[Closed] Hip Replacement / Re-surfacing

Hi D28boy, I'm 42 with a limp and I'm currently putting it off until it's absolutely necessary. I'm sure I will have to have it long before I'm 49 though. Currently the surgeon has suggested that I have re-surfacing surgery which is a lot less intrusive but still is not guaranteed that I will be able to ride.

having had a broken hip about 10 years ago I'd go with whichever option has the longest time before failure. specifically if offered a replacement I woudl ask which specific joint is being used and do some very careful research on how long that one lasts and what specific issues it has (they all have some).

I was told when I did my hip that if I'd been 5 years older they'd have fitted a replacement as a matter of course due to problems with the bone necrotising (sp?). I'd try and understand what the chances of that with a resurface is.

Usually the wisest thing to do is to opt for the less invasive surgery, however there are circumstances when hip resurfacing is not a viable option. I needed a total hip replacement surgery due to avascular necrosis in my hip and I didn't had other options. Recovery depends on the person, but I was walking normally after about six weeks, and I was pain free. You'll have to follow PT and be careful to not stress your hips joint too much at the beginning. After six month I was confident enough to do some long distance cycling, and I didn't had any problems with it. Although there is another side to hip replacement as I found out recently at some [url= http://www.defectivehip.org/ ]attorneys for hip replacements[/url] website. I'm so glad that I don't have problems with mine.
I hope you'll be able to make the best decision for you, and I wish you a fast recovery.

Look up alval and metallosis. Metal on metal hips which resurfacings are are a huge problem which is not yet fully understood...

Have you been offered a new hip ?
My wife had a new hip a couple of years ago which we had to pay for privately.The consultant admitted that she needed a new hip but would not do the operation until she was over 60,which would be 10 years time.
The aftercare privately was appalling.
You have to stick to the advice you are given post op and make as much use as you can of the physiotherapy available.
My wife ignored the advice and 2 years on still cannot walk normally and progress is agonisingly slow.

Speaking as some one who did some PhD work on hip replacements I can tell you the following. Hip replacement is very serious surgury but I am sure you were under no illusions. I watched a couple of operations as part of the work I did, it was brutal building work.

The risk of infection is greater as bone is far more suseptable to infection due to poorer blood supply. Infection can mean the failure of the implant. For a patient with a failed implant due to infection I once CAD designed a mould from the chaps X-rays and CNC milled it from Nylon. A cast was made from the mould in PMMA cement loaded with antibiotics of the chaps hip. This was fitted instead of the failed implant and he to lie in bed for 6 weeks or so while the PMMA cement "implant" helped deal with the infection. Failure of implants is relatively common unfortunatley. I have not worked in the field for some time so I do not the current failue rates. They would have improved over the last ten years anyway. Hip replacement have a life of 25 years max, it can be alot less. If the hip has to be re done the second replacment never lasts as long.

So put it off as long as you can, however the results of opperation can be life changing on the upside. Have a through discussion with a consultant and get all the info you need. They don't mind answering questions.

For MoM resurfacing read this. I would go with these guidlines, they are evidence based and are kept up to date.
http://guidance.nice.org.uk/TA44

MoM resurfacing is used if the patient is going to survive longer than the hip replacement, given your age I would say that is a given.

i have some hip pain gp says i am heading for a hip replacement in the future its not that bad really at tje moment. Gp says cycling is good for the joint i do about 100 miles a week. Am i doing the right thing or shoud i ease of you guys with the limp can you still ride

My experience and a mates is that cycling seems to be the best thing to keep our dodgy hips moving and pain free.

i have some hip pain gp says i am heading for a hip replacement in the future its not that bad really at tje moment. Gp says cycling is good for the joint i do about 100 miles a week. Am i doing the right thing or shoud i ease of you guys with the limp can you still ride

Often wondered the same thing.

In the early 80's I had a serious accident as a teenager breaking both my legs quite badly and always suffered with hip pain since. In the early 90's whilst competing in the MTB world champs the doc advised me to ease up as I had seriously worn my right hip joint, caused by the difference in length of my legs.

I quit racing/training but continued to ride for pleasure, reducing the miles I was riding by about 300 per week lol. I continued running short distances 1-2 miles and boxing which it didnt seem to affect my joint.

Still to this day I have the same dull pain but luckily it only gets bad if I run more than a couple of miles or cycle 30+ hard offroad.

Thankfully that advice saved me a very early replacement. So in my case easing off seemed to halt the degeneration process of the joint (or at least dramatically slow it).

Thanks guys tend to do more road stuff than mtb i find devils claw helps with the pain if it gets to bad

Friend had his hip replaced last year. His suggestion was also that physiotherapy was the single biggest thing that improved the end result. He is very happy with the result and is riding better than ever. (sorry not a comparison, but at least a positive result)