Hip Replacement & Continuing to ski

[skibug]

Posting this in regard to my 64 year old dad.  He is an aggressive open water slalom skier; he does not ski in a slalom course.  He get the news today that he needs a total hip replacement and it is going to be performed on December 1st.  The ortho told him that his skiing days were probably over.  After pressuring the doc a little, he was still told that it was strongly not recommended; but, it was up to him if he wanted to take the risk.  The biggest risk is not the physical intensity of the activitiy itself; but, the risk of taking a bad fall and snapping the implant.

Anyone out there have experience, 1st or 2nd hand, with this procedure and then continuing to ski once healed?

[ForrestGump]

Lucky Lowe had his replaced in 04(I think). He runs deep 39 still.

[skibug]

that is encouraging

[skiergeeg]

correction ran 39 at nationals after his hip was replaced

[Ed_Obermeier]

If memory serves I believe that Lucky's wife is a physical therapist.  Only significant in that we were down there at his place in (I believe) the fall of '04 (or maybe '05?) and he was something like 8 months out from surgery and not yet sking, said he wasn't ready, wasn't healed enough, something like that.  I'm sure he was rehabbing pretty hard having that experience there in the house, he looked it anyway.  My point is that if you're willing to do the rehab, get/stay in good physical condition etc etc it should be doable.

When I was at Rini's in August I met a man who was 60, had had a hip replacement I think the year before, and was running 28 off 34 working on 32.  The guy was in very good physical condition, excellent condition actually for a 60 year old man.  I asked him specifically about the hip replacement and he said his doc had given him the OK.  He is a regular at Matt's lake, perhaps someone else more in touch can chime in on him?

There are plenty of good orthos out there who are serious slalom skiers (I have several as customers).  Worth finding one to get another point of view IMO.

Ed

[baja]

I have a friend who is having a hip replacement in 3 weeks. They don't ski but in researching their upcoming procedure I learned that there are multiple types of procedures and hardware, some of which are more suited for athletics instead of arthritis. As always, get informed, discuss with you doctor and tell them what you want to be able to do with the new hip.

[Jim]

Had a friend who had his hip replaced when he was 24. At the time the docs told him it would probably last no more that 10 years and would have to be redone. Well, he's 35 now, still on the first hip iron, and is an avid free skier. No complaints, keeps himself in shape, probably not the norm but an illustration that anything can happen.

 

Another friend who is 37 had his hip resurfaced last year. Ball is dislocated from the socket and the socket is ground smooth. Ball is put back in and away you go. Recovery around 8 weeks. He went from a guy who thought he was headed to a Rascal Scooter to a guy skiing 4 times a week.

 

Best of luck to your father, tell him water skiers bend the curve when it comes to hip surgery!

[Roger]

On the front page Bob LaPoint runs 4 @ 39 and has had a hip replacement. I spoke with Chris LaPoint some years ago and he said he was informally keeping track of hip replacements on skiers and at that time at least, 100% of them were the rear foot hip.

[Jody_Seal]

I ski with a Ortho surgeon and the discussing of skiing with a hip replacement came up in the boat the other day, from what I gather back in the day the implants were cemented in and yes skiing was not recommended, however the procedures for today’s implants are far different as they actually graft bone and mesh around the the units being installed so as that bone actually grows around the implant making for a far sturdier application. This doctor told me that slalom skiing is not a problem provided the patient knows their limits, snow skiing Stay off the black diamond, rugby no!, was their not a pro ball player that played base ball after a hip replacement for a few seasons . Other skiers with hip replacemnts, Brenda Balwins father ED Nichols Jumps with an artificial hip.

[frank]

Ed, I'm the guy you met at Matt's in august. I know you agree its always fun to ski with Matt. Next time your down come over and ski 8 balls.

 I had a total hip replacement in June 2007. I went with a total replacement as it is more stable than resurface. I also chose the metal on metal with largest diameter ball and socket, which I believe is 38mm. The first few days of recovery suck, tell your father to use any and all morphine available (2 bags). But each day gets better. I was walking unassisted in 10 days. In Sept after 90 days I skied, nothing fancy, just up and down the lake on a slalom ski.  From that point I worked out smart. The key in the recovery is getting the bone to graft onto the replacement. Too much stress leads to scar tissue and pain versus solid bone grafting. Anyway next spring I started the course at slow speeds. I was having trouble with pain crossing the wakes, but one day a neighbor who has both hips replaced, just told me to do it. I did and by June I was running 16M. I think I would have been back to where I was before surgery, but things got changed to ZO.

