Hip replacement surgery

Nairb#70
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5/28/2020 3:11pm Edited Date/Time 6/17/2022 1:27am
Just got the go ahead to get my right hip replaced after years of pain, soreness, immobility, and a general assache. Doin' cartwheels here. Can't have any medical procedure done without consulting the Vital MXperts first of course. But really, I know people who have the procedure done but they are not motoheads like us. I'm convinced we are physically superior compared to the rest of humanity, and that we have a substantially higher threshold for pain. Its in our DNA. Just ask any MD. My hip is totally shot so they are going for the full monty replacement. Im certain some, or even a bunch on here have had this done, how did you respond, can you still ride (race), are you still limited, how did therapy/rehab go, any tips, advice, etc.
Thanx in advance,
Nairb
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Nighttrain
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5/28/2020 3:53pm Edited Date/Time 5/28/2020 4:01pm
I had both of mine replaced. I don’t race but can comfortably off-road. Much better now that the pain is gone. The hips were fairly easy. The knee I had replaced has proven more challenging in trying to get back to cycling and riding off-road.
* Pick a surgeon carefully. Find one that does a lot of replacements and uses the most modern technique.
* Go into the surgery in the best possible shape and as light as possible.
* Use a professional Physical Therapist for the first 3-4 weeks after the surgery.

Those are what I found most helpful and I’m sure there are more that others can add.
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Nighttrain
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5/28/2020 4:07pm
And I hope it goes as smoothly and successfully as possible. I waited far too long for the first replacement. The pain was so bad I could barely walk. Just because I thought it was best to “stay 100% biological until later in life”. I was wrong to sacrifice a couple of years of riding due to debilitating pain.
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Nairb#70
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5/28/2020 4:26pm
My pain started 3 years ago but recently took a bad turn, and walking is a joke. Only exercise I can do is cycling on flat ground with no incline at mellow pace. I'm 50 yrs old, the therapy also seemed to me to be ultra important. My knee is going to looked at too, PT issues. Surgeon is refferal from friend. Good to hear that its not a game ender. All good info.
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The Shop

sumdood
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5/29/2020 7:30am Edited Date/Time 5/29/2020 7:48am
I've had 3 of them actually. If you're interested on the details why I can go into it but lets talk about the good stuff.

First thing you're going to want to hear is I do everything I did before, ride offroad, race moto, (if the otmx 60 novice class counts as racing lol) walk as far as I want, surf, swim, body surf, ride bicycles, and am on my feet walking and bending over all day with zero issues, I don't even think about having fake hips anymore. You'll be "Fixed" As far as the procedure I agree with everything nighttrain said. The surgeon is the key to the whole thing. If you have a choice (and you should) make sure he uses the "Anterior" approach, in through the front or side, the "Posterior" approach through the butt cheek is bullshit, they go through way more muscles and the recovery is 4x longer. So remember "Anterior" Go in through the front or side, or find another doctor that will. I've had both and the difference is HUGE. I'd be surprised if they still do posterior approaches. The one that failed on me was metal on metal, I'd be leery of metal on metal. The 2 I have now are ceramic coated titanium ball into a polyethelne cup and they feel like nothing ever happened. So health kick big time if you're not already, the lighter and stronger you are going in the better. Do what the PT says and before you know it you'll be good to go. The last one I had my surgery was in the morning, I was back home by 6pm, and the pt had me walking up and down the street in a walker the next day. A month later I was walking unassisted with no limp, and went back to work at 6 weeks, not lifting shit but driving around, walking in and out of yards etc. You're going to be stoked ! Good luck !

ps. I waited 6 months before I started riding and waited about 8 months before I started back on tracks and racing. It felt like I could have done that sooner, but I wanted to make sure the bones had fully grown into the implants. My doc said it's solid at 6 months but the bone grows into the implant for about a year. And I'm sure you already know if you bring up dirt bikes they'll say "that's not a good idea", but you already know that haha
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Nairb#70
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5/29/2020 12:53pm
sumdood wrote:
I've had 3 of them actually. If you're interested on the details why I can go into it but lets talk about the good stuff. First...
I've had 3 of them actually. If you're interested on the details why I can go into it but lets talk about the good stuff.

