Hiking only with BHR

[Bas Rado]

Hello, I'm new to this forum.

I've read how many people with hip resurfacing is able to go hiking over rough terrain and have a great time exploring the Great Outdoors. But I've found almost nothing on THR patients doing the same, or even attempting it. I've visited two surgeons and asked them if I didn't qualify for a resurfaced hip and had to settle for THR, should I attempt to go hiking on rough terrain, leaping over fallen trees, climbing in and out of deep ravines, climbing hills and large boulders, etc,. They didn't respond, and looked at me as if I was asking on some exorbitant ambition,  ::) instead they told me I could play golf and swim, and that was it. Swimming is fine with me, but I don't play golf. Playing golf appears to be a sort of stereotypical sport THR patients play (so many ads on the internet showing gleeful, elderly men, supposedly hip patients, swinging golf irons into the sunset.)

Are THRs so fragile that all a person can do with them is play golf and swim?

I love the Great Outdoors, I'll be very sad  :'( if I had to give up hikes into the National Parks and other venues. but I'm reluctant to risk my hips going hiking, easily the brittle limits of a total hip, and having the bones attached to them damaged or hurt, becoming more of an invalid that I'm now. Some people I know treat their THRs as if they were made of glass and go around as if walking over eggshells. With great grief, I'll do the same if I had to. I should avoid a second operation. An accident hurting my hips, or leaving me stranded and broken in some gulch or trail, because I overextended myself or acted foolishly is better to avoid. 

Thanks in advance for any response.

[petemeads]

Hi, and welcome!
I have a resurfacing, BHR left hip, because it is the best for maintaining strenuous exercise capabilities. Approaching 5 years old, it has run several hundred miles and climbed many mountains and many rocks. No restriction on activities, although I have not tried skiing yet.
I also have a ceramic/ceramic THR (Zimmer) right hip, because the femoral head broke off during my second operation to fit a BHR. Initially I was horrified and disappointed but my surgeon assured me I  would be able to continue doing everything I wanted, I would not break my implant. He seems to be correct...
I took him at his word, was running at 39 days, biking hard at rwo months and back into the mountains shortly after. This hip is 28 months old today, in June I managed to get round the Welsh 3000s challenge hike, 33 miles and 13,700 feet of ascent over rough terrain, at the third attempt and many recce hikes, with no quibble from either hip (knees compained a bit, though!) and I am racing 10 miles on the road this weekend.
Modern THR, even with poly on ceramic, are big enough not to dislocate and last long enough not to worry about difficult revisions.

Have a look at the Hiprunner website for more encouragement, and find a more sympathetic hip surgeon!

Pete

[coloradopatrick]

Hello.
I am currently looking into BHR for both hips and have done a lot of research.  The two disadvantages of THR are 1. dislocations and 2. faster wear of the prosthesis.  If you have to have a THR, you may want to look into the "dual mobility" THR.  This appears to have almost zero dislocations.  Other than dislocations, you may want to consider "hard on hard" (eg. ceramic on ceramic or metal on metal) for better wear protection.  This means the hip prosthesis may last longer because of harder surface materials.  There are downsides to hard on hard too but they tend to wear down slower.  Having said this with the new highly cross linked polyetheline plastics, the wear rates seem to be extremely slow too.