On October 7, 2008 I had a LBHR by Dr. Joshua Hickman at LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. I researched doctors in my area and visited a few before choosing Dr. Hickman. Not only had he had performed the most hip resurfacings in my region, but when I met with him, I knew he was the right doctor. He is a doctor that takes time to discuss concerns, truly cares and is an athlete (so I knew he would understand my concern about returning to mountain sports not just getting thru life without pain and a limp).
I was very active until the day before my surgery (rock climbed, hiked and cycled) and although I had experienced other health problems (irregular heartbeat, smashed my hand, foot fracture, kidney malfunction), I was totally unprepared for the extent of the pain and disability when the spinal block wore off! I was crushed because I realized I wouldn’t be returning to my very active life any time soon! Poor Dr. Hickman, my surgery actually went extremely well but I lacked the enthusiasm he felt. I had a low BMI so my incision was only 6”, I had very little bleeding, there was no fracturing when they dislocated my hip, etc. I had worn into my pelvis so he had to do a bone graft before placing the implant in my pelvis. The xrays showed the placement in my femoral head was perfect. So why was I devastated?
I had the surgery on Tuesday and left the hospital on Friday. I walked as much as possible in the hospital and around my home for the first week. On day 8 I started an outside walking program (20 minutes and three flights of stairs). By the third week I was walking one hour and doing stairs several times a day. I started on the elliptical after three weeks and loved physical therapy. The Orthopedic Specialty Hospital has excellent therapists. They mostly focused on core strength.
I was amazed at the amount of weight I lost (mostly muscle
) so strengthening was very important. I had a lot of pain when I went to one crutch and my limp was pronounced. Actually my left leg is a little longer due to the pelvis bone graft and the fact that my right hip is already moving into my pelvis. The difference is very minimal. I had major left knee pain when I went completely off crutches but focusing on building my hamstrings and quads really helped as well as walking back and forth in front of a mirror to correct my limp. Dr. Hickman was worried I had developed a stress fracture (which freaked me out!).
Finally almost 11 weeks after my surgery (December 18 – 21), I felt I was going to be fine, better actually! I had an entire weekend without pain even though I spent hours on the elliptical, weight training, core strength exercises, and TOPROPE CLIMBED twice in three days! Yes, I was back! My climbing level was beginner, of course, but I was able to rotate into the wall, step high, and put weight on my left leg. Trying to do all three in one move, however, hasn’t worked YET. I’m adding snow sports this weekend (December 26th). Yes the surgery was definitely worth it!
I probably could have jumped back into sports earlier but I tried to earn my return by listening to my body and using pain as a guide (as opposed to working thru the pain). I’m going to wait a year or so before my next hip resurfacing and will definitely be returning to Dr. Hickman! If he doesn’t burn out! Everyone I talk to has had their hip or knee replaced by him recently.