broken hip recovery advice needed...............
Comments
-
@molteni_man thank you for the encouragement!
A question for those of you who've gone through this - from what I understand of AVN, it can be treated with a procedure called core decompression if it's detected early enough and the early signs can only be detected on an MRI (they won't show up in an xray until it's later stage).
Were any of you able to get an MRI to check for AVN? It seems like that would be better than waiting up to 2 years for it to show up in an xray. I asked my doctor about it and he said that core decompression doesn't work and if I had AVN I'd need a total hip replacement. I'm not convinced though. Have any of you had core decompression done?
Thanks!0 -
@molteni_man, likewise - appreciate the words of wisdom …
A question about flexibility for anyone out there. Progress with me seems generally quite ok, but I really struggle with bending forward - best described as ‘knee to nose’. Whether sitting up, lying on my back / side - anyhow, I barely get past 90 degrees. Meaning I still can’t put my own sock on, grr. Shoes I manage, sort of, but that’s with a straight leg. It’ll be eight weeks for me tomorrow since break / operation to fix internally - am I just in too much of a hurry? Any words of hope that I will eventually get my own sock on would be welcome!0 -
it'll be a matter of time, physiotherapy and exerciseramse1 said:@molteni_man, likewise - appreciate the words of wisdom …
A question about flexibility for anyone out there. Progress with me seems generally quite ok, but I really struggle with bending forward - best described as ‘knee to nose’. Whether sitting up, lying on my back / side - anyhow, I barely get past 90 degrees. Meaning I still can’t put my own sock on, grr. Shoes I manage, sort of, but that’s with a straight leg. It’ll be eight weeks for me tomorrow since break / operation to fix internally - am I just in too much of a hurry? Any words of hope that I will eventually get my own sock on would be welcome!
while still in hospital the physio gave me a few non-weighted exercises to do 2-3 times/day while laying down, just to get the joint mobile and improve range of movement, took a few weeks before i could dump the sock-putter-on gadget
that was the only 'exercise' i was allowed for over three months
one was laying down, one leg straight, bring the knee of the other to the chest (well, try to), over time, the injured leg got closer and closer
can't remember how long it took, but one of the mini-victories once the full-on physio started was being able to stand on either leg, while putting the sock on the other
btw in retrospect i wish i'd also done some arm exercises, the long time on crutches left me with some joint/tendon issues that then took more physio to fix - tbh they told me i'd been spending far too much time up and about on crutches, but i just needed to get out every day for a hop around the park and visit a cafe
my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny0 -
there are gadgets to enable you to put socks on yourself, think the one i had was 'soxon', looked awful, worked very wellamse1 said:Thank you @sungod - I will persevere and stay as patient as possible (and in the meantime continue to get help from family with socks - good thing it’s summer
).
my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny0 -
A small warning about the forward bending stretches - be careful not to over do it! I was told by my doctor that I could do yoga, so everyday for the last 2 months I've been doing sitting poses and lots of forward bends, figure-4s etc thinking they were safe because I wasn't putting weight on my leg. I have always been super flexible so over time, I was able to put my nose to my knees - little did I know that I was causing damage to my gluteal tendons by doing so which was causing lower back and buttock pain. Every time I felt pain, I would stretch even more which made me feel better afterwards. However last Wed, I was experiencing so much pain, I couldn't sit for more than 10 minutes - it felt like I'd herniated a disc. I was also having problems walking so fearing the worst (AVN), I got an MRI which revealed that I had developed gluteal tendinopathy, bursitis, and a grade 1 gluteus maximus muscle strain. My fracture was still healing and luckily no signs of AVN, but apparently all the forward bends I'd been doing were causing damage. Who knew that stretching could be so debilitating! Anyways, I know you're not anywhere near tearing your gluteus maximus yet but yes, definitely be gentle on yourself! Good luck!
