Witterings

Anyone else cycling after a hip replacement ... I've had both of mine done the last coming up to 2 years ago and the 1st coming up to 5 years ago.

I've been cycling a lot for the last 1 1/2 years totally problem free but recently my length of ride has increased and have also started doing some hills and the 1st one I had done has started playing up which is mainly noticeable when I'm walking rather than cycling though.

I used to be a complete sports nut with squash / water skiing as my main sports but am limited with what's advisable to do post replacements and took up cycling as I thought it was something good to do that wasn't quite so demanding on the joints.

Interested to hear of others experiences and if you're totally pain free or if anything changed after a period of time .... .

sirkaos

R hip total hip replacement and no issues here. This weekend I did about 90 miles with some decent climbing. I recovered pretty quickly when the hip was replaced, which was 4 years ago. After a longer ride, my leg muscles feel about the same, so I know they are doing the same amount of works. The only thing I have to do is I have to let TSA know when I am passing through security.

BirdsBikeBinocs

Left hip gets a replacement November 27. Coming fast ... The right knee will be replaced once my hip has been rehabbed

How long after your surgery did you begin to ride again.??

dmanthree

I haven't, but a riding partner has two replacements. She rides thousands of miles a year with no issues. She stops riding only for the start of the ski season.

Witterings

I can't exactly remember but it wasn't helped by the fact my intestine ruptured exactly 1 month to the day after the hip replacement and I was taken in for emergency surgery so that probably caused a greater delay than the hip itself but it still wasn't that long ... maybe 3/4 months.

I do remember I was quite surprised how easy it was to start again although very carefully / short distances initially and a gentle build up but I may be teaching you to suck eggs there.

I wasn't cycling when I had the 1st one done but I do remember the physio put me on an exercise bike and got me to pedal backwards (meant to be an easier intro) very gently as a way to help it regain full rotation / movement.

I saw someone the other day who'd had their knee done and apparently cycling isn't encouraged as it puts pressure on it ... I'd check that with your surgeon and knees are an awful lot more complicated, if there was any way I could delay that personally I would.

My knees have 4 operations already and needs a replacement at some stage, it was actually REALLY bad for a while after the 2nd hip hip was done - same side - and wonder if it aggravated it .... flip side I think cycling has now strengthened the knee and thank goodness is pretty much trouble free at the moment.

rollagain

Got my left hip replaced last September. I hadn't been able to ride since about 1999 because of the pain, and I wanted to ride again. Bought a bike in December and carefully practiced riding it the length of my living room for a while before I could get to take it outside. Then I started riding the mile into town and back.

I have more problems with my lower back and other joints than I do with the new hip. I had a leg-length discrepancy prior to the hip replacement, and they weren't able to fully correct it; I'm otherwise lopsided with a pelvic obliquity that I think is fused in place. Still, I can ride pretty comfortably now, adding distance and strength slowly but steadily.

mattbur

Had my left hip replaced in 2007 and the right hip replaced in 2017. I have had absolutely no problems at all. My limitations are I had to give up running and down hill skiing.

Fastfingaz

A friend in my running club, has had hip replacement,,,, and he runs in duatholons and triathlons,,,, amazing,,,and he does them well , respectable times for a 62'er....

Witterings

I must admit I've often been tempted and also to water ski again but I asked the surgeon if I could and he said yes you can but you have to bear in mind it'll only take so much before it wears out again and running is one of the worst and if you're water skiing and you foot gut stuck in the binding it could pop it out which really isn't good but he has patients that do both.

Maybe I'm being too cautious but where I'd got to the stage I could hardly walk for excruciating pain before I had the 1st one done I didn't want to do anything that may send it back to that quicker than needed and thought cycling would be one of the best options .... and now I'm hooked

Fastfingaz

I think it's a wise decision, don't push it in my opinion, I still run and cycle at 68 but I've never had any issues with either knock on my wooden head , so I say cycle on,,,,, and listen to your body......

Pridedog

I am 68 and had my hip replacement 14 months ago. First ride was 6 weeks after surgery for 2 miles on flat ground using a trike. Took a few rides to get up courage to try 2 wheeler. Have had some pain walking due to pinched nerves in back that showed up after surgery. But so far no pain riding. In 13 months of riding I have ridden 7000 miles. Getting stronger all the time on bike.

ahanulec

I had a total hip about 18 months ago after I had an accident that shattered my hip. I'm cycling in that and hadn't had pain from cycling. My surgeon even cleared me for running. I was actually shocked when he told me I could run again. I had prepared arguments to plead my case which I didn't have to use. This is a new development so I've only had one, one mile jog so far. It felt great.

