Anyone else in their mid 40s and very active have a hip replacement?

It’s a shame you are a woman (I assume) because I had my right hip resurfaced at 42 and was able to continue sprinting, jumping, diving, and sliding while playing baseball for the next 15 years, I believe they discontinued hip resurfacing for women about 5 years ago due to smaller and softer bones which lead to a slightly higher failure rate. I also had my left hip resurfaced at about age 48 or 49. I am now 58 and they are still going strong. Of course, now my back is the problem but no hip problems. I know it feels like life as you know it is over, but hip replacements have come a long way. You can stay fairly active with them, and your pain will disappear the moment you wake from surgery. Good luck and stay positive!

Not necessarily.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/17103-hip-resurfacing
https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/266733/new-implant-enabling-women-access-resurfacing/
She might be a candidate for hip resurfacing.

@chelsea79 Not quite my 40's but I had both hips replaced in my early 50's. The doc blamed it on a combination of bad genes and 40 years of running. That was 20 years ago, and my hips are probably the most pain-free part of my body now. The ortho x-rayed them in May and says everything still looks great. I did give up volleyball with the constant jumping, and switched to trail running for a few years (less impact) but arthritis in my feet & back put an end to that too.

Revision surgery if they do wear out (or, as in my case, get recalled) is less invasive, they just replace the acetabular cup liner, and if needed, the ball on the femur post. Which leads me to another thought - my doc put in metal-on-metal implants because I was so young, and he wanted them to be long-lasting. They turned out to be a problem world-wide, and I don't think they are used much anymore. But, if your doctor suggests them, and they are made from chromium & cobalt, ask for a different alternative.

I'm still quite active, walking, dancing, Yoga, gardening, volunteering...

Goo luck on your surgery, and please be patient with yourself - healing from the surgical incision may only take the "4-6 weeks" the surgeon says, but complete healing from the trauma, and letting the muscles, tendons and nerves heal takes longer.

I am 71 now. I had my rt hip replaced at 49 after years of running on cartilage that was torn in gymnastics in high school. No imaging to detect that in 1972 in Sarasota. I stopped running and went to fast paced walking, yoga, that I continue, even splits. My hips are fine, other parts are chewed up some by osteoarthritis. But I am 71 and have been athletic. Do what you need to do to stay active and as pain free as possible. BTW, always do the PT when available.

I have to agrre with (closer0043) AND (Sue, Volunteer Mentor). I was late 50's when I had my first hip replacement; I'm 72 yrs old now (2016 when I had 1st THA). I rcvd mixed reviews on joint replacement timing, having had TSA in 2004. Shoulders have lagges behind hips). My shoulder was really bad, but i made it 17 yrs before doing a reverse shoulder. My math may be off, but I spent 5 yrs in pain, ended up having to come off painkillers while rehabbing the TSR. I worked hard on my rehab - now thinking I could've avoided that with doing the shoulder earlier. My hip wasn't that painful ( had lots on mini displacements) but I said let's do the hip now that I'm back in shape and active with total shoulder in place. With the hip I was walking and back at my job in 2 months, hiking again in 6 months. My philosophy is don't suffer to delay the next remedy.
I will answer more specific quetions in a less hurried manner if that would be helpful.

@sueinmn Sue, you just made my day! I have felt so alone in what I’m going through. Like no one understands or people are judging me thinking that I’m crazy because I am so active or want to continue being so active. Everyone’s solution as well. Just stop being active and you’ll be fine. 🤦🏼‍♀️ that’s unthinkable for me. Anyhow— I appreciate you sharing your experience with me. I have had discussions about my surgeons approach and his success rate, etc. but I have not had discussions regarding the actual implants or items that want to be placed in my body. One concern I continue to come across in my mind is the risk of joint infection. I believe it has a three letter acronym and is very dangerous although very uncommon. Because the artificial joint is no longer recognized by the body as something, it has to protect it can in rare cases, have a bacterial film on it, and create a pretty nasty infection that your body cannot fight. I’ve heard that you have to be especially proactive and careful when it comes to dental work and treat any bacterial infection promptly. Which of course I do this anyways, but it was just something I had heard about and was curious about your experiences or research on this. Here’s a question. What was your recovery like being that you were so active? I don’t mind a little discomfort when it comes to Rehab) rehabilitation and I think my biggest barrier is going to be that I’m gonna wanna do too much too fast. What did your Recovery look like?

@reversed Thank you! I appreciate your response and the information and I definitely agree with your perspective. It’s taken me a while to get here… but I am definitely ready for the surgery and the relief I will feel. It’s interesting. What I have noticed to be the most bothersome during the day is the referred pain that the hip arthritis is causing in addition to the stiffness and the limitations on my physical activity. At night when I’m asleep the direct joint pain is definitely the most bothersome. Have you had any issues with referred pain? It literally goes all the way down my leg. My surgeon said that anything below the knee is not referred hip pain, but in this case I’m almost certain that he was wrong. When I received my last Cortizone injection, it took away all of the pain. All the way down my leg. Unfortunately, the Cortizone injection was short-lived because of how severe the arthritis is, but it did prove my theory was correct. The removal of the inflammation in the hip joint relieved the pain that was going all the way down my leg.

Any advice or stories or words of caution or words of encouragement I am definitely here for and would appreciate!

@chelsea79 First, get as strong as you can now, especially your quads and hamstrings- it will aid in recovery. Second, infection risk - the one to be concerned about is MRSA or methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus. The most common place of infection is the surgery or health care facility, so check their records. The second most likely source is if you're exposed to infectious bodily fluids in your work. As for risk from dental work or other procedures, you can find stuidies going both ways. I still premedicate before dental work, one dose every six months, not a big deal. I have had many surgeries, procedures, cared for my Mom who had chronic MRSA, and even some pretty dirty wounds since my hip surgeries and never got infected. On my "radar" infection risk once I'm healed from a surgery is far down the list.
Finally, recovery. The surgeon will tell you 4 to 6 weeks. That is basically wound healing and getting back on your feet. You may still get tired or sore, especially if you push too hard. Listen to your body. I was on a dance and hiking cruise 3 months after having both hips replaced 6 weeks apart. It would probably take me longer to heal now.
Are you having an overnight stay after surgery? Do you have someone at home to help you the first week or two?

Had my left hip replaced at 44 years old. Had a very physical job in addition to an extremely active lifestyle. Although i have some limitations, it's still good 20 years later and i'm still very active. Good luck with your decision.

@sueinmn hi Sue, the doctor said overnight would only be necessary if there were complications or if I was needing to be monitored for some reason. It is at the Kaiser Permanente facility in Fresno, California. I will have assistance. I am trying to get as strong as I can now but since I can’t really do lunges or squats because it will set off my arthritis I’m a little bit more limited. But that’s not stopping me. I’m still doing other exercise exercises. I’m curious you said you prophylactically take an antibiotic every six months is that right? In terms of MRSA that is not something I thought of but is a real concern. I will look up the nosocomial infection rate at that hospital. I will be at for surgery. I would love to be able to reach out to you regularly as I go through this process. You seem to be very knowledgeable and I relate very much to what you’ve told me.