Osteoarthritis Community

Some people bounce back pretty fast-others take longer. Check our Hip and Knee Replacement Exchange for more stories.

I have both hips replaced, the last one was last may,with 2 years in between. It does take time but being honest it never feels like it was before.You can do alot of things you couldnt do before the op,but l find l am still limited.
One hip clicks and one squeeks when l bend down, may its just me as l hear others say they feel great. I do have the disadvantage of have a herniated disk pressing on the sciatic nerve which does cause a lot of pain and l do feel l have not had the full benefit of the op.
Goahead with the op as it may be more successful to you and at least you will have no more arthritis pain which is a relief.

I had my hip replaced in Sepember 2009 .It was the best decision for me it took me a few months to get around real good but the pain was so bad I dreaded to get up and I didn't sleep good. That pain was gone right after surgery. I have degenerative arthritis and my back is as bad as my hip but by hip had made my one leg shorter and he lenghened that with surgery and now my back is not as bad as before in pain at least. My husband tells me all the time he is glad I did it now we travel again and are enjoying doing things.

I had my hip replaced at the end of September. Since I had been walking incorrectly with a limp for almost 10 years, my leg muscles were very weakened. I walked in pain and had to wear a lift to correct the imbalance in my legs due to my hip. I cojuld not sit comfortable for any length of time. My scoliosis was more pronounced since I was walking incorrectly. My femur was a bit soft, so I was not allowed to put full weight on my hip for 7 weeks after surgery. After 5 months of PT, I feel stronger and can walk now without pain. PT exercises have helped my back too and now my legs are even....no lift is needed. I do not want to discourage you! I was able to dance at a holiday party after only 5 weeks of putting full weight on my operated leg. I do not feel as if I have an artificial hip and I do not have any squeaking. I waited until I retired so that I could devote full time to recuperating and I am glad I did. I do know others who did not wait as long to hve yhe surgery as I did, and they seemed to recover much quicker. I have learned that you cannot compare yourself with others!! Good luck!

I am 56 and had a hip replacement in July 09----The recovery time is so different with person to person. I went home from the hospital in 6 days, some go home in 2 days---But I advise for you to go to an in patient facility to have constant PT. It is much easier and you will get on your feet faster and make a faster and better recovery with that option---I was hard headed and said I could go home and do out patient therepy----If I ever have to get the other one done again---I learned my lesson, and will go to inpatient PT. And just a note---You will never resume life as if you have never been operated on----I am a nurse, and when we are cut and operated on, our body can heal, but never the exact same way that it was before we were operated on. But your pain level will be diminished by 90 %

I had a total right hip replacement 7 years ago when I was 47 years old. It was the best thing I've ever done for myself. The pain I had felt for years was gone the minute I awoke from the surgery. I started walking in water as soon as the surgical site closed up (about two weeks after surgery). Walking in water about chest deep allowed me to strengthen my muscles without too much stress, strain, or weight on my healing hip. I am the only human in a family of 6 dogs and cats. The hardest part for me was feeding the animals ... I was not allowed to bend at the hip for 6 weeks after the surgery, but I found ways to take care of all of us well. Oh and I did need help from a friend putting on the compression stockings every day for the first couple weeks after surgery.

Since my hip replacement, I'm finally able to be active again. I can walk, ride horses, do yoga, swim, dance, and participate in so many activities that were just too painful to even attempt pre surgery. I've lost over 100 lbs since surgery because the pain is gone. I enjoy playing and walking and moving my body because it no longer hurts to move. I can now sleep in any position I wish, which I could not do per surgery.

If you are contemplating surgery, find the very best and most experienced hip surgeon you can. See what s/he has to say. Then get a second opinion ... always get a second opinion. Make an informed decision and follow the doctor's orders. Take care of yourself. Expect to feel relief and you will be amazed. My new hip has been the gift of life for me.

I had a total hip replacement in 1999 and would highly recommend it if you are half way healthy and in severe pain such as I was.
Recovery was not "real fast" as you have to re-gain your strength as well as heal a broken (?) femur. I was off from work for 14 weeks, but if you can limit your number of "ups and downs" and trying to carry things at your job, I would say 4-6 weeks off (I did Pest Control).

But the relief of NO MORE PAIN! is worth more than you can ever realize until it is gone.

If you can financialy afford the operation and some time off (after a week, you can handle a key board), I would highly recommend having it done.
You no longer have any idea of what a "pain free" day and night feels like, but believe me, it feels good!!!
Also, they tell you that it will last on average 10 years and then need replacement (which is why they try to only recommend it to those over 60 or 70). I have had mine for 11 years without any problems other than limited side to side motion of my leg (not new). I have crawled building sub-basements, climbed ladders (against Dr.'s advice), climbed around in attics and finished another 8 years of pest control practices for more area than I care to remember until I retired.

DO IT!!! You will not regret it!

I had no insurance so I had to wait until I couldn't take it anymore before having the surgery. I don't like any kind of pain, so for me it took me at least 2 weeks to be able to not take a pain pill every waking second. I had to force myself to get up and start walking again. First with a walker and later with a cane. I am very happy I had the surgery. It changes your life when your in so much pain (before the surgery) that you can't enjoy anything. 2-1/2 years after surgery I still feel weak in my right leg when climbing stairs. It took me a few months to stop using the cane.
I do recommend having your hip replaced. After you heal you'll think you never had surgery.

Recovery is generally quite easy. The hip moves freely and does not need a lot of work out to function. You can bear weight on it soon. In 4 days you can we walking fairly well. First though, have good muscle development before surgery

I think getting it done is a great idea as I had my left one done 5 years ago and am now recovering from my other hip implant. The older one took longer to heal because they did it in the old style cutting into the side of the hip. I had to take hip precautions for 6 months with physical therapy for that long. My other hip gave out a few years ago and it was rather limiting my lifestyle to walk green belts and nature preserves. The new one done 2 weeks ago is cut in front of hte hip without having to cut nerves and muscles like the old one done. It is supposed to be faster recovery but am not seeing that cause of my lower back intervering with my recovery process. I am slowly building up strength. I am only 53 yo but have had a very active youth and a few accidents on motorcycle. I would encourage you to consider getting it done. It will be more freeing in that you can be active again. The first few weeks, you would depend on pain meds and physical therapy. I have not graduated to using a cane yet since I am still in wheelchair and using walker but soon will be out of wheelchair. Good luck with this option.

What would you recommend for the pain after the hip implant?

Your doctor will give you pain meds to handle the post-op pain.

Recovery time varies with each individuale based on age and condition before surgery. I've had an amazingly quick recovery. 10 days after sugery I was walking several miles a day without a cane & was back to work in less than 4 weeks (wanted to go back sooner but Doc wouldn't let me) but I'm only 50 & in fairly good shape to begin with. It's been 8 weeks now and I feel better than I have in years!

I had hip replacement two years ago. I was a bit overweight but quite fit and a regular exerciser. I felt that the old hip pain went right away--even when I was still on crutches. I walked regularly right away with crutches and then a cane. I was surprised how quickly I was able to move around. There were movement restrictions that I have heard may be changing as the surgery changes. I suggest that you move around regularly after the surgery. My friend had me walking around the house ten minutes of each waking hour. I hope that this helps. Since then I had a bad fall and broke my elbow. The hip surgery looks like a piece of cake compared to this surgery and recovery.Good luck. I felt that hip surgery gave me my life back.