I too had right hip removed because of a staph infection; I've been cleared of staph. I have no spacer in the hip and I am in a lot of pain when physical therapy tries to work with me so I have made very little progress in walking. I also have a deteriorating back which causes a lot of pain along with groin pain which I can't seem to overcome and walk. It has been 5 months now and I still can't walk. I want a hip replacement but the surgeon says I have to be mobile before he can do surgery, it is so frustrating.
Hi @wcorrieri and welcome to Connect. I can hear your pain coming through. I hope you gain the mobility that your surgeon is requiring so that you can have the hip replacement. I can only imagine how frustrating this must be. Prayers are with you.
JK
I am 34 years old and i had a terrible Motorcycle acccident in 2007. My left Hip was crushed and it endet up with a Girdlestone.
To answer your Question. 4 Weeks after surgery i put away my crutches and walked with a cane. 6 Weeks after surgery i put away my cane. I can walk only on my muscles without any walking aid. Sometimes it hurts a little bit, but thats the price for independence. I life in the 4. Floor without lift.
The key to this is muscluar strength. Iam a Bodybuilder and have plenty of it. So if you dont have enougth muscles, get some and you will be amazed what is possible without hip joint.
I am 34 years old and i had a terrible Motorcycle acccident in 2007. My left Hip was crushed and it endet up with a Girdlestone.
To answer your Question. 4 Weeks after surgery i put away my crutches and walked with a cane. 6 Weeks after surgery i put away my cane. I can walk only on my muscles without any walking aid. Sometimes it hurts a little bit, but thats the price for independence. I life in the 4. Floor without lift.
The key to this is muscluar strength. Iam a Bodybuilder and have plenty of it. So if you dont have enougth muscles, get some and you will be amazed what is possible without hip joint.
Hi gerhRd9321, I can also walk without anything but if I do it too much I have pain in the good leg and foot...not only that I can tell i walk wop-sided which causes my back to hurting. I understand doing this too much over time will cause the spine to curve (which mine has already started doing) so I try to walk with at least a cane and to be sure my shoe lifts are right.....you are definitely correct that keeping the muscles strong are important if you are walking without a hip.
Hi gerhRd9321, I can also walk without anything but if I do it too much I have pain in the good leg and foot...not only that I can tell i walk wop-sided which causes my back to hurting. I understand doing this too much over time will cause the spine to curve (which mine has already started doing) so I try to walk with at least a cane and to be sure my shoe lifts are right.....you are definitely correct that keeping the muscles strong are important if you are walking without a hip.
Your are right, the major problem is that my walking skills looks like a Ship in a Storm :D. But i think i walk better when i contract my butt muscles during walking to prevent telescoping. But to be honest my operation is 6 weeks ago, so iam at the beginning. It gets better every almost every day.
I dont have the issue of pain in the good leg. A very good trick to make your muscles stronger is the Crosstrainer in the gym. With a cane i walk much nicer.
But i think most of the trick to walk with a Girdlestone is in your mind. If you have a strong mind, you can do it. In most cases, there is no reason to seat in a wheelchar from medical view.
I was born with a congenital hip dislocation and had 3 surgeries between the ages of 2 and 15. At the age of 26 (1985) I had a THR. There were 3 revisions, the last in 2006 at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. In 2013 I was admitted with sepsis, a massive mrsa infection which later mutated into visa. March 2014 the prosthesis was removed and I spent 2 1/2 years in a wheelchair and on IV antibiotics most of that time. Last summer my case was taken over by another surgeon who deemed it unwise to try another revision and we agreed. A new infectious disease doctor changed antibiotis and I am now mrsa/visa free. I have no hip and no spacers, the femur is significantly shorter, leg length difference is 3 1/2 inches. The new surgeon has me walking with walker and crutches and a 3 inch lift on my shoe. 3 months physical therapy to strengthen muscles atrophied from so much time in the wheelchair. I am about to move to one crutch, and the goal is a cane. Xrays show excellent build up of scar tissue supporting the leg. My original question was wondering if there are others having the same experience.
Hello, I just created an account because I was researching “walking with out a hip “ on google because my mother in law will be facing this problem soon and when I read your post I thought I was reading her story. She has been through the same situation when it comes to her hip and they are about to take her hip out in a couple weeks and she’s scared to death she won’t ever walk again. Please let me know anything you may find out or any advice you may have.
I was born with a congenital hip dislocation and had 3 surgeries between the ages of 2 and 15. At the age of 26 (1985) I had a THR. There were 3 revisions, the last in 2006 at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. In 2013 I was admitted with sepsis, a massive mrsa infection which later mutated into visa. March 2014 the prosthesis was removed and I spent 2 1/2 years in a wheelchair and on IV antibiotics most of that time. Last summer my case was taken over by another surgeon who deemed it unwise to try another revision and we agreed. A new infectious disease doctor changed antibiotis and I am now mrsa/visa free. I have no hip and no spacers, the femur is significantly shorter, leg length difference is 3 1/2 inches. The new surgeon has me walking with walker and crutches and a 3 inch lift on my shoe. 3 months physical therapy to strengthen muscles atrophied from so much time in the wheelchair. I am about to move to one crutch, and the goal is a cane. Xrays show excellent build up of scar tissue supporting the leg. My original question was wondering if there are others having the same experience.
