Hip replacement

[Teresa N]

Hi everyone. I'm new to this page. I haven't been able to ride for about six years due to unavoidable life changes. I am now in a position to get back in the saddle but have told I need hip replacement. I'm 60 years young. What do you think my chances are or should I just forget it😒 My passion has always been dressage but now would just be looking at some gentle hacking and schooling TIA

 

[ihatework]

Everyone I’ve known who has had a hip replacement have said they wish they had done it sooner!

Good luck with the op and I’m sure you will be back in the saddle soon

 

[Fiona]

Hubby is 7 weeks today following his, and it's all going well so far.

Consultant told him three months before getting back on board....

Good luck x

Fiona

 

[Teresa N]

Thanks for the encouragement. Was just a bit worried about the length of time I have been away from riding. Just starting to realise how much I miss it. most people who carry on seem to have ridden right up to op.
Teresa x

 

[oldie48]

A good friend and my SIL have had both hips replaced and both are back riding. I think their advice would be to make sure you lose any extra weight and get as fit as you an before the operation then invest in some good physio after the op and be prepared to work at getting your body straight again and all your muscles working as well as you can. My friend very much regrets putting the first replacement off and wishes she had gone for it earlier. Good luck.

 

[Reacher]

Mum had 1st hip done 10 months ago aged 79. 8 weeks later she was back at riding school. At Christmas she was demanding a ride on my horse whom she’s never ridden before.
She is currently recovering from other hip being done and impatiently waiting to get back to riding

 

[Teresa N]

Thank you all. I feeling much more positive about it now. Op should be late this year. Going to follow all your advice. In a lot of pain at moment so riding not really an option at moment but will work towards shedding some weight (I'm not big just bigger than I'd like) and getting an exercise programme going

 

[canteron]

I’m an older rider and notice that I need to actively work to keep fit so I can enjoy riding ( I see a personal trainer once a month who gives me ‘workouts’ which I do at least twice a week) my best advice would be to find a really good personal trainer / Pilates / yoga teacher who is good with rehabilitation stuff - get the bits you can (core, upper body with weights) as toned and flexible as you can now - and then work with a good trainer afterwards!

 

[Errin Paddywack]

I had a hip replacement at 70 in Oct last year. Wish I could have had it sooner. Having muscle problems now because I didn't get decent physio afterwards. Saw a really good physio yesterday and so wish I had seen him months ago. I am actually feeling like getting back on a horse after not riding properly for years.

 

[cindars]

OH had his done a few years ago not a rider but spent only one day/night in hosp.took 6 weeks to get back to normal he was 60plus.

 

[StableMum]

OH has his hip replacement in January and has been back riding for a couple of months now. The only thing he finds a bit difficult is dismounting as his muscles aren't quite back to full strength, but the actual riding is fine whereas before the op he had to give up because of the pain.

 

[Silver Clouds]

I had my first hip replacement at 34 and am now waiting for the other one to be done (in my late 30s). Due to collapse of the joint (my real one!) I lost the ability to abduct my hip so I rode very little in the 5 years prior to surgery, and not at all in the year immediately before the replacement, so found I lost a lot of strength. I had complications with the surgery and aftercare but was back riding after six months (and bought a new horse at that point too). I have been left with a permanently severed ligament on that side which means that leg is very weak/pretty useless when I ride but I have still managed (thanks to a very sensible horse) to start jumping again, and am regularly competing in various disciplines.

I would strongly advise that if you don't feel you are receiving adequate physio post surgery that you pay to see someone privately. At the time it was a stretch for me financially, but I was massively let down by the NHS in this respect (I was discharged from hospital post surgery unable to walk properly as I couldn't put that foot to the floor due to contracture- the ward team just said they hadn't seen that before and that it was probably permanent). When I was eventually seen by the NHS physio 6 months later even he said that it was a good thing I'd paid to be seen privately as it would be too late at six months to get the best outcome; the early physio made me much more comfortable, built up strength and I can now stand square and was walking with barely a limp (now limping on the other side though!). I am in much less pain since the replacement too.

My age and the disability that made the replacement necessary complicated things in terms of surgical technique and prognosis, but most people I have spoken to who have had hip replacements had a more straightforward experience and a very good outcome.