First thing you're going to want to hear is I do everything I did before, ride offroad, race moto, (if the otmx 60 novice class counts as racing lol) walk as far as I want, surf, swim, body surf, ride bicycles, and am on my feet walking and bending over all day with zero issues, I don't even think about having fake hips anymore. You'll be "Fixed" As far as the procedure I agree with everything nighttrain said. The surgeon is the key to the whole thing. If you have a choice (and you should) make sure he uses the "Anterior" approach, in through the front or side, the "Posterior" approach through the butt cheek is bullshit, they go through way more muscles and the recovery is 4x longer. So remember "Anterior" Go in through the front or side, or find another doctor that will. I've had both and the difference is HUGE. I'd be surprised if they still do posterior approaches. The one that failed on me was metal on metal, I'd be leery of metal on metal. The 2 I have now are ceramic coated titanium ball into a polyethelne cup and they feel like nothing ever happened. So health kick big time if you're not already, the lighter and stronger you are going in the better. Do what the PT says and before you know it you'll be good to go. The last one I had my surgery was in the morning, I was back home by 6pm, and the pt had me walking up and down the street in a walker the next day. A month later I was walking unassisted with no limp, and went back to work at 6 weeks, not lifting shit but driving around, walking in and out of yards etc. You're going to be stoked ! Good luck !

ps. I waited 6 months before I started riding and waited about 8 months before I started back on tracks and racing. It felt like I could have done that sooner, but I wanted to make sure the bones had fully grown into the implants. My doc said it's solid at 6 months but the bone grows into the implant for about a year. And I'm sure you already know if you bring up dirt bikes they'll say "that's not a good idea", but you already know that haha
I'm 99% sure my surgerey will be anterior approach from the side, and it's ceramic coated femur ball with the same cup. Definitely prepping for surgerey, exercising, diet and training for it. Glad your results were so good I'm hoping for the same. My father had his replaced back in 2005 and he is doing great today, he was 70 then. I keep hearing that hip replacement surgery has advanced by light years since then too.
sumdood
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5/29/2020 1:46pm Edited Date/Time 5/29/2020 1:51pm
Nairb#70 wrote:
I'm 99% sure my surgerey will be anterior approach from the side, and it's ceramic coated femur ball with the same cup. Definitely prepping for surgerey...
I'm 99% sure my surgerey will be anterior approach from the side, and it's ceramic coated femur ball with the same cup. Definitely prepping for surgerey, exercising, diet and training for it. Glad your results were so good I'm hoping for the same. My father had his replaced back in 2005 and he is doing great today, he was 70 then. I keep hearing that hip replacement surgery has advanced by light years since then too.
You're going to be so stoked you did it. I can't speak for you but for me being in constant pain was making me a grouchy prick, and taking the Vicodin they prescribed me when they (Kaiser) were trying to postpone the surgery (until I was completely useless i guess) just made it worse. Then I had a hard time getting off of that shit. But now I barely take Advil, maybe 3 or 4 after riding or a long day but most days I don't take anything. You said it's your right leg, this sound familiar ? To go ride the first task is loading the bike, which fucking hurts, then you have to unload and get your boots and gear on 35-40 miserable minutes. Then you have to climb on the bike like a horse cause there's no fucking way your leg is going over the back fender, then you need to start the bike, if you have a button no big deal, if you don't, you have to grab your pants and lift your leg up onto the kick starter. Then you're going to suck ass in right hand corners cause taking your right foot off the peg fucking hurts enough that you really don't want to do it. At the end of the moto or ride I perfected an easy way to get off the bike. When your almost stopped slide off the back fender so your leg doesn't have to stretch over the seat, (take extra care not to squish your nuts on the back fender). One of the highlights of my recovery was the day I could throw my leg over the bike, and lift it up onto the kick starter unassisted like a normal human LaughingLaughing You'll have to practice walking normal, I gimped around for so long that it was like auto pilot to limp, sounds stupid but after gimping for years it kind of becomes natural. The PT will say "Concentrate on walking normal" lol.
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Nairb#70
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For me this has progressed very quickly, first saw the surgeon on 5/11. My pre-op appt is 6/3 and surgery is scheduled for 6/16, so Im grateful for that. Ive been limping for 4 yrs and it got proggressively worse over time. I havent been on any pain meds yet except OTC. Your symptoms read exactly like mine and the steps and measures to take are identical. Got my liver checked and its good, but I hate taking Ibs or Naproxen. No doubt Im soooo pumped and I seriously feel like Im getting my life given back to me. Life with a bad hip is far worse than you can imagine.
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benstone
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5/31/2020 8:54am
I'm 52 and I'm 1.5 years into a full right hip replacement and I agree with everything posted so far except I did have a posterior procedure and it healed crazy-fast like Sumdood's Anterior procedure. The doc had a legit reason for going in through my Ass, but I can't remember now what it was. YMMV.

