UKC

At the tender age of 58, I'm told by the doctors that the pain in my right hip will not go away until I get a replacement hip. But, I don't want to give up rock climbing or mountain walking. Does anyone out there have experience they can share with me about soldiering on and trying to manage the pain or climbing/mountaineering with an artificial hip?

In reply to Ken Taylor: Check out resurfaced hips. I had left and right hips resurfaced c ten years ago with 2 year interval between them, and am climbing okay.

In reply to Ken Taylor: Know at least two people who have had this done and are still climbing well.

In reply to Ken Taylor:

There are quite a few threads on here on the subject (there are more).
http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=520276
http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=482175
http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=412496

I can tell you from personal experience that you will climb at least as well after the op as before - but without pain!

Here's a copy/paste of my reply to someone from a recent thread:

In reply to Ken Taylor: a mate of mine has had two hips done (age 51 ) not a climber but can tell you he is a lot happier and no pain.,guess is ,can certainly do more now than he used too.

guesss u may need to be aware of dropping though so maybe bouldering woudnt be a good idea! ,just my opinion

In reply to Ken Taylor:

There are some of us in Scotland who climb with a resurfaced hip or hips (like me of course). Resurfacing may not be available to you, or may not be appropriate. After I'd had mine done, I wished I hadn't waited so long.

In reply to Ken Taylor:

Had mine done last November at the tender age of 31!

I had a BMHR which is halfway between a resurfacing and complete replacement. A google search will bring up the details.

I am not yet back to full activity, the surgeon recommends a year of convalescence, gradually building back up. No running or skiing allowed for the first year. I have been back in the Lakes on full mountain days (though not technical climbing) with no problems, the only difficulties being from the inevitable lack of fitness though that is easy to fix. I am perhaps over-cautious in my recovery because I rushed it first time round and was back to square one two years later.

However, I am pretty pleased with it. The physio required is dull but I have no pain from the hip and it is much better than the metalwork which was in there previously. I fully expect to be back in action next winter though I have made a decision to give up serious running in favour of other activities (skiing and mountaineering) to, hopefully, prolong the life of it.

PM me if you want further info or details.

In reply to Ken Taylor:
Hi Ken.
With THR's, there are dislocation precautions which need to be followed indefinetly. The general guide is 16 weeks of no bending the hip up above 90', crossing legs or turning your foot in. This does not apply with resurfacing . As long as you're aware of what not to do, then it shouldn't be a problem. They may wear out more quickly with heavy use , but that's the chance you would have to balance up to enjoy an actve lifestyle.
If I had a new joint I would certainly use it to continue my hobbies.
I have several friends who still climb/cycle/ski/ hillwalk with these arthrodeses.

In reply to Edradour:


That must surely be due to your own personal circumstances - as I remember you had a broken hip that developed complications? I was encouraged to stop using crutches after a couple of weeks, given targets for walking distances (a couple of km after a month) and to start climbing again as soon as possible. The latter I put on hold myself as with a cementless prosthesis about three months are needed for the bone to grow into it, and therefore restricted my climbing to seconding until that period was up.

I think also that different surgeons have very different opinions on convalescence time - mine for instance favouring a rapid return to activity and others like yours and harringtonp's http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=482175 favouring a very long period. Even so, six weeks vs a year does seem a lot different!

In reply to Ken Taylor:
As Jon says. Get it done. For all the reasons he states.
Total hips are one of the things that orthopedic surgeons are justifiably proud of.

Of course the hip is probably the one joint in the body that looks as if it was designed by an engineer. All the others are variations on "sticks* held together with bits of string (tendons/ligaments) and duct tape (the joint capsule around the joint).
So it is probably the easiest to guarantee a good outcome on.

* the spine is, of course, an exception: A pile of stones, held together by string and duct tape.

And 58 isn't especially young for a total hip. It's probably optimal, in fact. You are fit and healthy enough to recover fast and will get a good bit of use out of it.

Mrs Adam is a joint specialist. Her team do one day replacements with astonishing success. You'll be up and climbing harder than ever in next to no time.

In reply to Ken Taylor:

I'm in the same (painful) boat. I'm a little younger than you but the consultant has basically said he'll replace my hip when I decide I want it done - subject to the length of the queue of course. I wasn't offered the option of resurfacing - maybe the course of the disease in my hip means it isn't suitable.

What surprised, even shocked, me were the timescales he quoted me: 2 or 3 days before being discharged from hospital, maybe even just a day; use of crutches anywhere from 6 weeks down to 2, all depending on how I react to the surgery. Modern surgery has gone for active recovery in a big way.

In reply to a lakeland climber:
Surgeons are always very optimistic in my experience.
Most THR' s are home in 3-5 days , then it's quite random as to how you progress.
Don't underestimate your recovery period. It's still a major op, even with modern advancements.
If you are fit and active now, then 4-6 months isn't an exaggerated timescale for you to be hillwalking to a degree. Climbing is another matter, and would depend on your grade and expectations.
Skol

In reply to Skol:

We went though what I did and he didn't expect me to get back fell running

My wife had a major abdominal op (in theatre three times longer than expected) this year and was out in three days. We took it steady but progressively and she managed a hilly 70 mile sportive after five months.

For me the biggest problem will be keeping enthusiasm in check and not trying to do too much too soon.