I do have some limits to my flexibility that make it more difficult getting on and off the bike. I also was very uncomfortable while crammed in an airplane recently. Standing at 76 inches tall, the plane discomfort might be a little more unique to me.

xtrxtr

Hi All

I know this thread is a bit old but I found it as I was looking for info about cycling following THR. I am 55 years old and had my right hip replaced four weeks ago and I think it is all going well. I have been doing 30 mins on an exercise bike for about 2 1/2 weeks but the thought of cycling outside is a little daunting. In fact, although I realise it is still very early days, I generally feel vulnerable even when walking outside in case a child or something else causes me to fall. I assume my confidence will gradually return. I did cycle a bit before my operation (maybe 3000 miles per year) and would like to cycle again. Are others concerned about falling off and damaging the new hip? Has anyone considered wearing body armour type padded MTB shorts just in case? Has anyone fallen off after a THR and, if so, any damage to the new hip? Sorry for so many questions but I really want to get on with a normal life as soon as possible. I was not even going to consider getting back on a real bike until 12 weeks post surgery.

Thanks in advance

eah hae

Yeah, wait for 12 weeks until the healing is done. If you had posterior approach (scar on your back side), you should avoid hip flexion more than 90° (pretty impossible on a street bicycle?) and with any hip replacement you do not want to twist for 12 weeks, which both may happen if for whatever reason you lose your balance on the bike.
You can do stationary bike for now for safety and to maintain all your hip precautions to prepare yourself for the street bike when everything is healed in a couple of months.

LaurieD

My husband cycled regularly on weekends until arthritis in his back and hips rendered him unable to walk on his own, let alone get on and ride his bike. He went through a couple of years of surgeries before he was out of that place - two spinal as well as both hips being replaced. The doctor told him cycling would be a good option for exercise.

For a long while, he had mostly stuck to walking, as his part time job includes a lot of it. But recently, he felt ready to start cycling again, as he has been able to increase his flexibility by staying generally active. (He has a metal cage in his back that limits his mobility a bit.) His hip surgeries were posterior approach. He has found that he can mount and dismount by leaning the bike over fairly far, so he does not need to raise his leg much. It is working well, and he is thrilled to be cycling again. There was a point at which he was sure it was something he’d never be able to do again.

As for falls, he hasn’t had any falls from the bike, but he did have a few unrelated falls within the first year after the surgeries. There was no damage to the hips. It’s been about five years since he had his last surgery, and everything is holding up very well. While he doesn’t ever want to go through another replacement, the activity is important to him, so it’s a balancing act he that manages by choosing the safest activities for his situation.

I hope your your recovery continues to go well. Take your time and heal well before outdoor cycling again, but you should be able to ride again after the full recovery. I can tell you that having the hip replacements has 100% changed my husband’s life for the better. He went from being able to do very little to now having a pretty normal life.

Best to to you in your recovery.

ahanulec

My replacement was in the spring of 2017. I’ve been mountain biking and roller blading since and have fallen over. Given that I’m 280 pounds and haven’t I can conclude that my hip is stable.

My surgeon seemed a little concerned when I last visited as I was showing different ways that I was moving my hip. Specifically on heel out motions as these motions pull the ball from the socket and can result in a dislocation. If a fall forced your leg in that motion you would run the risk of a dislocation. I suspect that would be a near equal risk even with an untouched hip.

i would go taking any risks with it but given how much mine has taken at this point I have a high degree of confidence in my hips stability.

BirdsBikeBinocs

My left hip was replaced Nov. 27th, 2018. I felt ready to ride in 2 weeks. Truth. I spoke with the surgeon 24 hours after surgery and he described to me that any pain should feel like a bad bruise. He was spot on. Got rid of the walker on day 2. Got rid of the crutches day 6. Got rid of the cane day 9. I was mobile in short time. I could have rode the bike at 2 weeks but the surgeon said at 6 weeks I could do it. First bike ride was one month after surgery. I rode all winter with no issues and the hip feels great today. Right knee gets done Sept 23rd. I delayed that 6 months. I fear it. Hip is the least complicated joint in the body. The knee is the most complicated joint in the body. Oh God..... Its gonna hurt. Robot assisted. Oh boy...

