Total Hip Replacement/Hip Resurfacing

During the spring, my doctor talked about using stem cells to help my hip. Then during the summer he talked about a partial operation to fix part of the problem. Now no go. I have taken prednisone for 24 years for my asthma. My body stopped producing cortisone naturally . I swan Wednesday and only felt good while in the pool. It hurts to walk and my leg tingles. I am told to take the pain pills prescribed. The pills do nothing to ease the pain. They do cause me to hallucinate. Once at work, I thought a little lady in a red dress was talking to me. She was asking me t follow her down this hallway. I wondered why she thought I could possibly fit down this short hallway. Then I realized there was no hallway there. Does anyone think it is time to get a second opinion? Right now it feels as if a hot iron bar is stabbing my hip.

After my total hip replacement, I was back in the water after 5 weeks (pretty much as soon as the wound healed), and I was back doing flip turns after 7 weeks (after my hip precautions were lifted). I would not be afraid of the replacement. Your life will be vastly improved!

You will be able to do all stuff but hard runnig as it cuts down on the long term of the implant. I had the same side replaced after i WORN THE SOCKET INTO AN OVAL? & 7 years on the original. WAS THIS A FAULTY SoCKET OR JUST A FLUKE? I still swim 3 times a week on the team with no side affects other than a really tight IT band that I am working on. Good luck & get back to swimming soon!

When the pain first started the doctor was very gung ho about doing something. Then when cyst was found on my L1 vertabra, he cooled down a lot. My hip is a constant pain. Right now not so bad. Suday, I could barely walk. The on-call doctor told me to either go to the ER or take aspirin or Tylenol. I couldn't get to my car to go to the ER. I'm waiting for the PA to return my call. Wheni swim is the only time my hip doesn't hurt but afterwards it does.

I swam 2 days in a row. Now my right hip is so sore I can barely stand on it. The PA from my doctor's office never called the other day. i am thinking of trying tofind another doctor. I am really confused. I ve always had realy great and understanding doctors. I think this guy is too busy.

Craig - I'm sorry to hear the providers are unresponsive when you are in so much pain; that is a red flag about them. If you know a good doc in the area, perhaps you could ask whom he/she would go to with such a problem? Pathologists in particular know quite a lot about surgeons and their outcomes. Good luck exiting this problem and returning to better health soon! VB

I had a THR in Sept 2008, 2 days after I turned 50! I had so much pain that I had to swim with a pull buoy, couldn't kick at all. Four weeks after surgery I was back in the pool, swimming easily and resistance walking. I asked 5 physical therapists when I could start doing flip turns. These guys had over 100 combined years of experience and they couldn't answer this question. I got so sick of open turns, I started doing flips 2 weeks after swimming, or 6 weeks after surgery. It was a non-event. Breaststroke kick, however, still is a mess. It doesn't feel good at all. I need to strengthen my hip rotators. I do a leg workout once/week, but must not be pushing those rotators enough. I also still feel some discomfort in the leg which is coming from the non-cemented implant - still bonding going on (it's been 6 months today). All my other strokes are doing well and my energy is back. I am very happy with my THR and wish I had done it earlier. Hi Jenny I'm glad that your THR is going well. I have a few thoughts for you based on my rehab experience from a 2006 hip resurfacing. Like you I was back in the pool as soon as could be and most things went well. Like you my breaststroke kick was horrible (though I should say that it was always fairly horrible.) However, over time things have continued to improve and a few weeks ago I was surprised to swim my fastest 50br since I was a teenager (I'm 50 too). My take aways: 1. Be patient - you may find hip strength and flexibility can continue to improve for years - mine has. 2. Do as much hip strengthening as possible, both in and out of the water. For example, after workout I stand in the hot tub and do adductor/abductor strengthening against water resistance. This is also something you can do between swim sets. 3. Keep the hip specific PT going indefinitely. If you are interested I might be able to find my hip PT program and send it - but you probably have plenty of exercises already. In my case, I had lost years of conditioning from "protecting" my painful hip, so it's not too surprising that I had a lot of work to do to regain strength. Your breaststroke may always feel slightly strange, but my guess is that with patience you'll get back to a breaststroke kick you're very happy with. Good luck PS Off the block starts are another item to be patient with!

I had a THR in Sept 2008, 2 days after I turned 50! I had so much pain that I had to swim with a pull buoy, couldn't kick at all. Four weeks after surgery I was back in the pool, swimming easily and resistance walking. I asked 5 physical therapists when I could start doing flip turns. These guys had over 100 combined years of experience and they couldn't answer this question. I got so sick of open turns, I started doing flips 2 weeks after swimming, or 6 weeks after surgery. It was a non-event. Breaststroke kick, however, still is a mess. It doesn't feel good at all. I need to strengthen my hip rotators. I do a leg workout once/week, but must not be pushing those rotators enough. I also still feel some discomfort in the leg which is coming from the non-cemented implant - still bonding going on (it's been 6 months today). All my other strokes are doing well and my energy is back. I am very happy with my THR and wish I had done it earlier.

Jenny, I have also found traveling and long spells sitting quite hard for an old hippie but my comfort with both have improved steadily post HR. To add to your exercise you might want to consider some work on a trampette and balance board. My PT had me jogging on the trampette, pausing to balance for a few seconds every 3rd or 5th step. Similarly the balance board mobilized lots of the muscles around the hip joint. I suggest you check with your PT if this might be helpful. There are of course lots of other exercises you could do which might be good for when you are on the road. Good luck! PS I improved my breaststroke time again last week, but maybe it was my new tech suit!

Guy, Thank you for your feedback! I was very interested in your comments about continuing hip PT. I have been traveling lately and sometimes spend a whole day in a seminar. On those days, I do not get to do any exercise and my hip seems to be not as happy on those days. Besides swimming, I ride a stationary bike and play golf so I've been giving it a lot of work. I will keep up the hip rotator exercises and hope to get my breaststroke kick back. I have not been competing and haven't been off a block in decades! thanks again, Jenny