https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/03/sunday-review/womens-flexibility-is-a-liability-in-yoga.html
https://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/inside-my-injury-how-i-ended-up-with-a-total-hip-replacement-at-age-45/2 -
Thank you @filterfineQYriHnx7 , very interesting article (couldn’t get to the NYT one, paywall 😡 but the yogajournal one worked) and clearly an object lesson in not overdoing it … it’s very easy to want too much too fast. Unlike you however I have long been only moderately flexible (ironically, through daily short gentle yoga before my crash I had really been improving it!) so don’t think I’ll be giving myself the type of strain which you have - hope that and the bursitis etc. soon improve! But one thing is clear, Take.It.Gently!!! So I am making sure I do just that - literally making sure I put my feet up after lunch with a book, rather than keeping going! Sometimes less is more …1
-
I crashed my gravel bike in a rut and ended up needing an intertrochanteric nail put into my hip (two rods in bone, one down femur and the other up into the portion that goes into hip ball).
I immediately had no weight restrictions and doctor just said "do what you are comfortable with". 8 days after surgery the staples were removed and next appointment was for a month later.
I started doing some 10-14 mile rides 16 days post surgery. I lowered seat and put flats on to make it easier to put my foot down. Also got some POC VPD 2.0 shorts to protect the hip.
I really have not found much info on recovery timetable or guidelines for my type of surgery.
53 years old, 6'3", and weigh 180 pounds. I road over 12,000 miles in 2021.
Riding bike seems to be good therapy for me and less stress than walking.
I have googled my butt off and just can't find much recovery info out there.0 -
Golly, @kbarkema01UbhazgFB , I am completely in awe there. I so so wanted to ride a (normal city) bike (in NL so main means of transport) after 5w but felt too wobbly, and couldn’t even get my leg over the Tacx at home then either, let alone at 16d! At 8w now am much less wobbly and more flexible and might give it a gentle go this week on easy country tracks… Cycling movement is def v good therapy, used Tunturi stationary bike after 2 weeks already, that one has no crossbar
Your op sounds similarish to mine. Internet is mostly unhelpful as @filterfineQYriHnx7 and many others have said … while “doing what you are comfortable with”
Is helpful-ish as a starter, I would really recommend you finding a physio to guide you and suggest helpful exercises. With mine, sure I could have come up with half of it myself after decades of pretty full-on sport - but the other half is really helpful tips and specific steer from someone who’s seen more broken hips than I ever will, which I would NOT have known, even as an experienced athlete.
And thanks for the specific make/model of padded shorts btw! Had seen that kind of thing mentioned but not with details 👍👍
0 -
Another entry for this thread!. It has been really helpful for me to read the entries here.
So on July 7th I was 7km from home ( I am living 40km south of Frankfurt, Germany) on a 70km training spin. It had started to rain, after a dry period, so I was being super careful. I slowed right down at a T junction and turned to access a bike path to my left. My front wheel immediately slipped from under me an I came down hard on my left hip. Having raced when I was younger, and again in my 40's and 50's, I had fallen more than once ( collar bone and elbow the only breaks) and so I have a lot of lumpy skin on both my hips as a result, but I instantly knew from the pain level that this was bad. Luckily people came to my aid quickly including an off duty nurse. I knew I could not really move without great pain and so I insisted on not moving at all. The ambulance came after 25 minutes and an hour after the fall I was in hospital. One X-ray was all the was needed ...subcapital femoral neck fracture.
The Oberartz (head doctor) advised immediate repair surgery, with no guarantee of success. I am 64, but extremely fit and healthy. I had put more than 1000km cycling on the clock in the 10 days before the fall and was due to go on a 17 day 1200km loaded tour next day!! They took my condition into account in deciding to try repair first instead of a hip replacement. I was operated on 5 hours after the fall. 3 pins inserted.
