Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Hiking after Hip Replacement

I don't think any hiker (Or anyone else) wants to hear those words. Just found out that my hip is shot and I get to recieve a new one (great timing, I know).

I was wondering if anyone has had to go through anything like this, and if you have, how was rehab, and how long did it take you before you were trail bound again.

If not, I guess that I can give anyone the blow by blow account of the whole process (for informitive reason's only, don't wish it on anyone).

BYE BYE hiking season (insert cuse word of choice)

Too bad man, I feel for you. I had planned a Grand Canyon hike this spring with my son, but had a double hernia surgery a week ago so that plan was out the window. That was nowhere near as serious as yours. Good luck, from a former KY resident, Harlan County to be exact.

Todd,

I had a total replacement of my left hip in 2003. For a year prior to that I wasn't able to hike and it had reached the point where constant pain was interfering with sleep. I asked the surgeon if I would be able to hike up Mt. Whitney with the new hip. He asked, could I hike up Whitney before? I said yes and he said then you should be able to again.

I was hiking again in the local mountains in 6 weeks and I reached the summit of Whitney on a 1-day Main Trail hike in 2005. The hip did fine. My limitations now are from the arthritis in my knees and just general age, I guess, but the hip is not a problem.

There are different types of prosthetics used for hip replacements. The one I have is designed so that new bone grows into it over time. The more common type is just cemented in. Ones like mine heal more slowly than the others but are much stronger.

In the 7 years since I had mine new methods and probably new prosthetics have been developed. One new thing that sounds great but may not be is doing the surgery via a micro-incision. I'm told that the problem is that the ball joint that is used in that procedure is so small that it is prone to dislocate.

The main thing is that your doctor understands what is important to you and that you have complete trust in your doctor.

Good luck!

My mother has had both knees replaced and when she compared her recovery time to that of her joint replacing friends the thing that seemed to stand out was the general fitness of the recipient. Those, like her, with good flexibility and tone recovered more quickly and more completely. Weeks instead of months and full mobility instead of chronic mild pain and stiffness.

Bgibson, thanks for the support. I'll be back, just don't know when.

BTW, With UK out, and those that shalt be named in the final 4, its been a pretty bummer week.

Burtw,
I've had thigh/knee pain for the last couple of years. I just thought that I was training to hard. didn't really pay that much attention to it (rest after, good to go). The only time I really hurt was after an 18 miler day in 07 that I thought that I pulled a quad.

In 08 I did a circle of the Tablelands in Seki with only minor discomfort (thigh pain). Last year, I tried Lanley, but turned around (I was solo, just not feeling right) again all I felt was dull thump in the knee/hip region.

I thought I pulled my groin back in Nov while doing a hike here in KY and I thought that just shutting down for the winter would be a good thing to do. It just kept getting worse.

All winter long whenever I pivoted on that leg i'd get searing pain in my hip. Just rolling over in bed woke me up. So for the last 4 months sleeping has been a issue.

My plan for the year was to do the HST, so I figured my primary care doc could get me some PT fix the problem (he said it was bursitis at earlier dates) so I could work my training around it. I described what was going on and he sent me for an MRI and the damage had already been done.

All I know at this point is that one way or another, I am going to be signing the summit register on my 50th birthday at the end of my JMT trip in 2015.

Todd, no personal experience thankfully, but quillansculpture on this board (Joe) had a hip replaced not long ago. He began hiking as a theraputic pastime and summitted Whitney for the first time (of many I'm sure) last fall at the age of 52. He's also a relatively recent cancer survivor and a marvelous study in determination. I'm sure he'll post against this thread when he sees it, but you may want to send him a PM just for the helluvit.

Good luck with it brother! The mountain will be there when you're ready to attack it again.

Todd, Don't worry. You can contact me if you want.

I had a total hip replacement on October 21, 2008. Within two weeks, I was walking around the block with crutches. Within 6 weeks, I was on the bike at the Gym. Within four months I was hiking 6 to 8 miles on moderate terrain. Within nine months, I was hiking to 10,000 feet on San Jacinto. In September of 2009, 10 1/2 months after surgery, I attempted Whitney for the first time. I reached about 1/3 of the way up the switchbacks. Not because of my hip, but because I wasn't there yet as far as mind set. One month later, two weeks before my one year anniversary of hip replacement and after summiting San Jacinto two more times, I reached the summit of Mount Whitney. Right mind set and legs that could carry me up.