ALC

In reply to a lakeland climber:
. Fell running is a bit optimistic, but not inconceivable. Some would do that. If you're prepared to do the surgery , then get it re done then that's fine, you're only here once!

From other people's experiences that I've treated, your body tells you when you've done too much, too soon. Just be patient, strengthen everything up, and set realistic goals.

In reply to Ken Taylor: Hi Ken. Im not going to claim to be any expert on hip surgery etc I can only talk from experience. My boyfriend has rheumatoid arthritis and after years of struggling painfully on through the abuse of ibuprofen etc etc finally agreed at the age of 33 to hip surgery. He wisely did loads of research, opted for the birmingham hip resurfacing (BHR) as it gave better long term options.

He went on the NHS to see Mr McMinn at the royal orthopedic hosp in Birmingham and had the surgery 1 year ago. Mr McMinn was an absolute genius and worked wonders on what was a totally knackered hip.

In May we both went to Yosemite for a few weeks and we walked up all sorts of routes. This is the guy who has never walked up a hill in his life. and he loved it.

Do it. The pain relief alone will be worth it and from what I can see, as long as you are careful, you can pretty much carry on as normal. Best of luck.

In reply to Ken Taylor: Insist upon resurfacing rather than FHR. Most will be suitable for resurfacing unless the ball joint has significantly deteriorated. I got my left hip resurfaced in 2000 in Birmingham (McMinn Hip) at age 42. I live in Scotland and insisted through my GP that i got it done there and it worked. Was done on the NHS. No-one was doing resurfacing in Scotland at the time. Very successful. Back climbing on the hill in 12 weeks. Climbed to about 20,000ft to summit a new peak in India 13 months after the op. Do a lot of fell running races now with no problems.

In reply to jon:

Yep, spot on. Also because of the surgery that I had (mid head resection) which takes longer to heal properly. I know THR and straightforward resurfacing have quicker recovery times.

In reply to studgek:

It may not be a popular view ( I will soon find out) , and it is really great that the NHS has got you back on your feet and leading a full life, but I can't help feeling that fell running on a resurfaced hip , is a bit like getting given a new kidney on the NHS ,at the taxpayers expense, and then drinking a bottle of Whisky a day making it worse again, when a more measured, occasional glass of wine and a beer would do it little harm, and prevent a repeat operation not to far down the line.

In reply to Ken Taylor:

My wife had double hip replacement in 2006. She was climbing again within a few months. We are just back from Tahoe where she enjoyed Bears Reach, haystack, corrugation chimney etc.
I think she would advise to find the 'right' surgeon by that I mean one that understands and is sympathetic to the continuance of climbing etc.

I think she posted on some of the links Jon has linked above if you want to read further. Only one persons experience, of course. Good luck - hope it goes well!

In reply to Darron:


Actually you posted Darron http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=412496 and at the time I was blown away and encouraged by you saying that she was climbing in Pembroke six weeks post op. Others doubted... But my experience was identical (albeit only one hip in my case, not both at the same time). And as for finding the right surgeon - a guide colleague of mine roughly the same age as me, here in Chamonix, had both his hips done - by one of his clients! I was so impressed by his return to form - 7b+/7c regularly - that I went to the same surgeon. I'm a few grades down on his, but working on it!

In reply to jon:

Really pleased to hear that Jon. As I said above Marion is still 'at it' (allbeit at a much more modest grade than you ).

In reply to Darron:

Well, I said I was a few grades down on his - but I was far from specific!

In reply to Jim C: I asked the surgeon in Birmingham whether I should cut back on climbing/mountaineering and also whether I should give up running. He looked at me with in a strange way and then laughed. He made it clear that as far as he was concerned the new resurfaced hip would be fully functional for the rest of my life. He told me to get back to doing all the activities i did before and not to hold back. Nothing really to wear out unlike a FHR. I was told that very few of the caps (over the ball joint and under the pelvis) had come loose over the years. I have had no problems since the op in June 2000. I know a number of very active climbers in Scotland who have returned to regular mountaineering after resurfacing of a hip (including expeditions) with no real problems.

In reply to Ken Taylor:

I used to sell hip and knee replacements for one of the world's leading manufacturer. http://www.stryker.com/en-us/products/Orthopaedics/HipReplacement/index.htm

There's quite a bit of technical stuff and lots of clinical papers with each joint type (and some bias based on vested interests). A few years ago, metal on metal resurfacing was all the rage and was seen as the way forward but this has been discredited due to metallic particles in the bloodstream. Ceramic on metal is a good way forward for the articular surface. Cemented hips are the most common and cheapest type. Non cemented tend to be used for younger patients and have HA coating for bone adherence.

See what type of hip you will get whether THR (total hip replacement) or resurfacing, check the make and model, check the surgeon's skills (as to whether he's a specialist hipster or a jobbing arthropod - big difference in experience).

its a minefield but asking a few choice questions will ensure that you get a good result.

In reply to Ken Taylor:
A close friend of mine about 50 yrs of age, had a hip replacement op. Two years later he was climbing in the Himalayas - so stay optimistic.

In reply to Ken Taylor: my mate's had both done and it's not affected his E3 / E4 climing apart from the time in recovery, but he's now back to were he was.

In reply to krikoman: Thanks to everyone who has responded - all very positive and encouraging. If I can get to climbing at E3/E4 that would be great - E1/E2 is normally my limit. I guess I need to go and check out the re-surfacing options.