THR SuperPath & Dislocating Hip

Boxmaker1917

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Newbie here, so please forgive me if this has been addressed. I need a THR on my right and am very interested in the SuperPath approach. I am 72 and physically active, including both yoga and pilates. I have not been able to find information whether, after post-op recovery, there is the danger of dislocating my new hip when I return to yoga and pilates. One surgeon who does not perform SuperPath suggested I look at a dual motion hip. He believes it is "almost impossible" to dislocate a hip with this implant.

I wonder whether those of you who had a SuperPath surgery have been warned about returning to certain physical activities (other than contact sports) after your recovery.

Thank you in advance for your help!
 
@Boxmaker1917 Welcome to BoneSmart :welome: On the blue bar at the top of the forum there is a search area. Put in "SuperPath" and you will get a list of any thread that mentions that. There are quite a few folks who have had this technique when getting a new hip. You can do the same for dual mobility hip.

I think the most important factor will be you taking time to heal after having a hip replacement! Trying to do too much too soon will only set you back. I had both hips replaced nearly 10 years ago and when I was discharged from my surgeon's care he said the only thing I could never do was bungy cord jumping. We have had a lot of people getting hip and knee (and other joints) replaced and returning to strenuous jobs and activities. You should, given time and care and patience, be able to return to your favorite things too!

Please keep us informed on what you decide and ask any questions you may have. We do like to help.
 
Hi and thank you for your response! I searched the forums before posting my question. The almost-impossibility of dislocating the repaired hip is mentioned in dual motion hip surgeries because this is the main reason for this choice.

However, I did not find any discussion about potential dislocation in any SuperPath post. I saw a few websites that cautioned against contact sports. That is a completely different set of sports than, e.g., ballet, yoga or pilates which might be prone to dislocation.

Again, I am trying to find out specific information on whether SuperPath surgery uses a dual motion implant or something similar. Alternatively, did your surgeon mention post-recovery (lifelong) restrictions on certain activities because you could risk dislocation.

Thank you for taking the time to respond.
 
@Boxmaker1917 I'll ask my colleagues if anyone can address your Superpath and implant questions more specifically. We've had a number of folks who have gone back to yoga and dancing ... while shugaplum did not have a SuperPath procedure or a dual mobility unit ... and was about 25yo when she had a hip replacement ... here's some pictures to show you what she was able to do ... https://bonesmart.org/forum/threads/dancing-after-thr-4-months-pics.5332/

I had both hips replaced nearly 10 years ago (not SuperPath and not dual mobility implants) and when I was discharged from my surgeon's care he said the only thing I could never do was bungie cord jumping. That was the only permanent restriction he gave me.

Generally speaking the time when dislocations are more apt to occur is during the healing/recuperation period after hip replacement. Once ALL healing has been completed and all muscles and tendons are back to proper alignment and strength ( can take up to a year) the risk of dislocation is greatly reduced.
 
Best bet is to do research on why there is a risk of dislocation after THR. It will give you a better picture of the procedure and what would cause the dislocation. The basic THR's that the majority have are posterior and anterior. It's more or less about which direction they rotate your femur to gain access to do the procedure. That has a lot to do with restrictions on certain movements that might cause a dislocation. I guess all THR procedures come with some risk of dislocation much like an athlete that dislocates can be more prone to doing it again.
 
Great information! Thank you for responding!
 
I've had SuperPath on both hips. To be called SuperPath the surgeon has to use MicroPort implants because they own the copyright on the name. I'm not sure if they have dual mobility but mine is traditional.

My only restrictions in the first month were not doing more than 30 lbs on weight machine. After that, no restrictions other than potential high impact like sky diving. I was actually encouraged to cross my legs with ankle on the hip.

At my 1 year follow-up, I took in a picture of me doing the pigeon pose on the 1 year side and almost doing it on the 5 month old hip. No lectures or alarm - surgeon just calmly said "nice flexibility."

All surgeons are different and some might have a different reaction or greater concern, but mine didn't. I did learn that he used the largest size ball that would work for someone because he felt it gave greater protection against dislocation.
 
Sara, that's great info to know. One of the questions I will ask my surgeon will be about ball size and the possibility of dislocation. Thank you!
 
@Boxmaker1917
Dislocation is rare with all approaches and implants, surgeons are using larger ball size to reduce the risk of dislocation as SaraK mentioned.
Your surgeon will test your hip stability before closing and let you know based on that if you have any precautions.
 
Again, the information everyone provided has been exactly what I hoped for! Thank you to everyone who has responded thus far!
 
Hi @Boxmaker1917! I just tagged you in a post that explains my rocky road to recovery and path back to yoga. Hope it helps!
 
Just to be clear, all good surgeons are obsessed with preventing dislocations. I mean, that's a huge part of successful surgery. There are various ways surgeons prevent dislocations. My surgeon, for example, cuts from the front and the side (anterolateral) which really limits dislocation problems. But posterior surgeons have made great progress in preventing dislocations and the anterior approach is one that seems to limit dislocations.

There are dozens of issues involved in successful hip replacement surgery--many of which we simply don't think about as lay people. So really the best move is to pick an excellent surgeon, period.

Excellent surgeons pick excellent devices, excellent surgeons precisely place the devices they choose, excellent surgeons know their strengths and their weaknesses (or the strengths and weaknesses of their particular approach)--and they work to maximize their strengths and minimize the weaknesses of their particular approach and their particular skillset.
 
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Schaargi, I just read your post and it was helpful. I've sometimes wondered whether some yoga poses may have contributed to the deterioration of my hip. I also do mat pilates which focuses on legs, hips, balance and abs and I am wondering whether more pilates and less yoga might be my personal solution.

I am leaning more towards SuperPath and have changed my decision about which surgeon. Both surgeons I am considering have good credentials. However, my current choice has done this surgery longer. The surgery is still new enough that all things being equal (are they ever?), I feel more confident in the doc with more experience.

To everyone else: YOU GUYS ROCK! Thank you so much for such good info and insights.
 

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