OT: Cycling After Hip Replacement

"B. Lafferty" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

A friend, age 55, has been putting off hip replacement for
fear that he won't be able to cycle afterwards. However,
he's now at the point where

the

Quoted message said:

hip is severly limiting his cycling and causing other
problems with "compensation" injuries.

Does anyone here have expreience, direct or a cycling
friend, who has had hip replacement and cycled afterwards?
More specifically, has a return to

a

Quoted message said:

decent riding level, average pace of 20mph, been possible
post-surgery?

Thanks in advance.

Brian,

This isn't directly the same, but it's very, very close.
First, I'm 48 years old ... so ages are comparable. I was
hit by a car ... severely ... in mid-October of 2002. I had
a fractured spine, broken pelvis, broken ankle and some
severe lacerations to my lower leg. But the worst injury was
a severly broken hip. The femoral head was almost fully
severed from the femur. (Forgive me. I'm no doc so I can't
get all the terms exactly right.) The doc said it was a
50/50 proposition whether or not to try to save the hip as
it was or do a replacement. She said the key differences
were: a) if I healed properly, the natural hip could be good
essentially forever whereas the replacements tend to need
replacement again in 20 years or so, b) on the other hand,
rehabilitation for a replacement is much faster than waiting
for the bone to heal on a repair job.

She decided that, since I was in such good shape, she'd go
with the repair. I had three huge titanium screws inserted
through the femoral head to put the hip back together again.

I was not allowed to bear any weight on the left leg until
mid-December. Then I was only allowed partial weight bearing
until mid-January. Much of this had to do with the damage to
the ankle more than the damage to the hip. But ... I was
allowed to begin riding rollers in mid-December! So I rode
them, and rode them, and rode them. In early January I began
a few trainer workouts to start building back some muscle
strength. They were pathetic, but they were something.

In mid-January, when I was allowed to begin going without
crutches or cane, I began physical therapy. At the same
time, the doc cleared me to get outside for some riding.

At the end of January I did my first "real" road ride with
some friends. I rode 38 miles in hilly terrain and averaged
18 mph. I was astounded. So were my friends.

In early May I rode a full century that included a mountain
climb and 7,500 feet of climbing. I finished in just under 5
hours with the lead pack and recorded my personal best time.
I went on to record personal best times in nearly every
event I rode all season. These weren't races, but mostly
centuries where I was always at the front and riding with
the racers who would show up. My favorite was a ride
Memorial Day weekend where I finished second just behind
Kurt Garin in an event in Hartwell, GA. (Don't ask me to
specify what I mean by "just behind." ;-))

I worked very, very hard on my comeback to cycling. I went
through a good bit of pain and suffering. Even today,
though, I ride better than I walk. Your friend should
probably have it easier than this. There will be a long time
where he'll feel like the restricted range of motion he'll
have will never go away. It will. It just takes working at
it. Lots of stretching and exercise.

I hope this helps and offers him some encouragement. God
engineered an amazing thing in the human body. It has
amazing powers of rehabilitation.

He should be flying in no time and his body might benefit
from the bit of rest.

Bob C.

Thanks. I'll forward it to him. My understanding is that
they now use a high grade ceramic in the replacement joints
that works quite well over a fairly long period of "normal"
use---like 30 years. So if he's 55 and gets 15 years of
cycling before another replacement, that won't be so bad.

Thanks again.

"psycholist" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"B. Lafferty" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:vN-
[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

A friend, age 55, has been putting off hip replacement
for fear that he won't be able to cycle afterwards.
However, he's now at the point where

the

Quoted message said:

hip is severly limiting his cycling and causing other
problems with "compensation" injuries.

Does anyone here have expreience, direct or a cycling
friend, who has

had

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

hip replacement and cycled afterwards? More
specifically, has a return

to

Quoted message said:

a

Quoted message said:

decent riding level, average pace of 20mph, been
possible post-surgery?

Thanks in advance.

Brian,

This isn't directly the same, but it's very, very close.
First, I'm 48 years old ... so ages are comparable. I
was hit by a car ... severely ... in mid-October of
2002. I had a fractured spine, broken pelvis, broken
ankle and some severe lacerations to my lower leg. But
the worst injury

was

Quoted message said:

a severly broken hip. The femoral head was almost fully
severed from the femur. (Forgive me. I'm no doc so I can't
get all the terms exactly right.) The doc said it was a
50/50 proposition whether or not to try to save the hip as
it was or do a replacement. She said the key differences
were: a) if I healed properly, the natural hip could be
good essentially forever whereas the replacements tend to
need replacement again in 20

years

Quoted message said:

or so, b) on the other hand, rehabilitation for a
replacement is much

faster

Quoted message said:

than waiting for the bone to heal on a repair job.

