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Hip replacement in early '27 but I have T1-T12 Luque rods.
Scheduling a R hip replacement in early '27 but have Luque rods holding my thoracic spine solid. They have been in place for 41-42 years. My surgeon at OHSU said, "not a problem. My work doesn't affect your spine." I call BS.
Who else should I see before scheduling surgery? I have finally found a PT that specializes in Schroth Method, but don't see her until mid October. (other info: I am a fit 54yr old LMT that works at a PT office.)
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Do you have a neurosurgeon or othosurgeon? What does she say about the safety of the procedure from her perspective?
There are several approaches to hip replacement: posterior, anterior and Superpath (and its variants). I wonder whether one is safer than another for your spine but I, as a layperson, have no idea. If you have a spine surgeon (I have one on call for my spinal and lumbar stenosis) ask her which approach she thinks is safest from the spine perspective. Ask her first as I would NOT recommend asking a surgeon who normally does one of these approaches to do a different one for you. Extensive experience doing the exact procedure is my #1 criteria for a hip or knee replacement surgeon.
You will also have an anesthesia choice. I am terrified of general anesthesia and my surgeon normally has his patients done with a regional (local) anesthesia choice. That is what I wanted and had. But it does involve a shot in your back so you might want to ask your back surgeon if she thinks it is safe.
For whatever it is worth, my surgeon is the primary inventor of the Superpath method and that is what he used for me five years ago. I had zero post surgical pain. The only bad side effect was the common one of not being able to reach down and pull up my socks. A couple of visits to a quality PT took care of that.
Your surgeon may be right but do your research on him. Is he almost always successful (even the best surgeon can run into unexpected problems and unexpected side effects)? Does he use the best system for your situation? If you can tolerate a local, and want one, does he regularly work under a local?
Of all the joint replacements, hip surgery is probably the safest and easiest. Just coordinate with your spine surgeon and you should be fine.
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1 ReactionI also have Luque rods, but sadly they failed. They were left in due to being made of Titanium. I then had Harrington rods, which were removed in 2015 and replaced with more rods. I am fused from T10 to L5. I had a hip replacement this year when I was almost 80 years old. I had no problems. I wasn't able to walk for 3 years before this surgery and now I can. I hope your surgery goes as smoothly as mine.
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1 ReactionWhat kind of precautions were you warned of prior to surgery considering your spine is not mobile due to the fusion (in my case, hardware?)
I am just worried that no one is paying attention to the fact that my hips don't work the same as non-hardware bodies. I don't pivot, swing, land, bend, turn... without limitation. I am afraid I will be "just another ordinary hip replacement on an ordinary body." I went to OHSU because I thought I would be listened to.
@steveinarizona
I don't have a spine surgeon. My PCP wanted me to go to our local "Sports and Spine" surgeons and I told her no. They are generic and would have sent me to OHSU anyway. I'll call them and get on their books. Just to see if they see my point of view. Thank you!