Bi lateral Hip Resurfacing Questions

[nwugrad]

My name is Mike and I am 53 y.o male who lives in the Philadelphia area.  I am considering a bi lateral hip resurfacing.  I had been very active but due to the pain I experience in walking I now exercise on the eliptical trainer for 35 to 45 minutes 3 to 4 times per week.  It seems I spend a large portion of my life just stretching so I have some minimal degree of mobility.

My preference would be to get both hips resurfaced at once!  Is that recommended?  If yes, what is the expected recovery time and how long should I expect to wait before resuming normal activity.

I have some necrosis in one of my hips.  It doesn't appear to be very large. Does that effect the recommendation for resurfacing? Does it effect the surgeon or surgical procedure that would be recommended?  So far Dr. Mont and Su have been recommended.  Do you agree with the recommendation?  Have you other doctors you'd recommend?


I have been suffering with this worsening condition for 8 years. I finally am at the breaking point. I cannot exercise as I like or even participate in sports with my children.  Moreover, the pain if becoming more pervasive.   I would appreciate any advice from medical professionals or readers who have had hips resurfaced.

[Gavin]

Mike

My situation was exactly the same as yours...same age too...I had a bilateral (simultaneous) BHR  procedure  8 months ago.
For me there really have been no significant issues and now I'm back to all my old activities with no restrictions at all.
I  was home  within 3 days of the operation,took 8 weeks off work which really was quite conservative,back into scuba diving,back packing,mountain biking and walking as far as I like.
It's an amazing procedure (when it's done by an experienced surgeon),it can't be stressed enough the importance of selecting a surgeon who really does know what they are doing!Another aspect of getting back your mobility is getting into a pool as soon as is practical after the op.
If you want any further info please contact me on gavinfin@hotmail.com

Gavin

[xocy]

Mike, I just had bilat on 6/23 and 6/25. I still have stiffness and some pain, but I walked over a mile today, mostly without a cane. I'm improving daily. I'm a bit older than you and it sounds like your arthritis is less sever than mine was.
I can be reached at mraycox@aol.com.

Mike

[TomBuell]

Mike - I'm sure I speak for many in the group when I say that you sound like a perfect candidate for hip resurfacing (that's just a layman's point of view, mind you). Like many of us, I think you will be wondering why you waited so long in pain. Find a good doc and he can tell you about the options for bilateral procedures. If you're uncomfortable with his answers, ask a different doc.
Good luck and keep us posted!
- Tom

[nwugrad]

Gavin,

How long did it take before you were able to resume normal activities? driving? work? exercise?  How long did the pain persist?

[nwugrad]

Tom,

Are you back to rowing?  How long was it or do you expect it to be before you resume rowing?

[TomBuell]

Mike - I only had my RBHR on July 1, but my doc (Ari Pressman in Pittsburgh - excellent) says I'll be able to row again. He's a rower too. Recovery is going great. I'm planning on being back in a boat before the end of this year. I also plan on getting back to trail running. I will keep you posted.
- Tom
Age 52

[austin.m]

Agree with everything everyone has said. I'm also 52 and had a bilateral resurfacing on April 1. Surgeon was great (Dr. Vail in San Francisco), I was home and completely pain free in 3 days, then walking without any support within 3 weeks. Now fine on 10 mile mountain hikes and 2 hours in an indoor cycling class. Only restrictions for now are "no running, jumping or falling". The falling part is keeping me away from real cycling for another month or so. They say that the first few days of rehab are tougher when you have both hips done simultaneously, but I'm not even sure that's true. One operation and one rehab is a really strong argument for bilat. Planning to get back to soccer and skiing in a few months.

[ahershberger]

I am 46 and need both done also although my surgeon Scott Cook, (Kansas City area) will only do my other one after 3 months from the first.  So I plan to do the other one at the end of the year.  I'm a little discouraged because I know that after the 1st one, I will still have pain on one side.   So I'll have to be patient...
Alison Hershberger

[nwugrad]

austinm,

It sounds like your surgery went very well and rehab is doing so as well.  How long will it be  before you can run, jump or fall? 

[DirkV]

Hi Mike,
Another satisfied bilat resurf here. I had them done approx a month apart (Feb and March of 2008). I wrote a "hip story" (in this site, listed under Dr. Ball). Like you, I didn't want to go through extensive rehab (over a couple years), so I wanted to get them both done at the same time.
I saw 2 resurfacing docs, and both suggested scheduling the surgeries approx a month apart. Their rationale was that if you assign an arbitrary risk of 1 to a single resurf, and schedule them a month apart, you would have a total risk of 2. However, if both hips are done in a single surgery, the total risk is something more like 2.5. For e.g., the risk of needing a transfusion is much greater for a single-session bilat than for 2 separate smaller surgeries. That said, my doc said that he's done many true bilats and hasn't had any problems and all of those patients are of course very happy. He still preferred the staged approach if my schedule would allow.
I'm happy with the recovery so far. Just returned from a vacation where I did lots of bicycling, lots of walking (3 miles with no thought of problems), swimming, some tent camping, etc. Range of motion is really the only thing that bothers me -  picking things off the ground - but it's getting better. The glutes are still weak, but that is just something to work on, not so much of a bother.
Good luck,
-Dirk

[TomBuell]

Dirk - Good to hear about your progress. I only had one hip done (RBHR - July 1, '08) but I'm wondering about the ROM and leg strength. I'm about to start phase 2 of serious rehab.
Thanks - Tom

[xocy]

Today is the 4 weekaversary of hip numero 2. I haven't used a cane in over a week. I carry it with me on my walks, but it is just a safety precaution. Saturday I walked a paved, measured 1.5 trail without use of a cane. I take Tylenol and will finish my Celebrex (required by Dr. Gross). A few days are left of the Iron pill treatment, Repliva.

With a Bilat, Dr. Gross requires a 6 week wait to drive, but I started after 2 weeks. My vehicle doesn't require that I pick up my foot to go from gas to brake, just a piviot. It is more difficult to drive a golf cart.

I strained a muscle in my left glut two days ago and it scared the heck out of me. I took a day off from walking and slowed the rehab exercises for those two days and things seem to be getting back to normal. I wonder when the stiffness form sitting will go away.

Today, I'm leaving work early to take my first swim. Dr. Gross requires a wait of 4 weeks. I have no idea what excercises to do in the pool, but I will probably ad lib, and work my elbow with a beer can.


Regards to All in Hippy Land

Mike

Bilateral
Dr. Gross
Left 6/23/08 Right 6/25/08

[austin.m]

two more months before i can run, jump or fall! guess it's all about giving the bone and the metal time to knit strongly enough. i am jumping a bit when on hikes and everything feels great. didn't understand the one doctor's logic on getting both done at the same time, and for me it definitely doesn't outweigh the benefits of one rehab. they did give me a unit of my own blood, but there were absolutely no complications. longer surgery, and less fun waking up though.