THR 2 knees done, 1 hip done - comparison

Softtail

senior
Joined
Sep 14, 2018
Messages
414
Age
75
Location
New York
Country
United States United States
Gender
Male
Not new to forum as bonesmart helped me thru 2 knee replacements. I am now 72 years old and have come through my first hip replacement. I thought I would lend a little comparison for those who might have to contemplate knee replacement either before or after their hips.

My left hip was replaced on June 26 and it’s now two days later and the difference between the two types of operation is amazing. For two weeks following my knee replacement I was unable to sleep in my bed having to grab as much naps as I could on our sofa. My first night back from my hip replacement I slept in my bed. Now starting day 2 post opp. I have discontinued use of oxycodone and am only using the following drugs that were prescribed. Celebrex once per day Tylenol 1000 mg three times per day gabapentin three times per day along with aspirin for help and keeping the blood from clotting. As I sit here writing I am in Zero pain. I had a max pain of between 7/8 about 5 hours after coming out of recovery Room, and once drug regimen took effect it dropped to 3/4. During the night it further dropped until I was averaging between zero and one and have remained there for last two days.

If you were to read my knee blog you would find I also suffer from severe restless leg syndrome so having augmented on Requip and Mirapex , I have had to move to an opiate to control those symptoms. Originally it was oxycodone used to control symptoms but from research I found Methadone to be a godsend in controlling them , so following surgery my plan was to get off the oxycodone and back on Methadone ,which I have successfully done as of this morning. The sole use of 5 to 7.5 mgs is taken at night to control RLS symptoms, so no opiates are needed for pain which , Beyond my wildest expectations I have been able to do on day two post-op.

My proceedure was performed with the anterior method where they go in the front of your thigh/hip area , separate the muscles ,and do the replacement through that incision. By them not having to cut any muscles I have no restrictions as to what I can do i.e. cross my legs bend over etc. My surgeon told me I could chip and putt in two weeks and play golf in five weeks which seems a bit ambitious to me but I would like to believe he is correct. I will continue to post my ongoing hip recovery, and should anyone care to ask a question of either hip or knee procedure and my path to recovery I would be more than happy to relate it.
 
Welcome back! Congrats on the new hip. It sounds like you’re off to a great start, but I’ll leave the Hip Recovery Guidelines anyway. Please read through the info as I believe you’ll find it beneficial.

Stop back often with updates. We’d love to follow your healing journey.
Wishing you comfort and a peaceful day!

Hip Recovery: The Guidelines
1. Don’t worry: Your body will heal all by itself. Relax, let it, don't try and hurry it, don’t worry about any symptoms now, they are almost certainly temporary
2. Control discomfort:
rest
ice
take your pain meds by prescription schedule (not when pain starts!)​
3. Do what you want to do BUT
a. If it hurts, don't do it and don't allow anyone - especially a physical therapist - to do it to you
b. If your leg swells more or gets stiffer in the 24 hours after doing it, don't do it again.
4. PT or exercise can be useful BUT take note of these
5. At week 4 and after you should follow this
6. Access to these pages on the website

Pain management and the pain chart
Healing: how long does it take?
Chart representation of THR recovery

Dislocation risk and 90 degree rule
Energy drain for THRs
Pain and swelling control: elevation is the key
Post op blues is a reality - be prepared for it
Myth busting: on getting addicted to pain meds
Sleep deprivation is pretty much inevitable - but what causes it?

BIG TIP: Hips actually don't need any exercise to get better. They do a pretty good job of it all on their own if given half a chance. Trouble is, people don't give them a chance and end up with all sorts of aches and pains and sore spots. All they need is the best therapy which is walking and even then not to excess.

We try to keep the forum a positive and safe place for our members to talk about their questions or concerns and to report successes with their joint replacement surgery.

While members may create as many threads as they like in a majority of BoneSmart's forums, we ask the at each member have only one recovery thread. This policy makes it easier to go back and review history before providing advice.
 
Welcome to the hip side @Softtail amazing how much easier the hip is. With that in mind it's really easy to do too much too soon and end up paying the price. Warning! Hips won't tell you until the night or day after that you did too much so it's easy to get yourself in trouble. Follow the activity guidelines Layla left you and you'll be really happy with this recovery.
 
@Softtail sounds like you got the hard joints out of the way first, and are now enjoying your reward! Getting off opiates so soon is a dream come true to me. I went a full four weeks of gradual weaning for both hips (also anterior).

We anteriors feel lucky not to have early precautions, but I had swelling enough for long enough that I may as well have had that 90 degree posterior one! And for #1, at my two-week followup, the OS's PA demonstrated a full golf swing and warned against that turned-in weighted position for a while longer. On that hip, a turned-in position with the leg extended way back was also a permanent no-no, as there lies my dislocation risk. The other hip, 4 years later, had "no restrictions" until I mentioned that dislocate move, and then the PA agreed with me. So when I do stretches (ie attempt a split:rotfl: ) I make sure both legs are turned out.

