bartman's hip replacement and recovery thread

[bartman314]

after a year of increasingly degenerative arthritis robbed me of any ability to move laterally or apply a lateral load to my left hip (no sumo stance or deadlifts - and no motorcycle riding), i had a complete left hip replacement yesterday.

the replacement consisted of titanium shaft, ceramic ball and ceramic cup hardware installed via a new 'no hip precaution' lateral procedure. the no hip precaution part means that no muscles/tendons were cut during the procedure and that the joint was not dislocated during the procedure (best of my understanding). the benefit is a much faster recovery, and i can say that although quite sore and swollen, i'm now home and walking with crutches.

to maintain some semblance of mass/strength, i had been working a modified leg routine for the last six months in which all movements were 'square' squats, leg press, romanian deadlifts with feet straight and parallel, shoulder width apart.

i'll be keeping a log here of recovery for the benefit of the forum, so that my experience can be used by others who face hip replacements. i'd be happy to share what i've learned as i zero'ed in on the procedure, hardware, dr and hospital i ultimately chose - if interested, pm me.

Current PT protocol is based on lying down, sitting and standing exercises, designed primarily to expand range of motion. beyond the exercises, i've been told that walking with crutches is the most effective thing i can do to progress. to offset the resulting swelling, ice, ice, ice...

current stats:
51
6'2"
225 lbs
5.5% bf (by so-called calibrated x-ray at a local university exercise physiology lab - i know this is contentious, by the pictures we all use here, i'm in the ~7% range)

current protocols:
TRT (test cyp @ 100 mg/4 days)

will start sermorelin soon

stay tuned...

[PistolPete33]

Congrats on being on the other side. I'm 3 years post op to having my right hip done. I had the Burmingham Hip Resurfacing done but they had to cut thru my glute and dislocate the hip. I'm not sure how they would do the surgery without dislocating the hip joint though. Doesn't seem possible. I know what you were going thru and the pain you were feeling. I have less than 2 years left on my other hip and not looking forward to going thru that again. Def. keep us posted and congrats on being post-op.

[PistolPete33]

Did the do the incision thru the front of your body near your groin?

[bartman314]

thanks pistolpete! and thanks for your inputs early in my process. i was leaning towards re-surfacing when i learned about metalosis (a few people i ran into have had this and had to have 'emergency' replacements of the resurfacing hardware). i hope you're aware of metalosis and are ok!

the incision was from the outside side (opposite from the groin). i haven't seen my incision, but understand it's a few inches long. i agree that it's amazing to not dislocate and to get all the hardware in through the incision with so little damage, which is why i put the caveat above "best of my understanding."

[PistolPete33]

If it's just an Anterior approach they still dislocate the hip but they do it on your back with machinery instead of on your side. I'm very well versed in Metalosis as I was having issues a few months back and my metal ion tests came back elevated. I have to get retested again at the end of this month and every 3 months for the next year. Hoping it was just a fluke and I won't need revision surgery.

[bartman314]

good luck with it.

[PistolPete33]

good luck with it.

thanks, but I'm really excited to see how your recovery goes over the next few weeks and months. How long were you in the hospital for? When do they want you on the exercise bike? My surgeon says he always wants me leg pressing.

[bartman314]

absolutely!

here's a link to my surgeon and his process: Stephen Murphy, M.D.

i was in the hospital for one night. i'll report on the other questions as i learn more.

[PistolPete33]

Thanks for the link I actually just watched the video on how they do it and you are right they don't dislocate the hip. The basically ream it and then cut the head off while it' still in the socket. Very interesting. My only concern is that they cut off the entire femoral head but it looks like they retain more bone than a typical total hip replacement.

[Chicagotarsier]

good luck on your recovery.

Life through medicine can be an improvement.

[bartman314]

swelling/pain is significantly reduced today. walking with a single crutch. PT stopped by and reviewed recovery protocol with me (http://www.stephenmurphy.org/rehab/r...erving_thr.pdf).

i could start stationary bike today, but have been advised to stay at home through the weekend to allow broader recovery of surgery. i'll hit the gym monday and get the bike in (per protocol link).

[bartman314]

as part of protocol, i am to walk 3x/day @ 10-20 minutes.

last night on my last walk, i went for 10 minutes with no crutches. today, 1st walk was 15 minutes no crutches, 2nd walk all 20 minutes was crutchless. it's incredible to me i can do this with a totally replaced joint 72 hours ago.

[GirlyGymRat]

May want to look into tb 500 during recovery.

[bartman314]

thanks for the suggestion, i tried tb500 for elbow tendonitis & arthritis with no effect. i'm wondering if tb500 will thus never work for me, or if it may on some injuries, but not others. i'll dig a bit more into this.

[bartman314]

first day back in the gym. did a light back work out.

