Reading a few of Gary’s posts from days gone by....treating his pain from hauling equipment as best he could so he could continue to play....got me thinking.

My right hip is shot...hasn’t been good for a number of years....going back to my 40’s...I’m late 60’s now...70 in a couple of years.

Hip replacement is scheduled for next month but I don’t know if that will change anything.

I love to play but hauling music equipment...even with a cart is a challenge. It aint the weight of a single piece but many pieces over many gigs that is the issue. And my wife, who is soon to be 65, doesn’t see herself as a roadie. 😁

But then, retiring, or slowing down is tough.

As a friend of mine said. “It ain’t the dying that I’m afraid of....it’s the livin from here on out that scares me.”

Too dramatic?

Thoughts?

Many, many people have done very well after hip (or other joint) surgery ... get it done, - MOST IMPORTANT - do the therapy, and you should see and feel marked improvement ...
Best of luck ...

Replacement hips, knees and other joints have a life expectancy, and while some folks sincerely believe the replacement will last forever, that has never been the case, or will it ever be. Human joints are incredible in that really tolerate a massive amount of abuse, yet continue to survive. They tolerate obesity, injuries, and viral infections and keep on plugging for decades.

Unfortunately, replacement joints are not nearly as high quality as the originals. They wear out, often in 5 years or less, depending upon how much usage they must endure. The more you use them, and the harder they are used, the faster they wear out - it's that simple.

The biggest problem with hip and knee replacements is obesity. The amount of excessive weight placed upon the replacement effects them dramatically. The best advice I have for anyone that is considering a replacement is to get down to your ideal weight. If for no other reason, this can stem off the replacement for years. It reduces joint pain of the affected joint and reduces wear by a huge amount.

In my case, it was my back, which has undergone surgery on two occasions, both of which were successful at the time, but in my case, the deterioration was caused by Lyme Disease, which went misdiagnosed by a lousy doctor for 18 months. He treated me for something I did not have, osteoarthritis, mainly giving me loads of aspirin, which only helped with the pain, but never addressed the disease itself. When it was finally, properly diagnosed it was too late and the spinal damage was already done. This, compounded by a couple injuries, forced my retirement at age 76. I am now hoping to get some relief from the pain by possibly undergoing a third surgical procedure, but not sure if this is possible. A neurosurgeon and orthopedic surgeon both told me that the damage is so severe that additional surgery could result in permanent paralysis from the waist down. Been there, done that - took five months to learn how to walk again - don't ever want to go through that again.

Now, if your normal activities are such that someone else does all the yard work, and most of the other physical things you used to do, that replacement joint could last much, much longer. However, for me, that would be a death sentence. I can't sit still for an hour, let along all day long like some of the retired folks I know. I gotta do something, even it it is wrong! If I'm not out sailing the boat, mowing the lawn, working on rock gardens, etc..., I would go absolutely nuts (Carol says I'm already in that category, though.)

As Tony said, it is extremely important to go through the physical therapy programs post surgery. Now, some docs and hospital workers will try to con you into entering into an assisted living/physical therapy center, but that is not often the best route. More often than not, you will do much better by entering programs outside those settings, but you must have the will power to do this and not just sit down and expect that joint to get back to normal on its own - it's will not happen. The surgical procedure is brutal, a lot of muscle is damaged during the procedure. The damage can only be restored with intense exercise.

There is a lot to consider with this kind of procedure. Surgical techniques have improved over the years, but it is still a very traumatic proccedure.

