Bush walking after hip replacement

[oldpiscator]

I believe St Laurence here in Lara have hydrotherapy sessions available. Might be worth chasing up.

[Moondog55]

Sometimes you really don't know how active you have been until forced into inactivity.
Doctor says no water walking for a while yet and even with upping my PT sessions to 5 a day and walking twice the recommended minimum distance I am slowly dieing of boredom
No wonder people go insane in jail

[rcaffin]

Could be worse: you might have lost the leg.

Cheers
Roger

[Arapiles]

OK Day 5 and I have been walking around the house without the elbow crutches since lunchtime. I think I'll give myself a pat on the back. All the hard work Pre-Op is really paying off and I'm really glad I did all of the stuff I was advised to do, my hamstrings are going to be so tight tho that I am not looking forward to all the stretching that will be needed

First post here, so hi everyone.

OP - sounds like we're very similar - I discovered in my early 40s that I had osteoarthritis in my left hip, apparently as the result of a childhood accident. I was advised to have a Birmingham hip resurfacing (with the intent that it would, when worn out, be revised to a total hip replacement) but because 12 years ago they weren't sure how long a Birmingham would last they suggested to hold off for as long as possible, as they didn't want me to then have to do a THR (total hip replacement) in my early 50s, when there was every chance I would live until my 90s - particularly as I have a long-lived family. Then I was on a list to have the new Mathis ceramic resurfacing, but after 4 years of waiting for it to get TGA approval I pulled the pin and three weeks ago had an Adept resurfacing (which is the current version of the Birmingham), so it sounds like I had the operation around the same day as yourself.

I'm 53 but I'm a cyclist commuter, so pretty fit, which is why they allowed the Adept. Pain is OK, I'm also finding it hard to not sleep on my side, but the main stress is ensuring that I don't dislocate the prosthetic. I'm on crutches and will be at least until I see my surgeon in 10 days, then stationary cycling etc.

I'm not expecting to be on the bike again until later this year, but even now the freedom from the prior constant pain in my hip, which I put up with for 13 years, is worth it.

I've also had a knee reconstruction (with bone grafts and staples etc) and my advice would be to take it really, really slowly - do all the physio they suggest but make sure you give your body time to heal. My knee surgeon was very conservative, but I had a really good long-term result and it's still strong 20 years later.

[Moondog55]

Not being allowed to sleep on my "normal" side is proving to be one of the hardest things for me to deal with.
I see the clinic and my surgeon on Feb 28th, at the moment that does seem an age away
I will try to be more patient

[Arapiles]

Sounds like a plan.

And who knew that there was a thing called "heel pain"?

[Moondog55]

And who knew that there was a thing called "heel pain"?

When you have advanced OA and have to live with bone on bone 24/7 everything else seems minor; except perhaps toothache

[Arapiles]

Fair enough - I'm just not used to having my heels hurt because of the pressure from lying in bed in the same position for days at a time ...

[Moondog55]

Fair enough - I'm just not used to having my heels hurt because of the pressure from lying in bed in the same position for days at a time ...

Did you not get the set of exercises needed to alleviate that?
Keep your feet mobile I got that pain; it took a full 20 minutes of wriggling my toes and moving my feet to get rid of it, at first I thought it was a blood clot it was so painful but doing the full flat in the bed exercise set helped a lot

[Arapiles]

Did you not get the set of exercises needed to alleviate that?
Keep your feet mobile I got that pain; it took a full 20 minutes of wriggling my toes and moving my feet to get rid of it, at first I thought it was a blood clot it was so painful but doing the full flat in the bed exercise set helped a lot

Oh, is that what the foot wiggling was about? I had a big blue pillow that tended to resolve the issue, but I'll try the exercises next time I get it at home.

I had the op done in a private hospital but haven't been 100% happy about the after-op care. Five seconds with the physio, surgeon didn't visit much, that sort of thing.

[digbyg]

Not a hip but I had a total knee replacement 7 years ago at 61, I'm still long distance hiking, usually with 20 kg pack. Much better than it was before the op although I still cannot squat for a *&%$#!. It took about 7 months before I was game enough to start hiking after the op. I was also very fit and lean before the op while many patients are overweight which causes ongoing issues.

[Moondog55]

I think I'll be looking for recommendations for decent [cheap if possible] knee supports/knee braces for this winter. Exercise will help but I think some extra support will help a lot more

[rcaffin]

Things to avoid (at least for a while)
Heavy packs
Very rough country
Skiing
Post-holing

On the other hand, you could use the time to redo lots of local day walks, and to have morning tea in the bush.

