From Anterior Hip Replacement Back To Triathlon: Bike accident

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Bike accident

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trudy davisJune 30, 2012 at 5:18 PM
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trudy davisJune 30, 2012 at 5:20 PM
10 days until the triathlon
Would you believe it – on my way back from a lovely 2 hour training ride to City Island I had a bike accident, just 2 miles from home. On Pelham high street I was passing a parked car – no car lights on or other signs to let me know to be extra wary – when the driver flew open his car door. I was hit side on and knocked across the road. From the bruises I can work out I rolled couple of times and then my bike landed on top of me. Nothing broken ( I went for x-rays the next day) but black and blue and a badly sprained hand. My bike is fine luckily. The two mile walk home wasn’t helped by the fact we had a great NY heat wave and it was just over 100 degrees that day! The most amazing thing is that although both legs are now rainbow coloured and my left hip is highly bruised, my right hip (the new one) is completely untouched and feels fine. Since then I have rested for a week and today did my first bike ride since. I was a little nervous but was fine – I can change gears and brake without using my right index finger – who would have known?
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UnknownSeptember 27, 2012 at 8:22 AM
I rarely read positive stories from patients who have undergone a hip replacement. I was glad you had a successful operation unlike from those who resort to a DePuy Pinnacle lawsuit. The search results are bombarded by the negative reports about failing hip replacements. I was just happy you had it right.
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Osteoarthritis and My Path To Anterior Hip Replacement

A doctor first mentioned arthritis over 10 years ago as the why reason my hip ached sometimes. It didn’t seem to be anything important so I pretty much forgot about it. But by three years ago I limped, couldn’t walk far, couldn’t jump, would get a sudden excruciating pain in the joint, would fear it collapsing under me on stairs (which it occasionally did), struggled to get up from sitting on the floor, and couldn't run so much as across a street. I finally went back to the doctor and was told my hip would need to be replaced. No other alternative procedure or route possible. I researched (resurfacing, physical therapies, partial replacement). I also met with several doctors for second opinions, and the best prognosis I found was "you will have to replace it but you don’t need to do it until you can't take it any more". This was from Hospital For Special Surgery in New York. So I continued with life as normal, and looked for alternatives to running to keep me in shape and exercising/competing outside. I discovered that the more I swam and biked the less pain there was, as well as less limping, aching, and sudden collapses. This kept me going for another 2 years, to compete in open water swim races, indoor bike events, and a triathlon with a friend doing my run for me. By last autumn the swimming and biking were still working ...but not as well ... and by now I was taking painkillers every night in order to sleep... so I began researching again. This time it was not about whether I needed to have a full hip-replacement surgery, but what kind would be the best for me.

In most areas of my life I don’t feel that young but in the world of hip replacement I am. I expect the joint to last me a long time, I expect to do a lot with it, I expect to recover quickly, and I'd also like a small scar. For traditional hip replacement the incision is usually 10-12inches and the recovery several months after a minimum 5 day hospital stay. The restrictions on the patient afterwards can be extensive with many lasting forever. With minimally invasive hip replacement incisions are usually 3-6 inches, hospital stays 2 days, and recovery much faster with few or no restrictions. There are also several types of minimally invasive hip replacement methods - two incision or single incision. As I researched further I also discovered the Anterior Approach. With this approach, as no muscles or tendons are violated, there is an easier and faster recovery, a lower risk of dislocation, and NO restrictions after the surgery. This is the surgical approach for me.

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Saturday, June 30, 2012

Bike accident

3 comments: