Riding with a hip replacement??

[HairyCob]

Hi!

Does anyone here ride with a hip replacement or know of anyone who does?

Having had 'dodgy hips' since I was born my doctor told me some time ago that my left hip would need replacing by the time i was 35, tho he has recently revised this to the 'around 40 mark'. He suspects that my right hip will need 'doing' at some point too.

Having reached the grand old age of 30, the first one suddenly doesnt seem so far away and I am concerned that, having waited so long to fulfil my dream of having my own horse, that in 10 years or so I will have to give up riding. (I wouldn't 'give up' H.C.- would have to get someone to excersise him, but I would do as much as I could, even if that was just loving him!! ;) )
I have been thinking about this a lot lately as the winter work is causing me quite a lot of hip pain- roll on the summer when it's not so bad!:D

Anyway, anyone with any experience or knowledge that they are willing to share, I would be very grateful!

Many thanks,

H.C.'s falling apart Mum!

[Laetitia]

There is someone, who posts, who has had their hip done, but can't remember who, very helpful, sorry. Have you considered driving? Quite a lot of people take up driving as an alternative to riding. It is a very challenging , and can be, competitive sport. Also enormous fun. L

[rocketman]

Yes, a friend of mine had a hip replacement at age 35 (after going through natural childbirth, which caused further damage). She was riding with the bad hip previously (and in a lot of pain, walking with a cane, mounting from the wrong side.)

After the operation, she was able to ride normally (high level dressage). I understand the prognosis after a hip replacement varies. Another friend, who is a farmer, not a rider, has had two operations on the same hip. The second one has been quite successful, but he's also much older (late 50's).

Good luck!

[Wally]

Ask Monty, she's done orthopaedic nursing and will give you all the ins and outs.

I used to work with a lady who had both hips done in her 60s.....hunted twice a week and fell off regularly! with no ill effect. Every one told her to stop riding, but she just turned round to them and told them the reason she'd had her hips done was SO SHE COULD RIDE!

[Esther.D]

I know this is not specifically hips - but the international driver George Bowman broke his pelvis and damaged his back years ago (I can't remember the specifics) but he was told he would never walk again never mind ride (had been a showjumper, jockey, stunt rider etc etc). He was advised that driving would be a gentle way of staying with horses - he promptly got a horses team and started competition driving (I don't think that is quite what they meant ;) ) He is now in his 60s/70s won so many national championships and international medals in driving trials that everyone has lost count and not only walks but also rides even his 3yr old horses! I don't know what the doctors think about him doing all this but he has certainly recovered and had a hell of a life!

[Monty]

The biggest bogey with hip replacements is not so much breaking anything,as dislocating the prosthesis.You see the joint has to be dislocated in order to do the replacement.It also does depend upon what kind of a hip replacement you've had.These days, it is unusual, if you are under say 55 and mobile, to have a TOTAL hipe replacement. Ten years ago, you would because it was the only thing availbale.Now they like to do them a bit sooner, and use a Birmingham hip or a McMinn's prosthesis.(Same thing) First done in Birmingham by a surgeon called McMinn. They are much less of a liability. It is a mere "re-surfacing , rather than a lop it all off and replace it" job. They only lop a very small amount off.
I'm lucky my consultant rides dressage, and so doesn't say, "no" just for the heck of it.He knows EXACTLY what is required and therefore what he's talking about. I'm on the waiting list for a McMinn's, and have now got used to the idea. OK,so partial dislocation is still necessary to perform the surgery, however.But recovery is much quicker, and in the 9 years they have been doing McMinns, none have as yet had to be re-done.
All my surgeon said to me was, unless you've got the very smoothest horse, don't do sitting trot, if you can help it, especially without stirrups! In fact, try to avoid all stirrup-less work! Dunno about you lot....but I quite like that idea!!!(I know it's a good exercise, but Oooooooch!) But then again,my dislike of it may be more to do with my hip pain than anything else. I don't know what everyone else feels like.

