Hip - Full hip replacement or Birmingham resurfacing ?

greetings glip?? I looked for a hip resurfacing in wisconsin and couldnt find one.

Many physicicians are simply getting away from it appearently due to the Liabilities??

I ended up with a THR and at this time im doing well. a little soreness but still very active

Im 55

If it's like Ontario, Canada, you likely won't find a surgeon that will do a hip resurfacing for you.  Here, they only do them on younger males I believe because there's a much greater risk of the resurfacing implant cracking the head of the femur (women typically have lighter bones than males).  I'm a 45 year old male.  I had my left hip resurfaced last year but this year my surgeon would not do a resurfacing on my right hip as he was concerned that, although the left one appears to be a success, my bones are not large / dense / whatever enough and there's too much risk trying it again.

Best of luck,

Mike

Hi and firstly sorry to hear youre having so much trouble.

Im 5wks post LTHR with full ceramic uncemented prosthesis.

Im 54 female.

Here in UK was told by my surgeon he definitely would not do a resurfacing on a female pt.

Good luck xx

Hi glpc

Firstly welcome to the forum - it is a great place to come for information and advice. I understand completely your shock at being told you need a hip replacement, I am 40 years old (39 when they told me) and couldn't believe it either, it took several months of pain and research for it to sink in. I am now 5 months post op and feel great, so try not to worry, even if you do need one it will be okay. 

The first thing that strikes me is that you definitely need a second opinion with someone who specialises in both the resurfacing and the replacements to get an accurate diagnosis, without this you will always worry about the what ifs. 

I also had the injections, they are a complete waste of time and apparently make things worse in the long term, they are clearly not a solution.

My surgeon also would not recommend the resurfacing for me, he did offer the surgery but only to those he felt would benefit. He told me because of my age, being a women is also important as the surgery is less successful in women, and he said it had less than 30 per cent chance of working, and even then it would not last. As a permanent fix he recommended a total hip replacement. We spent many months researching stem cell surgery, re surfacing with another surgeon etc, and came to the conclusion that it was far better to have just one operation that would fix the problem for good, rather than years of failed surgeries and still struggling with the pain and walking.

I hope my story has helped you feel you are not alone. We all understand how you feel about this, it is a very huge shock at the beginning. I still remember it now.

This is not to say that something else may work brilliantly for you, there may be other surgeries that could work, but if I am being honest consultants do not usually recommend an operation that we do not need, or that could be avoided. 

In my case I had my THP in December, and the recovery takes a long time, but I am pain free and enjoying my life again now, so it is a very successful and well documented safe operation in my view, if you do decide to go ahead, try to comfort yourself with the amazing success rates if nothing else!

We are here if you have any questions - or need someone to talk to. Most of us have been through this already, and there is always someone that can help.

Best of luck with your research and all the best 

Hi, I had R resurfacing at the age of 48 for OA -  great recovery and no problems till 2 years ago when I had the other hip done - THR at that point as they had stopped doing resurfacing for women of 'our' age as they developed more problems than younger men for some reason. LTHR was fine - again a good recovery but I started getting pain in right side - for about a year i was in denial, trying to put it diwn to the body readjusting itself , and it was all complicated by a torn achilles tendon and the need to wear a ortho boot for a few months - then last August the metal on metal resurfacing was recalled because of fears re metal poisoning as you are aware - blood levels were 'ok' but MRI showed a fracture where the resurfacing head screwed into the femur plus leakage into the joint and severe muscle wastage - hence recent urgent conversion to THR at beginning of March - back at work at 6 weeks , ( ft nurse) , walking without aids and no analgesia at 10 weeks tomorrow and flying to NY for a weeks holiday. So I think what I am saying is all is not lost whichever op you have , there are concerns re resurfacing for women and in your early 50,s you will almost certainly need revision at some point. I,m 57 so a bit older. As you dont have OA ( mine was severe, hip specific bone on bone, no joint space left) then I would think you have other options to just those two . Recovery from all 3 ops has been much the same despite different ops , approaches and prothesis' . I have realised being on this forum that its not a little old lady,s op anymore - lots of much younger people have it these days . TBH if i,d have had hindsight i should have gone for  the THR in the beginning but found a surgeon who would do the resurfacing instead as mentally that was more acceptable to me - I realise now I was thinking wrongly . I know all this may not be what you want to hear sorry but thought I would share my personal story with you . Despite 3 hip ops in 9 years I am going to NY , going kyaking in scotland in august and got up on the dance floor last weekend so all in all its better than the alternative , i was in constant pain and really struggling to do things . I do hope this is is helpful for you - big hug xxxx

Hi, 

I'm a 40 year old man and my surgeon specialised in THR and resurfacing at the time.  He told me i was an ideal candidate for resurfacing and recommended it.  I thought about it long and hard and put off the surgery.  Fast forward 2 years and the same surgeon will not touch resurfacing as he feels the risks do not outweigh the benefits and talked about the issues with metal ion poisoning. I've ended up with a RTHR.