As a note, I just reached my other goal yesterday. To ski again after 27 years. My family and I went to Mammoth and I cannot believe how much fun I had. I even fell right on my hip after trying to turn on some ice.

My advice, research your doctors, get numerous opinions and get your surgery. I tell people all the time.....one week before surgery, I couldn't walk a half a mile. After surgery, it's like being touched by the hand of God.

By the way, I have a ceramic on ceramic.

Write me anytime.
Joe

Thanks and congrats Joe (havn't been able to clip into bindings for more than 2 years).

I was back at the doc today and he doesn't want to do the replacement thing yet. I'm sheduled for next Friday to an arthroscopy. We should know if it did any good in about 8 weeks (50-50 good/bad). if it works, fine. if it doesn't, go from there.

His 2 concerns about doing the replacement right now is, 1:I'm only 44 (do one now, get to it again later) and 2: He's afraid that I would turn into Godzilla or something like that.

As for research, gotta love google.

As for my Doc, I've known him for a few years (we are both retarded Military),been to a couple of football games together, my brother in law works in the same group, and, he did my wife's knee surgery a couple of years ago. Doesn't pull any punches. If your messed up, he'll come right out and tell you (he actually started cringing when he first looked at my films then asked me "What the $#*) did you do". I understand him, he understands me. So, the trust is there.

When I was getting ready to leave his office today, I told him, "Doc, I really don't care what we have to do, but one way or the other, i'm hiking the JMT and Summiting Mt. Whitney on my 50th birthday"

His reply: "How long is that"? Me:"220 plus". Doc:"get the hell out of my office".

Some people just don't understand Hikers.

With an aging population, I'm seeing a lot of hip and some knee replacements on the trail. Also a few prosthetic legs -- all seem to do fine. We did have an interesting medical a year or so ago. A woman with a hip replacement had, ummm, squatted to piss and the hip came out of its socket. Apparently that does happen and is worth remembering. Nothing to do but medevac the person (field hip reductions are just way too difficult).

George

Thanks George

But could have done without hearing about the medevac.OUCH (nicest word i can currently come up with)

Todd,

Greetings from down south in Music City. My mother, Evelyn, has done annual ascents on Whitney in September for the past 16 years. She first took my brothers and I up to the summit in 1972. She has been snowed on, iced on and rained on during these mostly solo trips. She spends 3 nights on her usual trips. She has only missed the summit twice; once when she woke up to 4 inches of snow at Trail Camp and once when the snow was coming down too hard at Trail Crest. Her usual warm-up before Whitney is 5 days on the Sierra Crest out of Tuolumne Meadows to stretch and acclimate, also solo.

She missed one of her annual trips about 8 years ago when she had a hip replacement done. In fact it was done twice because a month after it was done, the femur cleaved and it was redone. She was on the mountain the next September and did her solo trip as usual!

She was able to walk the day after the surgery and she set her sights on doing her mountain. She says her hip is good and a lot better since the surgery. I have gone with her the past four trips on Whitney and get to join her again this year the day after Labor Day to hit the summit on a three to four day trip.

You can handle this hip replacement. I have known many who say they should not have put it off. Their joints feel, work and are stronger then ever. Keep the faith and work hard; you can do this.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention, Evelyn is 74 years old and my mom still can hike my butt off!

Operative phrase here is "Don't squat."

Ok. I'll fess up.
The last hike prior to my total hip replacement surgery was Devil's slide on3/18/07. My photos show a last day of recovery of 04/02/07. I summited SG on 05/06/07.
My recovery was "unique": I took no prisoners! But I did have a few warm up hikes My 1st was a tentative and slow meander to Buckhorn on 04/12/07. Next was Lower Fish Creek on 4/29/07.

Use hiking poles instead of a walker. It's a MAJOR difference in posture and recovery time....

Back hiking in 2 MONTHS? That must have been a heck of a Rehad schedule.

As for the walker, my wife would kick my Butt if I tried to take hers. However, if I DID take her walker, she couldn't run me down.

good luck with the replacement. A navy doctor back in the seventies welded two of my toes together after a motorcycle accident but I still don't consider him retarded. Perhaps you should ease up...

Retarded Military = Retired Military...... Picked it up from my Father, Also Retarded Military.