I'm looking at hip replacement soon. I got all excited reading about Floyd Landis and his "hip resurfacing" operation. Well, I spoke with the Dr. last week (end of orthopedics at a large Houston hospital, so I think we knows a thing or two) and he's suggesting I go with a total hip replacement (bonus - this one is the "Jimmy Connors hip", so I guess it's age appropriate - I'm 53). It's interesting; turns out the "resurfacing" operation actually requires an incision that 3 times as big as the one for the total hip replacement.

Anybody you there who has actually had hip replacement surgery want to comment about it? What I'm looking for is

1. How long ago was it?

2. How long off the bike?

3. How's the range of motion?

4. Any big restrictions on cycling after surgery?

5. Any unexpected problems ?


Thanks

Gee, sorry to hear you need surgery. No experience at ALL (since I'm 21 but yeah) though I sure wish you the best of luck for it and a spedy recovery post surgery.

Take care

I've had a lot of hip surgery (http://barrygee.blogspot.com) lately, but not a replacement. I would just urge you to not underestimate that this is major surgery and carefully consider that orthopedic surgeons ALL talk a good talk but more of them suck than are really good and it's not a simple task figuring out which ones are which. Recovery from this type of surgery is going to vary widely, and many folks are going to take a lot longer to recover than Landis, and some are never going to recover full functionality.

Don't rush into it, do your research, see a lot of surgeons for multiple opinions, and don't hesitate to travel some distance to see a good surgeon.

On bikeforums.net, a guy on there, HipCycler, had hip-replacement surgery and from his posts, it sounds like he's made a pretty strong recovery. From what I recall, he puts in a decent amount of miles and time on the bike, and has even raced once or twice.

I'd suggest talking to him or searching for some of his older threads.

Floyd Landis had a hip replaced in September and he seems to be doing fine on the bike.

I had a total hip replacement a little over 4 years ago. I was off the bike for around 8 weeks, as I remember, and had some initial stiffness while pedaling. However, I was soon riding better than I'd ridden in years - all the pain I'd had in my left hip and left knee was gone and before long I was back to riding around 200 miles a week. I don't run anymore, nor do I do any other high-impact exercise, but in addition to cycling I've hiked up and down numerous mountains, including a couple of 14,000-footers with no problems at all.
If you have any questions about any of this, don't hesitate to drop me a line. And best of luck to you!

haven't had one...but I have practiced in Orthopedics doing Sports Med and Hip/Knee Replacements almost exclusively for the last six years...so I think I might know a thing or two about the subject. If you have any questions specific to the surgical technique or ortho side of it, feel free to ask

One thing I forgot to mention in my first post was that when I had my three-year-from-surgery checkup, the surgeon who did the replacement saw no wear at all on the replaced joint. He was a bit surprised, given the amount of cycling I do, and told me he was going to recommend cycling as a great post-hip replacement exercise. I, by the way, had the standard cut-'em-open, Thanksgiving turkey style surgery, not the new, less invasive kind.

One thing I forgot to mention in my first post was that when I had my three-year-from-surgery checkup, the surgeon who did the replacement saw no wear at all on the replaced joint. He was a bit surprised, given the amount of cycling I do, and told me he was going to recommend cycling as a great post-hip replacement exercise. I, by the way, had the standard cut-'em-open, Thanksgiving turkey style surgery, not the new, less invasive kind.


the "new" less invasive kind is hardly an improvement...wouldn't let anyone do that do me.

One thing I forgot to mention in my first post was that when I had my three-year-from-surgery checkup, the surgeon who did the replacement saw no wear at all on the replaced joint. He was a bit surprised, given the amount of cycling I do, and told me he was going to recommend cycling as a great post-hip replacement exercise. I, by the way, had the standard cut-'em-open, Thanksgiving turkey style surgery, not the new, less invasive kind.


Do you remember what type of implant it was? I'm looking at the Wright Medical Technologies "Big Femoral Head" (yeah, I know--seems like my nephew has a t-shirt like that) implant.

Interestingly, the procedure that Landis had (Birmingham procedure) is supposed to require an incision 3 times bigger than the minimally invasive total hip replacement; I got this from a doctor who does both. Evidentally, the amount of machining of the femur requires more room (than whacking off the femoral head and driving a huge spike down the middle of the bone--to be blunt). A key thing is how solid the bone is in your femur; at 53 my doctor says it's not a good fit for me.

No big rush; some probably sometime this summer.

There's a rider here in OBRAland, forget his name, with two replaced hips who rawks the 1-2 racing scene here.

I just had surgery on my left hip to repair a torn labrum and correct an impingement - bascially the ball-and-socket didn't move properly, resulting in some pretty advanced osteoarthritis for a 31 year old. It's a gamble at my age, but if it works it's to put off a resurfacing or replacement for a few more years. Four more weeks on crutches, non-weight bearing before I can get back on the bike and put any effort into it. Guess there's 'cross season :)

Kalukis, best of luck with the hip replacement, and BarryG, thanks for posting the link to the info on your blog.

Anyone here have any experience with hip arthroscopy? I've had some hip issues the last couple of years and the have had it diagnosed as a probable labral tear or loose body, looking at arthroscopy this fall to see if it can be cleaned up at all. I race both road and mtb and hope to be able to continue. Thanks for any info anyone might have.

btrutta - My surgery was arthroscopic, performed at OHSU in Portland. It's tough to tear a labrum unless you know of a particular incident that injured it; mine was torn because of the impingement. If you have an impingement (google FAI or Femoral Acetabular Impingement) it is likely to tear again.

Also, I had numerous loose ossific and cartiliginous bodies removed, the largest of which was approximately 5x8x10mm in size. Tough to imagine something that size inside the joint.