Skibug, A lot of doctors are not familiar with skiing. My doctor would have preferred that I take up golf. But now he' fine with my skiing. There is a lot of stuff on hip replacement on the internet, somewhere I remember seeing a video of the operation itselt. See a few doctors and get a few opinions. As others have posted, there's a several skiers with metal hips. I live on a small lake with 11 houses and I know of 4 skiers with some form of hip replacement, all of them course skiers. I would stay away from resurfacing, but there may have been some new techniques since my surgery. Arthritis is a downward spiral and drugs can only cover up so much. Have your father get the replacement and by this time next year he will be complaining that he should have done it sooner.

Frank   

[skibug]

Frank and all, thanks a bunch!!  I will pass on all of the words of encouragement which I know will help him.  The ortho he is going to is actually my ortho as well, he is very in tune with athletes and recovery for continuing with athletic endeavors.  He did his fellowship in Park City, UT working with the Olympic Ski team; so, he definitely has the right mindset.  His only comment was he couldn't necessarily recommend going back to skiing; but, if he did say it would be OK....you didn't hear it from him.  I think it is just a little doctor CYA.

[eyepeeler]

Go to the chiropractor and get a second opinion before you get a hip replacement.  Take care of your hips, the originals are always better than replacements.

[skibug]

Sorry, xrays showed no separation in the joint and cartilage all gone....bone on bone...not something a DC can fix.

[lpskier]

I believe Lucky won MM Nationals in Bako in 06 several (like maybe five?) months after hip replacement.

[Ed_Obermeier]

Hi Frank,

Thank you for your post and thank you for the offer.  I'll definitely be back down next summer and I'd love to come out for a couple of sets with you.  I'll wisper my contact information to you, send me yours and when I come down next year I'll ping you and see if we can hook up.  Agreed, Matt is the man and I learned a bunch in my trip down this year; what I came home with has got me pretty close to running 35 for the first time.  Now if the weather here will just hold up a bit longer...

Ed   

[pwdrski]

I stumbled across this thread while researching water skiing after full hip replacement. I need to ask, does any one have any experience with skiing after your lead leg has had a full hip replacement? I'm not a course skier but an an avid open water skier. My left leg is due for the surgery, 11-8-12 with a full metal, to plastic cup, and bone graff/mesh at femur junction. I still want to ski and can't imagine trying to shift my lead leg to the right. Any thoughts on this out there?

[Brady]

My good friend is the ortho for the university of Utah football team. I read him your post and this is what he said. "With how good medicine is now, the replacements are as good as the original and if he blows it out again they will simply do the procedure again." I get cortisone shots in my hip joint every few months--in fact I am getting one Thursday. I have had a complete ankle reconstruction three times and when it gets bad, I simply do the procedure again. I wish him the best of luck. Medicine nowadays is incredible and it keeps getting better and better. I would tell him to ski away.

[Bigblue]

I just had my second hip replaced last Tuesday. At home walking without any aid.

No pain meds for eathier hip. A few things. Get in the best shape you can prior to surgery.

I worked out as much as I could with a lot of core work. As soon as I could, I got back to the gym.

Again heavy core workouts. My fist hip was done in February and I was back on the water in August.

By the end of August in the course. I spoke to Lucky a few times about this and agree with his advise of getting your core very solid prior to skiing the course. I lost 15 lbs from the time I recoverd from the first surgery to skiing again. I just turned 48 and feel like I'm in the best shape I've been in for years. The only thing I will change for next season is my bindings. It is more important than ever to make sure both feet release. In think I will mount my boots on the Goode system. The concern is a dislocation with one foot out and the other in and the ski twisting. The better shape and stronger your legs & glutes and core the less chance of dislocation. I'm looking forward to what I hope to be a pain free ski season.

[Skoot1123]

@Bigblue - don't forget to make sure you are plenty flexible as well. Strength is great, but if you can't stretch them out....it does you no good. Yoga has worked wonders for me. Increased my reach (sitting down with both legs out in front of you and reaching past your toes) by 7.5 inches. Just my two cents.