Cheers
Roger

[Arapiles]

I think I'll be looking for recommendations for decent [cheap if possible] knee supports/knee braces for this winter. Exercise will help but I think some extra support will help a lot more

I had a seriously wrecked knee (ACL and meniscus) and used to play rugby wearing a brace and heavily strapped up. I also walked the Overland Track wearing the brace. The brace was elasticised with solid reinforcements down both sides. The truth is that the brace didn't really assist - it was my leg muscles that kept the knee together. I remember pulling my foot out of a bog on the OT and feeling my upper leg and lower leg separate ... no further damage done, but I realised that the knee had to be reconstructed. There were multi-hinge carbon braces that you could buy but they were in effect prosthetics and cost over $1500 twenty-five years ago. If the problem is an ACL (or PCL ..), get it reconstructed - if it's more arthritis I'm not sure what kind of brace would assist, but some kind of compression might.

[Arapiles]

Things to avoid (at least for a while)
Heavy packs
Very rough country
Skiing
Post-holing

On the other hand, you could use the time to redo lots of local day walks, and to have morning tea in the bush.

Cheers
Roger

Hi Roger - long time no speak.

I'm intending to do just that, lots of little walks where I can. And I do have plenty of UL gear ...

[Biggles]

If your hip is being replaced due to bone deterioration or weakness, such as osteoporosis, then apart from the surgery, you would also be put on medication to try and restore some of that bone loss e.g. Risedronate once-weekly. At your age it is unusual to have a hip replacement and I suspect there is an underlying cause rather than just 'wearing out a hip'! I would not progress to serious walks until about 6-7 months later, during in the intervening time there would be progressively more and diverse exercises and resistance hydrotherapy, to built flexibility and load bearing. Load bearing incidentally can also improve osteoporosis because it stimulates bone growth, but there is no avoiding it really after aged 35.

A hip replacement isn't a long, extended holiday of doing nothing (which would be very counterproductive, of course!). There are day walks especially with a light pack, and you can elect to have either one or two walking staffs if your confidence is battered. It's important though not to overstress it too soon. The Avenue Hospital in Melbourne have the very best clinical outcomes with this surgery, especially in older people where the surgery itself presents additional complications.

My mum is 102 and had her hip replaced in 1990. X-Rays show it entwined in what appears comically as florist wire and screws! The first one before that unfortunately failed, and, always the types to recycle as much as we can, we fashioned the shiny object into a door-knocker on the front door. Neato!

[Arapiles]

If your hip is being replaced due to bone deterioration or weakness, such as osteoporosis, then apart from the surgery, you would also be put on medication to try and restore some of that bone loss e.g. Risedronate once-weekly. At your age it is unusual to have a hip replacement and I suspect there is an underlying cause rather than just 'wearing out a hip'! I would not progress to serious walks until about 6-7 months later, during in the intervening time there would be progressively more and diverse exercises and resistance hydrotherapy, to built flexibility and load bearing. Load bearing incidentally can also improve osteoporosis because it stimulates bone growth, but there is no avoiding it really after aged 35.

The OP (Moondog) referred in one post to the problem being there since childhood. I understood that OP had a hip resurfacing, which would mean that he doesn't have osteoporosis because they don't do resurfacing (Adept/Birmingham) unless you have good bone density. That is also why I had the resurfacing and not a total hip replacement.

In my case, the 3 weeks off work since the operation has been the longest break I've had from work since the mid 80s ... and it hasn't been the slightest bit counterproductive!

[Moondog55]

No I'm not the OP
I just replied early
My OA is the result of hard work in kitchens and running

[Orbita_Serenitatem]

Moondog - I have the photos from your 2016 Pretty Valley Moonshine Tent Setup. How do I get them to you? Robt

[Arapiles]

Yes, sorry, my mistake. It looks like the OP hasn't explained what the source of their hip problems is, so, picking up on what Biggles said, osteoporosis could be an issue.

[Moondog55]

Moondog - I have the photos from your 2016 Pretty Valley Moonshine Tent Setup. How do I get them to you? Robt

Wow An age and several tents ago
PM coming

[Flipper Hands]

I feel for all of you either heading toward, of having gone through a hip replacement. I feel your pain (or will!)

This thread comes at an interesting time for me. I just had an osteopath diagnose me with arthritis, originating in both hips (left is worse), as the source of my lower back pain. At its worst unmanaged, I end up in a fetal position unable to walk or stand. At its best it's not noticeable. Under decent pack loads (say 20-25kg) over long days, it feels like someone is turning a screw into my SI joint.

The osteopath referred me to a rheumatoid immunologist to verify that I am not having some for of allergic inflammatory reaction, which is uncommon.

Prognosis for the hip is a replacement before I am 60 (10 years). I'm hoping to hold it off longer, we shall see.

