Walking without a hip joint

Thank yiy

I know this is an old post from 2017....but I am walking without a left hip joint. (Girdlestone)....It can be done.....Cindy

Hi my mum had a girdlestone surgery 3 weeks ago. How long is the recovery period and how long did it take you to walk cindy. We all a little confused to how it must feel to put weight on that leg my mums 74

Hello...It has been 1 year since my Girdlestone surgery in Feb 2022. I was in hospital for 3 weeks and when I left hospital, I could walk a short distance with a standard walker. At about 2 months I could get around with crutches some and learned to go up and down a few steps with them. It was probably 5 months before I could use a Rollator Walker at a more normal pace. I do a lot of exercises daily to build up my Quadricep muscles although I lost part of one Quadricep, IT Band and part of Gluteal Muscle in surgery due to severe infection. I can take a few steps by myself the past few weeks, but it's not pretty. I can get around good with crutches and forearm crutches and working on using just a cane these past few months, but haven't mastered that yet. I mostly use the rollator in the house and crutches when I go out. I do ride an upright exercise bike daily the past 2 months. I'm up to 10 miles a day and I've walked on treadmill a little bit holding onto to the bars. Scar tissue will fill in the empty space where there is no joint. My leg is 2-3 inches shorter on that side and my husband has glued old soles on my shoes to bring the height even. A lift inside your shoe is not enough. I really don't have much pain at all anymore. Just take Tylenol Arthritis pain med once or twice daily. I'm 70 years old. If your Mom didn't lose any muscle like I did, she may do even better than me when it comes to walking. It's a slow process and takes dedication, but it will continue to get better so tell her not to give up! Wishing your Mom all the best......Cindy

Hello again....I wanted to also say in the beginning, I used a wheelchair a lot also, so it is very normal to use a wheelchair the first few months. Physical therapy had me just toe touch with the bad leg for the first 2 months, then slowly put more weight on the leg as I could tolerate it. It helps to have physical therapy for awhile so they can teach your Mom all the proper exercises...I hope this helps you and please let me know if I can help with other questions.....Cindy

I would like more information on this as well. In 2015 I had my right leg rod replaced as the original rod became loose after a bad fall. For three years Dr Whelan, with Optim Orthopedics treated me for reoccurring infection at the same location in my incision. Twice with “cut out the infection area surgeries) then various antibiotics. Calling to make yet another appointment for another infection we were told he had retired & we’re hung up on. We had repeatedly asked should we see a different kind of doctor or wound specialists throughout those three years, and were assured, “ no, not necessary, we’re handling this”
I finally agreed with my wife to see a wound specialists. Dr Spence ran several tests, MRI’s and X-rays and told us we had to see an orthopedic surgeon ASAP.
Dr Arrington scheduled a clean out surgery, packed the wound with antibiotic beads & had expensive in home IV infusion for 8 weeks (something I’d never had before) infectious disease doctor told us her medical expertise was usually called in with the first infection, always with a second infection… she had never been called in 3 years into a reoccurring infection. Dr Chirca added 2 more weeks of IV antibiotic infusion. I was then placed on oral antibiotics & told I’d probably be on them for the rest of my life. January of 2020 the infection came back with a vengeance. Dr Arrington scheduled another clean out surgery for the full length of the rod replacement. After 12 weeks of another round of IV antibiotics… the wound was still draining. Dr Arrington wanted to perform a revision, with the hope we could clear out the infection and put in another hip joint. An antibiotic spacer was put in, but there was no joint left in to help keep it in place.
2 1/2 weeks later my right femur broke, as the walls were too thin. Dr Arrington had to go into to put in a plate and screws. Infection & a fungus set in. 3 or 4 major clean out surgeries took place from mid Sept to December 2020 the spacer was taken out with the fracture was “repaired” I stayed on IV infusion from August 2020 until February 2021. Infectious Disease wanted me off antibiotics to see if the infection was gone so a replacement could be done. Surgery was scheduled for April 2021. Before going in Dr Arrington informed us the femur had not healed & he may not be able to put in a replacement. I asked if something could be put in to stabilize the bone so it could heal. I put in a rod/pin encased in concrete into the femur. Went home again with IV Infusion antibiotics & a wound vac. The incision would not close. We were back with Dr Spence the wound doctor. The wound vac stayed on for several months, with wound care cleaning & resealing it every 3 days… until insurance would no longer pay for it. Then 3 times a week I had my wound cleaned & repacked. I have pictures where you could literally see my femur thru the opening. A plastic surgeon was finally ably to clean out massive scar tissue & infection surrounding the 3 inch stabilizing rod extended out of the top of my femur. I can very painfully use a walker some of the time. My right leg is 4 to 6 inches shorter than my left. The rod you can see and feel at the top of my right hip, where it looks and feels like it’s about to come through at any moment. Dr Shelley, an Orthopedic Surgeon Specialists with Optim explained my femur is so damaged from the chronic infection it will never heal. He sent us to Emory to see if they could build me a femur & put in a new joint. Dr O, said yes… they could try, with 2 to 5 more surgeries… it Might work. But the femur is made out of metal, so the infection could come back. I’m now 75… in perfect health, with the exception of my hip miseries brought on my a surgeon I 100% believed in, and 1000% failed me., Dr Whelan.
All I wanted to do was walk again.
Is there anyone walking without a hip joint, without severe pain?

