My twenty year old total hip replacement is due to be replaced early in May due to the poly having worm out. At the same time my surgeon is going to swap the ball with a new one.
I'm trying to get some idea of what other's experience is of the severity of the surgery and how the length of the recovery compared to the original surgery. What age were you when you had your original surgery and what was it for the revision. An idea of your fitness and BMI index and any other relevant factors would be much appreciated.
Many thanks. Richard
I asked my Surgeon. He said a total replacement is worse. A partial, as long as it is not the stem, still major but not so bad. I am 66. I hope mine lasts as long as I do
Morning Richard! I'm 54. Had my first rhr this past July. Dislocated it and had to have a total hip revision 3 weeks later. Unfortunately I am unable to compare the two but this revision is no walk in the park. Im 8 months in now. Dealing with nerve pain and discomfort, still limping and groin and buttock pain and discomfort. Had to be 6 weeks non weight bearing and no hip flexion past 80 degrees and no hip exercises. When I was finally able to bear weight again dr diagnosed me with bursitis and tendonitis. 6 months physical therapy. Using a cane most of the time but can walk around home without it. No more bone on bone pain. Not trying to discourage you in any way but this is my experience of a revision that was too soon. I hope this hip last till death do we part!! I never want to go through this again. Unfortunately my knee is next, not to mention both shoulders. Arthritis is s terrible thing to have as I'm finding it attacks all your joints. Prayers that all will be good for you and you have a speedy recovery. Wishing you all the best!! Hugs 🤗LD
Reason for total revision was that I had been walking and do exercises on a dislocated hip for at least a week. I guess I'm one of those rare people who withstood a dislocation as I was told as others that if you dislocated your hip you would be in level 10 pain. Unfortunately I was not. So when dr was going to try and do s closed reduction ( pop hip back in) he couldn't and had to do total revision because cup and stem were loose and I had very small fractures on femur. He put 2 cable like ties around the femur bone after revision to ensure it would not fracture further. Hence the 6 weeks non weight bearing as it takes that long to bone to grow into new hip per dr. LD
Golly Linda what terribly bab luck you had and many thanks for sharing.
I was so fortunate when I had my original hip replacement that my recovery as I remember it was a walk in the park really. After all I've said on the forum I hope twenty years on good fortune will smile on me again and that the revision will be trouble free and the recovery quick and easy as I will then be due to have my total ankle on the other side revised or whatever and ankles take a hell of a lot more recovery time, pain and effort.
Oh well, that's life.
Cheers Richard
Dear Steve
Thanks for that. I understand that the stem looks solid and that the ball which is on a Morse taper should be easily tapped off and the replacement popped back on. Then the poly cup and enclosure replaced. Well that's the theory!
Cheers Richard
Dear Linda
Just read your post again and I cannot begin to fully appreciate all that you gave been through in the past eight months. How stressful to be having to face shoulder and knee surgery as well. you really are so brave Linda.
Best wishes
Richard
Thank you Richard. I just saw dr about my knee. Gave me an injection thinks I have a lateral meniscal tear, and of course arthritis. Will be getting MRI done to see all that's going on and go from there. Shoulders will have to be put on hold. I'm still trying to recover from this hip!! When I was 12 they put 24 staples in my knee to stop leg from growing so other leg could catch up. I can imagine what that looks like after all these years!! Dr says I'm running out of parts that aren't bad!! I'm too young! Oh well such is life. Again wishing you all the best for a speedy recovery and healing. God's blessings to you. LD
In many cases replacement of the cup and ball is referred to as revision surgery. the poly cup wears out due to age of componens as well as wear and tear of mechanical failure over time.
If the cup and ball are the only components to be replaced and no metallic or metal components are involved then there should be no bone loss involved in the revision.
Depending on the origional incision muscles and tendons take the usual time and physical therapy for recovery.
Usually replacing the cup and ball involves the surgeon to use the origional incision from the primary THR.
The dislocation of joint is done to remove and replace the cup and ball. This will have a next day walking on hip and currently 6-8 week restrictions and follow up by surgeon.
May is just around the corner good luck on your next journey thru revision and a great recovery ! 👍
Dear Linda
Yes you are far too young to have had all these setbacks. I hope that you are not having to deal with this on your own. I do hope that life starts to go a lot better for you very soon.
Thanks for your good wishes...much appreciated.
Cheers Richard
That's excellent information and so much of it too. Very many thanks. the surgeon who I carefully selected twenty years ago is soon to retire and that combined with his commitments and my having moved nearly two hundred miles away means that he cannot do the revision.
