Ignoring doctor's recommendations

[Mara]

WRT physical activity. I’m on the verge of doing this very thing.

Background: I used to be an avid runner - ultra-marathons and the like. A stress fracture in the femoral neck became a total displacement and avascular necrosis, leading to a hip replacement when I was 32.

So running was out. Had the “ceremonial burning of running shoes”.

I took up rowing - no impact, great workout. Love it - outdoors, wonderful people, tons of fun.

10 years later and I am now on Hip #1.5; I just had an acetabular liner replacement along with a new larger head ball. The stem should last several more years, as it’s in good and tight with lots of nice dense bone around it.

But no more rowing. The new liner is much tougher than the old one, but the extreme hip angles will lead to faster wear.

I’m getting frustrated, because my activities are becoming increasingly limited. On my last post-op appointment, I asked the PA about riding again. This was always a plan - I was waiting to get the hip re-done and then was going to start taking lessons. At 42, I’m interested in just getting back into the hunter jumper scene on a low level. No breaking greenies or anything on the high-risk end. I doubt I’d be doing any jumping over 3’, if that, and am not interested in showing beyond the local levels at all.

PA says, “I don’t recommend it. A fall could really mess you up.” :mad:

Now I’m starting to weigh out lifespan of hip vs. quality of MY life, physically and mentally. I’m seeing my options for activity narrowing and quite frankly, it’s pissing me off.

PA’s recommendations, and why I am not interested: Walking - nuh-uh, it makes me just want to run. Too slow and dull. Swimming is out as well - I did that all through HS and college and it’s BORING staring at the bottom of a pool for hours, plus there’s not much social about it. I do bike, but that is one seriously pricey sport (and hello, Mr. PA, falls? DH broke a collar bone on his racing bike last year). Oh, and golf was a suggestion. Golf? Are you KIDDING me? I get more activity sleeping!

And I want to RIDE. I have been looking forward to this, and feel as though the rug’s been jerked out from under me.

I might just say, “tough, I’m riding anyway.”

Has anyone ignored physician’s recommendations regarding activities you can/can’t do? If you have, any regrets? Truthfully, I was pretty hard on the initial artificial hip; it should have lasted me another 3-5 years, and I knew I was trading hip life to do what I wanted. And honestly, it was worth it. I was happier doing mostly what I wanted for 10 years than I would have been for 15 years with restrictions.

*I do plan to ask the doctor himself next visit, which is in two months.

[sdlbredfan]

I would go ahead and ride, then discuss it with the Doc on next visit, after having successfully been doing it for those 2 months. You know your body better than the PA, plus you know that mental aspects of health (the wellbeing resulting from riding) are just as important, if not more so, than the physical ones. Go for it!

[Schatzi09]

I also say go ahead and ride! I was told not to ride for 1 year following abdominal recontruction. I listened to the doctor for 6 months - only because it was winter here and I have no indoor! I started back riding one of my best trained horses and just trail rode until my belly didn’t hurt when I attempted sitting trot. After that I broke my 3 year old to saddle and started riding “normally”. I used to event but now I only do dressage. I’m riding at PSG so it’s pretty demanding on my core muscles. My doctor was not happy but I was willing to risk it to make myself happy. I fully understood the consquences of falling off but in my mind I knew I would be safe. Just don’t take unnecessary risks and do whatever makes you happy. If it hurts, then back off!

[Louise]

Do you trust your Doctor? Do you think that he’s a good physician, with the right experience behind him to do the best possible job with your problems? It sounds like you do, because you let him operate on you. Then, I would listen to him.

If I’m calculating correctly, you’re now in your early 40’s. You have a good many years in front of you. I’m in my early '60’s, and injuries not nearly as serious as what you have been through are beginning to poke up their heads and ask “remember me?”

If you ride, and, if you fall, you may injure yourself seriously. And, as bad as that is now, it will probably only get worse as you age. That’s a lot of years to suffer.

Remember, you can have a fall from even the safest of horses.

You know, I appreciate the passion that you feel about riding, and I understand how you feel. But, you have to weigh your current actions very carefully. It’s not just now that you could affect, it’s your whole future.

Have you ever thought about dog obedience as a substitute?

[Zu_Zu]

RIDE ~

Ride ~ don’t fall off just RIDE ~~~

ENJOY YOUR LIFE !!!

HUGS AND JINGLES FOR YOU DURING THIS STRUGGLE ~~

Take a RIDE and think about what you want to do with your life ~

BTW ~ I have an artificial hip ~

[amastrike]

A fall can mess anyone up. Saddle up and have fun.