Good luck,

Gary

Obviously, even the 'original' joint will have a life expectancy, depending on use, otherwise many would not have to be replaced. The problem with one of my knees started out as an injury and then 'wear and tear', but the other was just 'wear and tear' from many years and miles of running and both 'originals' have been replaced...
the replacement of my left knee was 14 1/2 years ago and there have been no problems ... my right knee was replaced 13 years ago and is still going strong ... I have been for annual check ups on both knees and have never heard of anyone's replacement wearing out after five years or less ... Today's replacement parts are expected to last 20 years ...
I know a number of people who have had knees or hips replaced and continue to play sports long after the procedure is done...
I have a sizeable lawn and back yard that I continue to maintain with a lawn mower, and only this year did I purchase a mower that is self propelled ... The past few years I had been with a group of 'hikers', taking on 3 - 4 mile trails most of which have challenging inclines and rocky terrains ...
Consequently, I see no reason why anyone who has a knee or hip replacement should have to live a sedentary life ...

Yes, the post-operative therapy is most important, and in my case for the first surgery, after 3 days in the hospital I went to a NH/Rehab facility where I was scheduled to spend 1 week ... however, while the PT was excellent in this place, the rest of it was not and I left after 3 days and entered the out patient program at the orthopedic center I had my surgery through ... After the second surgery I spent 1 week at a different NH/Rehab facility and then went to the PT unit at the orthopedic center ...

Obviously, everyone is different, but if you choose a good surgeon and do the proper therapy the odds for success are in your favor ...

I agree with Tony. I had a right hip replacement @ 9 years ago and have had no problems since (not counting mental ). One thing that was mentioned and can't be emphasized enough is the post-operative therapy. I do know of one case of a knee replacement fail, but that was almost immediately after the surgery and the procedure had to be redone. I'm guessing this was the result of a botched surgery and not the fault of the replacement joint itself. New materials such as ceramic and titanium??, combined with improved surgical procedures, have extended the useful life to 20+ years (longer if you spend most of that 20 yrs in a LazyBoy lounger watching football and reruns of Star Trek). Add that 20 years to your current age and see if you think you'll give a damn if it wears out after 20 years. My guess is that everything else will be worn out too. Gary does make a good point though about losing the excess weight. Good luck.

chas

Guitpic1, based on my experience, there are three very important issues to fully research before you go for this surgery. 1) Make sure you thoroughly understand the advantages and disadvantages/consequences of Anterior vs Posterior Approach surgery (many patients don't even know there are two very different procedures) 2) Get surgery in a hospital with lowest infection rates, and lowest patient return problem rates (these statistics can all be found on the web) 3) Find a surgeon who is the best at the technique you finally choose (read doctor reviews, interview friends for referrals - everybody knows people who have had these operations, with good and not so good stories). These decisions affect how successful the operation is, how quickly you recover, and how comfortable the recovery/rehabilitation process is. With the best experience, rehabilitation is not very difficult and the recovery is relatively fast. Best of all, the related pain can be totally gone and you will totally forget you ever had a replacement operation. Be sure to do your research and best of luck to you.

Tx all. Good comments.

My surgery will be anterior. A couple of my friends had it done locally and were very happy with the results.

Told the Dr what I’d really like to do is just have my brain transferred to a better body.

I'd be happy even with the opposite .

chas

Anterior is what I had and the results could not have been better. I even play much better keyboard now! They call me the Bionic Piano Player now.

Hal, Happy to hear that your anterior surgery went well ... When my wife was preparing to have her hip replacement last January, we consulted with an ortho surgeon we have known since he and our son were in grade school ... This doctor is 51 years old, served with the NE Patriots ortho team through a Harvard Fellowship just after med school, and now has a highly successful practice in NJ ... If his practice was closer we would have had him do the surgery ... His advice to my wife was to go with the posterior for a couple of reasons:
1) the anterior does not have as much clinical data behind it;
2) while the incision is smaller, the prosthesis is still the same size and complications can occur.
She went with the posterior and is doing quite well.

It is all in the hands of the surgical team, and in the post-op rehab ...

I'm very glad she did very well. You'll notice I did not make a specific recommendation and just encouraged full research to make a personally informed decision. I'm not a doctor and I don't play one on TV.

Yes, everyone has to make the decision they feel is best for THEM ... just like buying a KB ... only the stakes are higher ...