Hip Replacement 5 Year Anniversary!

Why read the blog article when you can watch it on YouTube?

        I regained the ability to walk without pain in January 2018. It was a three-month recovery process after surgery until I could work a full schedule in the restaurant. I adapted my movements and avoided specific tasks to protect and prolong the condition of the plastic in my titanium hip implant assembly. My other hip has no detectable issues, but it will need replacement. In January 2023, I go for a five-year check-in to see how I am doing.

        The lead-up and recovery from surgery inspired me to create the book Hip Replacement Adaptive Equipment and the Sport of Recovery: A Patient’s Perspective. Originally the book was an e-book with embedded instruction videos. The paperback version is more popular, so I created a YouTube channel so that anyone can view the video playlist Hip Adaptive Equipment. In previous blogs, I mentioned revising the book due to a new business email and such, and I have decided to write a sequel after my next hip replacement surgery. The Gmail address in the book still works, and I will include any further information I gain from my current hip implant in a blog and add videos to the YouTube playlist. I will post the video Hip Replacement 5 Year Check-in soon.

        Since my surgery, I have met folks with hip replacements puzzled by my long recovery time. But they do not work on their feet or squat, bend, lift, pull, and turn the way a restaurant worker does. I have watched additional and some newer YouTube videos about hip replacement patients. I was shocked by a video of a bodybuilder who returned to competition—and dismayed by a video of a doctor who contradicted my surgeon’s recommendations. I highly recommend you check the information with your medical team before following any crackpot advice. Also, do not underestimate the need for recovery time. I recently met someone who simultaneously had a hip and knee replacement in the same leg. She slipped and fell preparing food, split her leg bones, and needs substantial therapy and recovery time. A less able person would not walk again, but with persistence, she will.

        My book encourages folks to get the surgery and addresses concerns to calm their nerves about the process before and after. And provides crucial insight that my surgery program and other books on the topic lack. Please share my encouragement if you know someone who needs a hip replacement and assist them with meals or entertainment during their recovery.