Hip Revision on 73 year old female

Hello @bradley1941, welcome to Connect. Four hip revisions is certainly a lot to have gone through. If you don't mind me asking, and if you are comfortable sharing, has your surgeon mentioned how many revisions you can have? I had my knee replaced in March of 2006, and I realize knees replacements are a completely different surgery, I was told you are only able to have so many revisions done with diminishing returns with each.

I'd like to invite a few members who have experience with hip revisions to share their experience. @sueinmn, @eustica, @Adrainpalmer, and @holybible all talked about having to go through a hip revision.

@bradley1941, while we wait for other members to share their experiences, if you are interested, there is an active discussion on Prolia and osteoporosis taking place in the Bones, Joints & Muscles group as well, https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/prolix-treatment-for-osteoporosis/.

My first hip revision was elective. The cartliage in hip socket was gone thus my pain. I had a partial hip replacement in 2010. Surgeon completed for total hip replacement. Seven weeks later it dislocated. Three weeks later another dislocation. Surgeon did another surgery to make adjustments and I came out with nerve damage which I still have to foot and left side of leg. Hip dislocated again 3 weeks later. I then went to orthopedic specialist at UAB, He put in a dual mobility cup. It dislocated 3 weeks later and again 5 weeks later. My last revision was a constrainer. It has now been 6 weeks. It is stiff but no dislocations.

I need to clarify from the above post that Bradley is my husband and I am Betty. I have had 4 Prolia injections so far. My bone density is better. I started Prolia after I broke 3 bones in my left foot (11/2017) in a fall and then 6 weeks later (1/2018} I fractured my tibia and fibula in left leg. I had a rod and 3 screws put in my lower leg. My partial hip replacement in (2/2010) was due to my passing out at home (low BP due to medication) I broke my femur so a ball and stem were put in. I have never been told there was a limit to revisions. My incision has been used 4 times in six months though.

I had my 6th hip dislocation March 31. I was taken by ambulance to Baptist South in Montgomery, AL. It was there I learned that due to the constrainer I had that surgery had to be done to repair it. I was then taken by ambulance to UAB Highlands in Birmingham for Dr. Siegel to repair my hip the next morning. I lay all night with a dislocated hip with no family to be with me due to Coronovirus. My husband picked me up the day after surgery. It's been over a week now and my pain is still severe. I can't put full weight on my hip yet. I'm not sure why this keeps happening. Poor tissue strength is what I'm being told.

@bradley1941 Betty - Ow! You have my sympathy - my hip dislocated only once after a revision surgery, but it is an awful pain. I hope it begins to feel better soon. Maybe, if you have not already done it, talk to your doc about referral to someone (physician, therapist or orthotist) who treats serial or repeated dislocation. My friend had a special brace/girdle prescribed and made for her to stabilize her hip because all the surrounding muscles were torn when she fell and they did not heal properly. She said it improved stability for her so her hip could heal. Now she only wears it part of each day, and does a couple hours of specially prescribed exercises to keep strengthening the muscles.
Good luck to you!
Sue

I had my 7th hip dislocation on May 15 and surgery on May 18. My Orthopedic Specialist used my glutenous muscle to provide strength around my hip joint to stabilize the hip socket. I am now 4 weeks post surgery and praying this will work. The longest I've gone without a dislocation since hip revision Aug. 8, 2019 is 7 weeks. I have a hip abduction brace I use as well as a knee immobilizer at night to keep my hip from turning in my sleep.

I hope your hip has stayed in and that you are feeling better and stronger Betty.

I was searching for this subject because at age 38, I was in a head-on car accident where I developed avascular necrosis of the rt hip.
3yrs after I was at stage 4b when I had a vascular fibula graft surgery at Duke Univ. But 4yrs later I developed Avascular necrosis again and the hip collapsed. I had a THA at 45. At 50 I kept having groin pain and knee pain but the orthopedic said it was due to my lumbar which I had fused from S1-L3 with a graphite collar around it to stabilize at age 43. So I went back and forth from Ortho to Neuro until I was exhausted. At age 54 my femur was developing fractures due to a loose stem. The Ortho replaced the stem making it longer and deeper into my thigh but didn't replace the cup which was almost 10 yrs old. 10 days out of revision surgery the hip dislocated when I leaned over in bed. I was told to get a chip brace but the hip dislocated again 6 wks later, then again 7 wks after that and yet again 8 wks after that. The Ortho replaced the cup with a dual mobility cup on my insistence.
Now in 2024 at age 60, my groin and thigh are in severe pain again. Bone scan shows hot spot 3/4 way down my thigh. My pain doctor and physical therapist say that I don't have much bone left and none of the Orthos in Central Texas want to do a revision. If it continues to get worse that my only option is amputation of the whole hip and part of pelvis.
Has anyone else been told this?
I'm trying to do my best to strengthen but I'm only allowed to do exercises in the pool everything else is crippling me.