Revision of a total hip replacement

Bones, joints and muscles
1

I’m due to have the poly cup and the metal ball of my twenty year old total hip replacement changed in a couple of weeks and wondered if anyone here has had any experience of this procedure. I would be interested in watching a video but cannot find one.

Cheers Richard

2

I've recently had my 18 year old hip revised on December 28th. It's a more involved surgery and I had some complications beforehand because the stem broke and I had to wait for about 6 weeks to get in. The recovery is probably going to be longer but it is definitely worth it. Just know you may need more help and time and patience. Patience is the hardest. I was very lucky in my second hip replacement in that I felt less pain afterwards than before. The X-rays are pretty awesome! They look like they took a trip to the hardware store! My stem is much longer also. I guess that's where my stability is.

3

Good luck and best wishes to you!

4

Dear Candice

Thank you for responding to my thread. So they took out the entire stem and put in a new one together with a replacement cup.

Yes I've seen what they put into me and the amazing thing is that I never felt that I had a hip joint that was not mine.....amazing! My recovery twenty years was so easy and painless so whilst I'm 75 and not 65 I hope that it will be an easy journey again. I'm trying to stay positive especially as my ankle revision depends on getting the hip done first.

I understand that the surgeon is putting in a replacement poly and because it will have been abraided by the prosthesis having been metal on metal for a couple of months the ball also.

Thanks for your good wishes, mine, to you too.

Cheers Richard

5

Richard

Can't help I'm afraid but it's wonderful that they can do that. Does that mean they leave your old stem and metal cup in place. Sounds like it should be an easier recovery.

Mike

6

Dear Michael

It seems from the X rays that the stem is still well positioned so the plan is to just tap off the ball and pop on a new one and put on a now poly cup. All sounds easy but the proof if the pudding etc!

I think the poly is fixed to the pelvis by a metal shell and if so that may present the biggest challenge.

Cheers Richard

7

dear richard, 

I can't help you either but great to read that Candice had one done recently ..

 big warm hug 

renee

 

8

Dear Renee

Thanks for that. I cannot say that I'm looking forward to the next six months!

Where I now live is not a simple taxi journey from hospital to home but a couple of trains and a sea crossing.

For the ankle replacement it is an even longer journey involving the London underground system with the added problem of somehow keeping my leg elevated for the entire journey time of about four plus hours.

Cheers Richard

9

That is a long trip home! Beats my 15 minute car trip! Although my husband seems to hit pretty much every pothole. Will you be able to stay in the hospital or close by for a bit before you leave for home?

10

Dear Candice

Thanks for your post. The problem is as I see it the need to keep my ankle elevated during the journey.

With ankle replacement surgery this elevation is essential and has to be kept up for the first couple of weeks. After that it is something that can be progressively reduced. That's what I found four years ago when I had my original ankle replacement surgery done.

The best solution I can come up with at the moment is to hire a taxi with the facility of my sitting with my leg stretched out. An expensive eighty mile trip. Then I have to make it onto the ferry for the twenty minute journey...still have to gave my foot elevated. finally a ten minute taxi home.

Phew what a stressful epic!

When I had the original surgery the hospital organised an ambulance for the twenty minute journey but that was when I lived in a very different part of the country.

Cheers Richard

11

Hi, yes Ive had this done on 21 January this year. Because the stem was left in as the surgeon said he couldn't budge it so no need to take stem out just replace ball head and new plastic liner. To be honest recovery was much better than a HR. If however they have to take stem out, recovery is much longer. I was lucky more or less back to normal now.

12

Guys

Just been rethinking this difficult journey in the light of a £300 plus taxi charge!

I've got an iwalk 2.0 that I have been practicing with successfully and it should be possible to use it as a support for my leg whilst on the underground and later on the rest of the journey provided that I do this part of the journey when it is less busy!

Getting up the stairs and escalators from the deep Jubilee line at Waterloo station is likely to be a bit of a challenge! Once there I'm sure the staff at the station will be able to assist me to the right platform even if it involves the indignity of using a wheelchair!

Then an hour and a half on the train, a walk to the ferry then a short walk to the taxi for the final few minutes journey and into my house...Phew!!

I think it is doable - just.

Cheers

Richard

13

Dear Tracy

Many thanks for the encouraging information. I think I've been more than fortunate with my hip as first of it was an easy, quick and pain free recovery then it withstood twenty years of very challenging work.

I'm quite confident that my stem is fine so very much the same situation as you but twenty-five years older.

14

To pick up on my part finished posting.... I'm interested in hearing roughly how long your revision surgery took and if there was ang problem putting in the replacement poly cup. Am I correct in thinking that the cup is held in place by some sort of metal cage. I wonder how this is fixed.

Cheers Richard

15

Richard

You might want to investigate using an Uber taxi in London. It's a lot cheaper than a black cab and though you probably can't have your leg up the journey time will be much less.

Mike

16

Dear Michael

Thanks for that. I've got the Uber app on my phone but have been surprised to find that when I've thought about using the service in Southampton that there was not much difference and put it down to the taxis responding to the new market conditions!

I did a home comparison on journey times between car and underground a few weeks ago and they were similar I think.

Cheers Richard

17

Richard

I gather from young people in London that they are cheaper but I'm not enough of a user to have done a comparison.

Though one advantage of a black cab is that if you sit on a backward facing seat it must be easy to get in and you can stretch your leg out, possibly putting it on the seat if the driver doesn't object.

Mike

18

Dear Michael thanks for that useful reminder about the seating.

Cheers Richard

19

"... I would be interested in watching a video but cannot find one. .."

Hi Richard-

Hmmm, you are right. Seems that they took down a beautifully detailed, 3-hour, THR revision surgery video, starring Wayne Paprosky (an expert in the field.). For me, it was quite a memorable show, especially since I went through a 3 and 1/2 hour revision THR some years prior. My primary was 30 years old. The surgery was very tiring, but the anesthesia guys did a great job, I had very little outright pain.

There is a revision video on YouTube, but it is of very poor quality. Much better is a primary operation. Search for "Dr. Pasquale Petrera". Basically, the same stuff.

Too bad the Paprosky video is gone. Maybe the wayback machine can find it.

Hope this helps.

20

Thanks very much for that. I've tried the Way back machine without success but a Google search for the Wayne Paprosky brought up a shorter high quality video of a partial revision which I found interesting. I then moved onto looking for the doctor Pasquale Letters video but if is a primary not a revision so I will