Down time post anterior hip replacement

[Hip limp]

Planning on getting a right hip replaced via anterior approach in next few months due to bad arthritis. Failed PT. Failed injection. It’s time to get it done. For those out there who have had it done. What’s the time frame I’m looking at to be ready to fly, ball park figure. Just trying to figure out best time to get it done. Don’t fly for a living but do fly about 100 hours in a cabin twin that’s relatively easy to get in and out.

 

[bbchien]

@2 wks you're moving decently but all the orthopedists will say, one month. And that wil be the time when he'll give you the "return to normal duties" slip and that's when you can fly. Just try coming down the airstair door frontwards when it comes outta da socket. "Oh the injuries you'll recieve" (to paraphrase Dr Seuss!)!

 

[DickBE36]

Because of a previous hip fracture I had to have a posterior hip replacement. This is generally accepted as more difficult than the anterior procedure. I was literally riding my bicycle a few short days after surgery. Hip surgery is much easier than knee surgery. I took no pain meds. The doctor told me the likelyhood of the joint popping apart was very very low.

 

[midlifeflyer]

Mine was a Birmingham (“partial”) hip which I hear has a longer recovery period than the full replacement. And I had a very conservative surgeon. According to my logbook, I flew again two months almost to the day after surgery, immediately after returning from a vacation.

 

[Stewartb]

I’ve had both hips replaced. Anterior approach and Stryker robotic assist. My doctor advised no driving for 4-6 weeks, which was based on liability concerns more than health. He said if I was in an accident an attorney would use the hip as a factor to find me responsible. My timeline for recovery was similar for both hips. Pain meds and a walker for 5 days. Cane for a couple of weeks, but by the end of that it was just a safety tool to guard against a fall. I was walking fine but not athletic by any stretch.For piloting? I’d plan for a month before having adequate dexterity and strength to get in and out safely, should you need to get out post-emergency.

Never had a knee replaced but I’ll testify that I’d take two hip replacements over a shoulder surgery every time!

 

[midlifeflyer]

For piloting? I’d plan for a month before having adequate dexterity and strength to get in and out safely, should you need to get out post-emergency.

Yes.

The truth is, it’s not about what the docs say. It’s self-limiting. I’ve done the hip and I’ve done the knee, I wasn’t ready to fly until I could get in the airplane and back out again.