Brock,

How was your recovery and results? The big question mark with my situation is I have been told that it doesn't look like a matter of impingement (but it isn't ruled out) and I don't have any particular incident that it could have occured. I was competitive in powerlifting in a former life (way back in college) and probably lifted way too much weight, I've had 2 specialists remark that it may have been injured with heavy squats at some point. Enhanced MRI's have been inconclusive but the symptoms I've had the last 3 years are textbook for labral tears or loose bodies in there. Hope to get some improvement! Thanks for the info!

Well, I'm two weeks post-op, so it's way too early to tell. Feel free to shoot me an email in four weeks :) I know where you are at - that sickening grinding feeling and the horrible 'catch' on those loose bodies, ugh.

The surgery, being arthroscopic, was a relative breeze. I went under in the afternoon with a general, woke up in recovery four hours later, spent a night in the hospital. The first few days were tough painwise as the nerve blocks wore off, as I ditched the 'pain pump', and as I weaned myself from the narcotics. I was back at work the following Friday and have been putitng in a full week so far. I'm feeling pretty good now, so it's even harder to keep weight off of it and worse, to remember to not use my hip flexor at all. I've been on the trainer a few times at the gym - pedaling so slowly that the computer turns itself off after a minute because it doesn't think I'm there anymore :)

Your recovery will vary - two things that make my situation non-weight bearing for six weeks was the labral repair (vs debridement) and the microfracture technique they used on the acetablum to get more room where the joint was bone-on-bone. I've heard stories of folks that even with an osteoplasty (reshaping the femor as they did for my impingement) but without the labral repair being fully active within two weeks.

Good luck!

Thanks for all the info and best of luck with your recovery, I'll definitely shoot you an email to find out more. hard to find much info on recovery other than the generic stuff I see on the internet! Good luck and stay on that trainer no matter how slow you go!

btrutta - My surgery was arthroscopic, performed at OHSU in Portland. It's tough to tear a labrum unless you know of a particular incident that injured it; mine was torn because of the impingement. If you have an impingement (google FAI or Femoral Acetabular Impingement) it is likely to tear again.

Also, I had numerous loose ossific and cartiliginous bodies removed, the largest of which was approximately 5x8x10mm in size. Tough to imagine something that size inside the joint.

Labral tears are often missed but after surgery and successful rehab, cycling should be no problem. As for hip replacements, the same holds true. I've worked with a lot of active folks in rehab from hip replacements. With a good surgery and proper rehab, cycling should be no problem. I often have folks on an indoor trainer within weeks of the surgery. It is a major surgery and their are risks, but if the pain is keeping you from doing the activities you desire, then get the surgery and listen to the surgion's advice. And - find a GOOD person to help you with your rehab. It will make a difference.

Best of luck,

Russell Cree, DPT, CSCS
www.herriottsportsperformance.com

Hi Kalukis,
Sorry to hear about your condition. This thread is of interest to me because I have similar condition.
I'm 45 and had to stop riding last year due to hip arthritis. Now that I've learned more about it, I find my right knee was moving away from the bike at the top of my pedal stroke to compensate for limited hip movement. Oddly, through some further compensatory mechanism, I would end up getting a pain and strain in the glute -- isochial tuberosity i think it was, where the hamstring attaches to the hip.
Let me tell you my story - the info might help you and others - and suggest that you find the best bike fitting coach you can. After seeing a LBS that specializes in fit a year or so ago for an 'arthritic hip fit,' but getting little relief, a friend suggested an expert fitter/coach who really knows biomechanics and cycling. Turns out he was all that and more; he knew about how hip arthritis affects pedal stroke, etc. etc. It's hard to explain, but the feeling I got from the fit at the bike shop (which advertises regionally about their fitting expertise) versus the independent guy was the difference between "I hope that $160 spent has some effect, but doubtful" vs "that may have been the best $360 I've spent. I had 2 sessions, over 4 hr, and we went over everything from drivetrain fit to stroke mechanics to shoes and sole inserts, to looking at my xrays.
As appointments worked out, my sessions with the fit coach were only a couple weeks before I saw the ortho who does hip replacement. After the bike adjustments and work on my stroke, I was able to ride again.
A couple weeks later, I saw the ortho, and he wanted to schedule minimally invasive THR. But I decided as long as I can still ride and sleep most nights, I'll put off surgery. Who cares if I can't run, nor jump, and limp, and it kinda hurts to walk, as long as I can ride! (Actually, I love to play hockey again, which was probably the cause of my athritis, but that's another story and not possible with THR anyhow.)
The bike fitter also suggested that my current bike was a limiting factor in my fit - it might have been ok 10 yrs ago, but not now (and no, he doesn't sell bikes). Sure enough, months later, given the degenerative nature of arthritis, I had recurrence of the same symptoms and had to stop riding again. Time to get a new bike as recommended (and 170 cranks to reduce step-over, and pedal washers to increase Qfactor, and tweaking my cleats for the same purpose). Once again, I'm riding. I rationalized the bike purchase (Scott CR1 - sweet ride and recommended for the relaxed fit which allows a more upright position to reduce hip angle - a racing pedigree "comfort bike" :-)) by figuring I was spending the deductible I'd pay for surgery. And I'll certainly ride after the inevitable surgery.
The moral of the story is that if you are interested in postponing surgery, bike fit could be a consideration. In my research I came across a post from some other fitting coach who mentioned that he has hip arthritis clients who ride better than they walk.
HTH and good luck, whichever way you go.
-Dirk

do a search for posts from a member who goes by the handle "Hipstrong". I believe he's in the KC area, and had a total replacement. As I remember he still rides pretty well.