I’m due to have a THR in 5 weeks time. I’m 49 and until recently I’ve been pretty fit and strong.
I’m hoping to be back in work 4 weeks post op…I manage large events, a week of events takes place then and I’m really hoping that I’ll be ok. Am I being unrealistic or given my age and pre op fitness is there a glimmer of hope.? Ideally without crutches and walking almost normally!
I know everyone’s different but I’d love to hear that it might be possible!
Thanks, all
Deb
I don’t want to dampen your expectations, but you will have to follow hip precautions for 6 weeks post op and keep doing your excersises every day.
I also was very fit and active before the op as I’m a keen horse rider and my job as a tour manager/guide can be physically demanding. I had my op nearly 3 years ago and I followed everything I was told to do and now most of the time I forget I ever had it done. I was off work for about 8 weeks and then had a phased return. I started riding my horse at 12 weeks.
Good luck with your op.
I am 5 months post op, 58, and a certified yoga instructor, very fit. I wasn’t permitted to do yoga until 8 weeks, not because of my fitness level but because the tissues needed time to heal. At 8 weeks, I was not able to endure the demands of a full day. That took a few more weeks to regain my endurance.
Hi
i agree with the others don,t be in a rush as the recovery is so important to the long term .
Give yourself 8 weeks at least and follow your surgeons instuctions , but also listen to your own body it will tell you if you have done to much or not .
My first two ops at 43/45 after 2 to 4 months i was nearly back to normal , exercising and riding my horses again .
good luck
I work for a company that gets involved in very large conferences, mainly for pharmaceutical companies. I was able to do desk work from home fairly soon after my op but there is no way that I could get involved with the organisation of them after four weeks. I did chair a couple of meetings after three weeks and was totally shattered. I used a stick rather than crutches as I was rubbish with crutches. It may be a good idea to ask one your medical team what they think.
Hi!
Unfortunately after 4 weeks it was difficult even sitting on a chair more than half an hour. I was fit before surgery, but my muscles seemed to forget everything after the surgery. I am 45.
I don’t think it makes sense to risk anything after this major surgery!
Hi Deb
Though age and fitness do have some bearing on your recovery rate, they are not the only factors that you have to take into consideration. You also need to allow for how badly affected your hip is and the mental toll the operation will take.
From my experience, I had been extremely fit and active prior to my hip deteriorating but by the time I realised that something was wrong and started the process with my GP, I had put a lot of weight on.
I had the operation which turned out to be more complicated that standard (apparently, according to a nurse I spoke to, 45 minutes is allowed for each hip operation). My first op took 3.5 hours!
During the first few weeks I found that I was extremely tired all the time and had the attention span of a gnat.
As I’m self-employed (desk job) , it was necessary for me to get back to work as quickly as possible and I phased in my return from 6 weeks onwards. The fact that I was self-employed was a boon during this period as it allowed me to be able to stop work and have a nap as and when it was needed (which was quite frequent).
Also, and this is quite common, I suffered a period of depression and found life was very difficult during this time.
My recovery was very slow, despite my best efforts, and I was still have some difficulty 4 months later.
My second THR was completely different. Though it did take longer than the standard 45 minutes, I was walking within 24 hours and was discharged from hospital in 2 days. I was driving at 3 weeks (automatic) and back to work at 4 weeks. I had a brilliant recovery.
I do hope your op goes well, but please allow yourself time to recovery from a major operation.
HI
I am 56 and hoping to be back to work from 12 weeks.
I found the first six weeks very tiring, THR is a huge operation, it takes a while to recover and get your strength back.
Anaemia is common, I am still taking iron tablets but at seven weeks dont feel so weak and washed out.
If you dont need to be back to work take as much leave as possible.
Good luck
ANNIE
hi Deb,
i was 39 when i had my thr and like yiu wanted to get back on my feet asap and get back to work. I think i was unprepapred for how long it took to get back to ‘normal’ and i was using crutches for much longer than i expected. As others have said don’t rush the recovery, listen to your body and take the time to heal. Good luck! x
While your current physical and mental strength should be a great boost post op, recovery deserves your full attention in advance of other commitments. Likely you work with a team. With their support and thanks to the likes of email, you may well be able to make a meaningful contribution within 4 weeks. Physically you are likely to be pain free, mobile with or without crutch/es and able to drive an automatic car at that stage. I took part in an evening event spanning 3 weeks which started about 4 weeks post op but made sure someone was available at all times for more physical aspects of the role and had a seat to hand. Best of luck with op.
JustDebWilldo,
I really think your expections are too high, no one knows how an op will go. I was told twelve weeks precautions which means no bending or twisting. It really is a big op, sawing bone, drilling it to insert new hip stem, sewing inside and in my case clips to close wound which are in for two weeks.
