New hip replacement good or bad?

[SteveSS]

My mom is 87 yo. She is so so active her big house is perfect. She has 20 acres that have no weeds. She even bagged up all the pine needles in her forest. She got out of bed yesterday morning and bam. Severe back and leg pain in the front of her leg. The ER did an x-ray and said it was her hip and it may need replacing. Live with bad pain or take the risk of major hip surgery at 87 years old? Your hip replacement stories. Good or bad?

 

[Glenwood]

My grandad had his replaced successfully at 91 but it was a lot of discomfort and physio for a while. Better than the bad hip pain probably.

 

[Bladecutter]

I had a 1/2 hip replacement in Aug. 2003 @ 51 yrs old. Right hip, snapped the femor clean in two in a short fall Drilled femor & buried an 18 " reverse barbed titanium rod, attached to a threaded cobalt chromium ball. Was back on my feet unassisted in a month. Never the slightest issue with it, no pain or stiffness ever. I didn't even go back for the 1st year check-up. My money says She gets the operation. Should be the methods & materials have been even further dialed in over the last 14 years.
The only time I'm really aware of the hip is when I set off metal detectors.

 

[Richard Cranium]

I had a 1/2 hip replacement in Aug. 2003 @ 51 yrs old. Right hip, snapped the femor clean in two in a short fall Never the slightest issue with it, no pain or stiffness ever.

But you walk like this now.

 

[TBONE]

I had one in 2013 at the age of 50. Back to work in a couple weeks, playing horseshoes in 4 weeks and bowling after 2 and a half months. No regrets. They replaced mine coming in from the front,
I guess that makes a big difference.

 

[dart4forte]

Is thsi based on what an ER doc said? Has she seen a orthopedic doc? A lot of orthopedic surgeons are pretty conservative when it comes to elective surgery. Weigh the risks vs the benefits. If she's been dealing with the pain with over the counter pain relief I would say forgo the procedure. Biggest risks are blood clots and stroke.

 

[HawkRod]

Hip replacement surgery has come a long way in the last few years. Now they have people up on their feet very quickly, and have much less invasive procedures. I had hip surgery in 2001, and the techniques used then are the dark ages to what they do now.

I suggest you read up on modern hip surgery techniques and get thoughts from recent recipients. That's the best way, in my opinion, to weigh the pros and cons of the surgery. Having said that, MOST people I have talked to (even ones from 10+ years ago) are very glad they had their hips replaced - they are back to an active, normal life without pain pretty quickly afterwards. If your mom is very active and healthy overall, then it sounds to me like replacement surgery is a good option for her - but I am not a doctor, so best to get that advice from people who really know!

Best of luck,

Hawk

 

[ws23jrt]

My mother had both hip joints replaced in the late seventies at age 62 with the latest and greatest. Ten years later they were both replaced again because of failure of the implants. The next ones seem to work for a few years until they too failed. By then degeneration of bone and muscle from never healing properly left her without a third try option. It was wheelchair time with two legs that had no longer had value.
I expect lots was learned over the years about what works and what won't.

 

[64BEL]

I had my right one totally replaced 8 years ago today (Happy Anniversary to me) at 47 years old due to degenerative arthritis. I limped around on that bad hip for 7 years prior to that. With no cartledge left, it was a big improvement. Mine was done posterior, so my recovery was longer. Very glad I had it done! At the time, my surgeon said I’ll probably need the left one replaced in 10 years. That’s 2 years from now, and that one is starting to act up a little - but nowhere near as bad as the right one was. My surgeon told me they treat the plastic with radiation now - which has eliminated much of the wear they used to see. My replaced one is doing great.

If she’s healthy enough for the surgery, your mom would benefit from having it done. Good luck!

 

[SteveSS]

Good luck seeing her orthopedic surgeon for a month. Her normal doctor until Dec, 20th. That's a long time to be on Percocet.

 

[Bladecutter]

Good luck seeing her orthopedic surgeon for a month. Her normal doctor until Dec, 20th. That's a long time to be on Percocet.

Percocet sux. I went to ER & ortho surgeon was doing His thing within 12 hrs.

 

[Bladecutter]

I had one in 2013 at the age of 50. Back to work in a couple weeks, playing horseshoes in 4 weeks and bowling after 2 and a half months. No regrets. They replaced mine coming in from the front,
I guess that makes a big difference.

From the front? Wow! My access was above & starboard of my right butt cheek, incision wasn't even 2" length. I was amazed He could insert & manipulate all the hardware from such a small opening.

 

[Auggie56]

Her age is the only thing you need to be concered about. I have one and while it's nothing like having your own hip, it works really well.

 

[BDF6]

ASK about side effects/complications of anesthesia and the elderly. This is a real concern.
I know of people who are not the same mentally afterward.
https://academic.oup.com/bjaed/article/6/1/37/347019

 

[64BEL]

Yeah, my brain was a bit scrambled for several months after my surgery. I attribute it to the anesthesia - or the Vicodin.