Hip Arthritis Exercise Suggestions

[Scorpio6]

Hello All.

Well, come to find out, the exercise injury I have been getting PT for is only part of the story. It was confusing because there was something else going on. Have just found out I have severe arthritis in my L hip, due to a hard fall on the ice in 2007. My bone density was so good that I didn't break anything but the trauma of the fall (incl sprained ankle) set me up for the arthritis and limited mobility on that side.

Any suggestions re cardio exercise dealing w/ this? Do any VF'ers have this type arthritis and if so, what are you doing for exercise? Iam NOT interested in aqua aerobics, just what I can do at home.

Thanks in advance to all!

[macska]

When I was struggling with a really bad case of arthritis of the hip (due to a car accident) I was doing barre/pilates/ballet/yoga type of exercises all day long, even of the eve of the hip replacement surgery. I was diagnosed when I was in the middle of my marathoning, so after that I cut back on running. I was doing some spinning, rowing anything with no impact. But what made the biggest difference is the barre/pilates. Those type of exercises are not just helping you with ROM but also strengthen all the large AND small muscles that are in your hip. You need to strengthen the muscles, tendons, ligaments to support the compromised joint. And that is in your power, since you can't do a whole lot about the missing cartilage.
On the happier note I recovered after the surgery at record speed, and I contribute that to my awesome sport orthopedic MD and to my special hip specific exercises during the difficult years of pain and before the surgery. Today I'm running again, and I have restriction to what I can or cannot do and have full range of motion of the operated hip. Life is good!

pm me if you have more specific questions

[luvcritters]

Sorry you're suffering with hip arthritis. I have severe arthritis in my right hip and in my lumbar facet joints. I do a lot of Pilates and ride a recumbent bike for cardio. Some days I can do low impact with Charlene Prickett but nothing makes my hip hurt like walking with Leslie. Sometimes I do upper body with weights but that isn't the priority that it used to be for me. I try to do yoga but Cobbler's Pose and a few others cause more pain than it's worth. Pilates hasn't caused pain yet so I'll keep doing it. Classical Stretch is doable but sometimes affects other problems in my back so I don't do it often. Two doctors have told me I need a hip replacement. I had a knee replacement 5 years ago and it didn't do anything good for my back. They'll have to carry me into another replacement surgery because I won't go willingly because of my back. I see a chiropractor regularly for my back and when I'm in alignment my hip has no pain.

macska - I have a question if you don't mind. I recently read that the leg of the replaced hip can "never" cross the midline of the body and "never" can the hip be bent past 90 degrees. The book was written by a doctor but it's a few years old so I'm hoping that's wrong. Is it? He emphasized "never" even years after the surgery. Thanks.

[fschulman]

Before my hip replacement, I continued low impact. However, I had to make sure it was not repetitive. I was able to do step with only one riser as long as the pace was not fast and low impact like Petra's, but walking videos resulted in a lot of pain. I was fine with lighter weights, but needed to use a chair for yoga because I could not reach the floor for forward bends. Since my hip replacement, I do mostly low impact, although I add moderate impact for HIIT or intervals -- jumping jacks or scissors -- but only leap slightly. I am glad I had the surgery -- the intense pain is only a couple of days and I stopped using pain pills in a week. After six weeks of gradually increasing mobility, I was walking better than I had before and within three months nobody could tell I had the surgery. Full recovery took about nine months. I now have more flexibility in my hip then I ever had.

[macska]

Originally Posted by Linda H

macska - I have a question if you don't mind. I recently read that the leg of the replaced hip can "never" cross the midline of the body and "never" can the hip be bent past 90 degrees. The book was written by a doctor but it's a few years old so I'm hoping that's wrong. Is it? He emphasized "never" even years after the surgery. Thanks.

I think that is pretty much the old school. If they use "large head" for the hip it won't dislocate as easy as the old fashioned smaller head. I have a large head and according to my doctor it has as much of a chance to dislocate as a "natural" head. I can do "a** to grass* squats with no problem, and cross my legs. It all depends of the technique of the surgeon and the type of implant they use, as I understand it. The only restriction that I keep in my is to not jump down from a higher elevation, but I can live with that. I finished the Spartan Dash last year with all that climbing and crawling and hopping but I did not jump down from elevation. These new techniques are amazing Michale Skogg went thru hip replacement and he is back in the game already with all the bells and whistles. pm me if you have more question. Good place to check out is www.dancerhips.com

[luvcritters]

Thanks for the info. I can't do a** to grass squats because 1) I'm not allowed to bend the replaced knee that far and 2) coming up from that is how I tore up my knee in the first place. I have to keep my real knee healthy. Like it has a chance in this arthritic body. If I ever bite the bullet and decide on surgery I know where to bring my questions. Thanks. Oh, I can't jump at all unless it's on a rebounder. No jumping or running on a fake knee. If not jumping down is your only restriction you've got it made.

[macska]

Originally Posted by Linda H

Thanks for the info. I can't do a** to grass squats because 1) I'm not allowed to bend the replaced knee that far and 2) coming up from that is how I tore up my knee in the first place. I have to keep my real knee healthy. Like it has a chance in this arthritic body. If I ever bite the bullet and decide on surgery I know where to bring my questions. Thanks. Oh, I can't jump at all unless it's on a rebounder. No jumping or running on a fake knee. If not jumping down is your only restriction you've got it made.

Thank God for our rebounder! Best of luck to you with keeping those body parts pain free.

[luvcritters]

Originally Posted by macska

Thank God for our rebounder! Best of luck to you with keeping those body parts pain free.

Rebounders and Pilates! Can't live without them. Thanks! I'll need all the luck I can get. The dancerhips site is very enlightening in more ways than one. Amazing people on the list.