Checking in to hear how it’s going?
Ok thanks. I’m having all kinds of nasty hip issues and was afraid stairs would be a no go while recovering . I really didn’t want to stay on the couch lol
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Doing well, on the cane now. Still a bit sore but I’m moving around well. Don’t regret having done this for an instant.
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I don’t know of anyone who’s been able to be discharged from the hospital without being able to navigate a few stairs, so they can show you how to do it 
Getting onto and off the toilet, and out of and back into bed, plus walking with the walker or crutchers a short distance, is standard discharge requirements
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That’s great to hear! I am setting up a follow up with my dr. to discuss the PRP and whether it will be successful (still to be seen) but if not, I want to have a plan. I know of someone else that just had their hip done a week ago and are doing well too. The more I hear, the more I don’t want to push it out too long if it means I’m really uncomfortable.
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I walked up and down the hall once with a walker, no stairs, no getting in or out of bed. I figured out stairs on my own at home.
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Yeah I just didn’t know and I’m kind of early in this whole thing. I’ve been afraid to really go to the dr for it because I was afraid of the recovery, restrictions etc. we have a two story house so I was concerned.
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Like I said, everyone’s recovery is different. I didn’t have hardly any swelling. My replacement was also on the left side. I had been struggling for years to just get on and swing my leg all the way over the horse so my first ride I was so determined to swing my leg over that I over did it and almost went off the other side!
Was your surgery posterior or anterior? I’ve been told that recovery is faster with an anterior approach, but long term success is the same regardless.
That’s great news. Honestly I felt better immediately after surgery than I had in years. My ortho said that I wasn’t going to realize how much pain I’d been putting up with until it was gone; he was right! I wish I’d had it done years before!
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I can’t even imagine riding at this point, but in time. I still can’t get down on my knees to do some much needed weeding in my garden so that’ll have to wait as well. I ordered a bunch of groceries from the local Hannaford and while they don’t delivery to my area, my SO picked them all up when he came over yesterday. There’s still pain and stiffness when I get up from sitting too long but I’m doing my PT exercises and walking about as much as possible. I have my two week check tomorrow. I’ll keep you updated.
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It sounds like you’re doing great! Key thing is to rest when you can, keep icing it, stay ahead of the pain and do as much gentle moving around as you can tolerate to keep things from stiffening up. Getting into and out of bed is definitely tricky – I wore a diaper for the first week because I didn’t know whether I could navigate getting out of bed and getting to the bathroom in time.
We live in a stupid three-level TH and I had to go up the stairs to go to bed, there was no way I was sleeping on the couch in the middle level! I have back problems as well, and not being able to exercise and stretch made everything tighten up, so I lived on heat packs and used my TENS unit when necessary along with having an ice machine for the hip.
My DH put everything on a tray: meds, stool softener, meals, and drinks, and brought it to me so that everything would be together and I wouldn’t have to make a lot of trips in and out of my chair. We purchased an electric recliner so I could get into and out of it easily - it just bit the dust last week after two years of use, almost to the day!
Stairs, just take your time obviously.
The main thing was going to PT regularly, doing the exercises at home, and then walking as mych as you reasonably can - little “trips” around the house, and then eventually on the sidewalk. I used a walker and forced myself to go up and down the block – it felt really funny because my right leg had been shorter than the left leg because of the hip deterioration, apparently was pretty awful according to the surgeon and I was in incredible pain the last week or so before the surgery. That weird feeling eventually went away with more slow and dedicated walking, of course I have 13 stairs to navigate before getting to the sidewalk! 
I was back on a student’s horse just about 6 weeks after the surgery (and was teaching lessons while supporting myself on my cane, which I eventually tossed away; my students kindly provided me with a chair which of course I didn’t use – I can’t teach while sitting! I wanted to go go go and get stronger and stronger!)
ETA two photos: one of me “practicing” sitting in a saddle, I put my jump saddle on my Physio ball and got the feeling of sitting evenly on both seat bones and stretching out those hips (while gently bouncing up and down); the second one was me on a student’s horse six weeks after surgery.
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Anterior, and I’ve been told/seen the same
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Anterior here as well, I think there are fewer restrictions – and my surgeon was pretty laissez-faire as it was! “Go ahead and drive” he said after 10 days/2 weeks – okay there, Doc, it was my right hip after all 
Surgeons definitely vary in terms of how conservative they are, but mine knew that I was a horse person, that I worked out 7 days a week and had good core strength, and that I was very committed to a fast recovery.
