I went to see Dr Brian F. Kavanagh in ONS, Greenwich, CT, US. Is anyone here familiar with him? He took x-ray and told me I will need THR for both hips in the near future. This came to me as a surprise, as my HIP pain is not that severe, I thought I have Hip bursitis as I have difficulty to get on/off my bicycle, also, have difficulty to put on my socks, and get in to my car, etc.
I am a recreational cyclist, during the cycling season (April-Sept), I cycle around 4 days a week. I would like to get some advise if I need to reduce the amount of cycling before the surgery or not. What are your advises regarding the Must-Do Pre-Op Exercises Before the Hip Replacement Surgery?
The current plan is, early next year, do surgery for one hip first, once recovered, do another.
Any advise you can offer is appreciated. I did obtain the laymans guide to Total Hip Replacement from Rocketman54 which is very very helpful.
Others on here have far more knowledge than I have but I didn't have any pain in my hip. My problems were poor flexibilityand my thighs hustle so much. I could hardly put any weight on my right leg. I assumed it was a problem with my muscles/tendons and the fact that one leg appeared longer than other. Saw my consultant who told me problem was in my hip and other symptoms were as a consequence of that.
Despite the pain I continued to do as much of my normal daily routine as I could. We grow all our own vegetables so if all else failed I would crawl on my knees round the field. I am 4 weeks post op and really feel that staying active as possible right up to the operation has really helped in recovery as my muscles are still strong enough to cope.
I am waiting for a hip replacement and I was advised by the surgeon that cycling on a static bike and swimming would be good. I joined a health club where a lot of other members have hip or knee problems and spoke to a fitness advisor who put a programme together for the gym using the bikes and some weights for upper body strength (chest and shoulder presses) Then as well as swimming I found I could do aqua fit, Pilates and Yoga and have been doing all of those every week day for the last three months and feel a lot better for it. The instructors provide alternative exercises if I can't do some of the moves. I take naproxen 45 mins before starting exercise and this also helps. My hip only really hurts in certain positions as long as I take the Naproxen but I don't like taking that or the Lanzoprazole that goes with it to prevent ulcers as these drugs can affect the heart. So I am trying to get as fit as possible pre op to get as good a result as possible post op. Water exercises really help as there is no pressure on the joint. Good luck
Regards
Ann
I cycled on a road bike and spinning classes right up to my operation. I also did some Pilates ( in particular bridge and leg lift, clam and side leg lift) and worked on my core strength in the build up. I seem to have recovered quickly and am now back to all my previous activity 8 weeks after my operation. My physio said if I could manage the pain beforehand then there was no need to stop. I took paracetamol if I needed to. Good luck with your surgery.
Don't know if my experience is of any use to you regarding exercise. I did a lot of pilates and off road running until I started getting pains in my shim, groin and finally across my thigh. I must have given up running 18 months before my operation and pilates 10 months. I was told by physios that I had a running injury so I kept going on the promise that with their treatment all would come right. It didn't and while I didn't have the terrible pain others have I found myself increasingly unable to walk any distance and use the leg. Tiredness was the other thing that hit me badly.
I was finally told I needed a new hip because of unusual wear at the bottom of the joint.. Exercises beforehand were never mentioned and I don't think I would have wanted any. I had the operation and was back to work at 6 weeks. I have had some trouble with my naturally shorter unoperated leg which is now a bit longer, but I think I will get that problem sorted. I haven't been very good at doing the exercises i was given but I feel fine in my legs and do quite a bit of walking. Lack of muscle strength has not come into my recovery. Perhaps years of running have helped, I don't know. I do admire people who do exercise beforehand but just on my experience and my body only, I don't think it would have made any difference. I now just miss the running and must settle for swimming and walking. Best wishes for whatever you decide.
Hi, I was told that the fitter you can be before your surgery, then the better the recovery might be. I had some exercises from physio, and I continued to bike to work until my op because it was less painful than walking.
I would imagine that as you get nearer to surgery next year, you'll probably want to reduce your cycling if you are in a lot of pain by then.
Good luck.
dear sms,
warm welcome to the hippies forum where we share personal experiences and stories -
It comes as a shock, doesn't it ?
You received wonderful responses - it seems that the longer you can do your exercises the better you'll feel - Unfortunately I was in too much pain to continue exercises except for riding the stationary bike -
A good and knowledgeable physical therapist (like Anniepaint's) can work with you - I was not that lucky and it made it worse -
Sound advice all together -
Rocketman's Layman's Guide is a great source of information and of course, you can always come here if you have concerns or questions, or just want to talk about it --
It is overwhelming, we all know that !
big warm hug
renee