That doesn’t jibe with my experience, nor with that of my surgeon or wife (a Phystcal Therapist). She’s the one that ponited me to the anterior procedure because of the marked difference it made in te recovery of her patients (she sees both types every day).
Could be, but it avoids cutting/stretching ligaments and major muscles. That sounds more like a surgeon preference than a “downside”.
It eliminates ALL movement restrictions, and it does mean you’ll be up and about quickly. Within 12 hours of my operation I walked down the hospital corridor to my first excersize class. I used a walker to get there and the excersizes were remedial, but it was more than crawling!
Agreed. Neither procedure is the answer in all cases. There too are many variables. Discuss it with your surgeon and at least one other before you decide.
The only thing I have to add is make sure you have loose, slip on pants and slip on shoes for just after the hospital. When I had my knee done they recommended that and it made a big difference in the early days.
I was also told to practice the early PT exercises before the surgery. Sometimes that’s not possible, but if it’s possible it will get your ancillary muscles in shape.
Oddly, as the knee recovered and I started taking exercise walks, I found out how out of shape my back and abdomen had become from all the limping and avoidance of walking. Getting your surgery before you’ve started having to use a cane will be a big plus for your recovery.
Hope everything goes well for you, kaylasdad99. Planning ahead is the way to go.
I think that goes for either procedure–my father was up and moving around the room with a walker within a few hours and had his first PT session in the gym the next morning. There’s a difference between crawling and walking, though; it’s something I’d ask about, and probably avoid, if only for the sake of incision care.
Again, I’m not advocating for one procedure over the other–I’m just relating my father’s recent experience and things his surgeon said about his case. The main takeaway, IMO, should be that even with the restrictions during his recovery, he is delighted with the results. Hip replacement surgery is a medical marvel. Watching a septuagenarian who just had the top of his femur cut off walk around the room a few hours later was one of those “holy crap, we’re in the future” moments for me.
Welp. After learning that my originally-referred surgeon won’t go anterior, I asked my primary physician if he knew of one he could refer me to who could. It cost me an extra week and another office visit, but I got the referral, and will go in next Friday to see if I’m a candidate.
In the event that I turn out not to be, is there an etiquette protocol to follow that should send me back to the original surgeon, or should I just let them get into a bidding war over me?
Fight! Fight! Fight!
Seriously, since this is about approach and not the skill of the surgeon, I don’t think you owe the first Dr. anything more than perhaps a call to say “Hey, decided to go with the anterior approach. Thanks!”
Good luck!
I’ve got no direct experience with hip replacements, but a friend of mine had one done maybe 4-5 years ago? She took up biking as her primary exercise as soon as she was cleared. She worked herself up to a good 20 mile ride every other day. AFAIK she’s still doing it.
Just a caveat about FMLA: I was expected to pay back my portion of the insurance for every week I’d been out after returning to work, even if I was on a limited schedule. My company automatically deducted it from my paycheck along with my current week deduction, so there were a few weeks there where I was taking home much less than I’d though be taking home.
What insurance is that? 
Health insurance from your employer. Sorry about not making that clear.
They obviously can’t deduct your portion from your paycheck if you’re not working.
I don’t know how other companies handle it when someone is on FMLA, but whenever I’ve used FMLA, I’ve have to pay back my portion of my health insurance for every week I was out.
When I returned the work the last time I used FMLA (this back in November for my wrist – I was out the entire month) I got a reminder card in the mail from Corporate every week in December and part of January stating that “we’re automatically deducting X amount from your next paycheck to pay for week ending [whatever] when you were out”. This particular deduction was in addition to the standard weekly deduction for my health insurance. When I returned to work in mid December I started at 20 hours. There were a few weeks there where I was taking home less than…well, way less than I ever thought I’d take home.
Wow. He must have awesome insurance, or otherwise a lot of co-morbidities. There’s no way I could get authorization for daily visits for a routine hip replacement. I might be able to squeeze three times a week the first week, twice a week for two weeks, and weekly after that. PT could maybe get daily the first week, and then three times a week after that.
Definitely look into the anterior option.
DO YOUR PHYSICAL THERAPY. That’s the biggest piece of advice I have for you. Physical Therapy is far more important than nursing, than even the choice of surgeon. I can’t tell you how important Physical Therapy is. It’s so important that I’ll tell you if you’re unwilling to do your PT, you might as well not even have the surgery.
Your weight is the biggest thing you mention working against you, and what’s going to prolong your recovery. Consider asking your doctor if it’s okay for you to go on a supervised very low calorie diet (VLCD) before the surgery, even if it’s only for a couple of weeks. If you can drop even 15 of those extra 50 pounds, you could take weeks off of your recovery time. And time, as you know, is money. If they won’t authorize a supervised VLCD, then suck it up and eat really well and drop whatever you can on your own. After the surgery, concentrate on getting protein and healthy fats in you so your body has what it needs to repair all that damaged muscle tissue.
Your doctor is a better source of timeline estimates than we can be. I’ve seen people back to walking without a cane in three weeks, and others still using a walker at 6 weeks. (Guess which ones didn’t do their PT?) Your general health and your weight have a lot to do with it, but chances are your doctor has done this before on someone very similar to you, and can give you a decent estimate. Know that they tend to give pessimistic timelines, so if you can drop some weight and do your PT, you may be able to go back to work sooner than the doctor thinks before the surgery.
But generally speaking, hips aren’t so hard as knees. So don’t let people’s scary stories of knee repairs and replacements put you off of hip stuff. Hips are totally different, much better supported by the body, and have a much better blood supply for healing, and they don’t hurt as much, so PT is easier to do. I’d rather get both hips replaced than a single knee. Knees suck.
I don’t see why not. I work for the USPS, and I’ll be collecting my base pay on sick leave for as long as I’m out (up to fourteen weeks). I would hope that all of my deductions and allotments would continue uninterrupted, including my health insurance premiums. My wife and daughter still need coverage, after all.
I hope so, too, for your sake.
Sounds like kiz was on FMLA, which is unpaid. If you have the sick time built up you should be fine.
Medicare, and he does have other issues. He’s 70+, had spinal surgery within the last few years, and is on several medications for cardiac problems. They kept a pretty close eye on him for the first week; the visits tapered off quickly after that.
Glad to hear he had a nurse committed to patient advocacy. Daily visits are something we have to fight for. 