Hip Replacement

Stewartb

Stewartb

Final Approach
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stewartb
I didn’t see this coming. Looking for pireps. Not interested in what the FAA thinks, just want to know how long it took others to get back into the pilot seat after hip replacement. I know recovery time varies but I’m curious what others have experienced.

Thanks.
 
Dad wasn't a pilot, but was back to about 90% of capability about 10 weeks after his in 1997. Several guys at work have had knee or hip replacements and been back fully at work within 10-12 weeks, up and down crew stands and in and out of the cockpits. Company mandates a minimum of 8 weeks at home before returning to work after any major surgery.
 
Thanks, Craig. Would any of them have flown earlier if the policy wasn’t in place? I’m wondering about physical ability to get in and out of a plane, particularly a Supercub.
 
Had hip replaced in 86 and then the revision (new hip) in 09. From surgery to climbing back aboard was three months. The revision had some complications, femur had spiral fractured and needed some additional attention.
 
Stewartb said:
Thanks, Craig. Would any of them have flown earlier if the policy wasn’t in place? I’m wondering about physical ability to get in and out of a plane, particularly a Supercub.
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None of the guys are pilots, but rather, mechanics and inspectors. All came back as soon as the company would let them. We climb anything from a single step stand to crew stands that are 15 steps to get into the F-35 and F-16 cockpits at work. Dad was semiretired at the time, but 6 weeks to the day, he was walking with a cane at my wedding, less than 48 hours after a two day drive cross country to be there. Three weeks later, he quit carrying the cane. When he passed in 2019, he was just starting to have some issues with his.
Everyone that I know of that has had knee or hip replacement has said the first couple of days are the worst, but if you follow the rehab procedure religiously, you'll be back at things pretty quickly.
 
I had my right hip replaced 3 years ago at 69. Anterior procedure. I didn’t fly for about a month just to be on the safe side, but I easily could have sooner.
These days you’re walking within hours, at home the same night and in PT within days.
 
Thanks, guys.

Lance, you've given me hope! I know the expectation is to walk on the same day and be discharged same day if no complications come up. What the practitioners won't say is what the real time is to start returning to normal activities. Not carrying hod or lifting walls, but stuff like driving and flying. Three weeks ago I stood on a driving range with a Callaway rep testing clubs with Trackman. Today I can barely get in and out of a chair. Crazy. I want it fixed!
 
At least you have surgical options these days, on Dad's, there was no option....He sheared the ball right off the femur, right at the trochanteric crest...
 
About 4 weeks and I was back at it and I think I could have done it sooner. I was the young guy getting a hip though at 45 years old. Had the surgery at 8am and was home on my couch at 8pm. They really want you to get out of the hospitals these days.
 
I have to believe the surgeon has a lot to do with it. The anterior procedure has MUCH faster recovery. You want a surgeon that has done a LOT of those. (Hint: Talk to the OR nurses if you can.)
 
Lance F said:
I have to believe the surgeon has a lot to do with it. The anterior procedure has MUCH faster recovery. You want a surgeon that has done a LOT of those. (Hint: Talk to the OR nurses if you can.)
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Obviously the quality of the surgeon counts. I think sometimes it's less what the surgeon brings to the table than what the patient brings to the table. I always remember what my surgeon, who teaches the procedure, said to me on my last post-op visit. "Thank you. You made me look good."
 
my wife liked it so much, she went back for the other hip a few years later!
now she can hike mountains with me.

'Anterior approach is better'; she thinks so, but one is lateral supine and it works just as well.
Recovery definitely faster with anterior.
 
I’m interested in this thread because I probably have this in my future. My right hip is getting really bad, so bad now I can’t go for walks which means no exercise which means de conditioning and downward spiral. I started treating it with oral hyaluronic acid ten days ago and to my surprise the last three days the pain has been mostly gone. I just realized it hasn’t woken me up at night this week. Knock on wood we will see if this is real. It’s been waking me up at night over a year now so this is significant improvement if it’s not a coincidental fluke.

Hey, I also just realized I climbed up the malfunctioning stopped escalator at DFW Skylink with no pain, I didn’t think about it at the time I was busy trying to get to my gate; that was only the 5th day taking this stuff. This seems too good to be true, we will have to see if it keeps up when I get back home and back to my normal routine.

Anyway I still figure I’ll eventually need a replacement. You guys say to get the right surgeon, I suppose Houston is the closest big city to me, I don’t suppose any of you have a guy there to recommend?
 
Rushie: First place I would start looking is IronMan Sports at Memorial Hermann....Those are the guys that are the surgeons for the Rockets and Texans... When we were considering surgery to repair my wife's neck, we decided that if we got serious, we would go to see Terry Trammell up in Indianapolis for a consult about whether the damage to her's was repairable. Trammell is the guy that puts Indy car drivers back together. When you deal with damage like that and see the drivers back in competition, says a lot about capability.
 
