randyh
Level 4 Valued Member
After a decade of steady decline in hip ROM, plus a steady increase in chronic pain and NSAID consumption, I finally got both hips replaced this summer. Had the first one done in mid-May and the second one at the end of July. With the covid shelter in place orders, recovery and rehab seemed like a positive use of time.
Here is a before and after of the first hip. I had the anterior approach, it was outpatient surgery, in at 7am and home by 2pm, which is amazing to me still. Just a spinal and a sedative (no general anesthesia ) and I was able walk with crutches and put some weight on it same day. A week later I was walking a mile without crutches. The only ROM I had to avoid during recovery was hip hyperextension with external rotation.
As to the OP questions:
What caused you to need a joint replacement? Was it improper training?
Hip arthritis seems to run among the men on my Dad's side of the family. My Dad, his dad, my Dad's brother, my brother and all my grand uncles had it. There's not a lot of data to support the notion that cartilage just wears out due to training. There are studies that show, despite popular lore to the contrary, that running (for example) may be more beneficial to weight bearing joints (including the cartilage) than no exercise at all.
Do some people just need one eventually regardless of how they train?
Some people will need a joint replacement eventually no matter what they do. One consideration is to postpone it as long as you can. Bionics do wear out eventually and the revision surgeries can be problematic. I'm 62 and my surgeon considered me to be young for THA. My younger brother had his done almost 20 years ago and his have held up great. The newer appliances are supposedly even more durable and dialed in.
What are some tips on avoiding a joint replacement later in life?
The oversimplified answer is, "choose your parents wisely." Second to that is, take care of your injuries: make sure they heal properly and you get proper attention. There are plenty of folks in the world with healthy joints who haven't adhered to healthy lifestyles and plenty of folks getting joint replacements that have.
So far, this has been a game changer for me and I am glad I got it done. Easy to overdo it since the pain is gone, so I am learning to balance work load and recovery more closely.
Performance changes: At the last TSC I could only manage a rep or two of 20kg snatches and a token deadlift (just to total for an overall score.) A couple of weeks ago on a lark I did 100 snatches with a 12kg in 5 minutes with one hand switch. No pain at all. I couldn't even get on a bicycle before surgery, now I can ride in a full crouch and am up to 15 milers in the rolling hills of Boulder. My regular 5k walks have dropped from hard-as-I-could-push 75 minute efforts presurgery to 55 minute easy strolling.
I didn't do a lot of formal rehab with a PT either. Mostly checked in to see what I could do, and when I could do it if it was OK. I do some clamshells, some Super Joints moves, Jon Engum's Flexible Steel (frog rocking) basic hip mobs (like low hurdle step-overs), when I think about it. But walking and riding, some KB swing, cleans and snatches are the main movements.
Here is a before and after of the first hip. I had the anterior approach, it was outpatient surgery, in at 7am and home by 2pm, which is amazing to me still. Just a spinal and a sedative (no general anesthesia ) and I was able walk with crutches and put some weight on it same day. A week later I was walking a mile without crutches. The only ROM I had to avoid during recovery was hip hyperextension with external rotation.
As to the OP questions:
What caused you to need a joint replacement? Was it improper training?
Hip arthritis seems to run among the men on my Dad's side of the family. My Dad, his dad, my Dad's brother, my brother and all my grand uncles had it. There's not a lot of data to support the notion that cartilage just wears out due to training. There are studies that show, despite popular lore to the contrary, that running (for example) may be more beneficial to weight bearing joints (including the cartilage) than no exercise at all.
Do some people just need one eventually regardless of how they train?
Some people will need a joint replacement eventually no matter what they do. One consideration is to postpone it as long as you can. Bionics do wear out eventually and the revision surgeries can be problematic. I'm 62 and my surgeon considered me to be young for THA. My younger brother had his done almost 20 years ago and his have held up great. The newer appliances are supposedly even more durable and dialed in.
What are some tips on avoiding a joint replacement later in life?
The oversimplified answer is, "choose your parents wisely." Second to that is, take care of your injuries: make sure they heal properly and you get proper attention. There are plenty of folks in the world with healthy joints who haven't adhered to healthy lifestyles and plenty of folks getting joint replacements that have.
So far, this has been a game changer for me and I am glad I got it done. Easy to overdo it since the pain is gone, so I am learning to balance work load and recovery more closely.
Performance changes: At the last TSC I could only manage a rep or two of 20kg snatches and a token deadlift (just to total for an overall score.) A couple of weeks ago on a lark I did 100 snatches with a 12kg in 5 minutes with one hand switch. No pain at all. I couldn't even get on a bicycle before surgery, now I can ride in a full crouch and am up to 15 milers in the rolling hills of Boulder. My regular 5k walks have dropped from hard-as-I-could-push 75 minute efforts presurgery to 55 minute easy strolling.
I didn't do a lot of formal rehab with a PT either. Mostly checked in to see what I could do, and when I could do it if it was OK. I do some clamshells, some Super Joints moves, Jon Engum's Flexible Steel (frog rocking) basic hip mobs (like low hurdle step-overs), when I think about it. But walking and riding, some KB swing, cleans and snatches are the main movements.
