pilates / yoga / spin cycling

Hello Paul and congratulations on what sounds like a successful THR! I'm at about 3 1/2 months post THR right now and at 3 months, my doctor lifted all restrictions. The only one he still advises against is running or anything high impact like that. However, he still maintains that I let pain be my guide and while it is still possible, as time goes on it gets more and more unlikely for me to experience a dislocation. You're 2 months ahead of me so according to him, you're even more unlikely. That being said, I'm an avid surfer but am going to wait until my 6 month mark to get back in the water and on the board but, I am getting myself back in shape for that day. I do yoga daily and am doing all sorts of twisting, bending, crouching exercises with no ill effects. Trust me when I say that I'm pushing it but I am doing it systematically and methodically by pushing it in very small increments over time. I'm very wary of certain positions and it's taken some time for me to not only physically go there but to get there mentally as well. Sometimes I expect the old pain and lo and behold it doesn't come. Focus on that area of your hip and be mindful of anything that doesn't feel quite right and then back off a bit. I've seen pictures and videos of people doing amazing things post THR. Best of luck to you and hope this helps. Cormac

Hi Paul, dislocation is always a risk if you twist in a certain way, however at 5.5 months it should be secure as your bone would have grown around it, but your muscles surrounding it take two years to heal and they help hold everything together too. However Pilates is great for you, Yoga with some modifications.  I was advised by a gym I joined recently not to do spin classes. Express Pump I assume is weights? that may be a bit risky, however i do free weights but not too heavy. I think it also depends on the type of implant you had. Mine is ceramic ball and socket with titanium stem, used for younger or more active patients. Hope this helps a little? 

My rule of thumb is give something a try slowly and the hip will let you know if it doesn't like it.  My surgeon is younger than me but I had to explain what I did at the gym as he doesn't use one.

TRX straps are great for doing assisted squats/rows etc.

A couple things I forgot to mention; I live in the US so I don't know how it is in the UK but, during your followup visits to your doctor, they should have been taking xrays to make sure there's been no movement of any of the prosthetics. Is this the case? Also, one thing I asked my doctor (surgeon) was how did my bones look when he was in there sawing away? He said I had good, dense bone structure and a good candidate for not having any complications in that regard. So, knowing this and the fact that the bone has now grown around the stem and cup, I should be fine. If you have the same information, you too shouldn't experience any problems there as well. Cormac

Hi Paul,

I'm ten years post op on the left and 11 on the right.

I had the hip replacements really young and was desperate to keep active.

The main advice I can give you is listen to your body.

Cross trainers are excellent, bikes too, but spinning not sure, maybe a beginners class and see how you feel.

Pilates is fab for muscle strength,  but watch out for the moves like hugging knees (a complete no no)

I always let the instructor know I've had hip replacements and she or he will often give another option for me, but as long as you keep your knees away from your chest. You will find out what works for you.

Kettle bells are also brilliant and one of my main excercise choices. You can excercise every muscle with no drastic impact on the hip.

Yoga is more difficult, there are some moves that are ok but because of the depth of stretch it is more difficult to achieve personal satisfaction. 

Wishing you well

Hi Paul, I’m at 1 year and 5 months from a TLHR. I’m 54 now and always been pretty active -running, ice hockey, weight lifting, biking etc. My only restrictions fr my surgeon is no running and don’t lift over 50 lbs. I played ice hockey at 11 weeks and have only gotten stronger since then.  My physical therapist had me on the bike to warm up sometime in the first couple of weeks so I don’t see how spin class would be a problem. I ride hard with no problems and there’s no impact on your hip. All that said, listen to your body and talk to your surgeon (if you can). Good luck. 

Paul,

Most  of the dislocation risk should have disappeared now - see my graph or my website - The stem and acetabulum should be really well affixed at least by 6 months.

My website address is in my personal info here ...

   https://patient.info/forums/profiles/rocketman-sg6uk-907025

and at the bottom of the moderator's "useful resources" page at

   https://patient.info/forums/discuss/thr-useful-resources-487147

Best wishes

Graham - 🚀💃 🤸    ¯\_(?)_/¯   🚴

Hi Paul, I'm 3 weeks post op  now and want to get back to Pilates asap. The hospital I'm with is part of Circle group. The physio dept there run a series of Pilates classes specifically for people who have had hip or knee replacements. The classes are starting in November and I have signed up for them. They are to show us safe Pilates moves so I'm hoping I will be able to go back to my regular class afterwards confident as to which moves are ok and which ones to avoid/ adapt. Might be worth checking if you have a Circle hospital near you and ring the physio dept to see if they are offering the class. They are open to the public so you don't have to have had your surgery there. Does your gym have any physios or personal trainers who could advise you? The instructors running the classes should be able to adapt their class for you also. A lady in one of my classes was back doing modified Pilates 8 weeks post op. Good luck

Ann

Hi. I'm a successful THR patient, no complaints generally. However I have always been afraid to do twisting movements for the reason you stated now. I avoid them and chose muscle strengthening exercises instead. I DON'T want to go through a revision operation that's my own fault. (they say dislocation is very painful) You should check with your doctors 🙂. Good luck and be well.?

I suggest that a physiotherapist could advise on whether you should try any of these things. I took up Tai Chi Chuan again about 10 weeks after my op and it was fine. But take it easy to begin with!