Same as others:

* Wish I would have had it way earlier. Once I got to the right Doc, he agreed. I tried one Steroid shot that didn't do anything and then he was scheduled the replacement.
* Get the best surgeon you can find - look for a Hip specialist and someone with lots of surgeries under their belt.
* I do everything I used to do with only a twinge here and there (downhill skiing was awesome this past winter - until Covid anyway)
* I don't off road anymore but I ride a Ducati Monster like I stole it and have no issues
* Post Op pain management: get off the Opioids as soon as you can.
* My PT said to stop skiiing and riding motorcycles but the Doc said to listen to your body and do what feels do-able.
* This is my biggest point: Some medical folks have knee-jerk reaction to say you can't do stuff simply because they classify stuff into the "scary things" bucket. Listen closely to how they say this and ask them to clarify exactly what it is about the activity that might cause an issue. If they can't articulate a valid concern, they're likely just pulling the fear out of their ass.
* This is especially true about anything related to motorcycles. My doc explained exactly which kinds of torque/torsion would fuck up my hip (knee to the inside while my foot came around outside). When I ski, this is on my mind and I am aware of how I fall and twist that leg. If I rode dirt, I would be very aware of dabbing that foot or planting it a corner to make sure that outside twist motion didn't happen.
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Nighttrain
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5/31/2020 3:56pm
That’s good stuff, Benstone.

You can also ask to keep your bone. Mine had been in the freezer since the surgery. Eventually I’ll push it deep down in a fire-ant hill and let them clean it up. Then I plan to install it on the end of a hiking stick. Pretty cool, eh?


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Nighttrain
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5/31/2020 4:09pm
sumdood wrote:
You're going to be so stoked you did it. I can't speak for you but for me being in constant pain was making me a grouchy...
You're going to be so stoked you did it. I can't speak for you but for me being in constant pain was making me a grouchy prick, and taking the Vicodin they prescribed me when they (Kaiser) were trying to postpone the surgery (until I was completely useless i guess) just made it worse. Then I had a hard time getting off of that shit. But now I barely take Advil, maybe 3 or 4 after riding or a long day but most days I don't take anything. You said it's your right leg, this sound familiar ? To go ride the first task is loading the bike, which fucking hurts, then you have to unload and get your boots and gear on 35-40 miserable minutes. Then you have to climb on the bike like a horse cause there's no fucking way your leg is going over the back fender, then you need to start the bike, if you have a button no big deal, if you don't, you have to grab your pants and lift your leg up onto the kick starter. Then you're going to suck ass in right hand corners cause taking your right foot off the peg fucking hurts enough that you really don't want to do it. At the end of the moto or ride I perfected an easy way to get off the bike. When your almost stopped slide off the back fender so your leg doesn't have to stretch over the seat, (take extra care not to squish your nuts on the back fender). One of the highlights of my recovery was the day I could throw my leg over the bike, and lift it up onto the kick starter unassisted like a normal human LaughingLaughing You'll have to practice walking normal, I gimped around for so long that it was like auto pilot to limp, sounds stupid but after gimping for years it kind of becomes natural. The PT will say "Concentrate on walking normal" lol.
Our story is very similar, Sumdood. I even had a FAI Corrective surgery. It was a major waste of money, pain, and time. I flew into Nashville to have a famous surgeon perform that one. What a mistake it turned out to be.

At the end before the replacement I had to put my chest on the gas tank and then slide my extended leg over the rear fender and seat. My son said it embarrassed him when people were around, haha. And there was no way to raise my leg in turns while seated. The pain was debilitating. I had to learn turn while standing on the pegs. That’s was actual kinda cool.
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sumdood
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5/31/2020 5:12pm
Nighttrain I really wanted to keep the implants when they revised my right side, they said they needed for insurance and other reasons. That hunk of femur is both cool and creepy as fuck at the same time haha. I can’t wait to see the finished project !!
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Nairb#70
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8/11/2020 5:50pm Edited Date/Time 8/11/2020 5:52pm
I got handed a little vacation time and R&R by the boss on here (back during the riots), so i've been unable to post or make replies, but I'm backWoohoo
Today marks the 8 week anniversary of my THR or total hip replacement. You guys nailed it, I felt 20 years younger 1 week after surgery and no doubt it feels awesome. Killed it on the mtb today, back swimming like a fish again, no more limping like a drunken sailor either. Groin muscles are still a little weak but they're coming around. I never had the chance to ask the surgeon if I could have the old parts though, would make a nice souvenir. I think I'll remember the experience for the rest of my life though. Feels like I have two legs again instead of 1 1/2.
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Boomslang
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Nairb#70 wrote:
Just got the go ahead to get my right hip replaced after years of pain, soreness, immobility, and a general assache. Doin' cartwheels here. Can't have...
Just got the go ahead to get my right hip replaced after years of pain, soreness, immobility, and a general assache. Doin' cartwheels here. Can't have any medical procedure done without consulting the Vital MXperts first of course. But really, I know people who have the procedure done but they are not motoheads like us. I'm convinced we are physically superior compared to the rest of humanity, and that we have a substantially higher threshold for pain. Its in our DNA. Just ask any MD. My hip is totally shot so they are going for the full monty replacement. Im certain some, or even a bunch on here have had this done, how did you respond, can you still ride (race), are you still limited, how did therapy/rehab go, any tips, advice, etc.
Thanx in advance,
Nairb
Good news and happy for you. I'll have my turn with the Chief Hip Mechanic in the near future.
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sumdood
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8/12/2020 10:16pm
Nairb#70 wrote:
I got handed a little vacation time and R&R by the boss on here (back during the riots), so i've been unable to post or make...
I got handed a little vacation time and R&R by the boss on here (back during the riots), so i've been unable to post or make replies, but I'm backWoohoo
Today marks the 8 week anniversary of my THR or total hip replacement. You guys nailed it, I felt 20 years younger 1 week after surgery and no doubt it feels awesome. Killed it on the mtb today, back swimming like a fish again, no more limping like a drunken sailor either. Groin muscles are still a little weak but they're coming around. I never had the chance to ask the surgeon if I could have the old parts though, would make a nice souvenir. I think I'll remember the experience for the rest of my life though. Feels like I have two legs again instead of 1 1/2.