They got me out of bed next morning for a few steps but I was dizzy. Later that evening I managed about 50 meters with a walker. I walked quite a bit with crutches in hospital after that, but without any significant weight bearing. They kept stressing this point but also never discussed AVN, which I read about here. After 5 days I was home .Now I am in the frustrating 6 week "waiting to heal "period. No weight bearing exercise allowed, thereafter going well, a progressive load over a 4 week period. I am really tempted in a couple of weeks time (at say 4 weeks) to start on an exercise bike at zero resistance. I asked at the hospital before I left and they said not to. I asked the local "accident" doctor in my town, who is now looking after me after discharge, and he said, no problem, just don't load the joint. So it is really helpful to read the entries here. My instinct is to mobilize the joint a bit with a stationary bike but of course I will err on the conservative side too.
I am fully determined to get back to cycling and also to my other passion, skiing. I'm really hoping to be able to manage to "cruise the blues" next January. I have a holiday apartment in Black Forest and as I retired last January, I would hate to miss the next ski season. It will be what it will be but I will work as hard as necessary to recover in time , if there is any chance.
Thanks again to all who posted here previously. As many have said already, it is more than helpful for those of us who find ourselves in the same unfortunate position.
As for occupying my 6 weeks, I have decided to learn a language on Duolingo and I am giving that 4 or 5 hours a day. Watching the Tour every afternoon is also a welcome distraction.0 -
@osulljp Good luck with your recovery! I know how frustrating it is to not be able to ride your bike. And kudos for deciding to learn a new language - I wish I'd spent time doing something like that instead of researching all the possible things that could go wrong with my fracture (not helpful!) I did try to work on core exercises though which I'm hoping will help when I'm able to ride again. And swimming has been the best therapy1
-
A question to all: what has anyone heard or experienced about the effect of dietary silicon on bone healing? A friend (not a medical professional) has recommended it to me and I would be keen to hear if any on this forum has anything to report!
Thanks in advance!0 -
An update on my recovery process - it's been 13 weeks since my crash and 9 weeks since my first doctor's visit. I had a follow-up appointment yesterday and the doctor said my bone is still healing but looks good. Apparently it can take 6 months to a year for the bone to fully heal, but he said I could ride my bike outside as long as I don't crash. Woohoo! Also my muscle and tendon tears seem to be almost healed so my back and butt are no longer in excruciating pain.
I went for a slow gentle spin this morning and it felt really nice to be pedaling outside again. My sit bones still feel "something" when I'm on the saddle which wasn't initially comfortable but the feeling went away after 5-10 minutes. Also, I can now walk up and downstairs without having to resort to one step at a time (the recovering leg is still weaker so I'm slightly lopsided when climbing but I feel like it's getting stronger everyday)
Today, I feel closer to "normal" than I've felt since this whole ordeal started! Anyways just wanted to provide this update for anyone who might need it in the future because I think I'm the only person on this 12-year old thread that didn't have surgery (and walked around on the broken hip for a month before getting checked) so I feel like it's no minor miracle that I recovered (and for that, I am so so grateful).
Good luck to everyone else on the road to recovery!!1 -
hadn't heard of it, but there's been some research on the subject...amse1 said:A question to all: what has anyone heard or experienced about the effect of dietary silicon on bone healing? A friend (not a medical professional) has recommended it to me and I would be keen to hear if any on this forum has anything to report!
Thanks in advance!
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3671293/pdf/IJE2013-316783.pdf
whether it'd help will depend on dietary intake etc., overall nutrition is probably the main factor, things like vitamins d and k have also been linked to bone health, whether it's worth taking more of them is another matter
i'd look at non-commercial/non-quack/non-clickbait sources of data before taking anythingmy bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny0 -
Mmmmm, beer.....0
-
@filterfineQYriHnx7, that sounds like amazing progress, well done! Hope it continues. And @sungod, yes indeed my personal jury is still out on the pros/coms of siliocn …
I had a different question. Like many of us, I have dynamic screws in my hip. At today’s checkup the surgeon (particularly lacking in a good bedside manner, has anyone out there met an empathetic surgeon??) confirmed that the neck of my hip (broken clean across, no displacement) was healing nicely but had compacted slightly, as was normal / to be expected. I asked whether this would mean I’d end up with a shorter leg, and he - did I mention he was entirely lacking in a bedside manner? - said well, it might do, we can’t tell yet. What are your experiences out there?
