any suggestions????

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Hi. My husband is currently living without a hip, he’s 53 years old. Same thing as yourself, a yeast infection. He was advised the only way to try and clear it was to remove the hip joint. It’s now been 7 months and following antibiotic treatment he has a follow up appointment next week to see if the infection has cleared and if so, they will look at putting the hip back in. He’s been advised that the likelihood of recurrence is high due to type of yeast infection it is. There was another post on here a few months ago from a man named Mike and he’s been without a hip for over 2 years and has learned to adapt to cope with it. If you scroll through posts, you may find it, it definitely helped in knowing that other people have similar issues and dealing with them. Good luck with your recovery.

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@acolquhoun

Hi. My husband is currently living without a hip, he’s 53 years old. Same thing as yourself, a yeast infection. He was advised the only way to try and clear it was to remove the hip joint. It’s now been 7 months and following antibiotic treatment he has a follow up appointment next week to see if the infection has cleared and if so, they will look at putting the hip back in. He’s been advised that the likelihood of recurrence is high due to type of yeast infection it is. There was another post on here a few months ago from a man named Mike and he’s been without a hip for over 2 years and has learned to adapt to cope with it. If you scroll through posts, you may find it, it definitely helped in knowing that other people have similar issues and dealing with them. Good luck with your recovery.

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Thank You..These post are great never knew there was so many people with the same problem!! Could you tell me how your husband ended up having hip surgery at such a young age?? I wish him and you the best....tomorrow I will be going to UCSF I am looking forward to what they have to say,,,,will post again,,thank you so much...

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I am 57 and have had no hip joint or implant for almost 3 yrs - due to multiple infections and complications - this will be permanent - called Girdlestone procedure. Did the spacer, two stage revision process several times.

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@bevrials

Thank You..These post are great never knew there was so many people with the same problem!! Could you tell me how your husband ended up having hip surgery at such a young age?? I wish him and you the best....tomorrow I will be going to UCSF I am looking forward to what they have to say,,,,will post again,,thank you so much...

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Hi my husband had a double hip replacement when he was 40, mainly due to wear and tear through football. After this he was great and then about 4 years later he tripped over a seatbelt in a car and broke his femur in 4 places and shattered his left hip. Since then it’s been one infection after another, namely staph and now a yeast and fungal infection. He also developed cobalt poisoning and had to get another hip replacement around 2 years ago and the metalwork removed from his leg. Now we are at this stage and the hope is that the antibiotics have cleared the infection and he may get another hip mid-November. We were advised that removing the hip would be the best way of fighting the infection, but as the infection grows on a prosthesis the likelihood of recurrence when it’s put back in is high. They can’t give a timescale. It could be 6 months or 3 years, no one knows. The hospital did say that the only reason they are trying to put it back in is due to his age. Good luck with your visit to the hospital tomorrow / today and I wish you all the best. It’s worth knowing that other people have shared the same experiences and this site has made me more positive for what’s to come, despite what the future holds.

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@koala78

I am 57 and have had no hip joint or implant for almost 3 yrs - due to multiple infections and complications - this will be permanent - called Girdlestone procedure. Did the spacer, two stage revision process several times.

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Hi can you please tell me how you’ve adapted and adjusted to having no hip for this length of time please? Can you walk okay? Thank you.

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@lynzze

I had 4 failed replacements due to infection and when I finally went to mayo they took my hip out and said I needed to leave it out for at least a year . . ..obviously no one wants to hear that but my surgeon said you will know when its time....I made it 4.5 years without a hip (nothing not even a spacer) and when I went back for my 5th replacement last June it was successful (so far lol)
It was a rough 4 years but I knew the longer I waited the greater my chance would be that I wouldn't get infection and so far it has worked. So I encourage you to wait as long as you can....it won't be easy...but in the end may prove to be your best decision!! Good luck! I will keep you in my prayers!

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I read your story I was wondering did you get you new hip and if so or you doing better I am also living with a antibiotics spacer in my hip and trying to live with the fact I will not get my hip back in due to infection I going to physical therapy 3 times a day I see improvement already I had hip surgery and elbow surgery in 2019 after 11 month without both and had another surgery in2021 for the same I want my right hip put back in but my doctor said no due to the infection might come back again and he would have to take my hold leg off

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@acolquhoun

Hi can you please tell me how you’ve adapted and adjusted to having no hip for this length of time please? Can you walk okay? Thank you.

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It has been an amazing journey - yes you must adapt if you are going to continue to have no hip joint. No hip joint here for 3 years and counting. This will be permanent. I must use a walker but as long as I support my left side I am doing pretty much everything - going downstairs to our basement (about 16 steps) - going down easy coming up not so much - must have a railing - I kinda pull myself upstairs. Can cook, do laundry, GARDEN!!. Winter is rough as having to wear snowboots and manage snow/ice is challenging - significant leg length difference (about 4 inches yes inches). I wear my normal raised shoe on leg with no hip - in house I just go barefoot on right leg - balances me out pretty good - I call it my people of walmart look - LOL PM me if you want more details.

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@lynzze

@dzoneill I am sorry to hear of your situation and I can totally relate to your situation however mine came in a different form. In 2005 I was in a head on collision with a semi which caused my left hip to dislocate (along with numerous other traumatic injuries) they were able to put my hip back into place without surgery however a couple weeks later when doing physical therapy it became dislocated again. So the decision was made to put hardware in to try and stabilize it from dislocation, which worked until my femoral head became necrotic a year later . At that point they decided to do the first THR ...it was great ...but it only lasted two weeks and then I got Staph infection and it had to be removed. So then they put in a concrete hip spacer.. Needless to say we went back and forth like this 4 times over the course of 7 years ...everytime they put in a new hip I would eventually get MRSA/staph and they would remove it. Finally when hip replacement 4 became infected I was referred to Mayo Clinic .
Their recommendation was to take everything out and leave it out for at least a year. If I could go at least one year without infection they would try one last hip relplacement .
It was a long recovery process plus learning how to walk with a hanging hip but i actually stunned doctors a year later when i was walking without any assistive devices (i probably shouldve been using my cane at least lol) of course I had a major limp since my left leg was so much shorter but i made it work not only for one year but for 4 years!
Finally last year I went back and told them it was time, my lower back had been killing me so bad from my uneven gait.
June 6th I recieved my "Hail Mary" 5th total hip lol and I am so happy to say that so far (fingers crossed) i havent had any problems with infection. Im only 34 years old so I know its a life long battle but at this point in time thing are looking up!!

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How did u manage walking g that way. I've been without a hip for 2 years and my femur constantly rubs and pushes on nerves n tendons. It also cracks n crunches on my hip. It's excruciating to use a walker

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