I'm 29 years old, I was in a serious car accident which requires me now to have a total hip replacement which doctors have left it up to me to decide when I'm ready, at this current moment the pain is dibilatating I can bearly walk corectly without pain on my right hip I can't even lift my leg into the bathtub without serious pain, what can I expect with the THR, will my ability to move around be better without serious pain? I know usually the demographics for this surgery are people in there 60's 70's, I'm just scared out of my mind, I know for a fact I will need a revision of the hip in another 10-15 years from wear. I go this Monday to the Othopedic surgeons office to discuss the severe and dibilatating pain I have.
Hi, I was 30 when I had my first one done, unfortunately it didn't quite go to plan and I've ended up having revision a lot sooner than expected. It improved my pain 100%, I still get the odd twinge but I manage it and I've gone from 16 tablets a day to maybe two every other wk. I don't have a huge amount of range in movement and still struggle with some things, putting socks on is a nightmare but I don't regret having it done. I would ask your consultant what his limit is on revisions, I've heard many people say you can't have more than 3 but my consultant advised that it is all down to the body and bone structure, if they think it will hold them they will do as many as required. Good luck
I am 28yrs old and have had 3 hip surgeries in 3 years and left me tell you the pain I had before is nothing like it is now. I was in so much pain before I couldn't get dressed, i couldn't walk half a block. I am 7 weeks post op and am doing so much better the pain is mostly gone I can move my leg like I haven't been able to in years. I know it sounds scary but it is so much better then being in pain, the weeks of recovery are so worth it.
See the pinned post resources box above hip replacement for moe information and the patient forum also goes thru every aspect of THR.
https://patient.info/health/hip-fracture
it is scary the first time yet having the surgery is a solution to give you a pain free and better quality of life.
You ou are very young and unfortunate accident brought you to make a decision many never think about at your age.
my first hip was done in my 40's it really did give me back my life. The constant chronic pain from hip pain can really be exhausting.
whatever you decide you will do it when your ready. Many hippies here can chime in with their experiences.
So happy to hear your doing so well.😊
Peace & Healing sent your way.
hi globe,
warm welcome to this hippies forum -
I am so sorry to hear about your situation - How long ago was the accident ?
The pain will not go away and probably will get worse and hip replacement surgery is a great option ...
Even though dempgraphics show THR being done on people ages 60 and up (usually due to severe OA), many younger ones have this surgery as well, some like you (accident) or born with hip dysplasia -
don't worry about revision now - 20-25 years is more likely from normal wear ...
wishing you a lot of strenght - this surgery will give you back your life -
healing rays send and please come back here any time you have a question or concern, okay? you are not alone ....
big warm hug
renee
Hi love. I really heard your fear in your post and wanted to reach out. I'm 41 and I just had a THR in my left hip. I know I'm not 29 but I do still feel and act 29.. more importantly, I'm not 60s or 70s so I wanted to reply. I had mine because of hip dysplasia and I also had to make a decision whether to carry on with the pan I had, or have the THR. I made a decision to go for it and get it over and done with because the operation was inevitable.
I'm 10 days post op now. Of course it is major surgery, which means anaesthetic, morphine, pain killers etc which is all exhausting and there's no getting away from that. You will need a) time to recover from the surgery itself (mine is probably 10-12 days, I feel like I've almost got all the drugs out of my system now) the 6 weeks proper TLC learning firstly to walk and then increasing slowly your range of motion. b) you won't be able to lift your leg into the bath directly after surgery, but there's no reason why, after a full recovery time (bit more than 6 weeks) you shouldn't have a complete range of motion with next to no pain.
I am a yoga fanatic and I do yoga every day. My biggest fear after the THR was not being able to do yoga again. My surgeon has said I should be able to do it in 8 weeks and I am absolutely determined because it is my passion. I also have two small children and I will be able to play with them actively by this time too.
As for pain, I have post op pain now. I tried stopping my over the counter pain meds a couple of days ago and I'm back on them as it was too soon and the post op pain came back. The pain is totally different to the pre op pain though, for me. The pain now is an incision, swelling, stiffness and bruising pain from the op. During the op itself they test your new hip for full range of motion before patching you up again so I know my hip works well, and that it's just a question of getting the thigh and pelvis and hip muscles and ligaments working together again post op.