Sports heroes usually don't need hip replacements. I had many knee surgeries where I chased the best skier doctors. Hips? My bro-in-law had one done. I saw him yesterday and his advice was to go to Tucson, where the population is old. Hip surgeries are common there. Follow the demographic. But in truth once these new techniques gain favor they spread. I'll see a minimally invasive hip guy on Tuesday. The problem with seeking out the best is that they're busy. Two weeks for an initial appointment, a referral for an arthrogram, another appointment. Hurry up and wait. I'm lucky that I can work effectively from home because I can't drive for 5 minutes without triggering excruciating pain. Oxy knocks it down but I don't favor pain killers. Pharmaceutically induced zombie apocalypse!
 
Stewart: Most of the time time they don't, but that particular group has at least one guy that is an ortho that specializes in hips. If I were to need the work, I'd want to see someone that deals with people that have athletes as patients, as those type people can be quite hard on their bodies, and the ortho may have a better idea on what will work better...be it anything from joint resurfacing to complete replacement, and what type parts work the best. I'm also the type that I would get two completely independent evaluations before I made any decision.
 
I had the anterior done back in December, I am 55,
I waited about a month, I knew that getting into a 172/182 would be a little difficult so I waited till I was good and ready.

Prior to flying, I was off the walker in 4 days, back to work in 3 weeks,
I’m glad I did it, no more pain from a bad hip socket
 
Craig said:
Stewart: Most of the time time they don't, but that particular group has at least one guy that is an ortho that specializes in hips. If I were to need the work, I'd want to see someone that deals with people that have athletes as patients, as those type people can be quite hard on their bodies, and the ortho may have a better idea on what will work better...be it anything from joint resurfacing to complete replacement, and what type parts work the best. I'm also the type that I would get two completely independent evaluations before I made any decision.
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I have no reason to argue but I will offer my experience. When you seek out surgeons who deal with pro athletes and have returned these athletes to action? They're used to working on superior physical specimens who are in tip-top condition and those patients are very motivated to get back into action regardless of pain. The better condition you're in, the better the recovery. I'm not a pro athlete. Not even close, even when I was in the best shape of my life. When my doctors would tell me "this surgery will be easy" (I've had 8 on skier's knees) I'd remind them it would be easy for them. None was easy for me.
 
Thanks Craig and Stewart. When thinking about athletes vs old people, I wonder if the density of the bone is a factor in hip replacements. I’m on the edge of osteopenia as opposed to strong bones.
 
Stewartb said:
I have no reason to argue but I will offer my experience. When you seek out surgeons who deal with pro athletes and have returned these athletes to action? They're used to working on superior physical specimens who are in tip-top condition and those patients are very motivated to get back into action regardless of pain. The better condition you're in, the better the recovery. I'm not a pro athlete. Not even close, even when I was in the best shape of my life. When my doctors would tell me "this surgery will be easy" (I've had 8 on skier's knees) I'd remind them it would be easy for them. None was easy for me.
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Your treatment also shouldn't follow the same calculous as a pro athlete. If a start quarterback breaks his ankle, he wants it fixed at all cost. All or nothing. I haven't had a hip done, but I have had a couple of orthopedic injuries and surgeries, and the follow-up is so important that I would be hesitant to travel outside of my home area unless it was to someplace I planned to stay for a while after the initial treatment and then return to for follow-ups. Traveling out of state could be a PITA just for the fact that your surgeon wouldn't be able to call in prescriptions to your local pharmacy.
 
My buddy told me his butcher, late 50s, was back to work in 10 days. New technique made it ‘easy’
 
Rushie said:
Thanks Craig and Stewart. When thinking about athletes vs old people, I wonder if the density of the bone is a factor in hip replacements. I’m on the edge of osteopenia as opposed to strong bones.
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Bone integrity is a factor in the anterior vs posterior decision for your surgeon, at least my studies in Google 101 has said that. I figure I’ll know a lot more on Tuesday after my visit with the surgeon.
 
Booked it. I’m scheduled for an anterior total hip in 2 weeks. Have to get a few other appointments done first. My doc did a neighbor’s hip 8 weeks ago. That guy was flying at 2 weeks and guiding bear hunters at 4 weeks. That may be pushing his luck but he was capable, and that’s pretty impressive!
 
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Stewartb said:
Booked it. I’m scheduled for an anterior total hip in 2 weeks. Have to get a few other appointments done first. My doc did a neighbor’s hip 8 weeks ago. That guy was flying at 2 weeks and guiding bear hunters at 4 weeks. That may be pushing his luck but he was capable, and that’s pretty impressive!
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Good luck. I’m anxious to see how you do.
 
My mother needs her hip replaced she known about it for about 5 years put it off now it's really bad she can hardly walk with a cane she is 84. I hoping the recovery won't be too long we been doing lot of research on doctors hard to figure out who is good who isn't. I found one place that all they do is hip replacement 3 doctors reviews said their office communication was terrible no one returns calls. Difficult unless you know someone in the medical field who can direct one to the best person. I didn't know about the anterior procedure I will bring that up when she goes to get a consult ask the doctor about that I'm sure that's what they will do. They have offered her cortisone shot but said if she got that it they would need to wait 6 months before any surgery could be done.
 
Hmm. I had an injection about 6 weeks ago and the surgeon wasn’t concerned. I can tell you that hip replacements are generally to repair bone on bone joints and steroids don’t help, but the lidocaine in the shot makes it feel better for a couple of days.

