Success Stories

Hi ducksoup, did you manage to find any info regarding hip fracture recovery prior to the HR I looked but couldn't find a thing, I would love some data as I'm living with a hip fracture nearly 2 years now

Hi so should I keep going through the pain. Seeing the consultant next week and having hydrotherapy so I should no more then. It's the not knowing what to do for the best that's frustrating as I did so well in the first 3 weeks totally pain free!

Actually, with me, my hip was fractured for a while.  I was a cyclist with many falls as well as volunteered for lots of stuff where I fell from ladders.  What the doctors said is that there is no telling when I fractured the hip.  One day it finally told me I was walking no more and needed crutches.  Once in the pool and thermal spa I had no pain but trying to get out was a bugger, especially just before I was hospitalized.

Dont think i will doing ski or cycling. ..lol.but kudos to you.. Very pleased with my recovery after five weeks post op total hip replacement..Walking very well with no swelling to be seen whatsoever.....Drove for the first time yesterday on some short errands and just sore this morning around incision but walking is still amazing and no pain anymore like i had before the surgery....

grateful that i will be able to do things with our six grandkids soon ..truthfully the hardest thing for me during this recovery was being isolated to the house the first five weeks with your wife at work 12 hours a day after the first week and a half. Yesterday was a huge breathe of fresh air being able to drive a short distance...One day at a time trusting the process.

Wonderful to hear you are doing so well!  I am 10 weeks out from my anterior THR and biking and swimming pain free.  I should be cleared to dance in a few months.  I am so happy!  I cannot imagine living with the pain and reduced activity. 

 Hi I am four weeks post anterior bilateral hip replacement.  I am also very active and turning 60 in a couple days   I am currently,  walking, and driving to PT three days a week.  I have a little pain only after PT exercises and use ice packs. I walk as much as I can, climb stairs at home and do the PT exercises as often as possible. 

 I’m very happy that I had  bilateral hip replacement  done at the same time, I am now able to get around pain-free .  Each day I can see improvements in my abilities.  Keep moving and your never slow down. 😎

I really appreciate your positive attitude post thr. I will be 63 soon & feel blessed that I can also share success and pray for those who have yet to achieve what we have. I was also physically active before, took nearly 2 years initially with minor pain increasing in severity to literally dragging my leg the last couple months, several doctors & tests before my hip finally reared it’s ugly head in the last MRI showing the reason for my pain. I’m 3 mos post op, have gone back to a physical job, feel some discomfort if I’ve had a long day, & a little stiff when getting up after sitting a length of time. While recovery time was tough but more inconvenient and a challenge of  patience, the pain pre surgery is gone!! I continue to be in awe of the miracle where my wonderful dr removed the crumbling hip joint and put  this foreign device in alleviating all the pain. I hope we can give others some hope!

Great story Ed. Very encouraging and honest .

I also can say that hip replacement is the only choice when bones lose their function.

Its a tough solution for some and yet once we are thru the surgery most of us wonder why we put it off for so long or why the complications.  I had a break in the greator totancher and although I have had two THR and one complicated revision I beleive I am very lucky to have a better quality of life. 

Best wishes to you and I see your life is pretty much back on track and on the way to back in business as usual ! 👍

how people survived with broken hips prior to modern surgery like in my case where the hip was fractured and the pain is pretty intense.  In the old days people lived with the pain.  

Hi Ed-

  Pre-THR (1975 or so), hip problems were things to be endured. And treatments were things to be dreaded. A fracture of the femoral neck was treated by pinning. Trouble was, the surgery was brutal, lots of pain, traction, muscle weakness and damage. Inevitably, either the pin would loosen, or excess bone would form, irritating surrounding tissue or greatly reducing range of motion.

For common arthritis, surgeons could add a metal cup to the joint. No stem, no polished ball, no slippery opposing bearing surface—just a cup and the doc’s best wishes. The end result: pain, traction, pain, weakness, eventual fusion of the joint from excess bone formation. And did I mention pain?

Joint pain could overwhelm a patient, drive them to ask for a surgical fusion: three lag screws driven into the pelvis, through the suitably shortened thigh bone. Result was a leg a few inches shorter, and lots of pain as things stabilized. You may recall these folks, swinging their clumsy, shortened, legs with clunky extended soles on their shoes, as they labored to walk on crutches. Or maybe not; they did get out much, and generally were not employable.

THR changed all that. Initially, a couple of days in traction, a couple of weeks in the hospital. These days, it’s a few hours. Outpatient joint replacement, a miracle. Pain? Minor, maybe a couple of pills for a couple of days. 

These are the good old days for folks with hip problems. Except if the miracle surgeries fail. Then, it’s back to the 60s.

Hello Ducksoup

I can remember waking up with none of the referred pain I had prior to the THR. It was amazing. I did have a new pain but this was just from the surgery.  Prior to my surgery my bones were spurring and my leg was dropping out mildly from under me.  The referred pain to the knee and back was extreme and it was just amazing that this pain was gone once the hip was replaced. I also required a plate as the spurring was bad.

Yes, it was worth the surgery.

 

Hi Ed

I broike and dislocated my hip in a car accident in Portugal in about 1975. In those days the treatment was to put the hip back in and then put the patient in traction for 3 months followed by 3 months on crutches - non and then partial weight bearing.

Worked OK for me but I think today they'd have put a replacement in. Probably a lot cheaper but I doubt I'd have got the 30+ years out of a replacement as I did out of my repaired hip.

Mike

PS I think cycling (even on a stationary bike) is really good. It's low impact and you don't put as much wieght on your hip as you do when walking (and much less than running) I'm sure some people do OK with swimming but I've mostl;y swum breast stroke and post my THR I've found that difficult.