Have a look at "bespoke" hip options too. My insurance didn't cover bespoke for me so I didn't do it, but i have heard from one surgeon that their recovery can be even faster.
I can't bear pain of any sort, I want to be free to run around and do yoga and be with my kids without pain, so that's why I chose the op. It's a bit of a road to full recovery for sure (and slower than I had anticipated), but I'm really, really really glad I didn't delay any longer and just got it done.
I will also need revisions in my life time because I plan on living until I'm 100 at least. For me they used ceramic hip and no cement - apparently this helps when it comes to revision time. And I'm hoping orthopaedics will have moved on by then!
My advice to you is ask loads of people here on this site, and if you can talk to other surgeons do (I saw 3 in total for their different opinions), then think about your quality of life now versus what it will be like after you've recovered from the THR.
Good luck.
My accident was in November 2016, I have a screw and plate at the moment in my hip, Around january my wound got infected, like if having a fractured hip wasnt bad enough, so whatever progress I was making was delayed, and now its very painful in my groin area even after the infection was gone, the infection did its damage and damaged the cartlidge even more, this Monday I will go speak with my othopedic surgeon again since I ended up in the E.R. Again from pain
So sorry to hear your sad story. You will just have to accept that you need the surgery and the sooner it is done the sooner you will get your life back.
Make sure you pick a really experienced surgeon and have support for the first week back home.
Best wishes Richard
I know where you are coming from, I am 54 and have had a good and
healthy life until 18 months ago. I was diagnosed with Polymyalgia
rheumatica and was prescribed steroids to heal but instead of healing
the steroids attacked both my hips resulting in being house bound and in
constant pain,depression etc etc.........
I had my first THR on 27th Feb 17 , I went into the operating theatre
balling my eyes out, due to the unknown. I had an epidural and sedation
which I recommend. I came out the other side, and I feel great. Looking back I don't know why I got so upset.
My new hip does not give me any pain, I can put pressure on it ,no
problem . It is a slow recovery but I can't wait for my other THR. It is
scary but the post benefits are so great. No more pain when walking.
Good luck with your decision, for me it was a no brainer. !!
You have continuous, serious pain, and you are also having extreme problems with mobility. A THR can only make things better for you at this point. About half of the people getting THRs these days are under the age of 65. And implants now usually last at least 20 years, and sometimes much longer. I have read posts in this forum, and another, from people who have gotten them in their 20's, and some in their teens.
You already know what your life is like without having a THR, and it sounds awful. Perhaps doing lots of reading about hip replacements will help you feel less fear about the procedure. I also would suggest that you check out the resources in the pinned thread here on the forum, https://patient.info/forums/discuss/thr-useful-resources-487147. There is much valuable information in those links!
The bottom line here is that, as you say, the prognosis for hip replacements are great. And whilst most people are older, you are by no means the youngest! And it isn't going to get better. So you can stay in pain and not be able to walk. Or get on with it. We've all been in that place, and"get on with it" is the only option!
As Renee has said, the hardware is being much more resilient these days. And why worry more about what happens when you are 50? You might be ruin over by a bus at 49! Life is for now. You aren't yet 30. How much of your hoping life do you want to waste on the off chance that you might need a surgery in 20 years that by that time will be an entirely different procedure anyway!
I've had one hip replaced at 59 last November. I have an ankle that needs rebuilding due to injury. And sooner or later the other hip will go because it had severe OA. But as I told a friend - if it all goes wrong at some point and I ended up unable to do much, I have had decades of travel and fun. I've done more than I ever thought I could do when I was growing up. And I have made a difference too. If this was it, I wouldn't be celebrating, but I certainly won't be miserable. I have memories, experiences, photographs and momentos to fill their lives. So I am not giving up, but what the hell.... I couldn't complain too much. You are 29 and probably have most of those things to make yet! So get down that surgeons place and get on with it. You are too young to be in their place you are.
Hi Globe, so glad you found this forum. Sounds like you are far from the only young person in here. I wish you pain-free days soon. Now, I am one of the 'older' bunch and I have not had my surgery yet and I too am scared. Last weekend I told myself I did not need the surgery, really, I could get by. I went dancing for maybe an hour and a half - not long. OMG Globe the pain all night long - very little sleep was all the reminder I needed that I do need the surgery and that my life will be so much better on the other side.
Yours will too - you'll know when enough is enough (is that now?). I know I'm new round these parts, but I know I speak with confidence when I tell you we are ALL here for you.