After the first week or so (during which I was in considerable pain), I really stepped up to the plate in PT; one of my therapists said: “you should join the team and help us motivate our clients because you keep doing extra of everything!”
There were a lot of people there who were around my age or a little older who resisted completing the exercises, and kept saying that they were too tired and that it was too hard. But we horse chicks are tough. We just want to get back in the saddle, ASAP!
It’s a very powerful motivator…
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I was the one on my horse at 6 weeks. It was amazing as I was pain free in the saddle. I still find riding to be nicely pain free.
It was my left hip and I had been mounting from the right side for months because the tendon issue did not like the torque they got when I stepped in the stirrup then swung on…ouch. However, right up to surgery, my left leg could clear the saddle. Funnily, I was also mounting from the right side for my right hip which was replaced 10 years ago. I just couldn’t hike my right leg high enough to clear the cantle so right side it was. It was winter and I eventually quit riding due to pain. The most recent hip was also quite painful but I persisted in riding 
. Replacement for the left hip was anterior approach. I am still having tendon issues and pain but am working on it. It has improved but not as much as I had hoped. Just have to keep working on rehabbing those gluteal muscles. Surgeon felt the replacement would stabilize the issue but yes, with all the swelling from the surgery it is taking some time.
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Thought I’d chime in. I’ve had both hips replaced. One anterior, one posterior. Anterior was by far the easier recovery, but it was also 6 years earlier and I was 6 years younger.
After the first, anterior surgery, I felt great very quickly. Back then, they kept you overnight. Now you can do outpatient. The 2nd day, I was walking up and down the hall and did stairs in the PT area (with the therapist of course). I never used the walker and used the cane very briefly. Started PT a couple of days after discharge. Went back to work after 2 weeks (desk job). No trouble.with stairs. Started riding after 6 weeks.
Second one, posterior, was harder for the first week or so. Still went back to work after 2 weeks. I think I waited 8 weeks to ride. Still never used a walker. But, a raised toilet seat is crucial!! Unless you have tall toilets. Still did stairs In the house.
The 2nd surgeon didn’t care if I did PT, but I think it was critical to a better recovery. I think studies have shown not much difference? But I felt it helped me a !ot.
Never regretted either surgery as they were life changing. I’m 2+ years out from the second one and still pain free in both hips. Other issues however… Getting old is sh!tty.
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Why was one chosen versus the other; especially if you had anterior successfully the first time. Was there a reason you couldn’t have anterior for the 2nd hip?
I’m just curious and just starting to research this topic. Thanks!
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Generally speaking, for your research purposes, unless you have a very specific requirement for a particular kind of surgery, like you’re a ballet dancer and really want/need the dual mobility implant, you go for the best surgeon you have access to, and you go with the approach they deem best for you.
Posterior is often the better choice for people who are overweight enough (which does NOT mean all posterior patients are overweight).
Different anatomies sometimes make one choice better than another.
Some methods, like SuperPath, are new enough that there aren’t enough surgeons doing it, even if it’s a superior approach
Ok, kind of a stupid story. I changed to a different orthopedic Dr. Well respected and reputable. I’d been seeing him for a while, getting knee injections, etc…
So, the left hip looks ok in March but by May is almost bone on bone. Things deteriorated. Scheduled surgery for October, after I get back from a trip in September.
LSS, I never asked. It wasn’t until I was at the hospital that I learned it was to be posterior. Felt pretty stupid, but was half doped at this time.
The anterior method takes additional training and many doctors don’t see the reason. I never asked this guy but I suspect that was him. He was good at posterior, so keep on keeping on.
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I stayed overnight one night and was up and out by early afternoon the next day. Just had my 2 week check. Everything looks good and Dr. is very pleased. He did have to stich at the very top of the incision where it hadn’t closed due to ill fitting undies that cut right across. But all things considered, it’s going very well. I can’t drive but found a guy who has lots of free time so for a very reasonable fee, he’s my default driver.
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Interesting.
I live in an area where I can certainly get either; lots of the surgeons at the clinic I go to now (but see a Sport Med Dr.) are qualified to do anterior as per their bio. Not sure if they all also do posterior or if they specifically identify “anterior” because it’s newer. I’ll certainly do more research; just wondered why some do one type and others do another.
Not sure about SuperPath - nothing popped up when I did a search for my area but it might be the “minimally invasive” approach some places describe (but maybe don’t use that exact term?)
More research to come. Thanks for sharing your stories!
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