Anyone have a total hip replacement? Anyone have it fail? What were the first signs?
- Thread starter Ohighway
- Start date
usedto
Lunatic Member
Not to advocate ambulance chasing lawyers, but we watch a lot of old TV programs on the dot 3 and dot 4 channels, and lately there have been quite a few commercials concerning bad hip replacements and the attorneys who will gladly handle the case. I guess there are a few particular brands that have been troublesome. If you know which brand you have, you might look into it.
Yeah, lets not go there just yet.
First I need to verify if I do actually have a problem, and if so need to figure out what the fix is.
I'm trying to see if others who have had total hip replacements have had problems, and if so how it began to manifest itself.
silver faced
Active Member
Can not speak for myself , But i have 2 family members that each had one done and a close friend who did both and they all did great and have had no issues 2 years on. Main thing is do your research on the Surgeon luckily i have Dr in family for consults.
Always good to have an "insider"....
My hip replacement was performed 14 years ago almost to the day, and in that time I'd rate it as virtually trouble free. However yesterday I began experiencing some things that are cause for concern. Unfortunately the surgeon who performed my replacement has moved out of the area to the Cleveland Clinic.
silver faced
Active Member
Sorry to hear that. That long ago you might be coming up on a replacement again. If allowable get an MRI
I had a partial hip replacement in 1985. The ball of the hip was replaced, the cup was fine. Titanium ball was cover with a teflon type cap.
When that wore out I waited to long to go in for a revision(replacing a replacement) and the metal destroyed the cup. Groin pain was first to show up
and then walking with an uneven gait. 2006 went in for revision at which time they rebuilt the cup with bone grafts and did a total replacement. Still going strong today(knock on wood).
But they did give me a guesstemate of 12-16 years life expectancy. You are right in the sweet spot so get it checked out before further damage. As far as your surgeon moving on, give him
a call and see if he has a local recommendation. They usually know someone.
My other hip is now beginning to fail and the groin pain and uneven gait are there. I'm waiting now for a call back with appointment date and time for a company called REGENNEX. They specialize
in orthopedic stem cell therapy. I'm going to see if I would be a candidate and if so will give that a try before undergoing a replacement on that side.
When that wore out I waited to long to go in for a revision(replacing a replacement) and the metal destroyed the cup. Groin pain was first to show up
and then walking with an uneven gait. 2006 went in for revision at which time they rebuilt the cup with bone grafts and did a total replacement. Still going strong today(knock on wood).
But they did give me a guesstemate of 12-16 years life expectancy. You are right in the sweet spot so get it checked out before further damage. As far as your surgeon moving on, give him
a call and see if he has a local recommendation. They usually know someone.
My other hip is now beginning to fail and the groin pain and uneven gait are there. I'm waiting now for a call back with appointment date and time for a company called REGENNEX. They specialize
in orthopedic stem cell therapy. I'm going to see if I would be a candidate and if so will give that a try before undergoing a replacement on that side.
usedto
Lunatic Member
My wife had one of her knees replaced at age 55, and they told her the same thing. They tried their damnedest to put it off, but hers was just too bad. She'll probably need it re-done some day.
I had a total replacement a little over five years ago (after a 1981 fracture in an auto accident). I hagven't had any problems. I was 58 and my surgeon said it should outlast me. However, I will be on the lookout for the symptoms mentioned, especially as I approach the time frame. Thanks for bringing this up.
My hip replacement is the result of an auto accident in 1970. It broke the ball of the femur in half and pulled the femur and lower part of the femur head out of the socket. At the time the surgeon was able to situate things back together without cutting me open. He warned me at the time that the femur head would form a ridge on it where the bone healed together, and that years down the road it would wear out the joint. That point started to rear it's ugly head in 1994, and by 2003 I just could not stand the pain as the cartilage was completely worn out. I had my surgery done at Sinai in Baltimore by a top notch guy (you know he's a heavy hitter when many of the people in to see him have made the trip from other countries) Recovery from surgery was swift, and I can say that for all intents and purposes my replacement hip joint has been trouble free from 2003 until now. So, we'll see. I made an appointment with a highly recommended hip surgeon on the 18th. We'll see what's up......
My wife and I play racquetball and it's amazing how many over 50 still play. I'm 62 and my wife is 56. We have had several friends who have had hip and knee replacements. One has had both knees and one hip replaced. He didn't have any problems with the knees, but the hip definitely has slowed him down. I think he started playing again way too soon and it affected his recovery. He still plays, but can't move as quickly as before. My wife had back surgery for a herniated disc which had invaded 70% her spinal column at the disc location. She had surgery within 3 weeks of the injury and was playing again after 3 months recuperation. She still suffers from occasional sciatica, but other than that she is fully recovered.
sKiZo
Hates received: 92644 43.20°N 85.50°W
14 years may be pushing it, but that depends a lot on lifestyle. Active goes faster, just walking around and putzing not so much.