Ask everything you can think you - it really is true, there are no dumb questions, if you are thinking it, trust someone else is too.
Hi Globe. I am 44 and 13 days post op. I have to have my other hip replaced within 5 months from now too. Since they did my worst one first I can honestly say I'm in about 80 percent less pain. It is only ruff for the first week after then it gets better and better as the days go on. Bite the bullet hon and get it done. You will be so glad you did.
Carrie 😉
Hi Globe410,
I'm 52 and had mild congenital hip dysplasia on my left side. No serious problems until 3 years ago when my mobility was severely impacted. The pain intensified greatly and I lost my entire range of motion. Turns out my hip was fully arthritic, bone on bone and avascular necrotic.
I tried stem cell therapy last spring but it was too far gone. Had I done it when I first experienced any issues, it would have been successful.
I just had my THR done on January 23rd of this year. I went with the anterior approach as the recovery time is shortened by quite a bit. With anterior, they access the hip through a frontal incision and most of the muscle and tendon are spared cutting by manipulating through and around them. Immediately post op, all that groin, hip psin was completely gone, replaced by a sore feeling at incision only. If you can, ask about an Exparel block. Its a nerve block that lasts uo to 4 days to get you over the peak inflammatory response pain that occurs by day two or three. Worked like a charm.
By the first two weeks, any pain was gone entirely. wo months post op now, u feel normal, gait is normal, no limp.
I wish I had done this long before since I've gotten ALL of my range of motion back, even touching toes, putting on socks. I walk two miles a day and am working back up to my big hikes here in the Pacific Northwest with my trusty dog. So exciting to be back on top of your life once more.
Good luck in your journey. I urge you to look at anterior approach. The eventual outcome is the same as any other approach but risks like dislocation are reduced and the healing recovery process is much quicker with less restrictions, didn't have the 90 degree restriction with it. I could go back to work at 4 weeks. It was very easy to recover from and I've experienced only positive from this.
Kind regards,
Sandy
I make my decision tommorow, or at least to set a surgery date, after alot of pain in my groin area and not even able to walk properly, THR is probably my best decision, I see your outcome was good with this surgery with Anterior approach.
Wow thats amazing after 4 weeks you went back to work, that gives me some hope, of the out come thank you
Oh I have the ceramic option which I'm told will last 25 to 30 years. Because of how active I am and relatively young (not compared to you though ) my doc chose that as a best option for me. I feel so normal now.
Keep us posted on your experience. You won't regret it.
Sandy
Hi Globe! I'm 54. I was 53 when I had my first trhr. I was born with dysplasia. After my surgery 3 weeks later I find out I dislocated it. 2 days later I'm having a total hip revision. Had been walking on a dislocation for at least a week. Was 6 weeks non weight bearing, no hip flexion past 80 degrees and no hip exercises. By the time I was able to weight bear again I had tendonitis and bursitis. My rom (range of motion) is still very limited. Muscles are weak but were weak and not being used properly prior to surgery. Now having lots of discomfort and nerve pain. I'm still limping at 7 months and using a cane. But there's been improvements but at a very slow pace. Had 6 months of physical therapy. I'm going to gym now for about 2 months. I was a very avid gym goer!! Exercised 4/5 times a week. But was in a lot of pain. Was using a shoe lift and cane. Now I'm the same length as my other leg. But being short for so long my muscles had to be stretched. I was a little over 1&1/2 inches short. Wishing you all the best for a speedy recovery and all goes well for you. Hugs 🤗 LD
I always forget to mention lots of groin pain too!! But that has gotten better. Butt muscle is bothersome too. Since revision it was done having to cut or lift butt muscle. That is yet another issue for me. 😞 Don't mean to be so negative but this is my story. There are many on here who have had great results. Up and running within 4 to six weeks!! Then there are those of us who are struggling and things are going very slow. Come back and let us know how you are doing. LD
I had the anterior approach too, and ceramic. i'm 41 with two young kids (and a single mum). i'm now 12 days post op and i know things are getting better. My leg lifts higher and wider in the physio exercises. I'm in the middle of a divorce too, and still managing to recover. the more i hear about anterior and ceramic options (not using cement either, using the stuff instead of cement that encourages the bone to grow its own glue - better for re-dos later that we will have to have becuase we are young).
good luck with your appointment.