[Mara]

amastrike - that’s how I sort of look at falls. It’s a risk whether or not one has after-market parts.
Louise - yes, I trust my orthopedist. The one who gave me this latest set of instructions was the PA, however. Now, not criticizing PA’s (in fact most of the time I prefer to see them, as they have more time), but I just don’t quite think this one “gets it” in terms of how athletic activity is to me. The orthopedist, on the other hand, is quite athletic himself - we’ve discussed it. (Without getting into what could be a nasty argument, because I don’t mean it that way, I’ll say it’s obvious the PA doesn’t do much high-level activity).

I NEED pace, and challenge, which I am not going to get from meandering around a golf course. Not that riding is necessarily a cardiovascular activity, but I need the focus. The people around me need for me to have those outlets as well - ask my husband, who can attest to my generally restless and at times nasty attitude if I have too much energy and no place to direct it.

[Calvincrowe]

I had the “don’t ride” recommendation given to me after a 4-part humeral fracture a year ago. I’m riding. As my ortho said, a fall could re-injure your shoulder, but it might not. I have a friend who is riding hunters post-hip replacement, and another who’s had spinal fusion, a rod in a lower leg and breast cancer and rode through it all.

As to exercise: I hear you! After back surgery @8 years ago, I was told no more running…ending my soccer fun. I hate walking…yawn… so I took up “extreme walking” in our local 600 acre nature/wild park. Lots of hills, mud, single track etc. I hike, I hike HARD. I get muddy and sweaty and smile a lot. There are lots of folks out there, and Mr. CC and the dogs join me often. I’ve found all sorts of different routes, and I sometimes run up the hills (easier on back, knees, hips, etc. but harder on the lungs). My ortho thinks its a great thing.

[AKB]

You may want to call or email the orthopedist. A lot of people who have had hip replacements still ride. If he is not knowledgeable about riding, perhaps he could send you to someone more horse savvy. Orthopedists vary in their knowledge of various sports.

My daughter had a tibial plateau fracture and ACL avulsion about 6 years ago. Fortunately, the orthopedist who she saw is very aggressive about encouraging people to go back to sports. He told her to wear the splint, not bend the knee, and not to fall off the horse until it healed. After 2 weeks, she was walking without crutches and riding, mostly at the walk. By the time the time the splint was no longer needed, 6 weeks post fracture, the leg was almost back to normal. At 8 weeks, it was normal. In contrast, my orthopedist neighbor had advised surgery, and predicted that a prolonged recovery time was to be expected.

Sometimes, early and aggressive mobility and return to sports, is the best course. My daughter could have fallen off and caused more problems. However, the more likely scenario is that prolonged immobility would have caused poor healing. Talk with your orthopedist. It may be that more activity would have some clear benefits that outweigh the risk of falling.

[Zu_Zu]

Artificial Hip and Rotator Cuff Repair ~ Riding & Driving ~

Artificial Hip

Rotator Cuff Repair

RIDING & DRIVING :D:cool::yes:

[CatOnLap]

Here’s the thing- each of us has their individual collection of war wounds and is taking different risks with a fall. With an artifical hip as described, I would wonder what would be messed up by a fall, possibly. You know , cause none of us actually INTENDS to fall, but many of us do take unintentional tumbles. My imagination says the shaft of the artificial hip would be stronger than the bone holding it, and could break loose in some way and leave you with nothing to attach another artifical hip to. I mean I think you should find out from your doctor what his worst nightmare about you is so you are best educated about the risk you choose to take.

Having said that, I disregarded the doctor’s advice not to ride for 30 years and had 30 years of fun because of it. Then it caught up with me this year…

[JSwan]

Doctors can be idiots.

You could fall down a flight of stairs, slip on the ice, trip over your dog. You could be hit by a truck.

Saddle your horse and ride. Be happy. Exercise. Eat Right. Then do the things that give your life joy and meaning. Otherwise, what’s the point.

[sdlbredfan]

[QUOTE=JSwan;5551920]
Doctors can be idiots.

You could fall down a flight of stairs, slip on the ice, trip over your dog. You could be hit by a truck.

Saddle your horse and ride. Be happy. Exercise. Eat Right. Then do the things that give your life joy and meaning. Otherwise, what’s the point.[/QUOTE]

This, especially the last 2 sentences!

[trina1]

As a doctor, I discuss risks versus benefits in actual numbers as best I can. This is helpful to assess risks and make recommendations for physical activity. Saying “you could injure it again” is obvious, but the question I would ask would be “If I were to ride, and fall, what kind of complications could I expect?”. Could this mean a surgical revision, a more complicated surgery, a greater likelihood of pain, a problem that is not reparable, whatever. Your surgeon should be able to discuss this with you. I know some orthopedists who are overly restrictive of their patients’ activities to the point that is it ridiculous, others not so much.

