Surfing & Hip Replacement

General Discussion
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Being a person that is waiting for a replacement, 24 years ago I was in a car crash and dislocated my left hip, now cartilage around ball very much reduced. I am taking 3x 2 Panadol Osteo/day, a slow release 665 paracetamol, surgeon recommends Ibrufen but Panadol seems to be working for me.

Putting on socks: get a wire coat hanger and shape it into a rectangular spreader, insert into sock and then struggle to put on sock. It does reduce the struggle though.

Most of hip sufferers will be driven by wives/partners/caregivers to get them fixed as there is only so much moaning, complaining, putting on of socks and shoes, mowing the lawns, taking out the garbage, that they will put up with.

MrT

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Most hip sufferers are driven to hip replacement by a need to lose the pain and gain the mobility and get back to living their lives again. Others are paralyzed with fear that joint replacement will somehow be worse then the current condition they are suffering from, or the joint won’t last long enough.  

Sure, reasonable worries.  And a meteor may wipe out all life on the planet in five years.  No guarentees on anything, only got today while you have them, why not have the best todays you possibly can.  

And as to that new joint lasting long enough, the advances in joint replacement revision surgery are becoming commonplace as the first generation replacements from 15-20 years ago are getting their revisions.  The joints will continue to improve, as will the surgical tecniques, within a decade or so, modular joint components will completely mitigate the ‘expected life cycle’ of replacement joints with ease of vital parts replacement.

As it is, a neighbors dad had both hips and both knees replaced over a 20 year period, revision replacment on both hips last year, back to playing golf 2x a week. 

Regarding wipeouts after hip surgery.  Key is to make sure you always have your leg bent at the knee, which reduces the pulling leverage on the operated hip.  

took a good shot recently on an overhead wave driving through the inside section, got caught by the pitching lip and blasted with my leg straight out, hip did fine, however badly tweaked a hip flexor muscle that had been a rehab issue during recovery from my hip replacement 6 months ago.  So now starting a PT cycle to rehab the hip flexor once again, probably need to take a couple of weeks off the board…unless the surf gets really good.

And isn’t that the over riding theme of aging while continuing to pursue our passion in the surf and elsewhere?  Wear and tear injuries are gonna happen, just gotta work through the recovery and get back in the game.

And if you’re currently not in it because of worries about replacement, the best days of your life are going by right now…

 

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third session yesterday in two weeks 

first session last friday 1 hour 10’ surflight longboard gun could barely paddle after 6 months of inactivity too sore to go back

second session past friday 1 hour on a 8’ george gall assym little sketchy but some of the “feeling” starting to return

third session yesterday 2 1/2 hours on a 6’4" surflight fish i was able to paddle a shortboard could feel all the muscles in my back and core getting a work out board was a little too small for the waves but it was good to finally paddle and catch waves on a short board. getting up was a little sketchy at times and my feet were all out of position trying to turn. moving forward and back was a little rough, had the bpard shoot out from my feet moving back a couple times.

feel like a goof but all the bruddas seems to understand and concerned for my safety when they hear about my surgery. 

Its funny, other than the concerned comments of “take it easy”, “go slow”, “don’t hurt yourself”, the most common reaction when I run into and old friend at the beach is…

“bruddah, how come you got so white? You not sick or something?” 

I find that comment timely and reflective of how many of my peers have passed from one illness or another over the recent years due to the effects of aging and bad decisions in our youth.

I am blessed to have been given such second chances recently.

getting out there is the first challenge

the ocean takes care of the rest…

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Yay!!  Following closely. 

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Here is my close call from 2 years back bike accident. no surgery needed

 

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was curious about Kokuas post of 3 weeks and surfing again.Did some research and i think i found the doctor on Kauai.If this is the guy let us know.The procedure is called the birmingham resurfacing.Its limited heres a post from their site.

mportant Notes

There are potential risks with hip resurfacing surgery such as fracture, infection, loosening, dislocation and wear that may result in the need for additional surgery. The results and physical activities of this patient may not be representative of the results and physical activities that you may experience following surgery. Females of child-bearing age should not have the BHR device. It is unknown whether metal ions released by the device could harm an unborn child. Do not perform high impact activities such as running and jumping during the first post operative year while the bone is healing. Early device failure, breakage or loosening may occur if you do not follow your surgeon’s limitations on activity level. Early failure can happen if you do not guard your hip joint from overloading due to activity level, failure to control body weight, or accidents such as falls. Hip resurfacing surgery is intended to relieve hip pain and improve hip function. Talk to your doctor to determine what treatment may be best for you.

