Hip replacement surgery is a common and very painful medical procedure that will not be necessary for everyone, but is something that some disabled people with hip dysplasia or anyone experiencing hip pain may want to consider to improve their quality of life. I had hip replacement surgery a few years ago because I have hip dysplasia and was born with both of my hips fully dislocated, and one of my hips started to give me incredible pain that could only be fixed with surgery. After hip replacement surgery, I did lose a significant amount of mobility that has not come back yet, but my pain levels have improved. Hip replacement surgery is one of the most painful surgeries I have ever had, and one of my biggest fears is needing a second hip replacement. Many people who have had hip replacement surgery have to do it twice because, once you have one hip done, the other one often gives you problems. There is nothing I can do that can guarantee I will never need a second hip replacement, but there are things you can do to keep your hips healthy and delay it as long as possible. How do you avoid or delay a second hip replacement? In this post, I am going to share what I am doing to keep my hips healthy to lower my risk of needing a second hip replacement.
Be as active as possible- If you currently have hip pain, it can be difficult to move your body because the damage may already be done but if you don’t have pain moving your body as much as you possible can most certainly keep your hips healthy. Movement is so important because weakness causes more pain and when you keep your hips strong it is less likely that you will need a second hip replacement. Exercise is not a cure, and it is still possible that you will still need a second hip replacement even if you exercise daily, because there are some things that are not within your control, but you may be able to delay it a few years. I experienced hip pain for five years before it became so painful that I was in dire need of surgery. I think if I hadn’t been exercising, the pain would have gotten worse faster, and I would have needed surgery sooner. When you are in pain, a lot of people don’t want to exercise, but if you have hip pain, it’s so important that you do because it can cause pain to get worse, and you’ll most definitely need a hip replacement that could have been avoidable. Modify exercises if you have to, but as long as you have bearable pain, you should still be exercising for better hip health.
Maintain a healthy weight- When it comes to hip health, a lot of people know that movement can help keep your hips healthy, but what is not talked about enough is the importance of maintaining a healthy weight. If you gain a large amount of weight to the point that it significantly affects your mobility level, it can put stress on your hips and cause pain. The best thing you can do for yourself is to maintain a healthy weight, because when you are able to move well, it keeps your hips healthy and puts less pressure on your joints. A healthy weight is important if you are expecting to have a major surgery because if you are unhealthy, there is more of a risk of complications.
Avoid high impact exercise- If you have had hip replacement surgery, I would not be doing high-impact exercises seven days a week because hip replacements do not last forever, and you want them to last as long as possible. I also wouldn’t be doing exercises if I were trying to avoid hip replacement surgery, because high-impact exercises too often can wear the joint out and cause you to need one. Strength training can help build strong bones, but you shouldn’t be overloading your muscles and trying to lift as heavy as possible. When I am strength training my arms, I often lift heavier, but I do try to put minimal pressure on my legs because I don’t want to cause problems with my new hip or put too much stress on the hip I didn’t have done. Exercise is essential for avoiding a second hip replacement, but the types of exercises you do matter, and you don’t want to be doing anything that can cause a lot of wear and tear on your joints, because high-impact exercises are what cause a lot of people to need hip replacement surgery. There is nothing wrong with doing high-impact exercises sometimes, but don’t do too much because the more you do them, the faster you will wear out your joints. Walking is a great low-impact form of exercise that can keep you active without putting a lot of extra stress on your body.
When you are disabled, hip replacement surgery is sometimes inevitable because you can’t change your disability. I hope that I never need a second hip replacement and will be doing everything I can to prevent one, but I know it is always possible because you can be doing everything right and still have pain. If you have had hip replacement surgery and want to avoid or delay needing to do it twice, the best thing you can do for yourself is to stay active and eat healthy. It is so important that you do what you can to avoid hip pain because once you have it, often the damage is done, and it’s too late. These are things I am doing to hopefully avoid needing a second hip replacement, but even though I am doing all of these, that doesn’t mean I will never need one, because I can’t change the fact that I have hip dysplasia. What would you do to avoid needing a second hip replacement? If you liked this post, please leave a comment below and share it with your friends.
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