[pugs]

pwdski, I'm Frank who posted in Sept 2010. I had my right hip replaced, which is my front foot or lead leg. Mine is all metal, no plastic. It's been a while since my surgery, but what I remember about when I first returned to the course and wake crossing was that there was some pain, actually a little more than before surgery. But each set it got a little better. As it gets better and your competitive instincts kick in, my concentration shifted to proper technique ( straighten your arms and drive hips to handle) and I eventually forgot about any pain.

 

I agree with other posters about bindings and avoiding twisting type falls with 1 foot in and 1 out. In the event of a fall either both in or both out. Unfortunately for me arthritis isn't specific to hips and shows up in other body parts. Rubber bindings just kill my feet. I switched to the Radar RS1/Stradas. Very comfy and secure. I think I'm on my 3rd set. Super binding for my tastes, but each to his own.

 

Good Luck with your surgery.

[Bigblue]

Mine is a Stryker implant. Porcelain ball with a plastic liner.

[pwdrski]

Thanks you guys, the comments are very encouraging and appreciate the insight. Sounds like I'll be back on the water again!!!

[andjules]

@pugs and @Bigblue, curious if the deepwater start is a stress-point for the lead-leg hip? It just strikes me that actually skiing (aside from bad falls) shouldn't be too hard on a hip joint (fairly limited range-of-motion supported by leg muscles), but I'd have thought getting up would be tought (stress at the extreme of the joint's range-of-motion).

[BraceMaker]

Figure you want to have your hip less flexed, less internally rotated, and less adducted for safety.

 

Unfortunately slalom stance has some flex, has adduction, has internal rotation. So be careful!

[Bigblue]

I had no problems with the start. It was my back leg so not sure what to expect with them both but really not overly concerned. Let your body be your guide. Some days I was able to ski 3 sets other days only 1.

It takes 1 full year to have your hip FULLY recover. I free skied for a few weeks prior to getting in the course. Should I have waited longer, yes, but I couldn't sit around any longer. In 2 months you will feel like your ready to go, but don't. Wait at least 6 months until you hit the water. That's why I just had my second one done now so I will can give it 71/2 to 8 months to heal.

[pugs]

@andjules. In a word, Yes. I exercised a certain amount of caution and moderation both during the recovery and the return to the water.

 

As others have posted, exercise before and after the operation. I went with light weights, at 1st limiting the range of motion, but gradually increasing to normal over about 6 mos. I saw a personal trainer once a week and we worked on balance, flexibilty and rom. Lots of good leg exercises on the TRX, kettle balls, bosu balls, etc. I am fortunate to have an excellent PT, Shelley Wagner, who was instrumental in my recovery. She skis so she was familiar with which muscles needed to be worked. The muscles came back relatively quick. But to be pretty much pain free from a joint stand point, it was probably almost a year.

 

My Dr said I could not ski for 90 days after surgery. After the 90 days, which would have been mid Sept, I borrowed my neighbors 68 inch Sixam 2.0, which is considerably larger than what I normally ski on (depending on mfg typically 65.5 or 66) as I weigh 160 lbs. No doubt my hip was less flexed on the deep water starts. Nothing fancy just up and down the lake at 30 mph. After that I had proved to myself that I could ski again, I shut it down until the next spring and kept exercising. Next spring the bone had pretty much grafted to the metal rod and cup and I started skiing the course again, gradually increasing speed and decreasing the ski size. The joint pain was there, but at a lower level.

[moosehead]

As this thread shows, many athletes are still at it with fake hips, and it is becoming much more common for younger guys to need the procedure as we stay active. Either way, one has to balance staying active with the risk of shortening the lifespan of an implant and causing further surgery and much more restrictive physical capabilities.

 

Key is to pick your spots and be smart, along with less throttle. Impact sports such as running and racquet sports are very harsh on an implant. So are windmilling falls at speed.

I have a resurfaced hip that is 10 years old this year and have been able to snow ski, mountain bike, and water ski with reasonably good success. Suggest your dad look into the resurfacing method before he goes with total hip replacement, there are pros and cons to each. No affiliation here other than being a happy test pilot. http://www.jri-docs.com/about/MeetMDs/Pages/HarlanAmstutzMD.aspx.

 

As mentioned, a ragdoll fall with one leg in could cause major damage and break the seal of even bone growth into metal mesh. In my case no shortlines at speed, instead I choose a loose front binding and RTP, wider more forgiving ski, and moderate speeds.

 

Best wishes to your pops, good on him for wanting at it.