THR 9 Months post anterior surgery

[HipsterHiker]

Hi All
I’ve been lurking on this forum for a while and finally decided to jump in and introduce myself.

I am a 66 year old Australian woman with thousands of long distance self supported hiking miles under my boots. A few falls off mountains and the wear and tear of years all took their toll on my hips and I reluctantly accepted medical advice and had anterior THR left hip on 21 November 2019. 3 months out from surgery I had a cortisone injection into the joint and did extensive prehab with my sports doctor who also assisted during the op. I had the Dream Surgical Team but then I did just about interview every ortho in the state beforehand but that’s another long and colourful story.

The surgery went amazingly well and rehab had the best trajectory ever (I’ve had a few fractures etc) - just a steady and sustained improvement.

Christmas delayed some recovery plans but I spent all January in the hydrotherapy pool and can highly recommend it.

Apart from lateral femoral nerve related numbness I was recovered enough to successfully undertake a rugged 10 km hike 11 weeks post op without any issues.

Since then I have continued to improve into the dangerous territory of forgetting that I’ve had a THR at all. This has led to some interesting situations as I’ve slowly come to understand that my new joint is 60+ years younger than the rest of me. My new hip comes without an operating manual!

My question to more experienced forum members is, other than jogging which I never did, what should I limit? My surgeon just says ‘go for it!’ and I have been but am looking to plan a multi day self supported hike carrying 15-20% of my body weight in remote rugged country.

Guess I’m looking for reassurance that I’m not going to damage the joint (touch wood etc). My surgeon did say not to lift too heavy a load ie 30-40% body weight.

I walk or hike 3/4 times a week, ride my bike, swim pool and ocean and do Strength for Life gym which includes lunges and hip thrusts. We also grow our own fruit and veggies so lots of garden time too.

Welcome all the advice and experience on offer here. It’s was very helpful and reassuring to read members stories before heading into surgery all those months ago.

 

[Mojo333]

Hi @HipsterHiker
Welcome to the forum.
Glad to see that your new hip is getting you back to your passions in a big way.

Apart from lateral femoral nerve related numbness I was recovered enough to successfully undertake a rugged 10 km hike 11 weeks post op without any issues

Being a fit person and experienced hiker certainly played in your favor...
This sounds amazing and if you have had no issues and obviously have a rigorous conditioning regemin, plus have your surgeons approval...sounds like you have the green light.
My only thoughts would be concerns would be any twisting on uneven terrain with the heavy pack....and (as you know) hip replacement aside, a fall would not be helpful.
I think you are in a different category, due to your experience and conditioning.

The prosthesis itself should be stable, the supporting stabilizing tissue can often take up to a year to heal.
All this is variable and you are truly the only one to know what risks you want to take with your new hip.
Amazing country you live in and being able to enjoy and explore it up close and personal must be very special.
The cautious side of me says give your new hip as long as you can before putting it through the most extreme of paces, but again...you are the one who knows what you are physically able to do.

 

[Layla]

Welcome to BoneSmart. Thanks for joining us!
I’m suddenly feeling like a terrible slacker. I promise I’ll be up doing
some of the things soon
You ->
Me ->

Enjoy in safety and good health!
@HipsterHiker

 

[Going4fun]

It takes about a full year to recover, according to my surgeon. But that's an average .... and by recover, he means something something like your hip isn't going to get much better after this point ...

Anyway, run a test ... hips react later ... a day later ... two days later ... go pack ... and do it ... mimic the climb to the best you can and see how your hip responds 2 days later ... Maybe start with 10 percent of your body weight for a test run.

The hip is solidly fused to the bone at three months ... your surgeon has given you his endorsement to carry even heavier weight than you're planning. What exactly are you worried about? If you overdo it, you will be in pain later, but you won't ruin the device--absence a nasty fall of some sort.

Sounds to me like your surgeon is saying you don't have any limits under than the limits of sanity or what the rest of your body can handle. Can you nail down exactly what you're worried about?

 

[zauberflöte]

@HipsterHiker you are in a sphere of fitness I can only wish for! It sounds like you are doing magnificently.

I like going4Fun's "test run" approach. My only concern would be the pack torquing you around the hip in some freak accident. Maybe load up your pack and carry it around on your back all day one day, just to see how the hip feels?

My experience with heavy weight at about 9 months included hefting much more than I usually am comfortable lifting, in uncomfortable positions (we moved a weighty little marble garden statue and a commercial-grade treadmill two weekends in a row). I did something the second weekend that gave me a sharp line of pain all around my groin every time I straightened up from leaning over straight- or bent-legged. It lasted about a year. No idea what it was.

I was discharged with "no restrictions", but I have no intention of taking up new extreme sports at 68 Even hiking at altitude is probably more than my cardio-pulmonary systems can support any more, sigh...

 

[Eman85]

The big no-no my OS told me was don't fall down. Lifting weight doesn't seem to bother me but carrying weight does. Ladders wear me out if I work on one and I try to be careful about pivoting.

 

[Jaycey]

The only restrictions I have are no bungee jumping or parachuting. Since I am terrified of heights these 2 are not restrictions. My hip does not like lifting weight and complains when I do.

Enjoy your hiking. After all that's why you had that hip replaced.