Great news ! Stoked for you
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TbonesPop
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2/21/2021 7:22pm
Nairb#70 wrote:
I got handed a little vacation time and R&R by the boss on here (back during the riots), so i've been unable to post or make...
I got handed a little vacation time and R&R by the boss on here (back during the riots), so i've been unable to post or make replies, but I'm backWoohoo
Today marks the 8 week anniversary of my THR or total hip replacement. You guys nailed it, I felt 20 years younger 1 week after surgery and no doubt it feels awesome. Killed it on the mtb today, back swimming like a fish again, no more limping like a drunken sailor either. Groin muscles are still a little weak but they're coming around. I never had the chance to ask the surgeon if I could have the old parts though, would make a nice souvenir. I think I'll remember the experience for the rest of my life though. Feels like I have two legs again instead of 1 1/2.
sumdood wrote:
[img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/08/12/443497/s1200_EXCELLENT.jpg[/img] Great news ! Stoked for you


Great news ! Stoked for you
Revitalizing this thread. I'm getting hip replacement (right) in a couple of weeks and still wanting to ride moto when I'm recovered. My surgeon said I should be able to get back on the bike in about 3 months of good recovery. Said no reason I shouldn't be able to ride once I'm healed. He did say I should take it easy and avoid serious get offs (for obvious reasons). The surgeon is a highly respected hip surgeon at the Mayo clinic so I think I should be good to go. I'm 50 and in very good shape (lift weights and exercise 3-4 days a week and ride moto 3-4 times a month). I'll be cleaning up the diet starting tomorrow and will keep it clean going forward. While the Doc said I have pretty serious bone on bone, I don't have any bone on bone pain. I just can't move my damn leg. Putting on socks, boots, shoes is an adventure. Hip is super stiff no matter how much a I stretch and try to loosen it up. I used to be able to do sprints. But that ended, and could jog and walk decently. Now I can't even jog or walk without major effort/pain/stiffness. Pretty much sucks. But I'm all set up with a good doc, in good shape to begin with and doing my exercises in advance.

My question is, with respect to moto, how bad is it to dab in a corner? Is it better just to fall over? Outside of a really bad crash, any concerns about minor tip overs or movements like doing the Cody Webb EX one legged pivot while on single track? I won't be back on the bike for at least 4 months and when I do, it will be super light initially. I won't get after it until after at least 6-8 months. I'll be doing all the PT, etc. I'll go to PT initially, but I have a home gym and wife is a pilates instructor with all the equipment. So once I get the PT routine, I'll do it all at home.

But when it comes to moto what should I avoid? I just don't want it to pop out.
captmoto
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2/21/2021 10:41pm
TbonesPop wrote:
Revitalizing this thread. I'm getting hip replacement (right) in a couple of weeks and still wanting to ride moto when I'm recovered. My surgeon said I...
Revitalizing this thread. I'm getting hip replacement (right) in a couple of weeks and still wanting to ride moto when I'm recovered. My surgeon said I should be able to get back on the bike in about 3 months of good recovery. Said no reason I shouldn't be able to ride once I'm healed. He did say I should take it easy and avoid serious get offs (for obvious reasons). The surgeon is a highly respected hip surgeon at the Mayo clinic so I think I should be good to go. I'm 50 and in very good shape (lift weights and exercise 3-4 days a week and ride moto 3-4 times a month). I'll be cleaning up the diet starting tomorrow and will keep it clean going forward. While the Doc said I have pretty serious bone on bone, I don't have any bone on bone pain. I just can't move my damn leg. Putting on socks, boots, shoes is an adventure. Hip is super stiff no matter how much a I stretch and try to loosen it up. I used to be able to do sprints. But that ended, and could jog and walk decently. Now I can't even jog or walk without major effort/pain/stiffness. Pretty much sucks. But I'm all set up with a good doc, in good shape to begin with and doing my exercises in advance.