Hi folks, I am currently without a hip. I had a periprosthetic femur fracture followed by the repair failing. The revision surgery resulted in a nonunion (no infection). My surgeons at Duke University Hospital decided to pull out everything, and focus on my femur healing. I currently have a plate on the side of my femur, and a nail through the center. I have lost about 3 " of leg length. I will be going in for a second surgery to replace bone cement with a graph at the 2 month point. Once my femur shows signs of healing I will get another prosthetic hip (+/- one year). I have just quit smoking, and will start taking meds for 'low T'. I wish i had a hip, but understand that I need a healthy femur to make this work. Plan B would be a prosthetic femur. I'm 55 years old, very active, and am in good health overall. I feel like I am stepping on a water balloon when I put weight on my leg, The 3" leg length difference is not helping.
Your are right, the major problem is that my walking skills looks like a Ship in a Storm :D. But i think i walk better when i contract my butt muscles during walking to prevent telescoping. But to be honest my operation is 6 weeks ago, so iam at the beginning. It gets better every almost every day.
I dont have the issue of pain in the good leg. A very good trick to make your muscles stronger is the Crosstrainer in the gym. With a cane i walk much nicer.
But i think most of the trick to walk with a Girdlestone is in your mind. If you have a strong mind, you can do it. In most cases, there is no reason to seat in a wheelchar from medical view.
6 months out now after Girdlestone procedure. I agree your attitude has a LOT to do with how you manage.! I’m determined to garden this summer. Not pretty to watch me but I’m doing it!!!!
Hello, do you find, (or anyone without a hip chime in) that you are in quite a bit of pain? Anything remotely like a “leg lift” causes a lot of pain in my pelvis. I see the doctor next week. I never asked about pain beyond post surgical.
Hello, do you find, (or anyone without a hip chime in) that you are in quite a bit of pain? Anything remotely like a “leg lift” causes a lot of pain in my pelvis. I see the doctor next week. I never asked about pain beyond post surgical.
I had pain until they removed the infected bones. My muscles and nerves hurt sometimes but not the terrible bone pain. If you have bone fractures, that will hurt a lot. I'd suggest getting an xray.
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Hi @wcorrieri and welcome to Connect. I can hear your pain coming through. I hope you gain the mobility that your surgeon is requiring so that you can have the hip replacement. I can only imagine how frustrating this must be. Prayers are with you.
JK
I am 34 years old and i had a terrible Motorcycle acccident in 2007. My left Hip was crushed and it endet up with a Girdlestone.
To answer your Question. 4 Weeks after surgery i put away my crutches and walked with a cane. 6 Weeks after surgery i put away my cane. I can walk only on my muscles without any walking aid. Sometimes it hurts a little bit, but thats the price for independence. I life in the 4. Floor without lift.
The key to this is muscluar strength. Iam a Bodybuilder and have plenty of it. So if you dont have enougth muscles, get some and you will be amazed what is possible without hip joint.
Hi gerhRd9321, I can also walk without anything but if I do it too much I have pain in the good leg and foot...not only that I can tell i walk wop-sided which causes my back to hurting. I understand doing this too much over time will cause the spine to curve (which mine has already started doing) so I try to walk with at least a cane and to be sure my shoe lifts are right.....you are definitely correct that keeping the muscles strong are important if you are walking without a hip.
Your are right, the major problem is that my walking skills looks like a Ship in a Storm :D. But i think i walk better when i contract my butt muscles during walking to prevent telescoping. But to be honest my operation is 6 weeks ago, so iam at the beginning. It gets better every almost every day.
I dont have the issue of pain in the good leg. A very good trick to make your muscles stronger is the Crosstrainer in the gym. With a cane i walk much nicer.
But i think most of the trick to walk with a Girdlestone is in your mind. If you have a strong mind, you can do it. In most cases, there is no reason to seat in a wheelchar from medical view.
Hello, I just created an account because I was researching “walking with out a hip “ on google because my mother in law will be facing this problem soon and when I read your post I thought I was reading her story. She has been through the same situation when it comes to her hip and they are about to take her hip out in a couple weeks and she’s scared to death she won’t ever walk again. Please let me know anything you may find out or any advice you may have.
You’ve met your twin. Lol Similar history and living without a hip since dec 2018.
Hi folks, I am currently without a hip. I had a periprosthetic femur fracture followed by the repair failing. The revision surgery resulted in a nonunion (no infection). My surgeons at Duke University Hospital decided to pull out everything, and focus on my femur healing. I currently have a plate on the side of my femur, and a nail through the center. I have lost about 3 " of leg length. I will be going in for a second surgery to replace bone cement with a graph at the 2 month point. Once my femur shows signs of healing I will get another prosthetic hip (+/- one year). I have just quit smoking, and will start taking meds for 'low T'. I wish i had a hip, but understand that I need a healthy femur to make this work. Plan B would be a prosthetic femur. I'm 55 years old, very active, and am in good health overall. I feel like I am stepping on a water balloon when I put weight on my leg, The 3" leg length difference is not helping.
6 months out now after Girdlestone procedure. I agree your attitude has a LOT to do with how you manage.! I’m determined to garden this summer. Not pretty to watch me but I’m doing it!!!!
Hello, do you find, (or anyone without a hip chime in) that you are in quite a bit of pain? Anything remotely like a “leg lift” causes a lot of pain in my pelvis. I see the doctor next week. I never asked about pain beyond post surgical.
I had pain until they removed the infected bones. My muscles and nerves hurt sometimes but not the terrible bone pain. If you have bone fractures, that will hurt a lot. I'd suggest getting an xray.