I am intreagued to know how many of you have had the anterior hip replacement and how many had the posterior. Ive heard anterior is the minimal invasive one with a much smaller scar but i dont think thats the one im going to have. So who had which and is there really any difference to recovery time... Thanks guys
Not sure what I had. I will check with the consultant tomorrow.
I think the anterior has a scar to the front and obviously the posterior is more to the back lol
I think mine is posterior then. It is only about 4 inches long and very neat.
Lucky girl, my posterior scar is about 12 inches long, took 5 weeks to heal and is still painful. At the time I didn't even know there were possible alternatives
wow that is a small scar.....which hospital was that done at
depending on who's doing the op some surgar cuts to the front and some to the back you'll have to ask at your next appointment.
I had to the front and it's about 8 to 9 ins long, it's from the top of the hip down to the side of the leg.
Good Luck, and keep us posted.
Hi. I had a posterior RTHR. Scar is just to the back of hip bone, six inches long and very neat. Completely healed by three weeks and really hardly noticeable. It depends on which your surgeon does most often and is the most expert in doing as that's the one that's going to be most successful in the long run. If you are having this done under the NHS you probably won't have a choice and unless you're an expert in these things anyway, put yourself in the hands of the surgeon and his team and let them do what they do best! Very good luck to you.
I don't know what mine is either - it doesn't seem to be anterior ( towards the front) or posterior (towards the back) - it's down the side of my hip, about 8-10 in long, but I guess veering towards the butt at the top end. Consultant removed the external staples 10 days after op, and I could remove the dressing fully a couple of days later. Would recommend you ask or check they put on a waterproof dressing, as that way you don't have to fiddle about with it and you can have a shower whenever you want.
has anyone been offered advice or guidance about helping the scar to heal? Nurses recommended rubbing in bio oil to my mum after her knee replacement, and I've been using Sheald recovery balm from IS Clinical (you can getting from Victoria Health online). Not cheap at 43 quid, but I read some very good reviews about it. Seems to be healing ok, currently at just over 4 weeks since op. Will ask my consultant this week too.
good luck essexmad - if they cut side/back then get yourself some nice comfy squishy cushions! I found sitting the most uncomfortable position for at least 2 weeks.
Hi, I live in france and I had a Anterior, minimam invasive, cant say that I have had much pain, I am 13 days PO and my scar is about 3/4 inches.
thats what i would like Lynn ive heard the healing time is far quicker. Ive been watching ur progress and im glad things are going good for u x
The care and after care here in France is just amazing, i have my own PT every morning for half an hour. I would certainly recommend this approach and no restrictions, he said it was a new method. if you need to know anything just ask. x
ive been looking on the internet to see if i can find where they actually carry out this procedure near me but im not having any luck. Im not even sure they would do it on the NHS.
what area are you, can you not go anywhere? x
im in Leeds and do u mean i have a choice where i go ???? I would defo like the anterior but like i say dont really know what to do about it lol. should i ring the hospital and ask them x
If you are a candidate for anterior, I would strongly suggest you do it. I have read countless stories of patients that have had posterior replacements that have a terrible time sleeping post OP and have serious restrictions for many weeks after the surgery.
I had an anterior 7 weeks ago tomorrow and can't speak highly enough about the speed of recovery. I walked with a walker once and my PT moved me to crutches. I was discharged from the hospital 50 hours after my surgery and switched to a cane the day I got home. Two weeks after that, I got rid of they cane and haven't looked back since.
I think my biggest keys to success are...
1. get a great doc that will do an anterior approach or at least an anterolateral approach. I had zero restrictions as far as how I could move my leg post surgery.
2. try to be in reasonable physical shape before the surgery. If you can walk 3-5 miles before your surgery, you will bounce back quickly.
3. work hard at your physicial therapy, to a point. My PT told me the first day, "It take about 8 weeks to get back to strength. There are two ways to make it take longer. Don't do the work, or push it too hard.
As for scar, the typical scar for an anterior approach is typically 4". It starts at the front-most part of your pelvis and extends straight toward the knee, unless there are issues like I had and then they will have to open you up a bit more. Mine is about 7".
Mike
i am too from Leeds. I understood that you could choose where you wanted to go? . My advice to you would be do your research regards your surgeon, try and be as fit as possible before the op. I know there is a web site that list surgeons, i woukd repost on here asking that question , you live inLeeds who did everyone else have and that you want Anterior. I am in rehab here in france and a lady here had posterior and she seems to be taking longer to recover, but that just could come down to everyone is different, my PT thinks anterior is better. Post on here and on an other site on Face Book called Total Hip Replacement, and weigh up the pros and con. good luck, keep us informed. Lynn
I had both, right hip posterior and left hip is anterior. They were done 10 months apart. Posterior scar is in the back of my thigh and today barely shows (14 months old), anterior scar is in front, same size as posterior (19 weeks old). If i had to do it over again, i would do bilateral posterior THR because that is the one with the best end results for me. Anterior surgery may, in most cases, leave you with nerve pain damage. I have light swelling on the side of my left thigh and numbness in the front, which the doctor warned me that it may always be there in some form. The posterior side is perfect.
It seems there are pro's and con's to everything.... I'm starting to really panic now it's getting near for my surgery.. I'm going to look on Facebook like suggested and see what else I can find out... Can't wait till this is all over... Thanks guys x
You are right, there's pros and cons for each. Posterior first 4-6 weeks recovery is a royal pain in the butt but i am more concerned with end results than recovery because that's what you end up with. Anterior recovery is faster with a little less precautions to take but it is prone to nerve issues. Just listen to your doctor recommendations and know that you will be safe with eithe, posterior or anterior.