I am on the list for a RTHR and I am terrified. After reading up on procedures not sure if anterior or posterior is best. Worried about the post op restrictions. Can still do most things ok just can’t walk for any distance and have a definitely limp. No groin pain at all but xray shows that the hip joint us not good Any advice?
Hi Jackie. On Sept 18.2019 I had left hip replaced the anterior method. Don't worry it's not that bad with good PT afterwards. Today I'm walking mostly with out my cane but I preped for surgery with PT every week for a year and workouts at gym for a year and I'll be 66 in Nov. Where do you live ? Here in WNY I went to the best surgeon but I checked who was out there too. Good luck.
Having been on this forum for three years I have observed many more issues with the anterior approach namely nerve issues so if I were to have my other hip replaced I would go for the posterior approach. I had the posterior approach 23 years ago and had a very quick easy recovery and the prosthesis lasted for over 20 years and the poly cup wore through. Cheers, Richard
Dont be terrified as whilst I was worried about the op I didnt know a thing and it was just a little uncomfortable for the first night then on the road to a different life. I cannot say how my THR changed my life. This time last year I was struggling to walk and relying on my wife to put my socks on, making decisions about holidays and days out around the landscape and places to sit and rest and now I have forgotten I even had a hip problem.
I waited six years after first noticing my hip buckling while running. Surgeon said if he operated on xrays would have done it immediately but counselled waiting until the pain meant I was no longer able to function normally. One reason was to reduce risk of needing a second or even third replacement (i'm pretty active and was 53 at the time). I had RTHR on 23 Sept this year, posterior, and have really worked in the intervening six years to support the joint with strong soft tissue - many, many strengthening exercises. So I guess your choice of when to do it would relate to your age and how much you intend to put the new hip under stress, e.g. will you run?
Hi not a runner but enjoy a good walk which I can't do now. I am 63
Thank you. The consultant I am under in Lancashire uses the posterior method which appears to have more do's and don'ts
Sorry I think I out the reply in the wrong place. I am 63 and not a runner . Enjoy a good walk which I can't do now
Jacqueline,
Good Morning.
I am 67 and had RTHR over a year ago on September 12, 2018 and like yourself I was totally terrified of having this surgery. I had the anterior approach with a spinal. I was wheeled into surgery and next thing I knew I was in recovery. I really did not have any pain except later in the evening the day of my surgery. All went very well and I was discharged on the third day of my surgery. I had three weeks of home PT and followed all of the exercises that I was given and then had six weeks of OP PT. I only experienced some stiffness and a little bit of swelling which did subside in time with my PT. I initially used a walker and then graduated to using a cane and then to walking on my own. Before the surgery I walked with a limp and there were so many activities that I was not able to do like walking long distances or climbing stairs.
So please try not to be to scared ( easier said then done).
I have a quality of life back now that I didn't have before my RTHT and am so glad that I had it done.
I don't know where you live but I am in the US
I wish you well.
This website helped me so much before and after my surgery.
Sue
Hi Jacqueline , I had left THR 4 weeks ago Like you I could walk short distances but hip joint randomly gave way .Its a very successful op and it will so improve your life.My recovery so far has been good
Mine was done via posterior approach with spinal block and sedation so no hangover from anaesthetic The scar is small and healed well .I was in hospital 2 nights and my mobility on discharge with crutches was good I maintained my pain relief so was no more than incomfortable at times I am now walking pretty much without crutches indoors and with one outdoors although i would say i find the hard ground a bit uncomfortable and wonder if i should use 2 crutches outside for now The hip peecautions arent too bad to maintain and I live on my own so there is no help.