Do report back on the golfing! It all depends on how many holes you want to have to walk back from, and/or how comfy a ride you've got!
 
FC Bayern good to hear from you and sound advice that I need as a rookie THR. I will remember it. Oddly I am blown away by how much less discomfort and more immediate mobility the hip offers verses the knee. That is why I will need to be paitient due to the fact I am an old jock and hate to be sitting around. I have been making quite a few loops around the house with walker, and will have to be cognizant of the results of too much catching up to me day after.

Zauberflote thanks for checking in. Like I mentioned I think my surgeon may be a bit too optimistic about my playing golf at 5 weeks but at this point I think he may be right about a little chip n put at 2 weeks. I don”t have a great deal of swelling, but am icing on and off to hopefully keep it that way. Did you ice much during your recovery. Not really sure what you are indicating about the turned in weighted position ,so I hope you chime in again with more info on that. It’s been along time since I’ve been able to transfer my weight to my left side at the end of my golf swing so I’ve been using mostly arm strength. Kind a looking forward to be able to doing that again at one point down the road.
By turned out I am guessing you mean toes pointing to outside of hip and not at each other. Looking for any and all feedback from you recovered pro’s. I learned a lot going thru my knee replacement journey, but I doing think they compare to closely .
 
:wave: @Softtail and welcome to the hip side of the house. You sound like you're doing well, especially for only two days out. Definitely take things sliw, listen to your body as it's so easy to overdo it when you're feeling so good. Patience is the hardest muscle we have to work during our recovery.
 
I totally agree that the hips are easier and I had remarkably good recoveries with my knees and never really any severe pain. With the knees I did stay on pain meds much longer than with the hips and especially the last hip. Keep practicing patience and listening to your body as the bone has to still grow into the prosthesis and get totally settled. A little care and caution early on can gets you to full recovery faster.
 
I've had 2 hips, I'd like to keep my knees if possible. mine were posterior and the restrictions are not much of a big deal. If you think about how they dislocated you to point the head of your femur out of the incision you'll see how certain movements would place strain on those muscles. Having the goal of playing golf is a good goal, like everything trying to rush it isn't good. I don't know if you ever listened to Jerry Clower but what's time to a hog? Your hip lasted 72 years, what's a few months of letting it all heal? As for golf which I don't play I know they don't recommend cleats post op.
 
Thanks everyone . It’s definitely hard for me to slow down with my go fast personality , but sounds like it’s for the best here.
Day 3 slept in 2 to 3 hour intervals and got thru night with very little discomfort. Mostly end up urinating on the wake up times which is 2 to 3 times more than pre hip surgery ,but expect that’s pretty normal. Swelling is not excessive but will still continue to ice regularly. Lying or sitting I have only minor discomfort . Walking with walker I can get about 80 to 90 percent of weight on leg but it’s definitely not ready for full body weight in walking process . May even be a little sorer today than yesterday , as Bayern pointed out to much one day may show up the next. It’s a learning curve lol.
 
@Softtail so I just looked up a pic of what I was explaining so poorly, and what strikes me is, that PA who told me "don't do like this" wasn't a golf player! Or I was overwhelmed with cheerfulness and wasn't paying close attention.

I found a pic, and it's (as you say) the left leg that is weighted. So here's a photo of what you couldn't pay me enough to do, and it's the left leg that's the offender:
F3B6F2DE-D287-45DD-8B48-87EAA400B3FC.png
Now we imagine that left leg stretched behind the body, weighted as it is and turned in as it is-- that's my no-go territory.
And here's our turnout. You were correct in your guess!
78980154-76AF-4DE9-9FB2-9C20E339268C.png
I can do this as much as I want. I tried going back to ballet classes after hip #2 was all healed up, but the problem was, the rest of my body was 67, not 17 or 27 or even 37, so it was all about what I can't do any more. I discovered the joys of Barre classes, as taught by a retired ballerina, and THAT is all about yessss I can do this, and get stronger and stronger with each class! Addiction? Me? Not much! :snork: :yes:
 
Thanks zauberflote. Looking at it it looks painful lol. Not sure I will ever get back to that day type of turn but it will be nice swinging without worrying about leg collapsing.
 
You are right-- keep that golf course firmly and cheerfully in mind! I don't know club rules, but maybe you can kind of walk the holes, toss the ball close to the hole, and putt it in? The fresh air will be wonderful!
 