My question is, with respect to moto, how bad is it to dab in a corner? Is it better just to fall over? Outside of a really bad crash, any concerns about minor tip overs or movements like doing the Cody Webb EX one legged pivot while on single track? I won't be back on the bike for at least 4 months and when I do, it will be super light initially. I won't get after it until after at least 6-8 months. I'll be doing all the PT, etc. I'll go to PT initially, but I have a home gym and wife is a pilates instructor with all the equipment. So once I get the PT routine, I'll do it all at home.

But when it comes to moto what should I avoid? I just don't want it to pop out.
I had my knee replaced in 18 and have dabbed a few times. I've hooked it and half ran over my foot, I have fallen directly on it on the one day I decided to skip knee braces so not a lot of protection with knee cups. I have hot the ground hard and tumbled on it. I have had no problems. My knee doc said it was fixed in 20 minutes and my rehab was going to be for soft tissue and flexibility rehab. I was riding my normal speed (slow) in 3 months.
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sumdood
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2/24/2021 9:07am Edited Date/Time 2/24/2021 9:08am
I just crashed my brains out with 2 fake hips. Right femur broke in 2 places, left leg was purple from my nuts to my ankle, left knee all jacked up. But both hip replacements held tough. Once I was healed from my hip replacements I barely even thought about them. I waited a year before I pushed because I was told even though at 4 to 6 months it will feel solid, complete bone in growth takes about a year. Good luck you’ll be fine, your only regret will be that you didn’t do it sooner. 👍
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Moto Nomad
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sumdood wrote:
I just crashed my brains out with 2 fake hips. Right femur broke in 2 places, left leg was purple from my nuts to my ankle...
I just crashed my brains out with 2 fake hips. Right femur broke in 2 places, left leg was purple from my nuts to my ankle, left knee all jacked up. But both hip replacements held tough. Once I was healed from my hip replacements I barely even thought about them. I waited a year before I pushed because I was told even though at 4 to 6 months it will feel solid, complete bone in growth takes about a year. Good luck you’ll be fine, your only regret will be that you didn’t do it sooner. 👍
Damn dude! Feel better.
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Nighttrain
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2/24/2021 10:08pm
My experience is that hip replacements give you better than you were results. I wish I’d had both of mine done sooner so I could have ridden better for all those years I’d suffered thru unnecessary pain.

My experience with knee replacement is the opposite. Wish I’d never had that surgery.
Nairb#70
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3/12/2021 4:18pm
Nairb#70 wrote:
I got handed a little vacation time and R&R by the boss on here (back during the riots), so i've been unable to post or make...
I got handed a little vacation time and R&R by the boss on here (back during the riots), so i've been unable to post or make replies, but I'm backWoohoo
Today marks the 8 week anniversary of my THR or total hip replacement. You guys nailed it, I felt 20 years younger 1 week after surgery and no doubt it feels awesome. Killed it on the mtb today, back swimming like a fish again, no more limping like a drunken sailor either. Groin muscles are still a little weak but they're coming around. I never had the chance to ask the surgeon if I could have the old parts though, would make a nice souvenir. I think I'll remember the experience for the rest of my life though. Feels like I have two legs again instead of 1 1/2.
sumdood wrote:
[img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2020/08/12/443497/s1200_EXCELLENT.jpg[/img] Great news ! Stoked for you


Great news ! Stoked for you
TbonesPop wrote:
Revitalizing this thread. I'm getting hip replacement (right) in a couple of weeks and still wanting to ride moto when I'm recovered. My surgeon said I...
Revitalizing this thread. I'm getting hip replacement (right) in a couple of weeks and still wanting to ride moto when I'm recovered. My surgeon said I should be able to get back on the bike in about 3 months of good recovery. Said no reason I shouldn't be able to ride once I'm healed. He did say I should take it easy and avoid serious get offs (for obvious reasons). The surgeon is a highly respected hip surgeon at the Mayo clinic so I think I should be good to go. I'm 50 and in very good shape (lift weights and exercise 3-4 days a week and ride moto 3-4 times a month). I'll be cleaning up the diet starting tomorrow and will keep it clean going forward. While the Doc said I have pretty serious bone on bone, I don't have any bone on bone pain. I just can't move my damn leg. Putting on socks, boots, shoes is an adventure. Hip is super stiff no matter how much a I stretch and try to loosen it up. I used to be able to do sprints. But that ended, and could jog and walk decently. Now I can't even jog or walk without major effort/pain/stiffness. Pretty much sucks. But I'm all set up with a good doc, in good shape to begin with and doing my exercises in advance.

My question is, with respect to moto, how bad is it to dab in a corner? Is it better just to fall over? Outside of a really bad crash, any concerns about minor tip overs or movements like doing the Cody Webb EX one legged pivot while on single track? I won't be back on the bike for at least 4 months and when I do, it will be super light initially. I won't get after it until after at least 6-8 months. I'll be doing all the PT, etc. I'll go to PT initially, but I have a home gym and wife is a pilates instructor with all the equipment. So once I get the PT routine, I'll do it all at home.