She decided that, since I was in such good shape, she'd go
with the

repair.

Quoted message said:

I had three huge titanium screws inserted through the
femoral head to put the hip back together again.

I was not allowed to bear any weight on the left leg until
mid-December. Then I was only allowed partial weight
bearing until mid-January. Much of this had to do with the
damage to the ankle more than the damage to the

hip.

Quoted message said:

But ... I was allowed to begin riding rollers in mid-
December! So I rode them, and rode them, and rode them. In
early January I began a few

trainer

Quoted message said:

workouts to start building back some muscle strength. They
were pathetic, but they were something.

In mid-January, when I was allowed to begin going without
crutches or

cane,

Quoted message said:

I began physical therapy. At the same time, the doc
cleared me to get outside for some riding.

At the end of January I did my first "real" road ride with
some friends.

I

Quoted message said:

rode 38 miles in hilly terrain and averaged 18 mph. I was
astounded. So were my friends.

In early May I rode a full century that included a
mountain climb and

7,500

Quoted message said:

feet of climbing. I finished in just under 5 hours with
the lead pack and recorded my personal best time. I went
on to record personal best times

in

Quoted message said:

nearly every event I rode all season. These weren't races,
but mostly centuries where I was always at the front and
riding with the racers who would show up. My favorite was
a ride Memorial Day weekend where I

finished

Quoted message said:

second just behind Kurt Garin in an event in Hartwell, GA.
(Don't ask me

to

Quoted message said:

specify what I mean by "just behind." ;-))

I worked very, very hard on my comeback to cycling. I went
through a good bit of pain and suffering. Even today,
though, I ride better than I walk. Your friend should
probably have it easier than this. There will be a

long

Quoted message said:

time where he'll feel like the restricted range of motion
he'll have will never go away. It will. It just takes
working at it. Lots of stretching and exercise.

I hope this helps and offers him some encouragement. God
engineered an amazing thing in the human body. It has
amazing powers of rehabilitation.

He should be flying in no time and his body might benefit
from the bit of rest.

Bob C.

"B. Lafferty" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

A friend, age 55, has been putting off hip replacement for
fear that he won't be able to cycle afterwards. However,
he's now at the point where the hip is severly limiting
his cycling and causing other problems with "compensation"
injuries.

Does anyone here have expreience, direct or a cycling
friend, who has had hip replacement and cycled afterwards?
More specifically, has a return to a decent riding level,
average pace of 20mph, been possible post-surgery?

Thanks in advance.

Might get in touch with the Memphis Hightailers Bicycle
club. Lookup on the internet. There is an older Hightailer -
"Hugh" was the name I think, who had hip replacements and
still rode. He wasn't known as a hi-mileage or speedy
gonzales before, but he was a steady rider for many many
years, and still rode some after.

Regards; Mark

Thanks. I did a ride with them a few years ago while living
in New Orleans. Nice folks.

"spokin" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"B. Lafferty" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>-
...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

A friend, age 55, has been putting off hip replacement
for fear that he won't be able to cycle afterwards.
However, he's now at the point where

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

hip is severly limiting his cycling and causing other
problems with "compensation" injuries.

Does anyone here have expreience, direct or a cycling
friend, who has

had

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

hip replacement and cycled afterwards? More
specifically, has a return

to a

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

decent riding level, average pace of 20mph, been
possible post-surgery?

Thanks in advance.

Might get in touch with the Memphis Hightailers Bicycle
club. Lookup on the internet. There is an older Hightailer
- "Hugh" was the name I think, who had hip replacements
and still rode. He wasn't known as a hi-mileage or speedy
gonzales before, but he was a steady rider for many many
years, and still rode some after.

Regards; Mark

B. Lafferty said:

A friend, age 55, has been putting off hip replacement for
fear that he won't be able to cycle afterwards. However,
he's now at the point where the hip is severly limiting
his cycling and causing other problems with "compensation"
injuries.

Does anyone here have expreience, direct or a cycling
friend, who has had hip replacement and cycled afterwards?
More specifically, has a return to a decent riding level,
average pace of 20mph, been possible post-surgery?

Thanks in advance.

I knew a fellow named Bill Recht. He was very active in
the Long Island Bicycle Club, and also the Bicycle
Touring Club of North Jersey. He also manufactured
bicycles under the name Medici. I was on a ride with him
one day maybe 15 years ago. I'd say he may have been in
his 50s at the time. He fell and fractured his hip,
which was pinned. Long story short, they screwed up, and
needed a total hip replacement. He was advised to give
up running, but he continued to ride. Within a year or
so, he'd fallen again and fractured his upper hip. I
think they successfully pinned that one, and he
continued to ride, reasonably well from what I could
see. I would guess that if anything the technology has
only improved since then.