David

 

Hi all, thank you SO MUCH for all this information, I am so reassured by all that has been said here & the whole picture is now becoming clearer, thanks to you all. I think bini31328 said 'resurfacing was mentally more acceptable to me' and that sums up exactly how I feel, All things considered, I don't think resurfacing going to the be right option for me as I don't fit the profile and don't want ongoing problems as I've had enough!

The surgeon I have is totally amazing but does specalise first & foremost in 'hip preservation', which on one hand has been great for me - but on the other hand, when does quality of life dictate a replacement hip is required. 

My surgeon has been 100% right in everything he's said & done for me and I do trust him implicitly. Now, I feel much clearer in my own mind that his recommendation for FHR is correct, however hard that is for me to swallow!

So then- how bad does a hip have to be to warrant replacement?

Without the injections, I am unable to walk very far - first 10 mins a day pain free, then toothache type pain in joint, gets worse during the day, lateral pain starts by lunchtime, then pm backache/ SIJ pain, then by evening 4 out of 7 nights lying on sofa with ice and heat packs. I am walking guardedly as every few steps I will get a sharp stabbing pain in my groin/hip - like a skewer, so all balance on right hand side is out of alignment. I am swimming for exercise - now up to 50 lengths of 25 metre pool most days, as I can't do any 'weight bearing' exercise and am desperate to keep fit. I can't keep the swimming up at this level for ever. My motto is 'swim a lot and walk a little'. Went on holiday 3 weeks ago, from small local airport & I was offered a wheelchair 5 times! I declined - as that is a line I draw as unacceptable - I think to myself, I'm only 51 for heavens sake. My heart sank when I saw the departure gate was a long walk, then stairs when I got there! A couple of weeks ago I was invited to a party but I stayed at home on the sofa with my ice pack. I feel fine when I'm not weight bearing and I can walk a short distance, so when is it time to have this surgery?

With the injections - I have about a month of reasonable ability, I can walk (carefully), but not any gym/weight bearing exercises - I can swim & get around quite well, but after 4 x sets of injections now, my insurance co will pay no more, and they are £2,000 privately. I haven't a hope of getting these on the NHS within the next 12 months. The insurance will pay for hip op as that's a solution, not pain relief as the injections are. I'm not really managing without the injections.

Overall, I am wondering if my hip is 'bad enough' for a replacement and I'm always looking for reasons to 'not accept' the diagnosis - always thinking it's something else as I have the lateral and SIJ pain! However, the last joint injections have worked very well, so I have to admit now, I do think I have to agree with the surgeon and the root problem is my hip joint. What a nightmare!

Thank you again for the replies. This is so helpful to me. The last set of injections that I had 3 weeks ago, are giving me some relief at the moment, but it makes me realise how bad things had got before. Currently, this is generally 'how things should be' to about 85%, and the thought of these injections wearing off, is making me think that I want an end to hip problems once and for all,

Bini - Thank you again! another one of your comments rang true, the physio said I had some muscle wastage! And yes I could possibly wait another few months - perhaps another set of injections, but my quality of life is being affected and you only have one life! Surgeon says I'm young and new hip might not last but why worry about 20 years time when I might not even be here. This hip pain and its limitations dominates everything I do. I'd like to go for a walk with my sister & her dog, just a couple of miles would be nice, but I can't. I'd like to go to a shopping centre & visit more than 1 shop - can only manage 1 if I'm lucky now, even a small airport is now a misery to get through, and I can't sit in a plane seat for very long, (can't afford to keep upgrading!) so I don't want to go on holiday - and so it goes on! 

David - my family and friends say I look miserable and my partner is really fed up with me not being able to do things anymore - and I would love to go for a 40 minute pain free walk! So I guess I know the answer.

Just now I need to see how long these injections will last and then move things forward. Thank you all so much for you help and advice. I am much clearer now.