Hip Maintenance Question.

[tonyp]

Maintenance, at this point how much time/effort/cost/thought do you feel you spend to maintain your new hip(s)? 
In other words are your hips integrated into your life as seamlessly as you had hoped or do you feel that there is 'maintenance'? 

thanks for your thoughts!
tony

[China Lady]

sorry, I know you mean this question for real, but it just gave me a good laugh!
.......................... like a new car, check maintenance intervals, inside or out of warranty, don't forget oil change!

I cannot answer you question, mine are just 7 weeks old. I believe I still have warranty.   

[Charvel101]

Easy to answer good diet exercise and stretch and ultimately rest just like you should behave with all of you moving parts....

[oldsoccerplayer]

It's not really the hip that needs help post-op, more the upper leg / lower back where the muscles were cut into. After completing the Phase II exercises that focus on the op leg, (about 9 weeks post-op)  I started regular exercises working on a mixture of cardio, muscle strength and balancing.
There are some things that cause 'twinges' and soreness on the op side so I try to be careful.

[chuckm]

Unless you are the rare person who is having implant problems there is no maintenance unless routine check up visits at 5 or 10 year intervals would be considered maintenance. Then again I think I spend more on bottled water to keep better hydrated (:

Chuckm

[obxpelican]

One thing that people always forget that chuckm mentioned is staying hydrated during the warm weather, I like to golf and every so often I will get that dreaded squealing because I was dehydrated, a few bottles later and the squealing goes away.

Keep your leg muscles strong and you should be good to go for a very long time.


Chuck

[luann again]

Hi Tony! I will be four years post op this June. I do nothing to maintain my hip other than stay active and (this is a biggie, I believe...) maintain a healthy weight!!! I do believe it is super important not to get fat/obese with any joint , let alone a replacement!
My hip gave me back my life!! How lucky are we to have this wonderful option???
Lu

[fenceman]

Silicone based lubricants every 5000 miles are better than oil based.   

As most have said, exercise and maintain a healthy weight.  I find that I get a little stiff and begin to limp a little (or toddle) if I let myself get too far out of shape.   Of course this is true of healthy joints as we get older.

[Tin Soldier]

We laugh about the similarities of our hips to cars, but have you ever looked at a CV joint and the boot that covers it,...well it's not a ball and socket, but it operates like one and it's covered with a capsule and it needs lube.  Told you guys long ago I could have been a surgeon, it's just like working on a car, right? 

Seriously, I notice a little bit more clunking when I haven't been doing daily exercise, like riding the bike.  I'm with Chuck on this, the hydration thing is important, but then it's important for the rest of your body, so you should be drinking that much water anyway.

Also, for maintenance, I'd say tuning up you muscles around the hip several weeks before taking on a sprinting sport.  Do the theraband PT exercises we did during recovery.  I don't have to do that all the time, but I think it will help keep me from blowing out the soft tissue when sprinting in soccer, which I did one season and I wasn't strengthening the muscles around the hip beforehand.

Otherwise, drink lots of beer to keep the hip lubed

[hernanu]

It's good to see you're using my lubrication of choice to keep the squaks away, Tin...

[Dannywayoflife]

I take hyralouronic acid regularly to stay lubed up!

[woldaudio]

Leg strengthening exercises and maintain a healthy weight.

[Jason0411]

I find large amounts of red Wine and Traditional Ales are the best Lubricants for my hip.

[kimberly52]

I neglected regular maintenance for a few months.  Felt so good that I thought I didn't need it.  Tried the red wine lubricant too and found there were negative effects such as weight gain, inflammation, and stiffness.

A hippy friend told me to go back to square one with my stretches which I did.  After incorporating them back into my daily life and dumping the wine lubricant I feel so much better.

Lesson learned; daily maintenance for me is the key to an active life and a shot of JD every now and then is a much better alternative to the wine lubricant that seems to only cause me inflammation. 

Kim