Bush walking after hip replacement

[Martinwebster]

Hi everyone.
I was wondering if anyone has or has had experience with hiking after a hip replacement. I'm a serious trekker in tassie and other parts but have finally came to the conclusion that my hip will need replacing in the short term.
How long after the operation? What distances can you walk? Weights you carry etc.
I am 45yrs old, physically fit and have been told it all depends on recovery.
Any info would be greatly appreciated. Cheers and safe trekking.

[GPSGuided]

All subject to a good outcome. Beware in mind that they are artificial and can't regenerate, will wear until failure. So, weight is not a good thing as it'll increase the wear on them, hence reduced longevity. At 45, I'd suggest you really need to look after them as as a guide, they are said to be good for 10 years.

[Moondog55]

I'm in the queue for one but at 45 you really are young to need one.
Recovery time varies and I'm hoping for 60 days so I can ski next white season

[north-north-west]

How about after an ankle replacement?

[johnrs]

Hi MW
Good operation, will certainly be able to walk and carry
but you will need at least 2 and possibly 3 replacements over the next 40 + years,
Very young for this unless there are some adverse factors at play.
John

[north-north-west]

Young? I'm about to turn 60. Getting ten years out of it will do me just fine.

EDIT: Ooooops, you were talking to the OP. Just ignore the above.

[GPSGuided]

Young? I'm about to turn 60. Getting ten years out of it will do me just fine.

60 is still young by today's health expectations. Australian female life expectancy is now 84.8 years (male 80.9), meaning you'll have even chance of going well beyond. So yes, one would want to look after these prostheses to last as long as possible as risks and complications multiply with each re-operation. Not nice to endure re-do operations years down the track. For some, re-operation may not even be possible due to health and other local joint/bone condition at that time.

[north-north-west]

Given what the last 25 years have been like, I'm fairly sure I don't want another 25. Ten will do nicely.
Assuming the joint is actually replaceable . . .

[GPSGuided]

There are artificial ankle joints but these smaller joints tend to be more delicate and complex, so may not be as durable as those large prostheses. For the ankle joint, there's always fusion which will make the joint stable till the end, typically getting rid of joint pains at the same time. Functionally may well be acceptable, at a slower pace.

[north-north-west]

Thanks. Fusion may be what the GP meant when he mentioned an operation.
And apologies to everyone else for the digression.

[Moondog55]

Digression is good for the sole

[Tortoise]

G'day Martin, and welcome to the forum. Yes, we often digress.

I'll ask around older bushwalking friends - a couple of big groups, and I'm sure there are some joint replacements among them.

Having been closely involved with my Mum and her hip replacement, the thing that stuck out to me was that if I ever have one, my serious rock scrambling up mountains will probably be over. That's because "hip flexion greater than 90 degrees" can cause dislocation of the prosthesis. Pivoting is advised against for the same reason (and outward rotation I think). You may be tall enough to get away with less hip flexion and still get to the top of 'serious peaks in Tassie and other parts'. I suspect mud would be an added risk too, with unpredictable sliding around/reflex attempts to save a tumble.

So ideally, hold off having the op till you've done the scrambliest walks high on your bucket list. Maybe eat anti-inflammatories and pain killers as required for those.

Re weights: my thinking is whether you have the op or not for a while, going as light as possible would be a huge priority. Of course, you might already be doing that. If not, there's plenty of info on the forum about that.
My own experience was going from carrying 23 kg for 8 days to carrying about 14 kg for 10 days. Still safe and comfortable. Wish I'd done it 30 years ago!

[GPSGuided]

And the use of trekking poles would be common sense.

[findbuddha]

Hi Martin,

As others have said, 45 is very young for a hip replacement. At first glance you sound like the sort of person who will recover very quickly, but the replacement itself has limited life so it's best to delay as much as possible.

You may have exhausted all possibilities already, but it's worth asking:
What is the underlying condition leading to suggestions for replacement?
Have you had an MRI / MRA? (If only x-ray done I would want to rule out the joint labrum as a cause of the pain - could get away with an arthroscopy)
Have you had physio?
How reliant are you on pain medication?

[Moondog55]

And the use of trekking poles would be common sense.

For walking yes but when skiing the poles don't do all that much unless sled hauling

[drakkar]

Martin, you aren't/weren't a plumber or bricky by any chance? I know of several your age that are looking down the line of similar. Big reason I got out of the trade.

The stronger and more balanced you are pre-op the better off you are. Pilates is good, as is finding a very aware coach that is happy to try deadlifts/squats/press. And work backwards to your ability.

Good luck.

