Hi, My name is Justin. I was in a car accident 10 years ago. Long story short I broke my pelvis. 18 fractures. Over the years my hip has been on its way out. the last few months have been the worst. Its constantly poping in and out. I'm in line for a hip replacement and Im not too sure what to expect.
my surgeon told me the typical wait time on this type of surgery is 1 to 2 years. He said I dont have to wait. I saw him on the 9th of may and he booked me in for surgery june 9th.
He told me I would be walking asap. probably the night after surgery and out of the hospital 2-3 days later.
I have a couple questions.
1. Can I get a nerve block So I dont need morphine in the hospital
2. How long will I be in pain
3. should I do physio immediately after surgery
4. is it easy for the hip to pop out of joint afterwards
I'm getting a ceramic style ball and socket. do they last longer?
thank you soo much for reading. I watched a hip replacement on youtube and now I'm kinda freaking out.
Im 36 ex pro rugby player best thing I ever did im 7 months post op feel great.
Dont get me wrong first 2 weeks are tough hard to sleep and tender from the bruising. My advice is do all the excercises they tell you and take your pain meds at first. Get out walking asap but you will need a nap afterwards be positive the pain your in now will be much worse than after the op.
Also eat fruit and vegetarian and keep hydrated your body is a machine good stuff helps it repair.
Hi Justin, sorry to hear about your hip, I'm on my way to a hip replacement too. This is a great forum and your going to get lots of help from around the world. I can't help you with your questions but I wanted to welcome you... Don't freak out your going to be fine. I've learned to listen to these hippies more that the doctors.
1. Nerve block (Spinal bloack) is normally the preferred method of pain relief for the operation.
2. How long will I be in pain - how long is a piece of string? It depends, some only a day or two, some for weeks. I reduced to paracetamol after just a few days - I was lucky with very little pain.
3. should I do physio immediately after surgery - YES ! follow the physio guidelines, this will help the muscles recover strength. Don't push too hard, you can do damage if you do.
4. is it easy for the hip to pop out of joint - Yes ... that's why we are given the 90 degree rule - do not bend more than 90 degrees until the surgeon says you can.
5. ceramic on Ceramic are generally thought to last longer - only time will tell.
See my website for common complications and tips from hippies on this forum, the website address is in my personal info here ...
Wow, you've been through such a lot at such a young age. Happy to hear that you are getting help right away though. To answer your questions, I can only tell you what I have experienced.
1. I had a nerve block and some sedation through an IV. The experience was very positive. From what I can tell by being on this forum for the past 7 months is that surgeons seem to prefer this method over GA.
2. Pain - Everyone is different in their pain threshold, plus it will also depend on how much prescription pain meds you are put on for the first few weeks. It seems that some patients on this forum have not been given much help at all, while others like myself was put on very good pain pills and the entire process of my FHR was a breeze!! Talk to your specialist and find out what he or she prescribes after a FHR. If the response is not much, RUN!! Get a different surgeon.
3. Yes, physio starts immediately within hours after surgery. This will continue once you go home for several more weeks.
4. It depends on the method used, age, weakness of muscles, etc. You are young which is in your favor. The Anterior/Lateral approach is quite safe and you'll have very few restrictions. That's what I had done. The Posterior approach is easier for the surgeon, but there are more restrictions for the patient for the first 6 weeks or so. Again, talk to your surgeon. Make a list of all the questions you have and take them with you. Meeting the surgeon can be daunting and the time is often limited. If you have your questions with you, the surgeon can quickly go down the list.
I also have a ceramic style ball and socket. They are supposed to be the latest thing, so only time will tell for us. My surgeon told me to expect 25-30 years of use
PS. Don't freak out. I actually stayed awake during my entire procedure. Epideral and then the IV. I was told to 'just say the word' and they was knock me out in seconds. I did get nautious a few times, but the experience pretty cool
Here's my experience. Walking day after op. With walker. Exercises same. Restrictions off after 6 weeks. Continued exercises. Had spinal. Happy drugs. Off narcotics by day three. Tylenol extra strength
Justin it is totally normal to be freaking out... this is normall. NORMAL..to be driven crazy with the idea of this... so relax about that.. It is super harsh and invasive and you are facing the saws and hammers as you know after watching this on utube. Your bone i being amputated and you ae getting your hip dislocated and put back together with a huge amount of force... so...there is nothing sweet or gentle about what you are facing. But you can do it and you will be glad you did..BUT... This is major surgery and a huge deal.
YOu can get a spinal and I think practically everyone does. They add another set of anesthetic so you don't hear or feel a thing. You will wake up feeling fine and ready to eat and will walk the same day. No need to take morphine unless you elect to .. you will be totally in charge and cogent literally two hours after they gie you the spinal.
Not sure how long you will be in pain but it was seriously less than I was expecting and totally tolerable and doable ......and alot less stress than you are going through right now. At five weeks I am practically walking on my own and other than the ninety degree restriction which is annoying and restricts travel and freedom... I can pretty well get on with life and fun already.
U may find you are more tired than you expect and you need to do physio as directly daily at least three times for twenty minutes or so. It is more boring than anything but do it. I also love doing my excercises in the pool.
Be glad that you are scheduled for June ninth. This gives you less time to go downhill and do further damage and less time to torture yourself about the thought of what you are facing.. alone...
You are going to feel so much better and happier after the surgery. You are doing to do well and have more freedom. Please keep us posted. We will be waiting to hear how it goes for you
Sending you strength and lots of good wishes.. we know what you are going through... been there.. done that..
Hate to be the stick in the mud but it can happen!! It did to me. I had a rthr in July 3 weeks later I find out I dislocated it. How? To this day I'm not sure. 3 weeks 2 days later im having a total hip revision. The cup and stem became loose as I had been walking on it for over a week. I was the odd ball as I didn't have the excruciating pain associated with a dislocated hip. I had to be 6 weeks non weight bearing, no hip exercises and no hip flexion past 80 degrees. Most hardest thing to do!! Hands and shoulders were in so much pain after that. I'm 9 months out now...I'm now having to deal with nerve pain and discomfort. Also buttock pain. My recovery has been slow as I move more my muscles and tendons are not happy. See before I was not using certain muscles and I was 1&1:2 inches short. Now I'm even length but again the muscles, tendons and all are stretching and it's been tough going through this. I've had to injections in the cutaneous nerve in my thigh to help with the sensitivity and having to take lyrica. I'm not saying you won't have a successful surgery you probably will, but there's that small chance...it happened to me and I'm only 54 and I'm pretty good shape as I was going to gym 4x a week despite my disability and pain before surgery. I'm wishing you all the best for a speedy recovery, healing and successful surgery!! I wish I had seen this forum before my surgery!! I didn't discover it till after my first surgery.
Just remember no twisting no bending and the 90 degree rule at least for the first 6 weeks. My first surgery was anterior the second was posterior. 2 major surgeries on same hip within 3 weeks definitely has made my recovery longer. It will be ok!! You will be ok. LD
Hi Justin, you poor thing, what bad luck damaging your hip in a car accident. Pleased that you are getting it replaced quite soon.
I think the others have covered all of your​ questions. I was lucky, had a very straight forward recovery, loads better than I was expecting. I had spinal block, was up the same day, on my crutches day 1, out on day 2. I had ceramic on ceramic too, meant to be good, but who knows.......( Only had it 10 months.)
I would recommend taking all your prescribed meds for the first couple of weeks at least, then you can mobilise more, and get on with your exercises.