Recovery Time and Hip Resurfacing Information

[Pat Walter]

.  i am not sure if this is where igo to ask questions or get information.
would like to get more information on hip resurfacin g and what if I
needed both hips resurfaced.  Recovery time?  Thank you

Peter

[Pat Walter]

I will post your email to me on the Hip Talk Discussion Board for others to
read and to give you answers.

My website has tons of information about hip resurfacing and a lot of
stories http://www.surfacehippy.info/hipstories.php   There have been a
number of bi-lats that have had their hips done at the same time.  Some
people prefer to do it all at once and some like to space it out.  I only
had one hip done and can't talk from experience about bi-lats.

You can read my free ebook which tells all about why I choose hip
resurfacing and my experience with Dr. De Smet in Belgium.
http://www.surfacehippy.info/belgium&mybhrebook.php

It is really up to you and your doctor. A lot of the newer, less experienced
doctors don't like to do 2 hips at one time.  Many of the older, experienced
doctors will do 2 at a time.

You will need to get input from the surgeon/s you are thinking of using. I
would only use very experienced surgeons if I were considering bi-lateral
surgery.  I did not have insurance and went to Belgium to Dr. De Smet. He
has done over 2400 hip resurfacings and over 3000 total hip replacements.
Even if I had insurance, I still would have gone to him because of his
experience.  Hip resurfacing is almost as much an art as a learned skill.
The angles they place the cap on the femur and other aspects are very
important to having a good hip rsurfacing.  If it is not done properly, you
can have a femur neck fractur and require a revision to a THR.

If you are younger, or even older like me in your 60's and you want to be
active without any restrictions, you really want to consider hip
resurfacing. Many traditional surgeons won't recommend it or don't even know
about it.  They think it is the old fashioned hem-resurfacing from years
ago.  You need to find an experienced surgeon who is pro hip resurfacing to
get good input. Other surgeons will just tell you don't do it and get an old
fashioned THR.

You can also join the Yahoo Surface Hippy discussion Group where there are
over 6000+ memebers and learn a lot.  This group is very small and new, but
some people don't like large groups.  The Yahoo Group is very active and you
will get over 100 emails a day. If you don't want your inbox flooded, be
sure to choose the option to just read the emails on line or get the
condensed version once a day.
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/surfacehippy/

Your recovery time will vary depending whether you get both hips done at
once or not.  It took me 4 days to be on one crutch and no crutches at 4
weeks.  Then at least 3 months or more to get all my energy back, but I was
61.  Some people have very slow recoveries and some have fast.  It is my
personal observation having been on the large discussion group for several
years, that people who use the more experienced surgeons, especially the
overseas ones, recovery much quicker.  These doctors have been doing hip
resurfacing for many years, while the new ones in the US just started last
year.

I hope that gives you a starting point.  Please let me know if you have any
other questions.

Pat

[susan]

Hi, I had my Hip Resurfacing surgery December 23rd 2006, it took 4 months to get mobile without sticks.  I still have niggley aches in my groin and have just found out that I need to have the 3 screws that were holding the bone in place taken out as it is catching on a tendon or something. has anyone had this done as I am trying to find out the after effects. The surgeon did say I would feel like I had been kicked in the groin for 7 days but would be fine after that, can anyone give me any in, cheers Susan

[Pat Walter]

Hi Susan

I am really sorry to hear about your problem with the 3 screws.  It sounds like another major operation to remove them. 

I am going to ask another person that is very knowledgeable about hip resurfacing if they have ever heard about this type of problem.

I am sorry that I don't know anything about it.

I hope you can get some answers.

Pat