Hip Transplant Help

[cocoajoe]

I had a hip transplant 8 weeks ago. My goal was to be able to dive Blue Heron Bridge (shore dive, only about 50' to the water) at 12 weeks. I figure it will be less stress with no pitching deck or ladders to climb.
I checked multiple sites and most people say I should be able to walk without a cane by now. I can but it hurts particularly in the knee area. (I'm sure some will say ask your doc. The doc said (on last visit 2 weeks ago) toss your cane in 2 weeks.)

Can't wait to get back in the water and hopefully someone out there has some input. Thanks in advance.

 

[jimthediver]

I had both my hips replaced in the later part of 2010 about eight weeks apart. Nine weeks after the second one I was on a liveaboard in the Maldives. I dived 4 dives a day for nine days and had no problem. I worked my rehab religously after both surgeries and I was swimming in the pool with fins for a couple of weeks before. I was real careful on the dohni boats after I was geared up to go in and I always handed my tank up before I climbed the ladder just to be safe. If possible I suggest getting help hauling your gear down to the water.

PS. I am so happy I finally took care of that problem I am pain free for the fisrst time in many years and I can do what ever I want. Happy diving!

Jim

 

[Altamira]

Only you are going to know when your hip and knee are ready for diving. What your Dr. says or what some other diver's experience may have been should only be used for information. If the knee/hip are not strong enough to deal with carrying the gear or sudden shifts of body weight, then wait until you can dive safely. After my replacement surgeries, I started practicing in a pool until I was certain I could do the things I needed to do for safe diving from boat or shore. Don't be in such a hurry that you wind up setting yourself back to square one.

 

[boulderjohn]

Did you have it done with a traditional method or the anterior approach? My wife had one hip done one way and the other done the other way, and the difference in recovery time was dramatic. She would not have been in the water in 12 weeks with the traditional approach, but I'm sure she would have been ready with the anterior approach.

 

[Hatul]

I did not realize you can transplant hips. Who was the donor?

 

[DocVikingo]

I did not realize you can transplant hips. Who was the donor?

Hi Hatul,

I suspect it's a medical terminology issue.

Nearly always hip replacements involve implantation of a prosthetic device and not the actual transplantation of solid organ tissue. Still, one occasionally does see the terms hip replacement and hip transplant used interchangeably and it can be confusing.

True hip transplants are extremely rare. They were experimented with years ago, but hip replacement simply proved superior in many respects.

Regards,

DocVikingo

 

[cutlass]

Your knee may be experiencing new stresses as the result of the new hip. Yes, check with the doctor or physical therapist. You'd especially want to be sure that your knee is sound and ready to adapt to changed mechanical demands.

 

[cocoajoe]

Did you have it done with a traditional method or the anterior approach? My wife had one hip done one way and the other done the other way, and the difference in recovery time was dramatic. She would not have been in the water in 12 weeks with the traditional approach, but I'm sure she would have been ready with the anterior approach.

It was the 'traditional approach'. I found out about the difference too late.

---------- Post Merged at 03:53 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 03:49 PM ----------

I did not realize you can transplant hips. Who was the donor?

The term has fallen out of favor with the med community in favor of replacement but your comment was most amusing.

---------- Post Merged at 04:01 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 03:49 PM ----------

Your knee may be experiencing new stresses as the result of the new hip. Yes, check with the doctor or physical therapist. You'd especially want to be sure that your knee is sound and ready to adapt to changed mechanical demands.

I believe you're right (knee experiencing new stresses) because of the period of time spent walking (really hobbling) and then using a cane prior to the operation. I had a MRI done on the knee last year. This was because my knee hurt like hell and it wasn't until later I found out the bad hip was causing (nerve) the pain. In any case MRI was good.

 

[jimthediver]

My knee on my right leg, which was the one with the horrendously worse hip, hurt like hell before my surgery. I thought I was going to have to have it done also but as cocoajoe mentions it turned out to be solely nerve pain caused by the hip, my knee was actually perfect. The pain in my knee was gone instantly after my hip replacement. Everyone is different but don't accept that there is anything normal about your knee hurting. Consult your doctor and thearpist and follow their directions, if it doesn't get better get another opinion from a knee specialist. The doctor who did my work had partners in his practice that were knee specialists, perhaps it's the same with yours.


good luck!


Jim