Hip Replacement - Body not Roof

[Jim Gecz]

Anyone have a hip replacement out there? How has it impacted your inspections - primarily attics and crawl spaces. Been putting mine off for fear of a lack of mobility or popping it out and having to have a Stokes basket retrevial out of a crawl space.

Thanks!

[Gunnar Alquist]

Anyone have a hip replacement out there? How has it impacted your inspections - primarily attics and crawl spaces. Been putting mine off for fear of a lack of mobility or popping it out and having to have a Stokes basket retrevial out of a crawl space. Thanks!

Not yet for me. This is the way I would go.

https://www.krawlgear.com/

[John Reddy]

No hip replacement but both knees, one in 2010, the other in 2016.

First and most important piece of advice: Do your physical therapy as if your life depends on it. Because in a way, it does. Successful completion of therapy will give you the strength and flexibility you need to function properly. Failure to do it properly will result in severely reduced range of motion and flexibility.

As far as the hip popping out, it's pretty unlikely. I'm at the age where a great many of my friends are operating with replacement parts - knees, hips, shoulders and in one case an elbow. Only one of them ever had a problem. One guy's hip bothered him for years afterward and had to be redone. Nobody ever had anything pop out of place.

I can't move like I used to. Had to give up skiing and racquetball (which caused the problems in the first place) but I've never felt restricted in crawling into any confined area. I can't move or flex like an 18 year old (I'm 68) but I don't feel handicapped in any sense of the word.

Good luck.

[Marcel Cyr]

Anyone have a hip replacement out there? How has it impacted your inspections - primarily attics and crawl spaces. Been putting mine off for fear of a lack of mobility or popping it out and having to have a Stokes basket retrevial out of a crawl space.

Thanks!

I had a hip replacement last year in May and a knee replacement in April this year.
It took basically 11 months for my hip to get to a point where it was flexible enough to do a little work around the house. The knee takes extreme physical therapy to get your mobility back, but now it is useable with knee pads with no problems.
While the hip healing takes place, going up ladders and step ladders is very difficult.
You can figure that for 8 months or more, you need to inspect roofs from the ground and use a robot for crawl spaces.
But also consider that I was 67 when I had this done, so your age will make a difference on your recovery.
Good luck.

[ME Stanton]

I am not an inspector but I have pretty extensive experience with hip replacements.
I had reached the point, after a very active lifestyle, of finding myself unable to walk. I
had to have this done, both hips. After a few months I was back to my old activity habit. It's a
surgery that's been around for 70 years and is the most successful joint replacement out there. I
Regularly forget I ever had the surgery at all. Do some research on the method as well as the surgery
(make sure they've done a lot of them) and then go for it. Thor mobility will almost certainly greatly
Improve in short order. I recommend the anterior approach, recovery is faster and side effects fewer.

[Steve Duchene]

I had both hips replaced 20 years ago. Best thing I ever did to reduce the pain. That's why I got into doing home inspection. I have not limits on mobility. Crawling in attics and crawlspaces is no problem. The biggest issue is getting up from my knees. I never worried about popping them out of joint. One thing you need to do is do all the therapy the doctor prescribes and then some. I did warm water pool therapy on my own for 9 additional months to facilitate increased flexibility.