Of course, it is healthier to continue exercising if possible to prevent other health risks. If someone stops exercising, gains weight, develops diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and then heart disease, that patient could suffer complications and have a shortened lifespan. Not all patients can prevent these medical problems with exercise, but it can help!

My advice, this is worth a sit down talk with the doctor and bring a list of questions!

[Hampton_Bay]

after a fall onto my head in june 2006, I was told not to ride anymore. Something about the next time I hit my head might be worse. I stayed off the horse for about 4 months. I’ve fallen since then, and sometimes it scrambles my head for a day at most, but to never ride again just isn’t a fun idea for me. So find a horse you trust and get thee in the saddle!

[Mara]

[QUOTE=JSwan;5551920]
Doctors can be idiots.

You could fall down a flight of stairs, slip on the ice, trip over your dog. You could be hit by a truck.

Saddle your horse and ride. Be happy. Exercise. Eat Right. Then do the things that give your life joy and meaning. Otherwise, what’s the point.[/QUOTE]

Thank you!
This is what I was trying to explain to the PA.

I’m definitely going to take the matter up with the Dr. He has never given me any indication that he favors extreme restrictions on activity, and he’s well aware of my activity level. (He also knows I am hard-headed, :lol:). I’m thinking the PA is considerably more conservative.

The orthopedist who did the initial replacement (he quit doing hips or he’d have done this most recent surgery as well) was pretty conservative, but he also knew I was going to compromise with what he suggested and what I wanted to do. He agreed - it was, to an extent, about how happy I’d be if I took a conservative approach to exercise. (I ran into him recently, about 2 weeks before the liner replacement surgery. He was amazed I got 10 years out of the original, as he knew I was going to go out and beat the crap out of it! Which I more or less did).

[amastrike]

I’ve got a titanium rod in my tibia (not for long, though! yay!). I try not to think about what could happen if I hurt the leg again, because it pretty much creeps me out. Really, what’s the point of all this amazing medical technology if you can’t actually use it to live your life?

[bumknees]

I think sometimes our Drs would pefer to wrap us in bubble wrap after they do something to our bodies. I find this especally true for those who either have no clue about or are scared of horses. The more lack of knowlege or fear the more cautious they ar in saying yeh ok, or in modertion etc.

I wish that drs who genrally would run into riders( ie GP, Orthos etc) woul have to take classes in what diffrent sports are like and get to know th sport to some extent. But I know that is not going to happen.

I remember not to many yars ago my primary neurologists was peterfied of horses and said no no riding at all. Bad idea all the way around etc etc. If he ould have sid no in any other way I would have been shocked Course he turned several shades of pale when I mentioned it. However my secondary neurologists said yeah go ahead have fun do it what is ht worst that can happen you fall off? Course she was horse person who was training with my old (pre college/marrage move across country) trainer ( unknown until that particular conversation). She went on to ‘educate’ my primary neurologists as to the real risks of riding and what we as rider understand from the oment we step into the barn. Primary still was not thrilled but more accepting of it.

[Tiki]

Something else to consider is to take up combined driving. Dressage in a cart - now that’s hard. The cross country, hazards and obstacle courses - that’s incredibly exciting. You could still have a high level sport without quite as much risk as falling off at high speed or getting bucked high into the air to come down hard. Of course, you could get thrown out of the cart. :lol:

When I tore the ligament in my thumb when I was in Germany, I asked if I could still ride. The orthopod said, “It’s your thumb. If you think you can find a way to hold the reins, go for it”, and I did. I had to have help tightening the girth because the cast wouldn’t allow my wrist to bend, but…

When I had surgery on my lower jaw and the bones rearranged, I asked the dental surgeon if I could still ride. He told me first of all that he thought I was absolutely nuts!!! But he said if I thought I could do it, go ahead, BUT . . . . . . . . . . . . “Don’t come crying back to me if you fall off and deglove the lower part of your face. I’ll fix it, but absolutely no crying about it”. I rode!

However, combined driving still looks like a thrill, and you still have to be pretty fit to do it at any kind of upper and exciting level.

[kmbhoya2000]

I’ve been told I can ride as long as I promise not to fall off…yeah, like I can promise that…I have stopped “extreme” things, for me…I walked 2 marathons (I can’t run due to my rheumatoid disease), and I did a triathlon, I had terrible flare ups after each, and all of these were pre-kids. Now that I have 2 little boys, I have heeded more to physician recommendations, because I know what happens, and I know my little boys are counting on me to be there for them. So, my question to you is, is there anyone else you really put at risk of hurting with disregarding recommendations, should a worst-case scenario strike…in other words, you mentioned a husband, anyone else? I completely understand your wanting to be out and doing things, if you can deal with the consequences should something go wrong, go for it. I know that nothing lifts my spirit quite like taking a ride in our fields on a nice sunny day!! Good luck!!