Was it Dr. David Rovinsky? would be curious if you know how those guys are doing that had it done.Anyway always looking for whats out there on this journey myself but holding out, artifical cartalidge is around the corner but i think the orthos dont want to give up the big money doing hip replacements.My journey has been a year better but not 100 percent if that is ever possible even with hip replacement.Know some guys that had the latest hip replacement done,when i first saw him no limp and he was stoked but now i see this limp  but i dont push the conversation .I believe the new frontal one that leaves more muscle tissue least evasive.THE PROBLEM FROM TALKING TO GUYS THAT HAVE HAD IT DONE ON ONE LEG IS THAT ITS LIKE SHOCK ABSORBERS YOU NEVER JUST REPLACE ONE CAUSE IT STRAIN THE SUSPENSION .YOUR BODIES MUSCLES AND LIGAMENTS SO THE OTHER SIDE WEARS OUT SOONER.Sorry for the caps not intended.Anyway see these guy limping[older and newer replacements and complaining about back strains ,One is a young guy top shape and active surfer but poor guy limp as bad as me and his good hip is now going bad.Another i know who never got himself in best shape possible has terrible range of motion on the replaced hip but hes glad to be rid of the pain.Dont mean to be negative its just sometimes guys post such positive stuff sometimes its theraphy for themselves its important to stay positive.But some dont talk about the pain medication they now take or other afflictions because of having this done, But i understand, the pain is real and weighs on ones mind.My advice is try your best to hold out new stuff just around the corner but i understand the do it now pain sucks,Hopefully more time will heal and the mat is not like standing up on a surfboard but it sort of takes one to how we all began.Wish all the best in their journeys.

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3 reasons why folks can end up limping after hip replacement.

1 - surgeon blew the operation by either improperly fitting the impant, or he cut the femur either too short or too long, causing an unequal gait, which will torque the body. 

  1. As the hip degenerates the hip socket cartlidge is eroded, and the head of the femur sinks deeper into the hip socket, effectively shortening tendons, ligaments, and muscles that work the leg, muscles that are connected to both your hip and back.   A properly positioned implant adjusts the ‘length’ back to pre-degradation length, stretching and straining connected tissue that has been contracted for years, often decades.  That leads to all kinds of issues unless #3 is properly addressed.

  2. Inadequate/improper PT rehab after surgery.  Not 6 weeks worth.  Months worth, often a full year, performing muscle specific and general tone excercises to fully rehabilitate and strengthen the affected hip and leg, with both legs effort matched to avoid muscle imbalance.  Hands on tissue work may be required to break down imbalances and adhesions the excercises can’t address, best performed by a PT with a strong background in Osteopathic technique. Osteopaths are fully licensed MD’s trained to address the whole body, not just the condition, the hands on techniques they have developed over the decades is a signficant part of a PT’s education.  

Regarding the anterior approach.  A common post-op problem is an issue with the hip flexor, specifically the illiopsoas muscle, which runs through your quad over your hip and under your kidney to the back.  Because the leg is initally dislocated to begin the procedure, this puts an enormous strain on the illiopsoas, and can cause mere imbalance to flat out tears to rehabilitate.

It’s just not the surgeon who determines the outcome.  If they do a decent job, all the rest is on the patient.  To work their ass off to regain maximum possible mobility.  

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This post caught my eye. I had a pretty new procedure done called hip resurfacing. I’m 46 now. Had my right hip done when I was 39, and my left hip when I was 40. Pretty messed up, but whether it was too many skateboarding body slams or bad genetics, I don’t know, but it’s what I’ve had to deal with. I spent 3 years not being able to even tie my shoes, and had to give up surfing. I took up knee boarding and even made my board. It was fun, but not the same as being able to stand up. Then I got into SUP’ing between operations which was awesome for me. I’m now surfing (long board, short board, SUP) again and chasing my 6 year old around!

If any body is facing this problem, I highly recommend that you look in to hip resurfacing. The Doctor who did mine is the first doctor in San Diego to do them and he learned from one of the originators of the procedure. He is Dr Scott Ball at UCSD. Awesome Dr. and a surfer too.

Not everyone is eligible for the resurfacing procedure, but it is the best alternative if you are eligible and especially if you’re young and active like me.