Steve

--
Mark & Steven Bornfeld DDS
Brooklyn, NY
718-258-5001
dentaltwins.comdentaltwins.comOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

Does anyone here have expreience, direct or a cycling
friend, who has had hip replacement and cycled afterwards?
More specifically, has a return to a decent riding level,
average pace of 20mph, been possible post-surgery?

Thanks in advance.

Yes. Although he was relatively young (30's) compared to
your friend. He had to have his hip replaced approximately 2
years after breaking it in a cycling crash and subsequently
developing avascular necrosis of the femoral head. He's back
to riding now at the level he was prior to breaking his hip.

Small world! I rode with Bill from 1977 through the mid-
1980s with the old LIBC out of Westbury. I helped him
promote Medici at the New York Cycle Show in 1978(?). He
also owned a restaurant on the Upper East Side called the
Lion's Rock where he had the kick off dinner for Medici.
Bill also had some involvement with Mario Confente, although
I don't recall the specifics. Still have the Medici tee
shirt somewhere (black with Medici in bright Yellow).

Do you know if Stu Shackman and Ron Karman (?) are still
riding? I know Billy Bauer is still out there.

"Mark & Steven Bornfeld DDS" <[email hidden]>
wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

B. Lafferty said:

A friend, age 55, has been putting off hip replacement
for fear that he won't be able to cycle afterwards.
However, he's now at the point where

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

hip is severly limiting his cycling and causing other
problems with "compensation" injuries.

Does anyone here have expreience, direct or a cycling
friend, who has

had

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

hip replacement and cycled afterwards? More
specifically, has a return

to a

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

decent riding level, average pace of 20mph, been
possible post-surgery?

Thanks in advance.

I knew a fellow named Bill Recht. He was very active
in the Long

Island

Quoted message said:

Bicycle Club, and also the Bicycle Touring Club of North
Jersey. He also manufactured bicycles under the name
Medici. I was on a ride with him one day maybe 15 years
ago. I'd say he may

have

Quoted message said:

been in his 50s at the time. He fell and fractured his
hip, which was

pinned.

Quoted message said:

Long story short, they screwed up, and needed a total hip
replacement. He

was

Quoted message said:

advised to give up running, but he continued to ride.
Within a year or

so, he'd

Quoted message said:

fallen again and fractured his upper hip. I think they
successfully

pinned that

Quoted message said:

one, and he continued to ride, reasonably well from what I
could see. I

would

Quoted message said:

guess that if anything the technology has only improved
since then.

Steve

--
Mark & Steven Bornfeld DDS Brooklyn, NY 718-258-5001
dentaltwins.comdentaltwins.comOpen ↗

Another Bill Recht story. He did a business trip out to
California where they were building Medici bikes (Gian ??
was his Italian builder/factory manager). While out there he
did a club ride in which a young racer and his dad were
riding. At one point the kid said, time to move and headed
up the road with a very select few. The kid rode for Avocet
at the time. Name was Lemon, Lerman, Lemond something. ;-)

"B. Lafferty" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:jOdj-
[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Small world! I rode with Bill from 1977 through the mid-
1980s with the

old

Quoted message said:

LIBC out of Westbury. I helped him promote Medici at the
New York Cycle Show in 1978(?). He also owned a restaurant
on the Upper East Side called the Lion's Rock where he had
the kick off dinner for Medici. Bill also

had

Quoted message said:

some involvement with Mario Confente, although I don't
recall the

specifics.

Quoted message said:

Still have the Medici tee shirt somewhere (black with
Medici in bright Yellow).

Do you know if Stu Shackman and Ron Karman (?) are still
riding? I know Billy Bauer is still out there.

"Mark & Steven Bornfeld DDS"
<[email hidden]> wrote in

message

Quoted message said:

"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

B. Lafferty said:

A friend, age 55, has been putting off hip replacement
for fear that

he

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

won't be able to cycle afterwards. However, he's now
at the point

where

Quoted message said:

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

hip is severly limiting his cycling and causing other
problems with "compensation" injuries.

Does anyone here have expreience, direct or a cycling
friend, who has

had

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

hip replacement and cycled afterwards? More
specifically, has a

return

Quoted message said:

to a

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

decent riding level, average pace of 20mph, been
possible

post-surgery?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Thanks in advance.

I knew a fellow named Bill Recht. He was very active
in the Long

Island

Quoted message said:

Bicycle Club, and also the Bicycle Touring Club of North
Jersey. He

also

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

manufactured bicycles under the name Medici. I was on a
ride with him one day maybe 15 years ago. I'd say he may

have

Quoted message said:

been in his 50s at the time. He fell and fractured his
hip, which was

pinned.