The dynamic screw is also sticking out abut 13mm already (after 10 weeks) but I’m not yet noticing it or feeing discomfort. Rather disconcerting to know that this screw is somewhere in my hip, sticking out, and I’m not yet aware …
Grateful for any comment on either of these! Thanks, Alice0 -
fwiw i have three screws in mine, the ends do stick out and it's easy to feel the difference vs. the other hip just running fingers over the area
if i press on the side and move my leg i can feel muscle/tendon/whatever moving across them
i asked a few times about eventual removal, the surgeon involved (also lacking in bedside manner!) and, years later, others with no connection, all said leave it alone, i still get the occasional twinge, but hasn't been any real problem
different to a dhs, but it does seem 'ok' to have bits of metal sticking out
my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny0 -
Hi Alice,
Yes, your situation sounds very similar to mine (scroll to earlier posts, if you haven't already). The protruding screws got very painful and I had to push the surgeon hard to get them removed, it was worth it though, I'm still not exactly pain free, but a lot more comfortable than before.
My repair also compacted and I have one leg a fair bit shorter than the other, maybe about an inch. It's a pia in many ways. In hindsight, I wish they'd done a replacement rather than a repair and both issues would have been avoided.
Lots of walking helped with the leg imbalance and was good way to work on eliminating a limp. On the bike power is well down on the injured side though.
Good luck.
0 -
Hi all - thanks @harry-s and @sungod for your answers. The physio gave me a full going-over fir symmetry etc and she reckons I’m ok for leg length. So I’m believing her for the moment 😄
Another question for anyone, about range of mobility. I’ve trawled through the thread but not found a huge amount on ROM. What are your experiences out there? My recovery is going pretty well (three months today) and am going full-on with physio - but not with ROM! thank goodness it’s summer, getting socks on is a nightmare involving 10mins rolling around on my back, and I have to tie laces with a straight leg. Knee-to-nose with my bad leg is still WAY off. My physio tells me to be patient. What’re your experiences?
Alice0 -
fwiw after the 3+ months non-weight bearing, it took several months to get 'normal' range back once i started with the sports physio, it was intensive (and not much fun at times)
aside from general muscle tightness through disuse, i think the tougher scar tissue/whatever around the joint gets in the way, it takes a while to persuade everything to get back to normal, early on the physio did some deep massage of the joint area
even years later i still do some exercises to keep flexibility/range, otherwise that hip gets tight again
there's a yoga position called child's pose, one stretch was a bit like that except start on hands and knees, move into the pose with hands straight ahead concentrating on keeping body/legs in-line, hold a few seconds, repeat ten times, at first it was impossible to get low enough or avoid twisting, and the joint often 'pinched', over time it got easier to do until position was normal
but this is just one of many things the physio had me do, you really need to ask your's specifically, maybe they don't think it's time yetmy bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny0 -
just an update. Almost exactly 4 weeks from the time they were rolling me into surgery I started riding RAGBRAI (week long ride across Iowa). I bagged it and even road out to the start, ended up riding about 600 miles in 10 days. I put my clips back on, the only concession I made was my seat was slightly lowered so I could swing my leg over to mount. I did use a cane when not riding much of the time, walking created discomfort, cycling did not.kbarkema01UbhazgFB said:I crashed my gravel bike in a rut and ended up needing an intertrochanteric nail put into my hip (two rods in bone, one down femur and the other up into the portion that goes into hip ball).
I immediately had no weight restrictions and doctor just said "do what you are comfortable with". 8 days after surgery the staples were removed and next appointment was for a month later.
I started doing some 10-14 mile rides 16 days post surgery. I lowered seat and put flats on to make it easier to put my foot down. Also got some POC VPD 2.0 shorts to protect the hip.