Good luck, and I hope you enjoy riding again as soon as you feel comfortable

 

[paddy555]

Mum had 1st hip done 10 months ago aged 79. 8 weeks later she was back at riding school. At Christmas she was demanding a ride on my horse whom she’s never ridden before.
She is currently recovering from other hip being done and impatiently waiting to get back to riding

not sure whether to be more impressed about the hip op or the riding at 79

 

[Suby2]

Go for it 👍

 

[karenb]

I had my first THR at 50 and second one at 57 and I'm 60 now. I was back riding my big Irish draught after 19 weeks after first replacement and 26 weeks after second. I've done long distance riding, schooling and a little jumping and ride regularly. And I've fallen off a few times aswell since !! You'll be pain free, just some discomfort as you heal up and back to normal after 6 weeks. But my advice is to do your physio religiously and keep it up afterwards and good suggestion by other poster to pay for some extra physio. Then when you feel ready why not book some private lessons. Once on board you won't notice or feel anything different between one hip and the other. Hope all goes well for you 😊

 

[ozpoz]

New hips are wonderful. If you've been in pain for a while you really do have to have physio - the nhs was only willing to ensure I could get to the loo - at 50! A sports physio gave me lots to work on, and I still do pilates, yoga, and dance to be fit to ride.

 

[Gleeful Imp]

I have had both my hips replaced, and am about 14 weeks post op the second one. My advice is go for the new hip! But get yourself a good physio who specialises in riders. I am having to work hard to release and strengthen muscles etc in order to literally be able to get my legs wide enough to ride my horse - but I have a wide section d mare. I am doing specific exercises several times a today and have a gym ball also.

I also recommend starting off on a mechanical horse, that is excellent physio and will help get your body ready to ride both pre and post op.

I had to really fight to get my hips done, I had to stop riding as the pain was excruciating and I was living in terrible pain on a daily basis. I cannot believe the difference and wake up every day with a genuine joy and so much more energy!

 

[Celtic Fringe]

I've just had a session on a mechanical horse following two years of not riding due to pain and a total hip replacement in April. Due to a slight complication I was only partially weight bearing on my operated leg for six weeks so I'm still quite weak on that side but getting better every day! I now cannot wait to get back on my little cob. However, as he has been with a professional rider for the last two year he is now at Advanced Medium and I'm probably at Intro

 

[Keith_Beef]

My mother had a total hip replacement at the end of October 2018. Quick operation, I think she was kept in for three nights, and because she lives on her own and her bedroom is upstairs, she had to have to have a mobility assessment (walking up and down a flight of stairs under observation) before being discharged.

She was told not to drive for six weeks, took things easy and walked just around inside the house for the first week, but was walking daily down to the shops after two weeks.

It's now eight months after the operation, and she tells me that she has noticed a little pain in her knee and ankle. She thinks that while her hip was bad, she was changing her gait to reduce the hip pain; now that the hip pain has gone, her gait has gone back to what it should be, and it's taking her knee and ankle a while to get used to it. But she is very glad that she had the op.

 

[splashgirl45]

i had my first hip op when i was 60 and was back riding after 12 weeks. i went to a riding school to ride for a couple of times as i didnt want to get straight on to my own horse as she was quite lively.. i then took mine to my friends place where i got on in the school with him holding her and he then walked round the school with me a couple of times until he unclipped the lead rope., that all went fine.....before the op the hip pain was so bad i could only manage 10 mins at a time. after the op i could hack out with no problems and after a while could hack for 2 hours ...so i would say get the hip done, then try some lessons on a mechanical horse to get you back into riding and if that goes ok, ride a real horse...good luck

 

[Cornish]

I've just come back from a very active jumping focussed riding camp with a friend who is 50 and who had a total hip replacement late January - she took her pony to camp (that was her motivator) and did everything that the rest of the group did. She's also just brought a new, bigger mare and is looking at all the things she can now do with her new found mobility. It certainly worked for her, she's like a new person.

 

[Suby2]

As well as doing physio to help my recovery from my hip operation I also bought a second hand iJoy machine which sort of mimics a horse’s action. I still use it now on the days that I ride as it helps open up my hips (the other hip is still dodgy). As a bonus it improves core strength.

 

[Teresa N]

Can’t thank you all enough for all your encouraging, informative and helpful answers. I’ve started a Pilates class in an effort to strengthen my body and planning and looking forward to my return to riding.