Quoted message said:

Long story short, they screwed up, and needed a total
hip replacement.

He

Quoted message said:

was

Quoted message said:

advised to give up running, but he continued to ride.
Within a year or

so, he'd

Quoted message said:

fallen again and fractured his upper hip. I think they
successfully

pinned that

Quoted message said:

one, and he continued to ride, reasonably well from what
I could see. I

would

Quoted message said:

guess that if anything the technology has only improved
since then.

Steve

--
Mark & Steven Bornfeld DDS Brooklyn, NY 718-258-5001
dentaltwins.comdentaltwins.comOpen ↗

B. Lafferty said:

My understanding is that they now use a high grade ceramic
in the replacement joints that works quite well over a
fairly long period of "normal" use---like 30 years. So if
he's 55 and gets 15 years of cycling before another
replacement, that won't be so bad.

I got a hip replacement last June. Since I was younger (56)
than the usual patient, my doctor suggested a new (at least
in the US) metal on metal hip joint (see
activejoints.commom.htmlOpen ↗). Current experience
shows that this type is likely to last my full life (a big
advantage - these operations are not a walk in the park),
but it has a disadvantage that it raises the level of
metallic ions in the blood. The level reached is well below
the warning point, but it might be a concern for some folks
(since I, to treat an unrelated high iron problem, am tapped
for a pint of blood per month, I'm not worried about bad
stuff building up).

My post-op experience with cycling is pretty minimal.
Certainly my hip is much better than before, but I
unfortunately have 3 other decrepit joints (although not yet
as bad as the first hip was).

--
Tony Rall

B. Lafferty said:

Small world! I rode with Bill from 1977 through the mid-
1980s with the old LIBC out of Westbury. I helped him
promote Medici at the New York Cycle Show in 1978(?). He
also owned a restaurant on the Upper East Side called the
Lion's Rock where he had the kick off dinner for Medici.
Bill also had some involvement with Mario Confente,
although I don't recall the specifics. Still have the
Medici tee shirt somewhere (black with Medici in bright
Yellow).

Do you know if Stu Shackman and Ron Karman (?) are still
riding? I know Billy Bauer is still out there.

I'll answer privately so as not to bore the others by
tripping down memory lane.

Steve-- Mark & Steven Bornfeld DDS Brooklyn, NY 718-258-5001
dentaltwins.comdentaltwins.comOpen ↗

B. Lafferty said:

Another Bill Recht story. He did a business trip out to
California where they were building Medici bikes (Gian ??
was his Italian builder/factory manager). While out there
he did a club ride in which a young racer and his dad were
riding. At one point the kid said, time to move and headed
up the road with a very select few. The kid rode for
Avocet at the time. Name was Lemon, Lerman, Lemond
something. ;-)

Oh, there's a lot of Bill Recht stories...

Steve
--
Mark & Steven Bornfeld DDS
Brooklyn, NY
718-258-5001
dentaltwins.comdentaltwins.comOpen ↗

Tony Rall said:

B. Lafferty said:

My understanding is that they now use a high grade
ceramic in the replacement joints that works quite well
over a fairly long period of "normal" use---like 30
years. So if he's 55 and gets 15 years of cycling before
another replacement, that won't be so bad.

I got a hip replacement last June. Since I was younger
(56) than the usual patient, my doctor suggested a new (at
least in the US) metal on metal hip joint (see
activejoints.commom.htmlOpen ↗). Current experience
shows that this type is likely to last my full life (a big
advantage - these operations are not a walk in the park),
but it has a disadvantage that it raises the level of
metallic ions in the blood. The level reached is well
below the warning point, but it might be a concern for
some folks (since I, to treat an unrelated high iron
problem, am tapped for a pint of blood per month, I'm not
worried about bad stuff building up).

My post-op experience with cycling is pretty minimal.
Certainly my hip is much better than before, but I
unfortunately have 3 other decrepit joints (although not
yet as bad as the first hip was).

--
Tony Rall

Interesting. I assume the part of the prosthesis
actually inserted in the bone is titanium. There is a
lot of shared technology between orthopedic and
dental implants.

Steve

--
Mark & Steven Bornfeld DDS
Brooklyn, NY
718-258-5001
dentaltwins.comdentaltwins.comOpen ↗

Mark & Steven Bornfeld DDS said:

Interesting. I assume the part of the prosthesis
actually inserted in the bone is titanium.

Yes, I think that the bone implants on both sides are
usually metal (not sure of the composition).

But the bearing surface, between the ball and the socket, is
some combination of polyethylene, ceramic, and metal
elements. Here is one layman's discussion of this:
nycacupuncture.comthr.htmlOpen ↗

--
Tony Rall