Next to having a good doctor, taking your PT exercises seriously is the #1 key to your success.

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@kster is right, doing your PT is the key to a more rapid and complete recovery. Fractured my left hip socket in three places back in June, and am now off the walker and only lightly using a cane - all because of the PT.

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so onelua you surfed!!!

nice job.

 

any way you can copy and paste your comment into that knee replacement thread for the future surfers with messed up knees?

 

 

ONEULA RULES!!!

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Major bummer on the accident, but good job on recovery. Stay positive & focused!

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So Privateer, I didn’t read your post until I had submitted mine. I did have the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing procedure. 7 years now since the right hip and 6 years for the left hip. I was given all the disclaimers and potential side effects,  and yes it all scared the shit out of me, but I’m here to say that it has worked wonders for me. I don’t have a limp and I don’t take pain meds. I had a limp for possibly 2 months post op, but only took pain meds for a week or so post op. I have my life back. Also due to size of new joint, there is much less likelyhood of displacement. I treated things gingerly for a while, but I’m back to normal life. Fortunately I’m not a runner or into high impact sports, but for surfing & bike riding I’m good.

I know several people who had the traditional hip replacements, and are much less active than me, and they have needed revision surgeries withing 5 years.

 I agree that medical technology is making leaps and bounds, so if you can wait, put off the operation as long as possible, but if you’re quality of life sucks due to pain and lack of range of motion, seriously consider the operation. I wish you well.

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bb30,

A shame they didn’t have a lead lined sock or something to protect your jonson from ionizing radiation. Hopefully you’re through making babies. I have to admit when I first saw your x-ray I laughed my ass off.  My wife asked me what I was laughing at so I showed her(don’t worry, she’s a doctor).  She just rolled her eyes… Mike

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Glad I found all this! I thought I pulled my groin last november, and took it easy for a month…tried to surf, and left leg hurt so bad when getting up, I decieded to take some more time off to let it heal. Same story months later, and finally the pain was moving all through my leg so I went and got a xray, and saw that there was no space between the bones! Shaping has been pretty painfull too, with the cross-stepping motion causing all kinds of ouch!! Got my last couple of orders almost done and getting total replacement surgery on 10/13, and cant wait to get all this past me and back in the water!! Sounds like hard and proper rehab is the key, so I will keep you all posted on the progress report! As my dad used to say “growin old aint for pussies”! PS…bb30…show off!!

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Just remember: Be consistent - and persistent - with your PT.

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Absolutely, and thanks, kster. On my own two pins now and back in the water. No cane or any other artificial assistance, but PLENTY of PT.  It’s working miracles (The secret with the exercises: the slower you do them, the faster you progress.)

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You can get back what you have if you want it. You can do prehab as well. where are you located?

Id forgotten about this thread as I was locked out of Sways for a few years. Not sure why, but My doctor had me in Linda Hughy’s pool 3 months ahead of surgery to learn and do 60 minute pool intervals every day. I ended up doing it for 3 years and surfed in 3 months after my first hip. I continued for 8 months and did my second hip, surfing in 11 weeks after that. It works in buoyancy with a hip float belt in a warm pool. Great range of motion even with hip disease. 

I’m 11 years out and surfing still

 

 

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http://www.hiphelp.com/pages/exercises.html

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http://www.robertklappermd.com/

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so found out the hard way about the Illiopsosas muscle, which is the primary hip extensor that lifts your leg, and how it can be negatively impacted by THR.  Symptoms of an overly tight posoas are a tightness in the groin/hip, drive the car for a couple of hours, get out, and a bit of a limp until the muscle relaxes from the over contraction.  Symptoms I had.

A good PT knows this, and provides stretching excercises to accomodate the problem.  tyurns out mine wasn’t so good.

About my 15th session surfing after THR, about 4 months post-op, feeling reasonably good about my surfing, on the way down the face on a late drop, compressed and ready for the bottom turn, as I extended out ofit felt a pop in my groin.  Within a few more waves, knew something was wrong.

Turns out I partially tore the psoa, haven’t been able to surf in 2 months, probably another two before it will ready.  One of the hardest muslce groups to rehabilitate according to the PT I am working with now. 

The irony is back in the water just 3 months after THR, and now I’ll need more then that for one muscle.

If you’re contemplating THR, keep this in mind.  If you had it, and have the same symptoms, do some research and avoid what I’m dealing with.  Wish I knew