Also, do make sure you've done all your physiotherapy exercises, and really got your hips strong again,if you intend to ride again.The more muscle bulk you have around the joint, the harder it is for you to dislocate you prosthesis afterwards. When they DO dislocate it is usually early on, due to something you have been warned about.....bending down.....twisting, or the favourite....crossing your legs !! Just listen to that, and you should be back in the saddle in 6-8 months. You may have to modify your mounting and dismounting methods, but what the heck....small price to pay eh?

Most people are intelligent enough to understand the implications if you actually explain the procedure to them, but unfortunately a lot of surgeons are still too arrogant to bother. I suspect, Wally that your lady had not had it explained to her properly.i.e that although she would be pain free after her ops, she still carried the risk of dislocating her prostheses, especially having two.Also in someone of her age, osteoporosis, or loss of bone density, as found in most post-menopausal women, can cause the hip to fracture just below the insertion of the shaft of the prosthesis.....either that...or she herself was being incredibly arrogant about it. If you respect your limitations, and your surgeons skills, all should be well. You may have to modify your ambitions,but well.....life's like that??

I think to carry on hunting etc...regardless.....is a bit...well careless....Expecting a bit much shall we say??? We still have along way to go in producing indestructible hip replacements!!

[Esther.D]

Sounds familiar Monty - my mother is a Physiotherapist and she is always complaining about people who think their 'new hips' are indestructable! :D

[HairyCob]

Thankyou all so much for your replies- they have made me feel so much better!

Sounds like with the right 'equiptment' (thanks monty!) I may well be able to continue riding... I am a happy hacker, not into very fast work or lots of jumping so hopefully by the time my hips are a real issue, H.C. and I will have matured together into the archetypal (sp!) 'middle aged' hacker and her docile cob!!

I hadn't thought much about driving, but now I am having to think about it, that too may be a very real possibility...I can see myself (with a lot of help) driving a couple of rescued dartmoor or exmoor ponies around the lanes, not to mention H.C.! :D ;)

Anyway, thankyou all again for your replies and for putting my mind at rest!

H.C.'s Mum!

[LouiseS]

This weeks Horse and Hound has an article re people returning to riding/driving after accidents, hip replacements, illnesses and injuries if you are interested.

Louise

[Esther.D]

Dartmoor/Exmoor ponies are super to drive.......at least driving means there are still some options if all else fails or you fancy a change - beware though - I was quite happy as the driving equivalent of a 'happy hacker' for...1 year! Then I got bitten by the driving trials bug :D

It does means that you and your cob have another option to stay active and happy whatever happens.....worth considering anyway

Have fun

[issy]

none have as yet had to be re-done. - not true!.

Out of 1474 resurfacings in a study, I think 3 were replaced.... or maybe 7. Thats an awful lot LESS than THRs that have to be redone. Some were due to infections.

Please PLEASE look into resurfacing and dont get fobbed off by a surgeon who says "they fail", or "you're not suitable".

And you CAN get resurface on NHS nowadays.
But dont wait TOO long otherwise you may BECOME unsuitable.

have a look at surfacehippy site....

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/surfacehippy/

and if anyone says your hips are too bad - look at ....

http://www.thunderballhip.50megs.com/photo.html

http://www.thunderballhip.50megs.com/


http://www.midmedtec.co.uk/patient.htm


from these sites, you can find out loads of information...

[HairyCob]

Thank you all for your replies!

Louise- I will try to get a copy of H & H!

Esther- My big fear is getting that bitten! I'm not sure that my folk's nerves could stand it- they are already very concerned about me riding!! I will definitley be looking into getting into driving in the future, whatever happens, but for now I just can't afford it whilst I am at uni!

Issy- Thankyou so much for those links, I am off to have a look now!

