Spent the Night in the ER

[911 Rod]

Holy crap Batman!
I'm sure lots of thoughts were racing through your head.
Glad it worked out for you Jeff.

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

I think Jeff is up to chapter 1,367 with his stories!

He's definitely in the upper echelon of regular posters who know how to spin an entertaining yarn.

[Soterik]

So, you're saying you didn't make it to the dinner last night....

[Jeff Higgins]

You bet I made it to dinner last night. My son Alex drove me. Tuesday Dinner is sacred around here.

You guys have to remember that I'm half Irish (other half is German). These are the rules - no one will ever be accepted into the clan of Irishmen until they demonstrate that they can spin a good yarn. You may be born "Irish", but you will never be Irish until you can pass muster in front Irishmen, Guinness in hand, in the pub. It's a rather high bar. Not everyone makes it.

[speeder]

[Tobra]

Have to be careful with the titanium joints, not as good as OEM.

[Jeff Higgins]

Just back from a visit with the orthopedic surgeon who did the work. There was good news, and there was bad news.

First the bad. He referred to me as a "first timer". We can read a lot into that, and should. Prosthetic hips are far more prone to popping out.

Now the good. I could very well be a "last timer", that is entirely up to me. There is no reason for this to ever happen to me ever again. No further surgery is indicated, the components are undamaged and right back where they belong. It's all down to proper body mechanics. We discussed, he demonstrated, we got this.

Interestingly, when asked if increased strength, mobility, and fitness would help, his answer was "no". That's not how this works - nothing "holds" the ball in the cup per se.

Best news is that he told me that I can get back on the bicycle as soon as I can stand it. That made my day.

[Baz]

That's great news, Jeff!

Take care, my friend!

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

Just back from a visit with the orthopedic surgeon who did the work. There was good news, and there was bad news.

First the bad. He referred to me as a "first timer". We can read a lot into that, and should. Prosthetic hips are far more prone to popping out.

Now the good. I could very well be a "last timer", that is entirely up to me. There is no reason for this to ever happen to me ever again. No further surgery is indicated, the components are undamaged and right back where they belong. It's all down to proper body mechanics. We discussed, he demonstrated, we got this.

Interestingly, when asked if increased strength, mobility, and fitness would help, his answer was "no". That's not how this works - nothing "holds" the ball in the cup per se.

Best news is that he told me that I can get back on the bicycle as soon as I can stand it. That made my day.

Outstanding! ...and interesting.

It's great that you can get back on the bike as soon as you can bear it.

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by Tobra

Have to be careful with the titanium joints, not as good as OEM.

The surgeon told me before my operation that I was done snow skiing. A slow twisting fall that pops the joint might mean a very painful, expensive and risky re-do in the operating room. (I watched videos on how the replacement surgery was done. I shudder to think what .....)

My surgeon is part of the medical team that watches after the Men's US Snowboard Olympic team, so I trust what he said.

[911boost]

Good to hear it hopefully will not happen again!

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

Just back from a visit with the orthopedic surgeon who did the work. There was good news, and there was bad news.

First the bad. He referred to me as a "first timer". We can read a lot into that, and should. Prosthetic hips are far more prone to popping out.

Now the good. I could very well be a "last timer", that is entirely up to me. There is no reason for this to ever happen to me ever again. No further surgery is indicated, the components are undamaged and right back where they belong. It's all down to proper body mechanics. We discussed, he demonstrated, we got this.

Interestingly, when asked if increased strength, mobility, and fitness would help, his answer was "no". That's not how this works - nothing "holds" the ball in the cup per se.

Best news is that he told me that I can get back on the bicycle as soon as I can stand it. That made my day.

Great news! I'm not a doctor though I did intern under a surgeon senior year of college so take this as you will. I disagree with this so-called orthopedic surgeon, I can send out a newly cad plated M12 x 95 engine crossbar bolt that will definitely hold the ball in the cup. Or maybe a ball joint castle nut. Either one.

[gsxrken]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

Interestingly, when asked if increased strength, mobility, and fitness would help, his answer was "no". That's not how this works - nothing "holds" the ball in the cup per se.