Plan for eight - ten anything less is a bonus.
Hey Deb I’m 47, am fit and exercise a fair bit…
I’m 15 days post op.. My take on it is that if you are no stranger to exercise and you are careful not to push it too hard, most of your recovery is in your own hands.
Progressive surgeons now don’t adhere to all of the “precautions” ( sleeping on back for 6 weeks - on your non op side with a pillow is ok, raised loo seats etc etc) as there is no empirical proof that these make any difference. If you are lucky and have chosen a good surgeon, they will be in this school of thinking.
Things are fairly or not different for “younger” patients, I know that every surgery is different and every body is completely different. Everyone will have a different result and you won’t really know until you are back in your bed post surgery.
I’m not using the crutches in the house all the time now, and am getting stronger every day.
I can’t recommend getting a decent stationary bike in the house for a while , it keeps everything moving, I have had no bruising, not much swelling, and am managing to sleep pretty well. I do tire mid afternoon and have got quite used to a 45 minute nap…
Make sure you eat well.. with a little blood loss and the cellular requirements post surgery, you need a lot of energy and protein, you’ll probably notice that you’ll eat like a horse in hospital until your discharge.. Keep some smoothies handy - I had the odd blood sugar crash post exercise last week
Keeping moving is the key. I’m working (from home) now, and get up and walk around every 15 minutes, I’m using the bike 3x25 mins a day and doing all of the bridging / physio 3x as well.
As for getting back to work physically, Im going to try to aim for week 5, but as everyone else says on this forum, don’t push it. You have to listen to your body and subconsciously, you’ll know when its right to step things up to the next level.
If your muscle is good in your glutes , hams and quads and you aren’t overweight before surgery, and you maintain a positive mental attitude your outcome should be good.
Thank you for your advice! I’ll see if anyone has a bike I can use at home for the first few weeks (I can use the gym bikes when I can get there) . I have kept my glutes, quads and hamstrings strong with targeted exercise which don’t aggravate my hip. I just can’t walk/run.. !!
The hospital where I’m having my surgery run a ‘hip school’ so I’ve already met the team who will be looking after me post op…they don’t insist on sleeping on your back now - no proof that there’s any benefit so side sleeping is fine.
I’m being treated as a day case..so surgery in the morning and home by dinner time.. a new approach but only offered to patients who will manage.
I’m hopeful that with this up to date approach there will be no objection to me exercising asap and getting back to work. I have a great team who will do all the leg work so I can rest if I need to.
Deb
You’ve got this totally under control. 
Hi Deb,
I don’t want to shatter your faith, but I think four weeks is a little ambitious. I was 52 for my hip replacement and only averagely fit. Whilst I had no major problems in the weeks before returning to work, like others have mentioned you are fatigued, it’s difficult to sit for long and you do have poor concentration. it is a major surgery to get over. I made sure I walked every day but had to take afternoon naps too, and the muscles just haven’t recovered enough and the leg is quite weak. I was driving at six weeks or so, but you have to be very careful not to break the 90 degree rule getting in and out of the car. I work in a very physical job nursing, and got back to work a nine weeks, but had a phased return and started off in the office at first. I was still using a stick too, but mainly as a defence to remind people charging around that you are not completely back to normal. Please think carefully as work will still be there whether you try and struggle at four weeks and have a miserable time, or whether you wait a bit longer and do it in a more controlled way. Good luck.
Hi Deb, I think everyone is different, it may depend on how fit you were when you had the op. We have been jiving etc for over 30 years so have good muscle tone, I found myself walking into the middle of the room after 3 weeks and remembering I should have a stick. Ditched the stick after 4 weeks. Still not back to normal, little dancing yet, can’t yet walk far, but anticipate getting back to ten mile walks in due course. Have goals and be an optimist, and hopefully if all goes well it will happen. I had a wonderful experience in hospital, in on the Monday and out on the Thursday, even the food was good. Hope your experience will be as good as mine. At nine weeks, just managing to put on socks, and can almost cut my toe nails. It can only get better!
Thanks Sue.. my op is next Monday..If all goes to plan I’ll be out the same day!
Hi, I’m on the waiting list for THR and I’m 43, used to be a keen runner for years until the pain gradually got too much. I still cycle, with difficulty and go to the gym regularly. I’ve been told that your pre-op fitness, especially around your hip, thigh, etc can have a huge impact on your recovery time.
I think if you’re pretty active and fit, you should be recovering quicker than most and back to work in no time. Good luck!
Martyn.
Thanks Martyn.. my op has been brought forward.. it’s tomorrow!! My surgeon has given me so much reassurance so I’m cautiously optimistic!!
All the best for tomorrow! x