But when it comes to moto what should I avoid? I just don't want it to pop out.
Just wanted to chime in as the OP of the thread. Nine months out on my right side THR and after some ups and downs I can finally say I'm now feeling a boat load better and really approaching a "back to normal" feeling. I had some back and knee issues which made recovery a lot longer and more difficult. I can't stress enough to take the time it needs, depending on the severity of the damage, and your age, physical condition, etc. It's a major surgery and has to be treated like one.
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TbonesPop
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3/12/2021 5:59pm
Just got the hip swap done today, at home now and taking it easy. Doc said the only real risk is popping it out of socket - he said that's a bad problem if it happens. So obviously taking it easy for a good while. Sounds like all you other guys have had no issues with hips popping out as long as you the the PT and took the time to let it heal. Thanks for all the insight! I'm always open to any additional advice if you have any. Thanks!
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BobbyLight
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3/12/2021 6:43pm Edited Date/Time 3/12/2021 6:53pm
I had a total hip replacement at 21 from AVN and it was the best decision I've ever made in my life. If you were in serious pain before then you likely already feel less pain, right? When that epidural wears off though it is going to hurt pretty gnarly. I think the 3rd and 4th days were the worst for me, I actually was thinking "they discharged me too soon I need some morphine or something" lol. I think my mistake was not taking my pain pills as often as I should have because it didn't hurt that bad but I think once they kinda got out of my system a bit by day 3 or 4 it really set in. So keep popping those things even if you think you don't need them. At least for the first handful of days. Miralax is your friend also, it will just keep you regular.

Its been years and I still mountain bike, moto, golf, longboard and everything I used to do before. Just do the PT and get some resistance bands and stuff and really try to build up the small stabilization muscles and you are golden. I am not sure what exact procedure you had done, but mine was an anterior (from the front) approach, which is harder to dislocate than some methods from my understanding. Did you go with a plastic lining?

I wear these shorts when riding or mountain biking and I can't tell you enough how amazing they are. Or how long it took to find something that I felt actually protected the hip.
KNOX Defender Shorts
Most padded compression shorts suck because with one pad your hip isn't always protected when you leg bends. The knox shorts have 2 overlapping pads with a "pivot" and they slide over each other meaning your hip is always protected no matter how your leg is bent.

Cycling is how I get the cardio in as we are supposed to keep it low impact and I'm not much on swimming. I really recommend skate / longboarding as well as it really helps building your balance back up and builds a lot of the small stabilization muscles. I don't do anything too crazy on the board but just kicking around on flat ground will help a lot if your balance is jacked like mine was from having a collapsed ball for 3 years. Plus it is pretty fun once/if you are confident enough to bomb some hills!

Any questions you have or whatever I'd be glad to answer. Good luck on your recovery and hope all goes well!
1
sumdood
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3/12/2021 6:55pm
TbonesPop wrote:
Just got the hip swap done today, at home now and taking it easy. Doc said the only real risk is popping it out of socket...
Just got the hip swap done today, at home now and taking it easy. Doc said the only real risk is popping it out of socket - he said that's a bad problem if it happens. So obviously taking it easy for a good while. Sounds like all you other guys have had no issues with hips popping out as long as you the the PT and took the time to let it heal. Thanks for all the insight! I'm always open to any additional advice if you have any. Thanks!
Yep. Just don’t do the “dont’s”. Once you’re healed your range of motion will be better than it’s been in years
2
TbonesPop
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3/14/2021 4:23pm
BobbyLight wrote:
I had a total hip replacement at 21 from AVN and it was the best decision I've ever made in my life. If you were in...
I had a total hip replacement at 21 from AVN and it was the best decision I've ever made in my life. If you were in serious pain before then you likely already feel less pain, right? When that epidural wears off though it is going to hurt pretty gnarly. I think the 3rd and 4th days were the worst for me, I actually was thinking "they discharged me too soon I need some morphine or something" lol. I think my mistake was not taking my pain pills as often as I should have because it didn't hurt that bad but I think once they kinda got out of my system a bit by day 3 or 4 it really set in. So keep popping those things even if you think you don't need them. At least for the first handful of days. Miralax is your friend also, it will just keep you regular.

Its been years and I still mountain bike, moto, golf, longboard and everything I used to do before. Just do the PT and get some resistance bands and stuff and really try to build up the small stabilization muscles and you are golden. I am not sure what exact procedure you had done, but mine was an anterior (from the front) approach, which is harder to dislocate than some methods from my understanding. Did you go with a plastic lining?

I wear these shorts when riding or mountain biking and I can't tell you enough how amazing they are. Or how long it took to find something that I felt actually protected the hip.
KNOX Defender Shorts
Most padded compression shorts suck because with one pad your hip isn't always protected when you leg bends. The knox shorts have 2 overlapping pads with a "pivot" and they slide over each other meaning your hip is always protected no matter how your leg is bent.

