Hip Replacement
baroid
Posts: 77
Hi All,
Well crashed on a Sunday Club Run and end up having a full hip replacement 10 days ago. I am keen to back on the turbo but know I must rush it.
Has anyone got any experience advice on starting back on the road to recovery. How long to wait and what sort of volume to start with. Not sure it is relevant but I am 71.
I have set a bike up on the turbo with flat pedals and a very high front end like Phil Cavell did in his book 'The Midlife Cyclist'.
Cheers
Phil
Well crashed on a Sunday Club Run and end up having a full hip replacement 10 days ago. I am keen to back on the turbo but know I must rush it.
Has anyone got any experience advice on starting back on the road to recovery. How long to wait and what sort of volume to start with. Not sure it is relevant but I am 71.
I have set a bike up on the turbo with flat pedals and a very high front end like Phil Cavell did in his book 'The Midlife Cyclist'.
Cheers
Phil
0
Posts
but as webboo says, do what the consultant tells you!
https://forum.bikeradar.com/discussion/12571535/broken-hip-recovery-advice-needed
I know you said you had flat pedals on your turbo bike but I would have thought a measure of whether you should be using the turbo would be. Can you put your cycling shoes and socks unaided. If not then it’s probably a no.
Flat pedals are recommended so that you don't over compensate with the good leg and under work the bad leg, which could result in an imbalance.
Just spoke to a physio that worked with the Olympic swimming team and he has convinced me its much to early to cycle.
Keep in touch and let me know how your rehab goes.
Phil
Here’s hoping you both make a swift recovery,
Baroid I came off on a roundabout back in 2016 and posted an ongoing thread with a timeline of what I did and when - the accident made me very determined to come back stronger which I did. Was 52 at the time.
Link to my thread below which I hope you will find useful. ( always seek medical advice of course, but so useful to hear from others. I can have no complaints about it as have done everything I wanted on it.
I’m now just 3 days from having a full right knee replacement due to severe arthritis so will soon be posting a thread to get the experiences of others for this!
Hope useful and please feel free to ask any questions too.
https://forum.bikeradar.com/discussion/13073435/just-had-hip-replacement-any-advice-please/p1
Thanks for the link I am sure I will pick up some useful tips form it.
Good luck with the knee replacement hope it all goes well and you are soon back on the bike. I will look out for your thread.
Phil
One f the things I meant to add was to strongly suggest getting a bone density check done to see if there was any reason for such a break. I got diagnosed with osteopenia / osteoporosis which I thought related to me diagnosed as coeliac not that long before. Further investigation after some time led to a diagnosis of parathyroidism which is too much calcium in the blood and can be quite dangerous if left untreated for too long. Sure this won’t be you, but worth the question to see if anything going on.
Time is the healer as ever. Best wishes! Matt
Thanks for the advice, will post how I am getting on.
Non sure what to do next, think of increase power and keeping the time short.
Would like to be back on the bike in another 4 weeks. Problem at the moment would be putting my shoes on, getting on the bike and clipping out.
Also at the weekend I managed to walk up Dodd woods 1300 ft of ascent and descent I used just one walking mainly on the descent.
I went on here today just doing my warm up problems.
I find if push it the best thing next day is just to do the basic physio stuff.
I was lucky baroid when I was recovering in that I had a Wattbike Pro which was more
‘Step thru’ without any cross bar as such. It was good to be back on a turbo physically and mentally I remember.
The hip replacement was certainly more problematic re getting into cars, bed etc etc.
baroid - Phil - I had to learn to lean the bike down much more when ‘ throwing’ my leg over the saddle.
One of the things with the Wattbike which was super motivating was the ability to see the balance of power in both legs and seeing it return steadily to my right leg over time till the point that I got back to 50/50.
In the days prior to seeing him I’ve able to do 3 of my usual interval sessions with usual gearing and pedal revs. First time my heart rate was higher second time it was about normal although it felt hard to complete the session.
Rock climbing wise I’m managing stuff that felt hard 2 years ago but has felt steady more recently. Certainly lacking in power but that what I’d expect after a month of no training.
I was hoping to ride out side in the next few days but the weather has put paid to that.
Hoping you keep going well - looking like a v good recovery!
I got people at the gym to give me feedback on my pedalling style and overall stance on the bike and got my wife to video me which was incredibly informative as I had developed a very slight lean. The dance studio had a wall of mirrors which was useful to see how I was walking too. Once I got clearance that my wound had healed I did lots of shallow water walking and the recommended stretches in the water which was super supportive.
Hope you are doing well. Your progress with the cycling is great! BW
I cannot even get on my bike yet so still the turbo for me.
Some days my knee is really painful which stops me walking much but it is OK when on the turbo. Still not sleeping great as find it really uncomfortable, tried different positions with and without a pillow for support.
I did 5 hours on the turbo last week and it will be 4 hours this week although low power. Just did a session of 1 hour at average power of 155W and average cadence of 85. Hip is OK although it pulls a bit of I crouch down over the handlebars.
I have noticed that my resting heart rate is about 8 to 10 beats higher than before the hip replacement, have you guys noticed a difference?
Keep going guys as you both seem to be progressing well.
Hip wise it feels ok although the muscle can feel sore after riding but then so does the muscle on my good side and my lower back isn’t great either 😂
I think the sleeping will remain challenging with having to lie on your back for a while longer. My right hip was replaced and slowly I could begin to lean slightly on to my left leg, but it took longer to be able to lie to my right. I found my nightime was disrupted too - I think possibly because I would still need to have some sleep in the day.
Re heart rate- yes had exactly the same- I guess to be expected with a loss of fitness, but it will come back!
Think you are doing well with your cycling- like you I went for lower power, but aimed to lengthen the time bit by bit.
I’m not the best one to say this, but remember there’s been a lot going on in that leg so it will take time for it to settle! My surgeon said it was hard because so much muscle had to be cut through and this needs to mend - he said it took longer to operate on me than average being a cyclist because of the muscle!
I also booked a physio and he did lots of work on the muscles in the leg - it really helped physically and psychologically!
It’s a journey you’re on - you’ve undoubtedly made some v good strides here … keep listening to the body. Ultimately, I came back stronger than before the op …. but it takes time- at 9 months I did nearly 70 miles and over 7,000 ft of climbing up to the Col de l’Iseran and felt fantastic, but built up to this.
Have a good weekend!