ARTHRITIS OF THE HIP JOINT

The key word is common sense. Even a cemented hip will probably last for your entire lifetime if you stayed in bed and subjected it to no stresses at all! The aim is therefore to minimize stresses. You will be able to take part in physical activities which were impossible before surgery.

You can walk as much as you like. The best recommended activities are walking and swimming. You can ballroom dance, play golf, and ride a stationary or mobile bike. It is best to use spikeless shoes for golf, and to use a golf cart (so that you don’t have to carry a heavy bag of clubs). Bicycling on a level surface is less stressful then biking in hill country. Skiing smooth, groomed slopes in good light is relatively safe. Hard falls, such as from a horse, could result in serious injury to someone with a hip replacement. The femur bone can fracture just below the tip of the femoral implant which is a “weak point”.

Many surgeons place no restrictions at all on their patients who have had metal/metal hip replacements. It is the patient who takes the risk and not the surgeon.

Most surgeons allow Surface Hip Replacement patients unrestricted activity after the initial healing period, including marathon running, basketball, football, racquetball and singles tennis. Some surgeons believe that a Surface Replacement is intrinsically more durable because the stresses around it are different than those around a regular hip replacement. There is no direct scientific evidence yet that that is so. A well-performed Surface Replacement should last for many years regardless of activity. And should it fail, it is an easy operation (for surgeon an patient) to convert it to a regular hip replacement. This is the main reason Surface Replacement is recommended for younger patients who wish to live a lifestyle that allows for extreme sports activity.

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Arthritis of the Hip Joint copyright © 2005 Herbert D. Huddleston, MD.
Arthritis of the Knee Joint copyright © 2005 Herbert D. Huddleston, M.D.

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