Cycling is how I get the cardio in as we are supposed to keep it low impact and I'm not much on swimming. I really recommend skate / longboarding as well as it really helps building your balance back up and builds a lot of the small stabilization muscles. I don't do anything too crazy on the board but just kicking around on flat ground will help a lot if your balance is jacked like mine was from having a collapsed ball for 3 years. Plus it is pretty fun once/if you are confident enough to bomb some hills!

Any questions you have or whatever I'd be glad to answer. Good luck on your recovery and hope all goes well!
Yes less pain already. Epi already wore off but overall doing fine. Stopped taking the pain meds after the first 12 hours on them. I tend to get a bad reaction from Oxy and I'm hyper aware of opiod addiction. So I'm only running with the Celebrex and Tylon Plus ice. All good and handling the discomfort just fine. I had the anterior done (front) with the plastic lining. All per my Doc at Mayo. Thanks for the heads up on the Knox shorts, I have been looking for some new protection for the hips for riding.

My only question is when you are MTB'ing or moto'ing, any issues or concerns with popping out of joint on a dab or pivot when putting your foot down? That's about it. Everything else seems pretty straight forward. I plan to give this a good 4-6 months before getting back on the bike, then just taking it slow on the vet tracks and turn tracks. I'll give it a good 8-12 months before going really hard. I'm still in really good shape and plan to bike for cardio as well as using our rowing machine. I have a home gym with free weights plus pilates equipment.

Thanks again, Really interested in the shorts.
1
BobbyLight
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Lamp, NC US
3/14/2021 5:30pm Edited Date/Time 3/14/2021 5:39pm
TbonesPop wrote:
Yes less pain already. Epi already wore off but overall doing fine. Stopped taking the pain meds after the first 12 hours on them. I tend...
Yes less pain already. Epi already wore off but overall doing fine. Stopped taking the pain meds after the first 12 hours on them. I tend to get a bad reaction from Oxy and I'm hyper aware of opiod addiction. So I'm only running with the Celebrex and Tylon Plus ice. All good and handling the discomfort just fine. I had the anterior done (front) with the plastic lining. All per my Doc at Mayo. Thanks for the heads up on the Knox shorts, I have been looking for some new protection for the hips for riding.

My only question is when you are MTB'ing or moto'ing, any issues or concerns with popping out of joint on a dab or pivot when putting your foot down? That's about it. Everything else seems pretty straight forward. I plan to give this a good 4-6 months before getting back on the bike, then just taking it slow on the vet tracks and turn tracks. I'll give it a good 8-12 months before going really hard. I'm still in really good shape and plan to bike for cardio as well as using our rowing machine. I have a home gym with free weights plus pilates equipment.

Thanks again, Really interested in the shorts.
That is awesome man your pain tolerance must be better than mine! And no worries on popping it out! My surgeon was really cool and explained that this newer anterior approach has changed the game immensely and said that after a full year when it is healed completely, it would be no easier to dislocate or break than a normal persons hip as long as your bone health looks good (as mine was). I had concerns about popping it out or breaking a femur or something and again he assured me that it would all be as strong or maybe even stronger than a regular hip. He said I can do anything a normal person can do and not to listen to outdated opinions that "you can never skydive or xyz or etc etc" . These new hips last 20+ years and as long as you have the plastic lining like we do, there is nothing to shatter.

I spent a lot of time in that hospital fighting cancer so knew a lot of the nurses personally, and those nurses recommended that surgeon as he is one of the best in the state and even top athletes go to him. He was actually the second surgeon I consulted with, as the first one was a dick and acted like id never be able to do shit again. It was at that point I asked the nurses for a recommendation and found the really cool, younger one who said with the anterior I can do whatever a normal person can. So don't be discouraged if your surgeon is a dick and tries to tell you otherwise as he told me "a lot of surgeons have the personality of a cardboard box" (his words) and just look at this surgery as a "quality of life" procedure for old guys to be able to take a walk in the park but that is an antiquated view as the new anterior way is just as strong as a normal hip, but they just read the same old script from back in the day when you used to have to sit on a triangle pillow for weeks after surgery and couldn't even bend at the waist past 45 degrees for a month. He then alluded to something along the lines of surgeons will tell you to play it safe because they don't want you to come back/make them look bad; maybe im wrong but that is what I picked up on reading between the lines.

So you should not be worried about it popping out! I would say I would probably wait the full 12 months before you rode moto just to be safe as you wouldn't want the 200 lb bike to piledrive your thigh or something at 6 months when the bone/ligaments or whatever isn't fully healed. I just waited 6 months before I rode anything, then rode mtb for 6 months then got on the bike around a year later. No worries about dabbing my foot or anything. You sound like you are going to put in the work in the gym and stuff so I wouldn't worry at all. I have absolutely ate shit so many times on my mountain bike (i crash like jordon smith but on bikes) and never had any trouble.