I really have not found much info on recovery timetable or guidelines for my type of surgery.
53 years old, 6'3", and weigh 180 pounds. I road over 12,000 miles in 2021.
Riding bike seems to be good therapy for me and less stress than walking.
I have googled my butt off and just can't find much recovery info out there.
I still walk with a slight limp but it is slowly getting better, surgeon said that could take months.
I know I was lucky my fracture was not displaced and I never had weight restrictions. I did lots of walker/crutch/cane walking and exercises to break up the scar tissue. Never had physical therapy so my plan was all google based/whatever I dreamed up.
My surgeon said my recovery was "miraculous". I think it was a combination of lots of luck, determination, and nobody telling me to slow down.
No doubt everybody's injury and path to recovery is different. My only advice is do as much as you can everyday within the bounds of your recovery plan (I got a get out of jail free card with the advice "do whatever you are comfortable with").
Good luck to everybody dealing with injuries and hopefully you will get on with your passion ASAP.
0 -
@kbarkema01UbhazgFB congrats on your recovery! @amse1 re: range of motion - I would ask your physio for some specific exercises to do everyday and you'll eventually get it back. You can set a timer and increase the time you hold each stretch gradually (i.e. start with 60 seconds and add an extra 5 seconds every other day). It's best to stretch when your muscles are already warmed up (don't do what I did and stretch first thing in the morning without warming up - that's how I tore my tendons and butt muscles!) Eventually you'll get range of motion back. Good luck!0
-
7 weeks today since my hip fracture. Recovery is going well. Lots of physiotherapy and home training exercises with 2kg ankle weights. Doing 3km walks daily on my crutches and got up to 36 minutes today on the spinning bike (4th session but easy going, adding 2 minutes each time). Control x-ray last week showed up no issues at all. I am now at 55% weight bearing and will ditch the crutches for good in about 3 weeks. I already walk to the kitchen and back without them, and without any pain or limp.
Range of Movement is of course restricted but in the last day or two I can just about get my sock on without using that sock helper gadget. I feel I could do more than I am doing but the physio wants me to be careful still at this stage. Seems a good guy and he will "give gas" when we get to week 10, and sees no issues with me returning to most activities in early October.
That said, I have in mind to get out on the bike Friday week (that will be 8 weeks and a day). There is a festival 12km away an parking will be impossible, so I am planning to cycle there and back.
The only pain I have is an occasional sharp pain high up on the inside if I overstretch or make a strange movement.
Next control x-ray is not until Oct 18 (15th week) as the consultant himself will be on vacation. For sure I will cycle to it!0 -
Like many other similar stories here, I broke my neck of femur almost exactly a year ago falling off my road bike when cornering, no car involved. Garden 2, Pauwels 2, received DHS + derotation screw + 2 cannulated screws in a hospital in London where I live.
To date this is still the longest and probably the most constructive thread I've read, so I thought I'd just register and share my experience as well.
The reason why I didn't register initially was that I came from a mountaineering background (climbing/scrambling/walking/running/etc). Although I cycled 200+km monthly pre-injury, they were mostly a couple of big days out during the weekends each month, cycling hardly making it to my top 5 sports. Now, to my dismay, I realised this hip fracture impacts cycling the least amongst my main hobbies. I somewhat regret working too hard on the bike, and have never ridden outside ever since. That said, I still plan to ride outside again once the metalwork is removed.
Age 40, my recovery in the first 8 months was satisfactory to say the least compared to the average progress I've read everywhere. Partial weight bearing for 6 weeks but I was on turbo trainer since 4th week, just to get muscles firing and metabolic up and running again. Little to no limp when walking since Feb this year. As a full time working dad of a 5yo, I averaged 15 hours per week on rehab since November till end of March this year, when I was given the clearance from my surgeon to run, finally. Some progress had been made by end of May, but overall there has been no meaningful achievement in the last 4 months. I've hit a plateau.