(Just had the speech while checking out a total knee replacement) <G>
What's the old one doing? Wonder it it may be just an adjustment, or if some physical therapy to address any muscle problems that could be throwing off the alignment might help?
PS ... I know any radical bone surgery can leave splinters and such in the joint area, and those attract calcium and grow over time. Those can migrate into the joint and cause issues. Something like that, a simple arthroscopy could do the trick. Luck wit it, eh.
(Just had the speech while checking out a total knee replacement) <G>
What's the old one doing? Wonder it it may be just an adjustment, or if some physical therapy to address any muscle problems that could be throwing off the alignment might help?
PS ... I know any radical bone surgery can leave splinters and such in the joint area, and those attract calcium and grow over time. Those can migrate into the joint and cause issues. Something like that, a simple arthroscopy could do the trick. Luck wit it, eh.
I'm not particularly active, but then again I'm not particularly at the weight I should be at, so it's probably a wash. I do remember being told by my hip surgeon that my replacement should probably last 20 years or so. BTW at the time I opted for just your standard titanium and stainless steel hardware with crosslinked polyethylene liner. I did briefly consider ceramic, and (mercifully it turns out) was deemed NOT a good candidate for the metal on metal joints that were being touted at the time.
The old one? I guess you mean my other "normal" hip? As far as I know it's ok. However your comments about alignment and such may be on point. Over the past couple months I've been experiencing severe heel pain (same side as my hip replacement) which turns out is due to a bone spur on the bottom of my heel. If that wasn't bad enough, I've also been experiencing mild to moderate knee pain and knee stiffness (on the other side) Turns out I have some type of cyst in the back of that knee joint, and for some reason have an as yet undetermined knot/lump in the upper back portion of my calf on that side. Bottom line both of those have definitely affected the way I walk, sometimes in a major fashion.
2017 really hasn't been kind so far. Before I started with this knee, foot, hip nonsense I had some stupid respiratory thing that knocked me flat for a couple weeks, and hung on for at least 3 more. And then there's the latest kidney stone.... and some weird ear problem.... feels like my ear is stuffed with wax even though it's clean. And the fatigue/ shortness of breath. Ugh.
This picture pretty much sums up what 2017 has done to me, and how I feel about it......
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sKiZo
Hates received: 92644 43.20°N 85.50°W
Jason Statham? You can do better than that. Definitely time to call in A Specialist ... 
And the reason I mention the alignment thing for your hip, that's what's pushing me to git er done on the knee replacement. Both the ankle and back are giving me twinges now, and the other knee (which ain't all that good either) is getting pushed hard to compensate.
The inter-relatedness of all things ... ohmmmmmmmmm ... ;-}
Oh, and hang in there. Not like it could get any worse, right?
(ah crap ... had to open my mouth, right?)
And the reason I mention the alignment thing for your hip, that's what's pushing me to git er done on the knee replacement. Both the ankle and back are giving me twinges now, and the other knee (which ain't all that good either) is getting pushed hard to compensate.
The inter-relatedness of all things ... ohmmmmmmmmm ... ;-}
Oh, and hang in there. Not like it could get any worse, right?
(ah crap ... had to open my mouth, right?)
Hah..... thanks brother..... I needed a laugh today.
No I chose the right guy.... I mean........ Jason always perseveres...... right ?
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bshorey
Super Member
I've never had it done, but a good friend did. His concern was that he was pretty young, and at the time he said you could only have it done a couple of times on each side. So he was worried that having it done at 30, his next one would be at 50, and then he'd be in a wheel chair by 70.
I just looked it up:
Cemented hip replacement: 92% @ 10 years, 83% @ 15 years
Cemented stem: 90% @ 25 years
Porous cup: 95.7% @ 15 years
Porous stem: 86.8% @ 15 years
Porous cups (variety): 95-100% @ 10 years
Source: http://www.rogerbrighton.com/pdf/life-expectancy-total-hip-replacement.pdf
This would seem to confirm that some percentage are failing at 10-15 years. Given that you're at 14 years, well, I guess it's time to talk to the doctor.
Good luck,
bs
Well losing some weight would definitely help. The porous stem and cup are rarely what fail. Most of the time it is the poly-type cap or cup liner that wear out.
In 1985 when they replaced just the ball(stem) of my hip it was just the third press fit(porous) hip done at Loyola Univ. Medical Ctr. as they were moving away from
cemented replacements and due to me being just 33 years old, I became a case study. Well 21 years later it took a huge amount of effort to remove that stem due to the bone growth into the porous titanium stem.
In 1985 when they replaced just the ball(stem) of my hip it was just the third press fit(porous) hip done at Loyola Univ. Medical Ctr. as they were moving away from
cemented replacements and due to me being just 33 years old, I became a case study. Well 21 years later it took a huge amount of effort to remove that stem due to the bone growth into the porous titanium stem.
