Snowboarding after hip resurfacing?

[PistolPete]

To be totally honest I'll prob. only get 15 years out of this hip.  I know I have some limitations and will after everything is healed.  That being said I've been in Martial Arts my entire life and I train hard.  When I'm healed I will be training hard again.  I'm 35 years old now and I figure I've got 15 years left of being really fit.  Anyways, I'm a huge snowmobiler (which I'm not sledding this year as I just had surgery 2 weeks ago) and was thinking of getting back to snowboarding next winter.  Would this be a really bad idea?  Should I switch to skiing instead?  I'm thinking that having my feet/hips locked to the board could cause issues when I fall.  How does this compare to skiing and would it be safe to get back into snowboarding when I'm all healed up?

[obxpelican]

We have a number of people who do it in the powder I am sure you will get a number of responses.

Wait at least until you are 3 weeks post-op before doing any snow boarding, ok? LOL 


Of course my tongue is firmly planted.


Chuck

[jjmclain]

LOL Pete...are you saying you won't be really fit at age 50?!!! Just kidding! I turn 50 on Friday and hope to be fit for another 50 years, especially now that I have a BHR!!!

I don't ski or snowboard but there are several on here who do and can give you insight on what to expect. You are so early in recovery so take it slow for now!!!

[Dannywayoflife]

Pete, I hope you get more than 15 years out of it! I don't see why you won't I know your going to be hard on it as will I! Look at floyd landis he while training was averaging over 30000000 cycles per year that is atleast ten times more than your average Joe. If you addapt your training there's no reason it won't last a long time. Thats so long as it's put in as designed.
Danny

[PistolPete]

Believe me I hope this lasts me into my 60's.  That being said if I can get 15-20 years out of it and those 15-20 years are AWESOME then I'll be more than happy. The technology in 20 years will be that much better so I'm sure at that point if I need something else I will have plenty of options.

[Dannywayoflife]

Let's hope so mate. I think realistically  20 years is viable god knows after that. I really hope mine outlasts me mentally I couldn't cope with this all over again. Loosing my career plans as well as my lifestyle has mentally wrecked me. Here's to them lasting forever!!!

[Tin Soldier]

Check out some posts from WayneO.  He's an avid snowboarder with an ASR to boot.  He doesn't seem to have any problems.  I think snowboarding would be safer than skiing, due to the protection of having both legs locked during a dramatic fall.  With ski's you could get a leg twisted inward (much in the same manner as the surgeon's assistant does when dislocating for HR), or more likely twisted outward.

Danny - interesting point about the cycles. I've always thought it would be nice to have a chart of cycles per yr for various types of lifestyles, from the couch potatoe playing Modern Warfare all day long to the Landis'sssss of the world and various types in between.  Or maybe a table equating different physical activities to cycles per year with some activities not pushing the full ROM and others pushing the ROM with some impact also.  I believe the only stat we generally know of or use is the rather simple stat that says the average person does 1M cycles per year.  Many of the folks on this forum are triathletes that are performing way more than 1M cycles per year.     

[David]

I was thinking about that the other day as I was cycling, about all of the hip revolutions I must have already put on the new device.  Wondering if there will be a corresponding relation to useful life of the device and use.  Hope I'll find out, because I plan to use the heck out of it...
 

[Dannywayoflife]

Check out some posts from WayneO.  He's an avid snowboarder with an ASR to boot.  He doesn't seem to have any problems.  I think snowboarding would be safer than skiing, due to the protection of having both legs locked during a dramatic fall.  With ski's you could get a leg twisted inward (much in the same manner as the surgeon's assistant does when dislocating for HR), or more likely twisted outward.

Danny - interesting point about the cycles. I've always thought it would be nice to have a chart of cycles per yr for various types of lifestyles, from the couch potatoe playing Modern Warfare all day long to the Landis'sssss of the world and various types in between.  Or maybe a table equating different physical activities to cycles per year with some activities not pushing the full ROM and others pushing the ROM with some impact also.  I believe the only stat we generally know of or use is the rather simple stat that says the average person does 1M cycles per year.  Many of the folks on this forum are triathletes that are performing way more than 1M cycles per year.     

When I gave the figure of the 1million cycles to Mr Treacy he said that's what old thr's were based on, he said the average was around 3 million.
But the number is surely not that important if it's placed correctly and has the fluid film lubrication? As if there's fluid in there then the device is contactless. Atleast that's my understanding?

[mountaingoat]

I'm 36 and I hope to get back to telemark skiing which is pretty hard on the hips. I have read through a bunch of these threads and it seems many are getting back to skiing and snowboarding as they were before. I can't think it would be any more impact than running except the risk of falling is obviously greater. That said, I ski for fitness now more than anything else and don't expect to be ripping up mogul fields any time soon. 

[tedroberts]

Hi Pete,  Snowboarding after hip resurfacing is no problem.  Many of us ski and snowboard with now problems.  I am a bi-lat and free ski and race. I have snowboarded and that would be no problem.  Good luck.  Ted

[wayne-0]

Hey PistolPete, First of all you will get back on your sled when you feel it is safe to do so and probably ride more comfortably than you have in years. I had bi-lat surgery 3 yrs ago and had both hips done the same day. I tried surfing 3 months after surgery but could not get up on my board because my leg muscles were to weak. I waited one more month and got up on my surfboard. So the next day i had my 4 month follow up with my surgeon and asked if i could snowboard yet and his response was yes, but that I should take it easy and try not to ride if it is icy. Well two weeks later which was only 4 1/2 months post op i went snowboarding. I was so stoked to be on the mountain again and not needing my son to buckle my bindings in for me. So i kinda cruised for the morning and everything felt so right I just turned to my son and said ok it is soft spring conditions and I can't take this cruising anymore, so for the rest of the day I just cut lose. I had no pain at all, I was doing things on my board that I had not done in years and i did fall a few times. I actually fell pretty hard a couple times and it didn't bother my hip at all.Not an once of pain whatsoever. So i hope this motivates you to get back out there and do some carves.BTW John C. skis probably more than anyone on this forum, and if you read his threads he is doing great. I think he skis almost everyday of the winter.

Wayne-0

[PistolPete]

This is great news.  I live 15 minutes from a Ski mountain so I will be buying a year pass next year for sure.  Snowmobiling is one of my favorite things in the world to do and not sledding this winter is going to kill me.  I actually sold my sled so I wouldn't have it and just hop on it this winter.  This will also give me an excuse to buy a new sled next year. 

As far as snowboarding goes it will be fun to get back on one.  I haven't been in a few years so I will be quite rusty but knowing I can actually do it again is fantastic.  I truly can't wait to get my life back.

[mslendzion]

I injured myself on a Wakeboard.  I have not been snowboarding but there are some similarities between the two.  The wakeboards have come a long way since the first models.  The boots are made to fit and your feet are pretty well secured in them once laced up.  I took a rough fall and one foot came out of the boot.  When I went into the water the wakeboard twisted and my hip was twisted with it.  This happened a bit over two years ago and that is why I am where I am today.  I can see the same type of situation occurring with a skiboard.  You need to be careful.  I plan on wakeboarding in the future but will definitely take percautions.