Lots of positive stories on here so dont worry although a bit of apprehension is natural ahead of such a major procedure
Take care and chin up
Hi Jacqueline, I had a posterior THR 4 months ago. The operation was no big deal really. I had a good cocktail of painkillers for 2 nights and slept really well! I was only on 2 crutches for a week, then 1 for another week. I was on blood thinning injections (doddle to do) for a month, and had to observe the precautions about bending and so on for 6 wks altogether. I was also on paracetamol & tramadol for a few weeks while everything knitted together. Since then, it's been great 95% of the time. The other 5% is getting a bit of stiffness along the outside of my thigh, usually in the early hours. An ibuprofen generally fixes that though. I'm walking fine, driving, mowing the lawn, all the stuff I couldn't do for months before the op. I wouldn't hesitate to have it done again.
You should IMO use both crutches until you are walking strongly with a hood gait then toss both. Your body needs to get into the right habit as your muscles recover and your. strength returns. I'm speaking from both personal experience and that of others. S
Sorry software glitch! As I was about to say some physios seem hell bent on getting people walking on one crutch as soon as possible but all this does is slow a proper recover and increases the danger of putting your back out. Ignore them please. and use both crutches! Cheers
i had both hips replaced on 24th June this year.i did everything by the book. i sat in the correct height of chair, slept on my back for 6 weeks, did the physio etc etc. its almost 4 months later and im on holiday in the sunshine enjoying long walks and swimming and im pain free. i had my op in manchester, england and would highly recommend it whether its anterior or posterior.
If i couldnt walk, i would do it. 60 seems to be regarded as a bit of a watershed by the professionals and youre clearly beyond that
Myself, I chose a guy who specialized in anterior ( he has done over 1900 ) because I liked the idea of no detaching muscles, little or no post op restrictions, and low chance of a dislocation. In fact this guy has not had a dislocation incident in 9 years . It does require a few specialized items of equipment and is often done in an OR dedicated to the op. On the other hand, the day after, in the physio before discharge there were patients with both methods present, and we all seemed in bout the same shape. My advice is to do you Google and Youtube research as deep as you can, then, if you make a choice if you can. Either way, If you believe in the surgeon, this op is nothing to worry about.
The ability of the surgeon is key NOT their bedside manner. They spend almost no time on that but how they perform during the surgery which is the important part! Cheers, Richard
The number one decision is to look for the best surgeon you can find who has done lots of hips, particularly recently. They say the things that really matter are your surgeon, your fitness level, your age and your attitude. You can't do much about your age of course! Don't be worried, it really is incredible what they can do nowadays and it is supposed to be one if the most succesful operations in the world today. I had a spinal anaesthetic which was really good too. You can have sedation with it if you want although I decided yo stay awake and find out what was going on. I was lucky and did not need painkillers afterwards and as soon as I got home I git home I ditched the crutches as I was rubbish with them. You will be fine, don't worry.
Hey there! Anterior RTHR July, 55 years young :). The key is what approach (anterior/posterior) your surgeon is proficient with and that they do a lot of them. I know people that have had both approaches and the end result was the same - walking with no pain. Any surgery is scary especially with all the information your are ramped up with before this one :). I was scared as well, but I can tell you, I would honestly do it again in a heartbeat.
For me, the first two weeks were the hardest, but manageable. I saw milestones every week and am very happy with my progress. I've got a new lease on life <3 (no longer need a cane, no more limp, excruciating pain gone and I don't have to decide on activities based on the length I have to walk or time of day!). I actually walk 3+ miles a day and enjoy the beautiful scenery now.
I would recommend start doing exercises to strengthen your muscles (at least the ones for your glutes and quads). It really helped me and made it easier to continue post surgery since my muscles were used to doing them.Another thing that really helped was practicing heal toe walking to alleviate the limp pre and post surgery. Post surgery my right leg was shorter than my left.
Everyone on this board is really nice and helpful. I'm sure you will get lot's of responses with great tips and advice.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery. Keep us posted on your progress.
As I said Ken , I believe what's importance is (1) the surgeon has done a large number of the particular procedure (2) preferably does > 100 per year and (3) Has a great track record for low complications, say , < 1.5 %. I don't rate bedside manner either and , in fact my surgeon was a bit lofty and unapproachable, but very confident.