3x pullups
3x wide grip pull downs
3x narrow grip pull down
3x middle machine row
3x low machine row
3x high machine row

all @ 12+ reps and short of failure.

only glitch was too much 'leg-pressing' during first rep of middle machine row - my bad leg wanted to buckle inward.

did my 20 minutes of walking at the gym track and got lapped by a 70 year old indian woman. nevertheless a good first day back.

forearms are cramping a bit... i guess 4 days off is too much. ;-)

[lovbyts]

Best of luck and hope you recover quickly.

My sister had basically the same thing done a few years ago. She is very happy with the results.

[bartman314]

thanks lovbyts...

quick update.

so far so good. no mofe crutches, going up and down stairs normally albeit slowly. swelling significantly reduced. doing 20min walks plus no weight pt 3x/day.

been back in the gym for upper body, lost ~15% strength through time off and being careful not to irritate my hip, but it's coming back quick (did 10x275 bench today vs 12x275 pre-op.

trying to be a good patient and not push the hip too much. i'm sure some here understand.

[bartman314]

another update...

16 days post op. swelling way down - starting to stretch the muscles a bit (as opposed to working the scar tissue). left leg starting to atrophy despite pt (it was bound to happen as i was strong/big going into surgery).

added elliptical at setting 1 for 20 minutes - feels fine.

strength in upper body coming back as expected.

[bartman314]

ugh... a set back.

i'm 3 weeks post op and have had a growing pain in the front of my hip. the pain is worst after sitting for awhile, standing and then stopping/loading my operated hip. after a step or two, the pain subsides and i can walk normally.

i've been without crutches for 2 weeks and the doc wants me to go back to crutches until the pain goes away.

i think i've irritated the deep muscles/tendons, and suspect the doc's recommendation will work, but any thoughts would be appreciated.

although i've been careful in the gym, i think carrying heavy dumbells (up to 90 lbs) contributed/caused the irritation. ugh.

[600@50]

Listen to the doc. Sounds like you over did it and need to cut back a bit.

[bartman314]

yep, 600@50, you're right.

time for another update...

my set back was diagnosed by doc and pt as strained hip flexor. i went back on crutches and laid off pushing the PT for a couple of weeks. finally started to calm down last week and i am now again walking without crutches. doc says surgery looks good and to keep taking it easy for the next 6 weeks.

still working upper body as much as i can - i'm asking guys to move the heavy weights around for me so i can do the lift. nothing like having a weight caddy in the gym!

[NACH3]

Hope everything heals up well, bartman! Wish you all the best!

[GirlyGymRat]

Maybe just a few more weeks of crutches.

[bartman314]

another update for those interested.

~10 weeks post op now. hip flexor has calmed down and i've started LIGHT leg lifting. today was:

3x30 squats @bodyweight
3x20@150 lbs straight leg dead lift
3x20@80 lbs one leg extension each side (affected leg is weaker)
3x12@60 lbs lying one leg curl (ditto)
3x20@120 lbs seated leg curl
3x30@90 lbs seated calf raise
3x30@120 lbs standing leg curl
3x20@120 lbs lying hip extension
2x30@40 lbs standing hip extension for all 4 orientations

felt good afterwards - we'll see about tomorrow!

i've been hitting it hard with low impact cardio for the last couple of weeks and i'm about back to pre-surgery capability. i think the journey back to leg strength/size will be a bit longer.

as an fyi - i've been on sermorelin/ghrp since surgery - for what it's worth, i think it's helping with recovery.

[600@50]

Rehab sounds like it's going well. Take care man and heal up fast.

[NACH3]

Great to see all those sets(w/weight)! Also looks and sounds like everything is coming back... Your an inspiration to those whove had or been through surgery and recovery... It's a long road back as you know!

It's great to see your progress... and keep up the hard work and dedication brother!

[bartman314]

time for another update.

as you ay know i started a tren a + test p cycle (see member cycle logs) a little over 3 weeks ago, and the cycle seems to be going well. i tried to time the start with when i could starting hitting legs again hard. wouldn't you know it, the first weekend after i started my cycle, i tweaked my hip flexor again - walking around a race track for 7-8 miles. i tried to modify my leg workout to avoid further irritation, but nothing i tried worked. so... i've backed way off and dropped legs for the last week. :-(

today, i saw my doc and he was pleased with the surgical recovery and prescribed a cortizone shot, which i just had. i'll give it a couple of days rest and then see my pt for re-engineering the workout.

it's never as easy as it should be...