Re: anterior approach, I had a choice between a free hand surgeon or one who uses a robotic arm. I’m going with the robot. I just had a CT scan to map the hip for the robot programming. Google robot-assisted hip replacement in your area and that pretty much assures the anterior method will be available if appropriate.
 
Usually they have you up and walking that day. I wouldn't sweat it, butdelaying the procedure can cause ancillary changes in other parts of your body.
 
kell490 said:
My mother needs her hip replaced she known about it for about 5 years put it off now it's really bad she can hardly walk with a cane she is 84. I hoping the recovery won't be too long we been doing lot of research on doctors hard to figure out who is good who isn't. I found one place that all they do is hip replacement 3 doctors reviews said their office communication was terrible no one returns calls. Difficult unless you know someone in the medical field who can direct one to the best person. I didn't know about the anterior procedure I will bring that up when she goes to get a consult ask the doctor about that I'm sure that's what they will do. They have offered her cortisone shot but said if she got that it they would need to wait 6 months before any surgery could be done.
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You almost have to interview them yourself plus get other patient recommendations. I talked to 3 eye surgeons about cataract surgery before I finally let the 4th one do it. What mattered was my confidence in the surgeon plus the technician that took the refractive measurements. The lens needs to be right! One of them had a technician who was rude and sloppy. I don’t give much weight to the front desk and billing staff although terrible office communication is an issue, I mostly only care about the guy that’s cutting me. Or calculating the power of a lens I have to live with forever. Maybe that’s not an issue with the hip.:D
 
kell490 said:
My mother needs her hip replaced she known about it for about 5 years put it off now it's really bad she can hardly walk with a cane she is 84. I hoping the recovery won't be too long we been doing lot of research on doctors hard to figure out who is good who isn't. I found one place that all they do is hip replacement 3 doctors reviews said their office communication was terrible no one returns calls. Difficult unless you know someone in the medical field who can direct one to the best person. I didn't know about the anterior procedure I will bring that up when she goes to get a consult ask the doctor about that I'm sure that's what they will do. They have offered her cortisone shot but said if she got that it they would need to wait 6 months before any surgery could be done.
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Even if you know someone in the profession there is no guarantee. Dealing with my mom, the doc referred her to a specialist that has some of the worst reviews in the area - both from professionals and patients. Others have been good. The hospital, though, let's just say I'm still unhappy with them for pushing, pushing, pushing hospice even as the surgeon himself said "she came through really well and everything looks great". Medicare is part of the problem due to reimbursement rates (much lower than private pay) - and apparently that's also true even if the patient has really good supplemental like Tricare.
 
Stewartb said:
Hmm. I had an injection about 6 weeks ago and the surgeon wasn’t concerned. I can tell you that hip replacements are generally to repair bone on bone joints and steroids don’t help, but the lidocaine in the shot makes it feel better for a couple of days.

Re: anterior approach, I had a choice between a free hand surgeon or one who uses a robotic arm. I’m going with the robot. I just had a CT scan to map the hip for the robot programming. Google robot-assisted hip replacement in your area and that pretty much assures the anterior method will be available if appropriate.
Click to expand...

It might have been 3 months what they said referring to cortisone shot. At this point she needs to get it done ASAP I'm worried she fall down and break it her walking getting worse by the month.
 
My hip was shattered when I was 19 and playing football. They scoped it two different times over the years, removing chips, which extended the life of the hip significantly. I was even able to continue playing football into my 30s. It finally started hurting me so bad and occasionally giving out on me, so at 46 I had it done. The best advice anyone can get is, do the rehab, do it exactly as they tell you. When they tell you to take a pain pill before rehab, do it. It will help. The rehab will hurt and sometimes hurt a lot. I'm a big guy and never dreamed a 95lb lady could hurt me so bad! She was mean, but I'm still scared of her!
 
Left hip done Aug 2020 anterior procedure. No rehab, awesome elimination of pain.

Be aware that if you are on a pre Obama Care insurance policy $500 co pays don't count towards your out of pocket max. Added an extra $1000 to my out of pocket cost.
 
Another thought, your local goodwill probably has 10 walkers for sale in the back corner for under $10 each. Your pickup person after the surgery will most likely need to bring a walker for you. If you have stairs one crutch (also available at most goodwill stores for next to nothing) and the hand rail seems to be the best plan, practice the stairs before your surgery. I used a shower chair (bet you can't guess where to get one cheap) for a few days then just stood.

The paperwork suggested a toilet seat riser (I'd go new on this if you buy one :)) I bought one but did not need it. We just put a "no wheel" walker over the toilet seat backwards to give me hand rails to lower/raise myself, worked like a charm.

I couldn't resist, but if had it to do over again I'd probably skip watching a video of the procedure before I went in.

Awesome surgery, your only regret will be not having done it sooner.
 
When I had knee surgery was given a crutch I used it for a few days noticed they hit my insurance for $180. I took it to Goodwill they dropped it a barrel had 10 more that looked just like the one had sign on it $10.
 
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A good friend took her private pilot check ride three weeks after a hip replacement.

YMMV.
 
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