The key for me is lots of stretching, building up core strength, use of a TENS machine around the source of the pain, liberal use of Paracetamol and occasional use of Ibuprofen and Meloxicam when it gets bad. All sanctioned by me doc. (Note: I also had a coritsone injection in my spine which helped)

I've tried all the "folk" remedies (including circumin/tumeric/fish oil) and I don't feel like they assist much, but there are many factors at play. The treatment and three meds above all yield solid repeatable and noticeable results far exceeding the noticeable value of "folk" remedies. At least for me (not a doctor).

I'm off to Nepal Monday (finally), and taking half my body weight in methods to treat flipping arthritis, but its getting me there, and that's all I really care about now.

[rcaffin]

Under decent pack loads (say 20-25kg) over long days,
With all due respect - that is NOT a 'decent' pack load. That is a grossly excessive encumbrance and probably the cause of much of your pain.

For a weeks travel in alpine regions, I start with a total pack weight of about 12 kg and my wife starts with about 9 kg. That includes enough gear to handle sudden alpine storms, water, and plenty of food.

You might be amazed at how much reduction in pain you could get from a serous pack-lightening effort. Old-fashioned heavy gear is just dinosaur territory.

Cheers
Roger (over 70)

[Arapiles]

This thread comes at an interesting time for me. I just had an osteopath diagnose me with arthritis, originating in both hips (left is worse), as the source of my lower back pain. At its worst unmanaged, I end up in a fetal position unable to walk or stand. At its best it's not noticeable. Under decent pack loads (say 20-25kg) over long days, it feels like someone is turning a screw into my SI joint.

For starters, I'd suggest seeing an orthopaedic surgeon rather than alternative practitioners. If your arthritis is so bad that you're curled up in a foetal position then I'd suggest that you need an operation now, not in 10 years. If you're 50 then you're in the right zone for an Adept resurfacing, particularly if you're male and fit. Keep in mind that the later you have the operation the harder the recovery will be. Relying on drugs, whether prescribed or over the counter, without addressing the base cause, will not turn out well. And if your hips are that bad you really, really shouldn't be carrying 25kg loads. If, in fact, anyone should be. You are probably doing irreparable damage to already damaged cartilage.

[Moondog55]

Arapiles the queue for a THR is about 2 years for urgent cases, mine was urgent, but for none-urgent cases it can take up to 5 years or more to actually get up on the slab, until then believe me you really do need the drugs, lots of drugs and often.
For summer walking I have knocked 3 kilos from my base weight by spending a heap of money but in winter I might still carry up to 35 kilos for 10 days. I'll see this ski season how I do. Personally liking my warmth and comfort and a large safety margin I think 20 to 25 kilos is a reasonable white winter weight depending on tentage, after all at the end of a week it is going to be 8 to 10 kilos lighter

[rcaffin]

Blimey. I can see we have differing opinions here. Skiing with a load of 25 kg on my back is NOT something I want to do. Skiing with 35 kg - I would prefer to stay at home.

For extended ski touring (say a week) my pack does not go over 14 kg and Sue's is not over 12 kg. That does not include the skis or stocks of course.

Make no mistake: we are warm and comfortable, and we have a reasonable safety margin in case things go pear-shaped (which has happened once or twice). Summer time temps in KNP can get down to -7 C easily; winter these days does not seem to go much lower.
Food runs at about 0.75 - 0.8 kg per day, and we are well-fed. Sue complains that we usually bring back a fair bit which she had to carry!

I would not say that our gear has cost us all that much, but that is a bit tricky as I make our high-cost items myself. For a good UL winter tent I would certainly expect to pay at least $1200. It would NOT come from America - they do not make winter tents there. And it would be a tunnel design. (Yeah, I am biased. )

Cheers
Roger

[Moondog55]

Ah I do count the weight of my skis and boots tho and I would go though a kilo of food and fuel a day. Differences in my base weight can be due to many factors, I'm an XXL so a 30% margin there to start with
When I buy new stuff I buy what I can afford and always try to buy lighter but I am a dedicated frugalphile, I won't replace until I need to, above 25 kilos I use my pulk
I did go Ultra lite one winter and lost 15 kilos so I have back stepped more than a little where food is concerned, my body for various reasons needs a kilo of concentrated food a day.

[rcaffin]

OK, an XXL will need more food per day. We know that these days. No arguments. 1000 g/day for food and fuel for XXL may be reasonable. We take what food we need and do not try to skimp on weight there.

But for us, UL refers to the gear, not the food.

Cheers
Roger

[Moondog55]

Yes I agree but the weight penalty applies across the board, my clothes weigh 30% more than the average Medium feller, I need a Large sleeping bag/mat etc so all these increments add up. I go as light as I can. No argument there
My personal research tells me it wasn't load carrying the ruined my hips tho, it was my work, surgical team tended to agree; knees are a different story.

[rcaffin]

Got a spreadsheet of your gear? I would be happy to annotate and return privately if you like.
Note that traditionally we do not count worn clothing in our pack weight.

Cheers
Roger