[GirlyGymRat]

time for another update. as you ay know i started a tren a + test p cycle (see member cycle logs) a little over 3 weeks ago, and the cycle seems to be going well. i tried to time the start with when i could starting hitting legs again hard. wouldn't you know it, the first weekend after i started my cycle, i tweaked my hip flexor again - walking around a race track for 7-8 miles. i tried to modify my leg workout to avoid further irritation, but nothing i tried worked. so... i've backed way off and dropped legs for the last week. :-( today, i saw my doc and he was pleased with the surgical recovery and prescribed a cortizone shot, which i just had. i'll give it a couple of days rest and then see my pt for re-engineering the workout. it's never as easy as it should be...

Is it normal for a cortisone shot after surgery???

[bartman314]

not normal. i'm doing it to address hip flexor tendonitis, which also isn't typical after a total hip replacement.

the good news is that cortisone can degrade natural joint tissue (cartilage and whatnot) - but i don't have that anymore!

[GirlyGymRat]

not normal. i'm doing it to address hip flexor tendonitis, which also isn't typical after a total hip replacement. the good news is that cortisone can degrade natural joint tissue (cartilage and whatnot) - but i don't have that anymore!

That's good then. Seems like you r recovering quickly by looks of your lifts!

[bartman314]

did pt today - first psuedo leg workout in a week. i got good clear guidance on lifts, stretches, what to avoid and whatnot. i was doing one leg press with 50 lbs... at least it was good getting the blood flowing!

the rule i will live by for the next two weeks is "light weight, no hip flexor pain"

as a not so funny aside, my right hip is starting to hurt. in my doctor appointment i asked the doc how he wanted to handle my right hip replacement surgery when i wanted to get it done. he took a look at my old x-ray from pre left hip surgery and said, "you're right hip looks worse than you're left - you can schedule anytime."

so... at least i save myself one extra trip to the doc on my next thr.

[NACH3]

Glad to hear/& see your progress bartman!! Way to listen to your body! Great line for the next two wks(light weight(which is the hardest part for us) no hip flexor pain)...

Keep at it Bug Guy!!! You really are an inspiration(especially to those w/injuries and are still going

[bartman314]

thanks nach. getting old is hard - the trick is to never stop (just adjust to the pains/issues du jour). i'll tell you tho, now that i'm cycling and doubling down on diet and workouts, i'm bigger, stronger than ever - which is the BEST way to fight getting old. just hope the joints can keep going (until the whole system fails!).

i also want to say that you are an inspiration - you're consistently constructive, engaging, knowledgable and supportive. you've helped me and a lot of other people here. thank you (this is like a weird bro love fest - :-))!

[600@50]

Glad you're healing bartman. A friend had his replacement done at 34 years old due to a car injury. He did fine and was so glad he had it done. His best friend became a stationary bike. As long as he rode it 15 minutes a day he had no problems.

[bartman314]

interesting... thanks for the input 600@50. i think i'll give that a try.

[NACH3]

thanks nach. getting old is hard - the trick is to never stop (just adjust to the pains/issues du jour). i'll tell you tho, now that i'm cycling and doubling down on diet and workouts, i'm bigger, stronger than ever - which is the BEST way to fight getting old. just hope the joints can keep going (until the whole system fails!).

i also want to say that you are an inspiration - you're consistently constructive, engaging, knowledgable and supportive. you've helped me and a lot of other people here. thank you (this is like a weird bro love fest - :-))!

Thx bartman very much appreciated! ^^Lol.... So true though haha

Funny you mentioned as we age... I used to use my injuries as an excuse(until I really had to do something about it and lifting was always my release.... I'm just thankful for this site and all us members that constantly support one another! Since vie gotten back I to BBing again i too have become stronger and consistency is the key(in every aspect - lifting, diet, gear - it sure does help if you don't push too hard to hurt yourself).... As long as we take our time and do things right it will always get somewhat better for ones w/injuries... Ya just gotta work thru em

[NACH3]

Glad you're healing bartman. A friend had his replacement done at 34 years old due to a car injury. He did fine and was so glad he had it done. His best friend became a stationary bike. As long as he rode it 15 minutes a day he had no problems.

Makes sense.... Probly kept em much more loose! And the muscles(psoas etc) are more likely to get stronger and stabilize I would think...

[bartman314]

another update (maybe the last as i thing i've figured it out).

so... it turns out that i was doing some back exercises that were overloading my hip, and slowing down my recovery. specifically seated rows with heavy weights (<=250 lbs) was causing loading and irritating just about everything in my groin. so... i stopped. and continued with my PT and things are actually getting better in all aspects. today i did the hack squat machine 20*270 to just above parallel with sumo stance - something i havaen't been able to do for over 1.5 years due to arthritis pain and then hip tendonitis/groin issues post surgery.

also, i do at least 15 min/day elliptical, per 600x50's input, which is helping me keep it loose.

[lovbyts]

Good to hear you are improving again. Yeah its tough not to try to do to much to soon.