[kicyclist]

Hi Martin,
If you can, delay the hip replacement for long as possible. In July 2014 I received injuries to my left hip& upper femur when a car failed to give way. After major surgery, Doctors gave me 3-5 years before I'd need more surgery including a hip replacement. My preference was make the leg strong enough to delay any further surgery. My age is 58 and so far lots of swimming, cycling& walking has kept the need for surgery away. Any operation has some risk.

[Martinwebster]

Hi all. Thanks for feedback on my hip. Yes, it's a problem I've had since I was 6 but it's slowly catching up with me. It hasn't stopped me doing much up to now and hoping to continue my love for trekking and exercising.

[walk2wineries]

One of the members of my walking group had that done. We just do day walks. She is now keeping up with everyone else - when she started to return one important thing was a very lightweight stool - I think Heliox make one, I know one can get walking sticks ("shooter's sticks" etc" which have a bit of a seat - so that when the rest of us sat on the ground for lunch she could sit at a more normal height with less risk of dislocating her new hip

[Moondog55]

I've been laid up for the last few weeks with the dreadful combination of influenza and pneumonia. as well as massive doses of antibiotics for the bacterial lung infection i have been on a high dosage of prednisolone A side effect of the steroids has been that I have been able to walk without pain again, so not all of the problems are due to missing bone and tissue due to wear and tear, there may be an underlying viral or inflammatory condition as well

[Neo]

Best wishes MD.

My dad got lung and thyroid cancers then when it was also found in his brain he went on a low dose of a common steroid medicine called Dexamethasone used as an anti-inflammatory even with kids. Kept him awake 22hrs a day, he felt great at the same time as suffering many side affects that wore him down. Be careful.

Maybe hook in to some tumeric as an anti-inflammatory. You can buy bulk ground stuff and the empty capsules to make your own pills while sitting around resting.

[north-north-west]

I've been laid up for the last few weeks with the dreadful combination of influenza and pneumonia. as well as massive doses of antibiotics for the bacterial lung infection i have been on a high dosage of prednisolone A side effect of the steroids has been that I have been able to walk without pain again, so not all of the problems are due to missing bone and tissue due to wear and tear, there may be an underlying viral or inflammatory condition as well

Osteoarthritis often has inflammation in the joints. It's been my main issue with both the knees and the ankles. There are non-steroid anti-inflammatories that a re probably less harmful. A lot of people swear by turmeric. Have a talk to your GP.

[Peaksnik]

A lot of people swear by turmeric. Have a talk to your GP.

But the research evidence took a significant hit in January of this year following a critical review in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry:
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.6b00975

Abstract: Curcumin is a constituent (up to ∼5%) of the traditional medicine known as turmeric. Interest in the therapeutic use of turmeric and the relative ease of isolation of curcuminoids has led to their extensive investigation. Curcumin has recently been classified as both a PAINS (pan-assay interference compounds) and an IMPS (invalid metabolic panaceas) candidate. The likely false activity of curcumin in vitro and in vivo has resulted in >120 clinical trials of curcuminoids against several diseases. No double-blinded, placebo controlled clinical trial of curcumin has been successful. This manuscript reviews the essential medicinal chemistry of curcumin and provides evidence that curcumin is an unstable, reactive, nonbioavailable compound and, therefore, a highly improbable lead. On the basis of this in-depth evaluation, potential new directions for research on curcuminoids are discussed.

See also the journal Nature's report of this paper http://www.nature.com/news/deceptive-curcumin-offers-cautionary-tale-for-chemists-1.21269

And where I first heard of this in July when reading the newspaper: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/health-and-wellbeing/nutrition/turmeric-not-the-miracle-supersupplement-we-thought-20170710-gx8noe.html

[north-north-west]

And where I first heard of this in July when reading the newspaper: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/health-and-wellbeing/nutrition/turmeric-not-the-miracle-supersupplement-we-thought-20170710-gx8noe.html

Saves me having to try it. Guess I'll be sticking with BigPharma for a while longer.

[GPSGuided]

There are no magic medicinal treatments when the HWs are worn. Reduce symptoms yes but continued wear will progress the condition.

[rcaffin]

There are no magic medicinal treatments when the HWs are worn. Reduce symptoms yes but continued wear will progress the condition.
There is one treatment which completely eliminates all the pain.
HVICL
A pity about the side effects.

Cheers
Roger

[Neo]

On the tumeric thing. So many people report positive results. Check who funds the negative studies via a placebo organisation...

[GPSGuided]

On the tumeric thing. So many people report positive results. Check who funds the negative studies via a placebo organisation...

The positive 'reports' are low level evidence and don't stand up to the rigour of scientific testing, so no dice!

[Neo]

Fruit breakfasts work for me but most people like their grains and milk.

[Neo]

Another one to investigate, food combination ie mixing protiens and starch. Western diet = bowel cancer, eastern diet = not so much.