Hip Replacement in your 50’s

What to know if you are having a hip replacement in your 50’s from the diagnosis, the surgery, and recovery.

I never imagined spending the month of December recovering from hip replacement surgery….. at least not in my 50’s. Luckily, I planned ahead and got everything that needed to get done for the holidays before I had my surgery on December 1st.  Ironically I was opening up my home for the 2021 Holiday Housewalk on the same day I was being wheeled into the operating room. You can catch my home tour here. I will say it’s nice to look around the house and have it all decorated during my recovery period.

Hip Replacement in your 50’s

Since there is not much information about hip replacements for someone in their 50’s, I thought I would share my personal journey with you. I hope this information will help one of you one day (regardless of your age) because honestly, I do not know anyone in my immediate circle or beyond who has experienced hip replacement surgery to inquire, ask and seek advice.

I am going to break these posts up into a few parts. The diagnosis (why hip replacement), the surgery, and preparation and recovery.  For the record, I am not a Doctor, just a patient who has experienced a hip replacement. Make sure to talk to your own doctor if you are having any hip issues or questions about treatment. Feel free to DM with specific questions as well.

Do you believe they have all kinds of new hip merchandise? via zazzle

How it started

Over the last year (started in early 2020) my hip pain on the right side had become increasingly worse. I would say I am a very healthy and active 55-year-old female with no other health conditions. When I went to my doctor a year ago they thought it was bursitis and sent me home with some anti-inflammatory meds. The pain did not subside. I went back a few months later and they did a guided ultrasound to inject a steroid in the hip area. That lasted a couple of months. I continued to exercise this entire time. I usually walk 3-6 miles 5 days a week. At one point I was beginning to think that I was only making it worse by exercising, but my body type requires movement. I am not one to sit around. I finally stopped walking in November because the pain was unbearable. The last walk I took was on Thanksgiving day with my family. It was a mile because that’s all I could do. I am hoping to begin walking at the end of the month.

The Diagnosis

I went back and had an x-ray and the response was your ‘hips look good’. A few weeks later I insisted on getting an MRI which would really show what was going on. The MRI came back to show that I had a torn labrum. The labrum is the cartilage around the hip socket. The tear was causing friction with my movement thus the pain that I was experiencing. Most likely the labrum tear could have been from trauma (in my case not sure what) or repetitive use ( which seems more likely since I am more active than the energizer bunny).

shirt via zazzle

Now what?

Since labrum repairs are specialized my doctor sent me to another doctor for a consultation. Not everyone does this specialized surgery. During that visit, the doctor told me that due to the amount of osteoarthritis located in the hip area, repairing would only bring a short-term fix and more than likely tear again sometime in my future. His recommendation was a hip replacement. I went to another doctor at a Joint Replacement Center to get a second opinion, he concurred.

Armed with all of this information, and now three opinions, I went back to my Orthopedic to schedule the surgery.  Since I have a history with my orthopedic doctor (he has done two other surgeries, removed a cyst on my toe and Morton neuroma) I completely trusted him to get the job done.

Next time I’ll share how I prepped for surgery and the actual surgery. Unfortunately, it required an overnight stay at the hospital that I was not expecting.

Grateful

for an amazing family who is taking great care of me during recovery