I selected a hip surgeon in my area who does a large number of hips each year and more important does a lot of hip revision work. When I went to see him he greeted me with the revelation that my original surgeon had trained him over twenty years ago! The world really is a small place!
Cheers Richard
nope, 12/77 broke hip, closed reduction, 1/2000 LTHR, due to drop foot, walk slow, little wear on prosthetic, feel no different than when installed, never even got a tune up, thinkin bout gettin it scanned or something, my primary care dr. seems fine with it for now. Sorry I could not help, sorta, I'd rather not know if what they told me replacing the first prosthetic was gonna be like was true. Horror story if it's replaced, was the story back in 2000, hopefully now technique and stuff has gotten better and to replace a existing 20 something yr old piece of ancient tech will be an out patient procedure.
Thanks I’m hoping it will be straightforward for the surgeon. Actually I’m bot sure that the technology has moved on that much as there was an issue with the ceramic versions I seem to recall. They certainly had a squeaking problem. Mine has done well to last me twenty years of exceptionally hard work so it must have been a pretty good design I'm thinking!
Cheers Richard
Good luck with your revison Richard, very glad you have found a very good surgeon. It is most definitely worth 'shopping around' and having a highly experienced and careful surgeon, it is the starting point of a very successful outcome. It would be great if you could post how you are, and what your experience of the revision.
My understanding is that they have evolved a great deal from even ten years ago, so cheering you on from the cotswolds and it goes well for you.
Dear Rose
I have to say that IMO the skill of the surgeon is the main factor in a successful long lasting hip replacement. Whilst there have been new prosthesis put on the market since my total hip replacement I do not think they have really moved things on much. The ceramic versions have not been perfect and resulted in failures and withdraw from use as understand. It. Some suffered from squeaking. For example!
To continue Rose thanks for asking how I am. Well I'm a bit apprehensive partially as I'm going into two major surgeries at 75 not 55 as I was for for original hip replacement.
I'm getting around using one crutch but keep two in the car for longer walks such as when I had to journey to north London to see my ankle surgeon a couple of weeks ago.
I'm very busy with several significant projects and trying to train positive and main aim a good diet. I've unfortunately had to give up my four days a week swimming when I gad built up to over half a mike each session.
Best wishes
Richard
You sound incredibly fit and healthy, and this will be the best foundation for a good and solid recovery. Even perhaps more important than age.....you clearly have an incredibly strong mental attitude which helps no end too.
I don't think 75 years can be considered 'old' by any stretch. Especially now they are operating on patients that are 100 years old successfully. Your general health sounds very good indeed, perhaps better than many less than half your age.
It is completely natural to be apprehensive, anyone would be. I am sorry to say I made a terrible fuss privately - on the outside I would smile through it all, but inside I was feeling a terror I haven't experienced before. And mine was not a revision, so I can empathise entirely with your concerns.
Afterwards I layed quietly in recovery room and wondered what all of my anxiety had been about, listening to the christmas song playing cheerfully at the time, people have these operations the world over, revisions and all, why would mine be any different to anyone else's? And yet we would not be human or especially intelligent if we did not at least acknowledge the risks and the precious life we put in the hands of the surgeon.
The hopes and dreams of a good outcome that he/she holds is quite a big responsibility, and handing it over to someone else is bigger still..Our prayers answered when the surgery works and we are free to enjoy life again.
I have no doubt you will show us all how it can be done with grace and strength, and I hope you will come on the forum for support and advice. Many people check in alot, and it is good to know we are not alone in any situation we find ourselves in.
I am also training now for the next operation, it is the key to a good recovery and a fast one...I left it a little too late last time and won't make the same mistake again.
All the best Rose
Dear Rose
Very many thanks for your generous post. I'm reluctant to post fully on a public forum but am happy to share off forum but suffice to say that the last couple of years have been demanding in a number if ways but lots of wonderful stuff as well <BG>
Whilst the hip surgery of twenty years ago and the recovery were easy the ankle replacement triggered an unstable heart rhythm (AF) which I was previously unaware of. This showed up in the first few hours following the surgery and led to several very stressful and lonely dags in several g
Sorry but I triggered the send too soon! As I was saying I had several stressful and lonely days in several hospitals when it would have been nice to have had some loving support and someone to fight my corner. The general anaesthetic and or the surgery may have been the trigger, but this has left me apprehensive about both the revision surgery of the hip followed by the ankle.
Cheers Richard