I am so sorry to read all that you have been through. I had my metal hip, part of quadricep muscle, part of my gluteal muscle and illiotibial band removed a year ago due to severe infection in the joint and bone (osteomyelitis). Prior to surgery that was done on an emergency basis, the Doctor thought he would be putting antibiotic spacer in and 4 months later another hip, but when he got in there, the infection was so bad, he had a choice to remove all metal and as much as the infected dead muscle he could or amputate at the hip to save my life. Thankfully he did not amputate, I was on IV antibiotics for 8 weeks and now oral antibiotics probably for lifetime, but at least for 5 years per my infectious disease Dr. My surgeon said it was too risky to ever try another implant as my chances of infection were too great. I am 70 years old and it's been a long year, but every month, I'm getting better. I walk at a regular pace with a rollator walker or crutches. I can even walk with 1 crutch or cane for a short distance in the house and I can take a few steps with no aide at all. My husband has built up my left shoe by glueing soles of other shoes together to add height (my left leg is about 3 inches shorter). I only have very minimal pain and just use Tylenol for it once or twice daily. I am now riding an upright exercise bike 10 miles a day for the past month and continue to do exercises daily for strengthening. I am surprised to read that you have had that many surgeries and so sorry you weren't followed by Infectious Disease Doctor right from the start. It was hard enough for me to go through surgery once, I can't imagine how hard it's been for you. Praying you can get some quality of life back and be pain free....Cindy

Tyvm
Oh to walk in my woods again.
We will keep you in our prayers as well.

I am 48 and had the first arthroscopic surgery on my left hip in 2017. That was followed by four more different surgery attempts on same hip til it was decided I could only hope for pain relief via total hip replacement. Did that work n January 2018, and by April 2018 it was dislocating and I quickly learned how to reset it myself tho I had no clue what was happening because I complained to the surgeon for an entire year and he continuously x-rayed and showed me each time what each part was and that it was in place. Finally in April 2019 he replaced it. Dislocating by June 2019. I have had three more revisions sine then with different surgeons and currently have a temporary that is releasing antibiotics til the "final final" hip is measured and made. After all this crap, I am just now hearing of the less common option of having no hip and considering calling my surgeon to discuss it today.

Thank you all for sharing. I have been running this dame Gauntlet that a lot of you have already run. THR at 27 years old, first revision at 30 and it was going great. I became an RN and after years of working in the hospitals I was colonized with MRSA. 3hospitals I worked at stabbed the nurses and other staff and found that something like 90% had MRSA living on our bodies.

I inevitably got a cut or something that let the MRSA in and it fou d my hip. Well I am 2 years into the process of spacers and repeated hospitalizations.

I had asked my head surgeon about girdlestone about a year ago and he shot it down immediately remaining ever hopeful. UT here I am elevated CRP and Sed rate and infection raging again.

Those of you that have had the girdle and are now ambulatory how was the process of gaining mobility again?

I am 40 years old and fairly active and healthy. About 4 months before the infection presented itself I did an 80 mile mountain bike race. I placed dead last and barely finished, but I am at least somewhat healthy and athletic lol.

Any advice or words of wisdom are greatly appreciated.