That was the first question that came to my mind. What keeps it in? Why did it make its way out? How can you make this less likely to reoccur?
Ok… 3 questions.

[Skip Newsom]

Oy!!
Reading your account makes my hip hurt!
Glad you “popped” back- squat and swivel is now right out!

Glad I’ve still got OEM joints but the ol left hip has been problematic for decades.
I managed to tear some rotators in my left hip during my second trip up to Stevens pass with my big Brother when I was 17.
He was a great skier, loved it dearly and wanted me to learn and become a ski buddy.
I was on Rental gear and veered off into un groomed snow and fell spectacularly, enough that I got applause from peeps on the chair lift.
Right ski released, left did not and I was one hurting unit.
I was on my own since big brother was up in the steep and deep. I tried one more run and it was excruciating.
Took the skis back and went over to the car to wait for brother Scott.
Couple hours later I couldn’t walk.
After X-rays and a Dr visit I was told “Don’t do that to that hip again or it’ll be a surgical repair”

That ended my downhill skiing career since I like to walk and other stuff.

Hope it heals well Jeff, I can’t help but think it will help keep in place though exercise despite the Dr saying nothing keeps it in place, strong muscles have to help

[herr_oberst]

So, Jeff, I'm curious, how'd the recovery go, or is it ongoing? Are you back on the bicycle yet?

[Jeff Higgins]

Time for an update.

This has been one hell of a summer. My hip dislocated three more times since I started this thread. Just met with my orthopedic surgeon this morning to discuss options. It turns out that surgery is the only option. Fortunately, due to the design of the replacement parts, it will be far less invasive than the initial replacement.

The cup shaped insert in my pelvic bone actually has a replaceable insert. The current insert is 36mm in diameter. We are going to replace it with a 40mm insert. The ball on top of the femur insert will then get a 40mm liner popped over its top. It's that easy. Drive through window at the hospital.

It turns out that my L4, L5, and S1 vertebra are essentially fused. Because they are, they limit the fore/aft tipping range of motion of my pelvic bone. Because it does not rotate as much, the result is a requirement to make up that range of motion somewhere else when I move my legs. That "somewhere else" is in the hip joint. In my case, that results in the shaft on the femur insert fouling on the lip of the cup in my pelvis, leveraging the ball out of the cup. The extra diameter will allow for enough of an increase in the range of motion to prevent that contact.

The plan is to do this sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Rainy, crappy time of year up here anyway. Since the surgery is far less invasive than the first time, the recovery will be that much quicker as well.

I'm relieved that we found the "smoking gun". We x-rayed my lower back and hip from the side to check range of motion between sitting and standing. My pelvis essentially did not change position, or angle, between the two positions. Not good. It should have tilted at least 20 degrees. So, well, at least we have something to fix. Hopefully I can keep it in place until then. I think having a clear understanding of why it pops out will help with that.

[Baz]

Thanks for the update, Jeff. Sorry to hear of the reoccurring issue but sounds like it will be sorted out before too long. Good luck with the procedure later in the year, my brother.....

[Zeke]

Yeah, now that you know how it pops out, I bet you take measures to ensure it doesn't. Then will you have second thoughts? I have a strong aversion to surgery now that I've been through the infection-remove for 6 months and do it all over again. 3 surgeries in 2 years and two physical therapy periods of 12 weeks ea.

[A930Rocket]

Good to hear the news, but maybe a special U joint with electrical tape between the socket and the top of the femur will work best!

[Cajundaddy]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

You bet I made it to dinner last night. My son Alex drove me. Tuesday Dinner is sacred around here.

You guys have to remember that I'm half Irish (other half is German). These are the rules - no one will ever be accepted into the clan of Irishmen until they demonstrate that they can spin a good yarn. You may be born "Irish", but you will never be Irish until you can pass muster in front Irishmen, Guinness in hand, in the pub. It's a rather high bar. Not everyone makes it.

Sorry man, I hate it when aftermarket parts fail at the worst moments. Dislocated hip is about as painful as it gets.

Also half Irish and a generous portion German. It's an interesting mix because I prefer to do things very precisely... tomorrow... after a pint. Our saying is that you can always tell when an Irishman is spinning a yarn- His lips are moving.

Be well.