My jogging L/R balance had near perfect 50/50 pre-injury and now it's rarely better than 51.5L/48.5R even at laughable pace. Trending even worse recently as I try to boost my performance by just a little, which I think resulted in more compensation from my left leg in reality. Proper sprinting is pretty much no-go. Some of the muscles in my right leg have lost their teamwork and need years of re-training. Trained as a sprinter from age 10-16, I found my right thigh muscles don't know how to relax mid-air (which is a key technique in sprinting). Not to mention the lack of raw strength and explosive power.
The weak IT band constantly causes knee pains, at home or on the mountains. Right side plank lifting up left leg feels as difficult as it was half a year ago and, to be honest if I don't cheat by balancing my body using left hand, I can't do it at all.
One thing I've been struggling to explain is the very much weakened TFL that gives me discomfort and pains for all the time. It's always the weakest link of the chain no matter what activity I do.
Yes, cycling FTP is back. With tremendous hours spent on the turbo trainer, my cycling VO2MAX is even higher than before, but my goal is to return to the mountains after all, and I'm stuck.
Having seen two surgeons/consultants privately, I've just reached out to a third one. Will also see my 5th physio next week at ISEH. Later this month, the 5th appointment with my NHS surgeon to who I'm very grateful, as the fixation was almost perfect even by academic standard. Had 9 x-rays in the past year. I'm now trying to book a CT to get greenlight (peace of mind) for metalwork removal...Not really sure what to expect in the next year, 5 years and 20 years.0 -
the lack of explosive power on the injured side (left) is certainly something i noticed
in the last few months of physio (provided by iseh) there was more and more focus on dynamic exercises - single legged box jumps, trx jump squats etc.
the power imbalance slowly improved but left never managed to match the right
whereas on the leg press in the gym, in the end my leg strength was balanced, the injured side even a bit stronger, physio had given doing sets of reps of 150% body weight one-legged as a target, when i exceeded that i decided i was done with rehab
there is a slight numb area down from where the surgeon opened me up, perhaps that some muscle that is no longer getting the signals needed to match the power with the other side
fwiw on the longer term (i'm a fair bit older than you), had three screws which are still in there, almost eight years on, aside from the odd twinge, no issues, still active and cycling hard
my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny0 -
Thanks for sharing more of your experience further down the road. Sounds positive and promising.
ISEH is currently my last hope. The consultant I saw at ISEH advised against removal, but I'm still assessing pros vs cons, as I need to (in the hope of) go high altitude and -20/-30 degree environment, and am also concerned about another fall.
I suffered much bigger muscle damages (30 stitches) over 10 years ago falling off a scramble route (and was air-lifted to the hospital, 1/4 chance by Prince William, lol). The numb area, on the same side of the same leg, hasn't bothered me. No bones were broken, it was a 102% recovery sports wise.sungod said:
there is a slight numb area down from where the surgeon opened me up, perhaps that some muscle that is no longer getting the signals needed to match the power with the other side
I must be lucky. I had the odd twinge, though it has not troubled me since roughly when I hit the plateau in May/June. The unlucky aspect is that the surgery damaged blood circulation on the greater trochanter side of my femur. My right leg feels constantly colder than my left, especially after high intensity exercises. My NHS surgeon told me this is likely to remain forever.sungod said:
fwiw on the longer term (i'm a fair bit older than you), had three screws which are still in there, almost eight years on, aside from the odd twinge, no issues, still active and cycling hard
My main frustration comes from the fact that given my beginner level in cycling (<3.5 W/kg) it's already back and enough to entertain me, but I'm still in the dark on the other fronts I'm more into...
Will report back when I've decided on whether to go ahead with metalwork removal, likely toward the end of the year.
0 -
My experience with metalwork removal was a good one, - although they (the NHS) steadfastly refused to touch me until 2 years post op was up.
Pain levels went down and range of movement improved. I still can't put my ankle onto my knee when sitting though, which was my usual 'watching the TV' position.