I don’t expect to have to give up golf ,and quite expect to play it better. Regardless after 2 knee replacements, a back laminectomy this past Jan. ,and not being able to walk without pain for years if once this hip heals and I finish up with right one ,it would be my goal to actually get out of a golf cart and walk it like it’s supposed to be played without pain. One can only hope
 
:wave:@Softtail
:welome:to the hip side.
Glad you are still icing even if you aren't noticing alot of swelling. I didn't have an excessive amount if swelling/bruising but it certainly was a great pain reliever and I iced any time I was sitting.:ice:
All temporary...so keep the faith
 
Mojo333 thanks for the welcome ,and it’s 8 am here in upstate NY and I just finished an iceing , so thought it was good timing that I should check in just in time to read your post. Here we go day 4 and had an up and down night last night. Got up several times as couldn’t quite get comfortable , so was not my best night so far. Pain is still in the zero to 3 area, and am going to run thru my morning exercises, ie heel slides ,glute squeezes, ankle pumps. The excitement of having little pain is gradually giving in to the usual boredom of us jocks being tied to our house rather than out there ,pickleballing, and golfing.

The highlife of the day is getting in car with my lovely wife and going to Bed Bath and Beyond to get my new oil spritzer made by Evo for use in my Ninja Foodie. Cooking new recipes in the Foodie is my new stay at home hobby lol.I pick out new recipe, wife runs down ingredients and I have the Foodie turn it into a great meal. Just hope it doesn’t add too many pounds during my recovery period lol.
 
The highlife of the day is getting in car with my lovely wife and going to Bed Bath and Beyond

Sounds like fun but pretty ambitious for only four days post op IF you plan on going into the store. It would have exhausted me, but I guess this isn’t your first rodeo. I need to look up this Ninja Foodie you mentioned, especially if there is a sliver of a chance I could get hubs to take over meal prep if I had one.:fingersx:

Enjoy your time out in the world! I hope today is a good one. :)
 
Just a hint: whenever I went in the car in the early stages I would take ice with me. It never hurts to stay ahead of the swelling. In fact, I iced any time I was sitting/reclining or laying down. I would take extra ice packs in a cooler upstairs to bed with me and change them in the middle of the night every time I got up to go to the bathroom. Never had much swelling, hard to tell if that was my surgeon's ability or all the icing and elevating, I like to believe it was a combo. No swelling, less pain, easier movement.
 
@Softtail into The Beyond on Day 4! I agree, pack ice. And take a walking aid just in case.

I've seen this Ninja Foodie thing but I think air fryer is next on my list. Have fun with it!!! Our two sons and I are going together to get Dad a new grill for his birthday in a couple of weeks, so maybe that will satisfy me for a while :snork:
 
Layla, yea skipped bed and beyond and changed dinner plans. Just a ride to my wife’s office for her to get some items. By all means look into that ninja foodie it’s quite the cooking invention. My wife generally makes all of her meals but since I got the foodie I’ve taken over a lot of the cooking or the Foodie has.

Leejay ,After 2 knees I definitely have a great relation with icing. Do in am ,after I do my exercises, and either before or after riding. I don’t have a great deal of swelling especially compared to my former knee, but I still like to believe it’s helpful.

Zauberflote. As mentioned skipped bed and beyond , and love my ice. The Foodie is Air fryer, baker ,steamer ,pressure cooker broiler and sauté. The meals that I have made in it have been incredible, and I am nowhere near any kind of real cook. Oh and Ninja makes an indoor grill to that many rave about. Ifound this site online called The Saltedpepper, and she walks you thru a great number of meals on her utube videos. I pretty much have followed them verbatim , and I am really not a huge fan of Mac n cheese, but My wife is ,so I made her creamy mac & cheese recipe and my wife said it was unbelievable there you are novice to chef with the YouTube video lol. who-would guess.
 
Finished day 5 with some cane walking and was surprised how far hip had come allready. Not ready to give up walker yet , which we took to Lowe’s to get new toilet. Walker has a seat on it so zooming around Lowe’s went really good, sitting every now and then to rest and observe. Actually ended day 4 with slight scare. Wife went to plop down next to me and landed right on my incision with some pretty good force. Mostly it just scared me I think, but she did get a few what the ———— were you thinking follow ups from me.

Start of day 6 pill and exercise routine continues. Everything seems to be going well and looking forward to tomorrow when home nurse comes to remove my bandage ,and will see how incision looks. I mentioned I have severe RLS , and frankly that is some of the most frustrating part of my recovery. I can handle the pain and mobility issues pretty well, but trying to get to sit or lay down does not last long before jumpy legs dictate it’s time to move. Disrupts everything especially falling asleep. Oh well just my cross to bea

Oh parting thought, anyone had cramps with this. Have had them come three times in upper back of hamstring ,and or in buttocks. Am able to rub out, but for instant they really hurt.
 

BoneSmart #1 Best Blog

Staff online

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
65,180
Messages
1,597,061
BoneSmarties
39,364
Latest member
All2Gd88
Recent bookmarks
0
Back
Top Bottom