KenCT

I had a right THR in October of 2006 at the age of 45. Bought a Giant Sedona March of 2007 and rode over 1,000 miles mostly on dirt trails from March to October 2007. I’ve had a few falls from bikes since the replacement with no issues except some scrapes and a damaged ego. Fortunately I remembered to tuck and roll. The potential injury to the hip is a hard impact, such as a jump from height and landing on your feet, and twisting.

My new hip has never bothered me, I do have lower back issues that may someday require surgery.

xtrxtr

Thanks everyone for your replies. It gives me more confidence to hear your experiences. I am inclined to wait the 12 weeks before getting on the bike and will make do with the exercise bike until then. As you can probably tell, I am slightly paranoid about further injury and will do as I am told to minimise the risks. Good luck to everyone with their safe riding!

Mhodges

I too was very thankful to find this thread, I had a THR almost 6 weeks ago (I am 38) and have had to search quite a bit to find experiences/feedback from other cyclists. I ride 3500-4000 miles per year with lots of climbing, and there are a few gravel races I am looking to register for this summer. Does anyone hav experience riding gravel (or MTB) races post THR? Any serious falls? I’m pretty scared about the risk of falling, but why get a hip replacement if you can’t get back to doing what you love? I was off the walker after 1 week, off the cane almost entirely at 2-3 weeks, and was cleared to ride the trainer inside at about 2.5 weeks. I started out at 5mins almost no resistance, then brought it up to 30-60mins with some resistance at 4-5 weeks once my surgeon said it was okay to bike ‘as tolerated’. I do feel like if I want to ride, I need to budget my other activities (walking, household chores) to balance recovery.

_ForceD_

I had my right hip replaced in March of 2018. I was 57 years old at the time. I've been running since my h.s. years, and cycling and swimming since I was 20. Before the discomfort of the degenerating hip, in addition to my cycling and swimming, I was running 20-40 miles per week (more when I trained for Marathons). The hip discomfort eventually got to be too much and I had to stop running completely about six months prior to the surgery. But I continued cycling and swimming. Since the surgery I've cut way back on running...to maybe one run per week of just 4-6 miles. (The doctor doesn't want me running at all. But it's an addiction I can't quit.) Consequently, I've increased my cycling and swimming. This year (2019) I will log in the neighborhood of 80% more mileage in both those disciplines than my next highest mileage year. And, I haven't had any issues with the artificial hip.


My surgeon's advice was/is: "This artificial hip should last you about 20 years. Swimming is good, cycling is OK. But running on that mechanical device is not good. Obviously a mechanical device will wear out much faster when put through the high impact of running, and you don't want to have this surgery (again) in your 80s. Ideally you'll die with this device." My response was: "How 'bout I go back to my normal amount of running, wear this device out, and have it replaced in my 60s, and I die with THAT device?" He didn't like that!

Dan

stephanlinn

I started on a trainer a two weeks after surgery, and riding after about a month. Surgeon and PT were of differing opinions. Surgeon was a cowboy and I went with him. I was weak on the replaced side for about a year. I did a lot of exercise to regain strength in my quads and lutes.

bpcyclist

I will just add that it is not that easy for everyone. My best bud had his done with the anterior approach and he cannot ride a bike a year later. Too painful in the hip flexors. He is really bummed out.

Witterings

I had a nasty fall with the right hip taking a large impact in the summer ... whilst it didn't stop me doing anything it was incredibly sore for a long perdiod of time like a bad bruise ... strangely enough I even notice it 2/3 weeks but this thread has just made me realise it's gone ....

In the other hip after 1 1/2 years problem free it suddenly started playing up and for a year was often "uncomfortable" 2 days after a ride, the problems started as my distance increased and I was messing around with saddle height, I've recently lowered my saddle a bit and the last 8 or so rides have been back to trouble free cycling so fingers crossed.

joeruge

This is a bit of a side step, but I had a hip resurfacing about two years ago. This is a less common procedure but has some nice advantages over complete hip replacement. All my docs claim there is no restriction on activities. Running is not a problem. And, since the femur in left intact, you are still able to get a full hip replacement 20 years down the line if you ever need it.

Hip resurfacing is a great option if you are younger and more active. So research it and ask your doctor if you are a suitable candidate.

So far I've done about 5000 miles on the bike with absolutely no problems.