straight from the hip...

[chris finn]

I heard rumors that maybe Chuck Norris also got something done with his hips, but that could be untrue.

Ive heard that somewhere too...although that doesnt mean its true  ;)

[kajubones]

LOL, I have heard those jokes but not the ones that you posted. That really made me laugh! Chuck Norris is cool, I read is biography. I bet he could resurface my hip without surgery.

"Chuck Norris was bitten by a snake and after hours of horrible pain the snake died!"

[kajubones]

I tried exercising today because I was getting concerned about my weight. Since I have not been working out lately I have gained a lot. I was pretty heavy to begin with but now I cannot even keep off any additional weight let alone lose some. At 5' 9" I am about 220. I tried walking on the treadmill and doing Yoga but every move I made was painful. Diabetes runs in my family and now I am getting anxious about finding a way to knock off some weight. My appointment to see the doctor regarding the hip resurfacing is not until August. Dieting is hard for me, not because I love to eat but because there is really not much choices in healthy foods especially around work. I end up eating what I can get my hands on. Also I wanted to find some way to get my heart pumping for 30 minutes but it seems that the only way to do that always has something to do with your hips or legs. I even tried doing the abs work out on the P90X video and most of them had legs or hips involved.

[jjmclain]

Kajubones,

Can you swim? Or water jog with a flotation belt. Water aerobics is also great exercise especially if you use the water weights. The water provides a great workout with no impact on your joints! Cycling, including the stationary bike and/or spin classes are great as well!

Good Luck to you! I am sure others will provide you with some other great ideas. Everyone is wonderful on this site.

June

[gary2010]

It's very frustrating I know, but there's plenty you can do; I found the static bike eased my soreness, 3 minute 'rounds' at 100RPM with a minute's dynamic rest in between will get your heart rate up. Hang up a car tyre and hit it with a pair of sledgehammer handles. Isometric squats and 'plank' exercises, I got up to 7.5 minutes in front plank before the op. Pull-ups, dips, bench press, rowing. Have fun!

[maxx6789]

i found the elliptical machine was good and and did not to bother my hips too much.

[rbt2011]

By the way I have another question that I have been afraid to ask. These devices don't last forever (like how us martial artists will) so if it wears ahead of time then do I have to get a total hip replacement after that or can they just go in and replace the parts, you know kind of like changing the breaks in your car?

Thats a really good question and one I have been really worried about as well.  Is the next step a full MOM large ball replacement or is it possible to do a second resurfacing?  Does anyone know?  I have read that resurfacing can only be done 1 time but it seems that it would be possible to be done two times, assuming the underlying bone health would support it.

By way of background I am 36 y/o that is scheduling my surgery for the next few months (still not sure if Biomet with Dr. Gross or Birmingham with someother Dr.).  I trained in MMA and actually am here on this site due to an injury sustained in MMA.  Because I am young I am VERY concerned this thing will not last for more than 10 or 15 years.  Hence, my question about the next step.

Thanks to everyone for their encouraging stories.  Keep fighting the good fight!

BOB

[John C]

The consensus among the resurfacing docs that I have read or asked, is that if the femoral component fails, the only option is to revise to a THR. If the cup fails, depending on the brand, they might be able to replace it with additional screw fixation, and save the resurfacing cap on the femur.

[kajubones]

Hey guys,

Sorry, I was a little out of it there for a while. I am prone to depression and had to take some time off. Thanks for the advice about the exercises. I cannot swim and have no membership to a gym. The only real work out I get is Kajukenbo and some running back in the day. I may have to get a gym membership soon so I can do something.

Hey Bob,

Yeah I was also concerned about what happens when the device fails. hopefully they will have something for all of us by the time that happens. I guess the main problem right now would be our health and quality of living. I mean the pain is horrible and I am not really one to sit around I am always out doing something. Now I am stuck in the house when I am not at work :(. Besides if we don't do something about the pain our health will just get worse and if you are like me who gets depressed well there is a correlation between exercise and depression also so it is like a losing battle.

take care
k-bones

[chris finn]

By the way I have another question that I have been afraid to ask. These devices don't last forever (like how us martial artists will) so if it wears ahead of time then do I have to get a total hip replacement after that or can they just go in and replace the parts, you know kind of like changing the breaks in your car?

According to my surgeon it should last the rest of my life...even with martial arts and weight training.

[kajubones]

Hi Chris,

I was told otherwise. I was told that it may last about 20 years or less depending on usage. It is metal on metal so it does wear. I wish that was the case (lasting a life time) and again I hope that some other advancements will be made in between now and then.

By the way has anyone ever heard of someone getting both hips done at the same time? Not to sound like I am always complaining but my other hip is starting to hurt now as well. My wife says that maybe because I am putting more weight on the side due to the pain on my right hip.

