How did you go on with sleeping. I can’t sleep on my back but apparently will have to after the op for 6 weeks?
Thank you. The anterior method seems more popular in the Us than here. The consultant I have been allocated only does posterior and I am worried about the restrictions and dislocation
Hi are you in the UK ? The consultant I have been allocated does hips and knees and I am having trouble in finding statistics for him. Some info said he had completed 51 hips last year and the same with knees but as he is NHS and private I am not sure whether these are just on lot of stats.
That should say one lot of stats
It’s the dislocation that I am worried about which apparently can happen with the posterior approach but not with the anterior. Problem is the anterior is not as popular here and there are not many surgeons using it.
Hi Jacqueline. Im 5 wks post op TLHR posterior done at a hospital in Lancs . I was the same as yourself beforehand trying to get reassurance on forums like this. If my worry before the op was marked as 8 out of 10 , then the actual experience of going through it was a 3/4. I had spinal and opted for full sedation, no pain from spinal injection at all and woke up in recovery all done, no nausea, fully alert,no pain , i couldnt believe it. I took the meds for the first two weeks and my wife did the injections for me ,no problem at all. Sleeping on your back i find the hardest bit but i dont stress if i wake up and constantly tell myself it isnt forever. The other restrictions are easy to follow and you will soon get into the habit of what you cant do.
Im still on 2 crutches and walking 1 to 2 miles a day and im staying on 2 crutches for the full recommended 12 wks regardless to prevent a limp. Good luck with your recovery. you wont believe the difference it makes.
john
My surgeon has stopped the anterior approach and gone back to the posterior approach. He feels that the muscles are protected more. He uses the lateral posterior approach. I was worried about the anterior approach because of the possibility of nerve damage.
Absolutely agree re two crutches ! 
I cannot agree more re the two crutches. Reminds me of a friend who struggled with a limp for a long time, but insisted " she should " be only on one crutch or a stick, as she was 5 months post op! She was given this info by a physiotherapist ! she subsequently read re using two crutches, and once she managed to correct her gait, her really bad backache subsided !this is SO important…
I think your surgeon has made a good decision. The reason I’m saying this is because almost every time I read a report of nerve damage as the result of a THR I ask what approach was used and it almost always is the result of the anterior approach. I think the people who have been here for the last three years will support what I’m saying.
The other and important consideration is that the posterior approach unlike the anterior approach gives the surgeon more room to work and that this freedom makes it possible to use a full length stem rather than a reduced length one.
Cheers, Richard
Hi John
Can I please ask you who recommended you 12 weeks with crutches? it appears most wish to ditch one crutch asap, but they are not aware that if you still have a limp this is the worst thing you can do! I suffered from extremely swollen legs PO so for the first month, I could barely excerise which was frustrating. Operation was June and I am happy still using two crutches!
Thanks for that info RichardKen.I would agree all the info i was given seems to advocate to stop using the crutches as soon as you feel able to walk with out a limp .I dont limp but have questioned this in myself in the sense that the operated leg surely doesnt need that early strain. I think for now it will be 2 crutches until a bit more healing has occured .Thanks so much for your useful comments
How did you find him? I chose mine as I had come across a lot of people who raved about how good he was. His bedside manner is atrocious, but he is an excellent surgeon. I used the NHS but if I had gone private I would have gone to him. If you type in the surgeon’s name you should get some information about yours. I think mine does about 250 hips a year.
One reason people like the anterior method is that the scar is smaller and so there is demand for that approach and so surgeons offer it. It is more difficult because of the smaller incision and the muscles can be pushed around and it seems nerve problems do happen, which was the thing I was most worried about.
I slept on good side from night 3. I just put a pillow between my legs to prevent bad hip from collapsing inwards
I slept on my back for about 4 weeks, till the morning back pain got too annoying. Then I slept occasionally on my non-op side and it felt wonderful. It was not until about 7 weeks that I could sleep on my op side, and it still hurts a bit sometimes if I do that. I saw the surgeon after 11 weeks and he said some pain in the trochanter ( the bony bit that sticks out at the top of the femur) was normal for “a while”.
Hi Helen
It was my surgeon.After having a bad limp for 6 years and having 3 consultations refusing me surgery I self referred myself through my GP and was offered the surgery after one minute.
Im quite happy going on my walks with 2 crutches and will continue for the 12 wks regardless of my progress. I dont want to risk returning to how i was before the op.
Glad to know all is OK John. I too am in no rush to run my next marathon, I am too scared incase I undo all that has been achieved ! !! :)lol
Hi John hope you don’t mind me asking who was your surgeon
Jackie- I slept on my back for exactly 1 month, ugh. Last night was the first time on my right side. Felt better.