UKH

Well just had the hip done at 64. We now need to see what and when I can get back on the rock. I feel pretty confident that I can get back to close to where I was. The only thing I can find so far that is a complete no no is crossing the new leg inside the good one for a move (have I ever done that? Not sure) otherwise I don t see any moves I can t do. The surgeon knew I climbed and said on the way out of theatre that I'd be back climbing in no time..... However long that is.

In reply to pedropierre:

I had mine done at 69 years old, and am now 72
Three pieces of advice i got from the physio
Don't hit the deck, avoid bouldering
Don't swing off a traverse line and crash into a rock face with the replaced joint, the bone round the joint may shatter
Don't lift the repaired limb high and twist it or it is likely to dislocate. Very painfull

For the he first weeks after the op you advised not to cross your legs even when asleep. I wedged a pillow between my legs slept on my back and put pillows either side of me to stop me rolling over. Was back climbing after a few months without problems, just be cautious.
Hope this helps, best wishes for the future
Ian

In reply to pedropierre:
Had mine done at 62, following opposite knee two years earlier. Back climbing, very cautiously, within four weeks. Eight months on I wouldn't even know it's been done; pretty much pain free and much more mobile than before. Knee took much more work than the hip, but both were really worth having done. Now I just need to find another excuse for struggling! Good luck with yours, John.

In reply to pedropierre:

First, I can only speak for my own experience, and much will depend on the type of prosthesis and procedure you've had, so I'd suggest you follow your consultant's advice and take it easy to start with. Ask specifically about that kind of movement. Wait until you have recovered properly before doing any crossed leg moves as you describe, even if you're advised it's okay - it takes a while before your joint reaches full strength and stability.

I was advised by the surgeon who fitted my metal-on-metal replacement that I should not cross my leg as you described whilst raising my foot above the other knee. (He was a climber so knew this was a possibility.) There would be a significant risk of dislocation if I did that. I find no problem with doing smaller crossed-leg moves as in traversing. Otherwise, the main thing I've found is that I've never really recovered full power in doing high step ups on my artificial hip side, and require a little more support from my hands in those situations. That might be less of a problem for you - I'd already lost a lot of strength prior to the op because of a long-term injury. There doesn't seem to be much in the way of other inhibitions but then I'm not exactly pushing the boundaries!

(You might find this interesting although it doesn't give any answers to your question - a rare recent paper looking at sports activities after hip replacement - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5489758/ )

In reply to Angry old man:



I still boulder, at a very low level, and very cautiously (I can't resist...). I don't fall off, and have got very good at landing on one leg if I jump, although I try to avoid this.

In reply to John R:

Knees are a swine aren't they? Only just getting mine back to something resembling genuinely useful after over two years.

In reply to Bob Kemp:
Yes, very much the same for me, but at least it is much better now. Before it was done I could barely even walk on the flat; now I can walk on the fells and climb at a level that gives me some fun. Even daring to hope I might get back to the Alps next year ( or even this?), which would be a real bonus. Hope yours keeps working well for you, John.

In reply to pedropierre:

Well great to know that there are lots of you climbing with new hips. Stitches out yesterday - first physio session today. I feel I could climb now - but being realistic (and sensible-ish) I recon I will be back after christmas which is going to be about 7 weeks. Lots of exercises. I asked the Physio about the dislocation - would I feel pain before it happened or would it just 'pop'. He reassuringly says it would just 'pop', so it all come down to what moves can you do safely with that leg. I will have to see what the surgeon who did it says in a few weeks - and back to Simon my climbing orthopaedic surgeon mate who's hidden in OZ - see what he says. - thank you all for some really helpful comments.

In reply to pedropierre:

Great, good luck with it!

In reply to pedropierre:

Lee Sheftel,
71, double hip replacement.
Still climbing 5.13.

All the best healing up. The rock will still be there when youre sorted

In reply to pedropierre:

So- thank you again for all your comments but can I ask this. Have any of you dislocated your new hip? or have you ever heard of anybody dislocating their new hip climbing?

In reply to pedropierre:
I've seen an old Grindelwald guide being helied off from the foot of the Mönch after dislocating his, bending down to put crampons on. To balance that, I've tried very hard to dislocate mine over the last seven years, and not even come close!

In reply to pedropierre:
No problem at all for me either. I've pretty much stopped worrying about it now; I fear there are other things that are more likely to go first, but I try not to worry about them either! All the best with yours, John.

In reply to pedropierre:

I've had no trouble, but I haven't climbed that extensively, due to other bits of anatomy failing on me! I've searched for evidence of climbing dislocations but I haven't found any cases yet. One thing I did come across which struck me as a good rule of thumb for avoiding dislocation in climbing was this:
"As with all activities, when the thigh is at less than a 90 degree angle to the chest, make sure you can see the inside of the knee."

From - http://www.minitotalhip.com/hip-information/back-to-sports/

I would say that there's a natural inhibition here in that your hip will not be moving in that direction at all now, so if you even try to do it your hip will be stiff and sore, and stop you doing it.

You might find this detailed account of one climber's progress interesting - no dislocation, but the problem she had with her achilles tendon is worth taking note of.
http://www.monsterclimbs.com/climbing-and-other-sports-after-hip-replacemen...

I had a similar experience in that I got carried away and tried running again after a few months, and got acute tendonitis, which morphed into tendinitis and took the better part of a year to shift.