[John C]

After my surgery, Dr. Gross said that he fully expected my resurfacing to last the rest of my life. Of course we are still a little short on statistics to support that, but he was very optimistic, and saw no reason to put a timeline on it. I see infection as being the main risk to my resurfacing not outlasting me. Dr Pritchett has posted a study on a small group of early metal on metal resurfacings, some being cementless, that showed 99+% survival at 30 years. Admittedly the components are not current models, but it continually surprises me that this study is not quoted and referred to more often. I am pretty sure that Pat still has it on this site.
As to getting both hips done at the same time; some surgeons will do it, but it varies as to whether they are willing to do them at the same time, or like to separate the surgeries by a few days, weeks, or months. Most will warn you to expect the first couple of weeks to be a fairly tough if they are both done at once. Though there are lots of people on this site that had both done very close together, based on how my first one went, I cannot imagine having mine done without at least a six week gap. I really like having at least one good leg to stand on.

[newdog]

By the way has anyone ever heard of someone getting both hips done at the same time?

Not exactly at the same time, but one done Monday the second done Wednesday of the same week. There are some others on here that had both done the same surgery. It's totally up to the individual and of course if the doc agrees to do both. There are pros and cons either way. I'm totally glad mine were done that way. I admit it was quite a challenge the first week or two. Not so much pain and discomfort but mobility issues. It's more of a mental challenge than physical. At least it was for me.

[Lopsided]

According to Dr. De Smet, the longer you have a resurfacing that is placed correctly, the less wear there is. No surgeon can give a life guarantee. The whole idea is that it is a better design than your real hip. He also regularly does bilaterals on the same day. The bilateral patients handle recovery remarkably well.

If my resurfacing lasts a day less than fifty years, I am going back to complain.

D.

[Lori Cee]

By the way has anyone ever heard of someone getting both hips done at the same time? Not to sound like I am always complaining but my other hip is starting to hurt now as well. My wife says that maybe because I am putting more weight on the side due to the pain on my right hip.

I had both done in the same surgery.  If I'm completely honest with myself, I don't think that if I had one done the un-operated leg would have coped with the rehab as both joints were pretty messed up. 

The compensation factor is definitely something to consider.  After the surgeon operated he indicated that it was actually my left leg, the one that I would have considered my good one that was a lot worse.  It was the other one that hurt all the time and that was probably because it had to do most of the work.

Some surgeons won't do both at once and others just prefer not to.  This is a decision that you need to talk over with your surgeon. 

I would suggest talking to a good physiotherapist before hand as well so you can understand the rehabilitation implications for you based on where your limitations and muscle weakness will be post-op.  My rehab is a lot slower than others on this board but this is mostly due to how few of these muscles around the hip area were working properly pre-op (and for a very long time - I'd say ROM was near non-exisitant for almost a decade).  For the few months before surgery we worked on those muscles the best we could with the limitations and I really do feel that this made a huge difference to my post-op condition.

Though it will probably be another month before I'm on top of things, already my ROM is out of this world compared with pre-op, the arthritis pain is gone and even though I have my woe is me moments, it was definitely worth it.

[kajubones]

Wow, I can't believe some of the things that I am being told. I know I am not misunderstanding the
doctor because I write down my visits with him and what we talked about. I am not feeling to confident right now about some of the information that I am getting from them.

[swat444]

I've been studying martial arts for the past 25 years and my journey started in Oct. 2010 which I thought was a groin pull that just got worse and worse!  Finally in Jan. I was told that I had no anterior cartilage left and my only option was a hip replacement, but I am only 47!  Introduced to Dr. Su at the hospital for special surgery in nyc and now have an appointment for a hip resurfacing on July 22nd and I am a nervous wreck! I am very close to canceling with all of the press about the problems with the metal ions in your system and what if something goes wrong?  I've read about the 90 degrees thing and that is a big problem for me, how can you possibly stretch if you can't go over 90 degrees, much less kick!  I would love to hear success stories from other martial artists.  Also, how long after the surgery before you can drive?

[hernanu]

If you go to the first page of this topic, several of us have addressed these issues, and you can also read posts by martial artists on this site to see how we've progressed.

To summarize, the 90 degree rule is used by some surgeons as an initial limitation, to allow healing; in my case, I had no such restriction. I am at 10 mo on my left hip and 7 mo on the right. I am stretching on both sides well beyond 90 degrees, so that is no limitation for me at this stage. You'll find other martial artists (Chris Finn, Nekko, gary2010, etc) who have had resurfacing and are in different stages of returning to the arts.

Metal ions are a real concern. I've researched it, considered it, and am confident that proper cup placement and surgical skill is the antidote now. No surgical procedure is 100% effective, but in this case I feel that dealing with one that is 95% effective is not bad odds.

I drove at two weeks on both hip surgeries.

[swat444]

Thank you for help.  I have young daughters and I have help for the first two weeks, but after that I am on my own.  I want to make sure I can drive them to and from camp, and that I won't be totally dependant on others because that has what made me insane lately! 

[hernanu]

You want to be careful, since you are still in healing mode at two weeks. My doctor had few limitations, basically told me that if I could comfortably get in and out of the car and work the accelerator and brake (automatic), that I was good to drive. This still meant that my drives were limited to about 15 - 20 minutes and no other heavy activity - I was still on two crutches.

I understand your desire to get back to normal, especially with young kids, but your main effort should be to heal. How long of a drive are you looking at, and do you need to walk through areas that are not paved, etc. ?