Riding With Shiny New Titanium Joints! - Page 5 - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

08-02-2004, 05:23 PM

"psycholist" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:celcc9$cr19$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]...
>
>
> Congrats on being back on the bike.
>
> I think you need to get to a different doctor/surgeon for some more
> opinions. I think yours is a weenie. There are those who know about
> exercise and those who don't.

I know what you're saying, but that's not the case here. She's not trying
to put a blanket restriction on all types of activity. I mentioned the
reasons in a reply to another post for the caution. This particular caution
is also very "cycling-oriented." Although, I do curtail my activities
because of the expected long-life of my prosthesis.

> I had my upper femoral lobe nearly severed
> when I was hit by a car while riding just under 2 years ago. Apparently,
it
> was a tough decision for my doc between replacement and repair. She went
> the repair route. The downside, she said, was a much longer
rehabilitation
> than a new hip would have required. But even with that longer rehab (and
> several other severe injuries, too), I was riding my racing bike on a
> trainer in six weeks. In five months, I rode my first century ... in VERY
> hilly terrain ... in under 5 hours. I was 47 at the time.
>

From my lengthy experience with joint degeneration/damage, repair is nearly
always preferable to replacement - as long as the repair leaves the chance
of regaining a significant percentage of pre-injury/condition capability.
Of course, I'm not a doctor; I just try to quote one on Usenet! : ) The
only real downer of post-surgery for me was the lengthy rehab period due to
the initial 6 week, no weight-bearing period. I was amazed how much muscles
atrophy in six weeks.

> I know my circumstances are somewhat different, but I know some doctors
are
> overly-cautious weenies when it comes to stuff like this. You're never
> going to know your limits until you test them. Two years of babying your
> hip seems quite excessive to me.
>
I'm sure some are - whether by nature or by fear of legal action. I haven't
babied the hip. I was back to "normal" activity once I completed rehab.
But, I won't take any unecessary risks - including impact activities -
considering it has to last 30 to 40 years. I was without much use of the
hip for years. I have no desire to go that route again. Low quality of
life sucks. Especially when you have two young boys.

I'm glad your injuries have healed well and allow you to participate in
activities you enjoy. Have fun and take care of yourself.

Gary

08-02-2004, 05:40 PM