H.C.'s Mum

[Tumbleweed]

Hi Hairycob,

I had a hybrid total hip replacement on 24th October, 2001 and I am back riding.

What I found is that people don't do as they are told when recovering from an total hip replacement. One man I know spent all day walking round the hospital 2 days after the op and wondered why he damaged it. Over working it does as much damage as underworking.

The exercises are very important, and you must concentrate to make sure that you are doing them right. No good only half doing them, you have to put effort into it and slowly build up the muscles. The quality is more important than the quantity.

I was told that I would walk with a limp because the surgeon couldn't extend it enough to make my legs the same length. I don't unless I am very tired, but again this has taken a lot of effort to walk even and straight. If you walk with a limp, your other hip goes much quicker and then it is another operation. What most people do is to have their shoes raised but when you have dogs to walk and are in and out and I would need too many shoes raised.

The stronger you can get your muscles the more stable the hip will be, and this will help with your riding. When I went back to see the Consultant, he was pleased because the bone was merging and gaining strength. He was also very pleased that I am back riding.

I do have problems getting on, I have always had this problem, but a good mounting block helps.

What I found helped before my op was keeping my muscles up to strength. My husband is disabled and I am his carer so I couldn't sit down and rest whenever I had pain, the pain was there all day without a break, and I also have 3 dogs that had to be walked. Many times I would be crying with pain when walking the dogs, but this did keep my muscles toned and when I had the operation, my recovery was much quicker because of this.

Some days I didn't want to get up because of the pain, usually after a bad night, but still had to look after my husband. Many times I was high on the painkillers, but not anymore.

Now I am free from pain, in fact I have forgotten what pain is :D, I walk my dogs everyday without pain, I ride without pain, in fact the only pain I have is my husband :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[Monty]

I think it was actually the manufacturer's literature which said none had been re-done as yet.....well they WOULD say that, wouldn't they.I told my surgeon what I'd read, and he pulled a face and asked...how old was that literature?? So, sorry folks if that is no longer true!!

[Tumbleweed]

Monty,

When I first went to see the surgeon he told me that the hip that he uses was at most 15 years old, and as far as he knew, none had been replaced. He also had a 100% record for hip replacements and he had done over 1,000.

I was supposed to have the screw in type, and I have this into my leg, but I have the glued one at the pelvis because my bone had worn away too much, hence, the Hybrid. The bone has grown into the screw and is now very secure.

I just hope I don't need it taking out again. ;)

[Zingy]

Friend of mine has had a hip replacement. She can ride fine - but only in a fairly flat saddle as getting on & off is the hardest bit - made much worse by a high cantle (too difficult to get your leg over! ;) ). Only recently she's finding it very difficult to ride wide horses (and she's in her 60s I think). Before she used to put us all to shame by riding anything and getting much better results than we ever did!

[HairyCob]

Thankyou all so much for your replies, I feel so much better just knowing that there are people out there that ride with replacements!

Hopefully I wont have to have it done for a few years yet, but when the time comes I will at least be armed with some really good information and, best of all will have some good advice about what to do and not to do in order to get back into the saddle... from the horses mouth as it were!!:D ;)

My more pressing concern at the moment is that I have just found out I have an ovarian cyst that is growing and willl have to come out... not worried about it as such, but have no doubt that knowing the NHS and my luck, I will be unable to ride either for the easter holidays or some of the summer! Grrr! I just wouldn't be lucky enough to have it done whilst I am supposed to be in college so I could drag my sick time out for a couple of days illicit riding!:D ;)

Ho! Hum! The joys life throw at us are priceless, aren't they?!

[issy]

Still seems that a resurface is better than a replacement for the younger and/or more active person - in fact the NHS study now agrees with this - although a lot of surgeons prefer to stick to the prosthesis they are used to...

The other good possibility is a large diameter ball, metal-on-metal replacement. But looking in detail at this sort of thing for 2 yrs now - my first choice would be resurface if its possible.