The only time I have ever had an issue was one of the first times back on my dirtbike I highsided in a deep sand corner and the bike landed with all its weight on my inside thigh and trapped my leg under the bike. My hip didn't "hurt" really (like a 2/10 level pain) but when trying to kick the bike over or taking each step it was uncomfortable, which scared me. But then 2 days later everything was all good so it must have just made it sore or something. That was probably at around the 11 month mark or so which is why I say give it the full year before you hop on the 200 lb beast. But again, I have ran out of talent numerous times since then (almost every time lol) and have never had a single issue with pain or soreness ever again. I do wear knee pads instead of braces. I wouldn't worry about pivoting either as I hit a LOT of golf balls and my pivot/power foot is on my replaced side, no issues at all.

The knox shorts are really great and even here in the NC heat they aren't too hot to handle. Movement isn't restricted and they give me the confidence to not worry at all. The pads are removeable and a bit of a pain in the ass to get back in so I actually have 2 pairs and I let them get a little stanky before I wash them lol. When I mountain bike I wear a regular chamois as the first layer then throw these over top. There is also a tailbone pad that you can remove, but after taking a hit to the tailbone I put it back in lol.
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TbonesPop
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3/15/2021 12:26pm
BobbyLight, that's great insight. Very in depth and helpful. My surgeon has actually been very good. He is highly regarded at the Mayo clinic and has been good to work with. He told me from day 1 that there was no reason why I shouldn't be able to ride moto again in the future. He just said to take it easy as he doesn't want to have to work on me again anytime soon (for my sake). He only suggested not water skiiing, which is fine by me. Not into it anymore and can live without it. I already bought the Knox shorts and I can't wait to try them. I was looking for some good ones, and those were perfect based on their design. I'll definitely keep things toned down. I may hop on the bike in about 6-8 months, but take it REALLY easy. Just ride turn tracks and be super careful to not highside or swap. So comforting to hear that info from you and your doctor.

FYI - my Doc said he expects my hip replacement to be good for up to 30 years. I don't think the titanium will break down, it just comes down to the plastic and ceramic coating, which I would expect they could replace on a future rerack down the line. all in all, very pleased!

Thanks again for all the info!!!
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mx617
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6/4/2023 4:37pm

Resurrecting this to add a bit of new info. I just had mine done through the Direct Superior Approach. This (counter to sumdoods info) approach is through the rear, just below the beltline. However it doesnt cut any muscles, and in fact ends up with only a single 3-4" incision. I walked out of the hospital same day, and my flexibility is already way better (6 days out from surgery today).  

 

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sumdood
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6/5/2023 1:39pm
mx617 wrote:
Resurrecting this to add a bit of new info. I just had mine done through the Direct Superior Approach. This (counter to sumdoods info) approach is...

Resurrecting this to add a bit of new info. I just had mine done through the Direct Superior Approach. This (counter to sumdoods info) approach is through the rear, just below the beltline. However it doesnt cut any muscles, and in fact ends up with only a single 3-4" incision. I walked out of the hospital same day, and my flexibility is already way better (6 days out from surgery today).  

 

Great news !  I've never heard of that approach, I know they're constantly perfecting different methods. I went mountain biking with a guy who had one done 8 weeks ago and you'd never know.  His scar was about that, 3-4 inches but was anterior (almost directly on his side but more forward than back) He called it anterior (front) approach. I've watched a couple videos and they make a small incision then "slide the hole around" for access to different spots. I wish they had this technology when I got mine, the last one was good but I wasn't walking on my own the first day by a longshot. Stoked for you congrats on getting back to your life so quick that's awesome Cool  Now I'm hoping for the same results from doing a knee replacement, sounds like they're not quite there yet on those. Good deal dude charge it !

1
mx617
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6/9/2023 5:17pm
sumdood wrote:
Great news !  I've never heard of that approach, I know they're constantly perfecting different methods. I went mountain biking with a guy who had one...

Great news !  I've never heard of that approach, I know they're constantly perfecting different methods. I went mountain biking with a guy who had one done 8 weeks ago and you'd never know.  His scar was about that, 3-4 inches but was anterior (almost directly on his side but more forward than back) He called it anterior (front) approach. I've watched a couple videos and they make a small incision then "slide the hole around" for access to different spots. I wish they had this technology when I got mine, the last one was good but I wasn't walking on my own the first day by a longshot. Stoked for you congrats on getting back to your life so quick that's awesome Cool  Now I'm hoping for the same results from doing a knee replacement, sounds like they're not quite there yet on those. Good deal dude charge it !

Thanks man. Had my two week check up today, got cleared for driving and back to work already (desk job though). It's amazing what they can do nowadays. 

1

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