Recovery was quicker than predicted and was pretty much driven by how quickly the swelling, which was significant, went down . Pain levels were nothing like the repair op.
Like sungod I also experience a bit of numbness around the scar, but nothing worth complaining about. My walking definitely improved after the metalwork removal.
Good luck.0 -
hope it goes well with isehhichoslew said:Thanks for sharing more of your experience further down the road. Sounds positive and promising.
ISEH is currently my last hope. The consultant I saw at ISEH advised against removal, but I'm still assessing pros vs cons, as I need to (in the hope of) go high altitude and -20/-30 degree environment, and am also concerned about another fall.
I suffered much bigger muscle damages (30 stitches) over 10 years ago falling off a scramble route (and was air-lifted to the hospital, 1/4 chance by Prince William, lol). The numb area, on the same side of the same leg, hasn't bothered me. No bones were broken, it was a 102% recovery sports wise.sungod said:
there is a slight numb area down from where the surgeon opened me up, perhaps that some muscle that is no longer getting the signals needed to match the power with the other side
I must be lucky. I had the odd twinge, though it has not troubled me since roughly when I hit the plateau in May/June. The unlucky aspect is that the surgery damaged blood circulation on the greater trochanter side of my femur. My right leg feels constantly colder than my left, especially after high intensity exercises. My NHS surgeon told me this is likely to remain forever.sungod said:
fwiw on the longer term (i'm a fair bit older than you), had three screws which are still in there, almost eight years on, aside from the odd twinge, no issues, still active and cycling hard
My main frustration comes from the fact that given my beginner level in cycling (
i've used them for two different injuries, the hip by far the worst
the physio spent time understanding goals (essentially to regain strength, be limp free and cycling at similar level to re-break), creating and then updating plans over many months, with regular assessment/motivation, it wasn't at all easy, but i came out of it pretty much back to normal as far as everyday life and cycling
years on, still doing the hardest rides that i did pre-break ok, maybe even a bit harder
obviously different hardware to you, but over time i've asked consultants, physio, doctors, all advised against removing the screws - it's an extra operation with risk of infection/complications/damage, then the need to wait for healing and bone growth, followed by more rehab - all said it was stronger/safer with the screws in than it would be without them
my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny0 -
Hello to the new 'recruits' and hope your recovery is going well.
Thats nearly 12 years for me now. Like everyone else, found this thread invaluable source of information.
DHS on right hip, Its still there, and the docs say categorically it wont be removed unless it causes significant discomfort, but sometimes the IT band 'pings' over it but when that happens it only lasts a few days before it settles down
I was checked for AVN over a period of 3 years (although the surgeon said that within 2 years it normally shows up) - X Rays only however - as the implant was stainless steel, they said they couldnt MRI it as it would show up as a noisy scatter effect on the MRI and they wouldnt be able to make anything out in the area.
It was stainless steel, not titanium, due to the cost difference (UK NHS).
Can do everything again normally except run (causes pain). Dont have any leg length discrepancy either.
However like others here, the surgeons remit was to get me functioning again and not to the same level as before. Probably the usual limit expectations speech get prior to any surgery.
Good luck and happy riding everyone.0 -
Any rowers out there?
It’s coming up to 6m after my break (neck of femur, plates/screws in, no complications). Daily life is basically ok, I can walk limp-free, and cycling too, both to get around and for sport, with the usual aches and pains as I rebuild strength. So far so good.
BUT. Range of motion. Head of femur is shorter (13mm at the last xray) following healing, and while physio is optimistic about my current stiffness being mostly tendons/ligaments rather than bone, I am wondering whether I will ever be bendy enough to row again - can now only row half slide (the knee-to-nose bend being the problem) Surgeons are being their usual not very helpful selves (“you’re walking again, isn’t that all you could wish for?”) and I am struggling to get useful info / consults but still have hope.
Anyone with broken neck of femur managed to row again? My club is full of people with hip replacements happily rowing, so I know that much!0
