Thread: Got a new hip!

Ouchhhh-- No not myself Pugwash. but Mother in law did a couple of times.
It helped a bit she wasn't able to jump puddles but she got arround OK.
hope you get well soon
Cheers Tony.

Hi Pugwash,

I see that you're in Perth, I wonder who did your op'?

I had one done almost three years ago and Have had no problems at all. In fact I am told that I can expect my other hip to eventually give in on me, and to be quite honest it doesn't worry me, whereas I was pretty worried when I found out about my first one.

I had what is termed minimal incision surgery - where they enter through a 3-4inch cut in the buttocks instead of the old way of making a great big cut down the side of the thigh.
Also had an epidural rather than full aneasthetic. All in all this meant that within 4hrs of the operation I was walking 2 - 3 metres with the aid of a frame. Three days later I was home and walking 50 metres on crutches.

Okay I am certainly not as active as I used to be ( I mean running serious distances and climbing mountains) But I can at almost 63 years still run (in a fashion), I snorkel and am for a bloke 10 kilo overwieght pretty active.

The only thing that does concern me is the fact that I am told to expect 15 - 20 yrs before getting enough wear on the new joint to warrant a replacement - and that could be less the more I use it.

Good luck and believe me in a short time you wont even think of it as being anything but normal.

Denn

Denn

Hi Denn. Yes I had the bloody big cut down down the side of the leg version. I was on my feet next day and home 5 days after the op. I was just wondering if its normal to have pain and swelling. I'm probably worrying needlessly, its quite a traumatic thing to have done really so I suppose I should expect it.

Originally Posted by pugwash

Hi Denn. Yes I had the bloody big cut down down the side of the leg version. I was on my feet next day and home 5 days after the op. I was just wondering if its normal to have pain and swelling. I'm probably worrying needlessly, its quite a traumatic thing to have done really so I suppose I should expect it.

I believe that much of the trauma of a hip replacement is caused not by the hip joint but by the size and location of the cut, which goes across some of the body's largest and most powerful muscles. This is the main reason for the "minimal incision" development which although still cutting through large muscles (the gluteus maximus) the cut is much smaller and more to the point goes with the grain rather than against. As a result the cut heals much better.


What this all meant to me was still some pain for about a week or so, but no swelling.

Unfortunately it is a relatively new proceedure and there are few surgeons doing this yet - they seem slow to take on new ideas.



Denn