Exercise, hip replacements and Perthes

Hi Naomi,

I had perthes as a child and a deterioration in my late thirties. I also had been fairly active previously. It reached the point about 2 years ago where walking 100 metres was a challenge. My joint sounded like a bag of gravel and partially dislocated when going from sitting to standing. 

I had my hip replaced 18 months ago. I wish I had not waited so long. The period after the operation was challenging, particularly because they had to do a posterior approach due to the deformed nature of my joint.

Now I am pain free, and am more active than ever. I can jog, cycle, swim go for long hikes, walk normally, ski.

My surgeon only advised against snow boarding, contact sports and long distance running.

If you do a bit of googling  you can find research that shows some surgeons are conservative about activities they will recommend to patients post op. However studies have shown that people who are more active can actually have better outcomes and there is little evidence that it is harm full.

Also the type of operation and prosthesis can make a difference. My operation was cement less, bone preserving, capsule preserving and ceramic on ceramic. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4223292/

Hi Naomi,

I was very active with running before my disintegrated through doing too much, osteoarthritis too and I know the pain. It just gets worse until you can't walk anywhere without stops, planning, driving, taxis etc.

I would pay private for a consultation and X-ray with a recommendation for an nhs hospital, your doctor doesn't understand your pain and I expect being active you hide a lot of it. Good determination though!

It's been a year since my operation, I am 48, I don't even have any pain, I don't think about my hip anymore, I walk, lift heavy stuff for DIY and have run too, no ill effects although I did jar it carrying wood and slipped so I got a special kind of numb pain like muscle tug but I don't think there is any barrier apart from your mind.

I don't think you can go at it with the same level of intensity but having no pain at all is just pure joy.

Cheers,

Jason

Sorry to hear about your discomfort.

Personally, I would get a second opinion at least.

Pain and quality of life are important considerations for surgical intervention.

I was diagnosed at around 10.

Like you, I stayed active, played lots of sport, ran a marathon, etc.

But I had a total hip replacement in 2016 and it has been brilliant.

I now feel I can work actively on abduction and adduction in a healthy way. It feels like my flexibility has improved.

I WENT SKIING two weeks ago and had no worries whatsoever (was more worried about my dodgy knee!).

And the pain?!....totally gone from day 1.

It has been life changing for me.

And I now feel I can potentially do more than before I had it done.

Good luck!

Seamus (46)

I was diagnosed at about 6 and now almost 44.

Similar to other accounts posted I have also been quite active throughout my life.

But now I am finding it more painful as I go on and it is taking me longer to recover from hikes etc.

What I would also like to know from the forum, have you had any other issues with your non Perthes hip, as I am having similar pain in both hips. Maybe due to the fact that I have favored my non leg. After reading some of the replies I think I should not leave it longer and see whether I should do the replacement sooner rather than later.

Thank you