WDW after hip replacement?

[momw/2princesses]

My DH is having a hip replacement (right side only) first of May. Our Disney trip is scheduled to start June 12, about 5 weeks after. Anyone travel that quickly after a hip replacement? He's in great health otherwise (just an 80 year old hip in a 46 year old body!). I know part of his recovery is walking. I'm just not sure how much will be too much. We've been to WDW many times, so it's not like we'll be commando. We're planning mornings at the park, afternoon pool and then back to the park after dinner. Trip has been planned for a while and the surgery has come up rather quickly. Any tips and advice welcomed!! Thanks!

 

[KPeveler]

My friend just had a hip replacement and was not walking unassisted out of the home for weeks. Everyone is different, but I would speak to the doctor, because over-doing it too early can result in long-term problems.

I doubt his stamina will be up to what you need, even if you don't do "commando." A slow day at disney still results in about 6 miles of walking. I would look into an off-site ECV rental, so that he can keep up with you (and your girls) without being in pain.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Having had a hip replacement five years ago I was still getting PT two months afterwards. I did have a few airline flights between five and eight weeks after the surgery and needed a wheelchair through the airports and kep my waqlking to a bare minimum, with a cane.

 

[momw/2princesses]

Thanks for the replies! We did mention to the doctor that we had the trip planned and he acted like it would be no problem as long as DH felt up to it. I was VERY surprised when he said that it would be outpatient and that DH would be home that afternoon. He said that he could be back at work in 4-6 weeks. Just hard to know what to expect. I'm attending a conference, that's what prompted the trip, so we may just have to go without him!

Thanks!

 

[Danibelle]

My friend just had a hip replacement and was not walking unassisted out of the home for weeks. Everyone is different, but I would speak to the doctor, because over-doing it too early can result in long-term problems.

I doubt his stamina will be up to what you need, even if you don't do "commando." A slow day at disney still results in about 6 miles of walking. I would look into an off-site ECV rental, so that he can keep up with you (and your girls) without being in pain.

Wow! DH has had both of his hips replaced and he said this would be difficult due to all the walking. I would recommend following up with your doctor. If you do rent a wc/ecv that might be ok but the operative leg needs to be at a specific angle (not all crunched up close to the body). At 5 weeks, there is a chance the patient might still be on crutches/cane depending on your individual doctor's orders. We didn't do DLR or WDW until about a yr. after surgery.

I just read the post about the surgery being outpatient. Is your husband having a total hip replacement? I was surprised that he is having outpatient as most have a hospital stay of 3-4 days.

 

[Janice B]

My DH is having a hip replacement (right side only) first of May. Our Disney trip is scheduled to start June 12, about 5 weeks after. Anyone travel that quickly after a hip replacement? He's in great health otherwise (just an 80 year old hip in a 46 year old body!). I know part of his recovery is walking. I'm just not sure how much will be too much. We've been to WDW many times, so it's not like we'll be commando. We're planning mornings at the park, afternoon pool and then back to the park after dinner. Trip has been planned for a while and the surgery has come up rather quickly. Any tips and advice welcomed!! Thanks!

I had a hip replacement about 7 years ago when I was 36yrs old. I didnt go to Disney that soon after, but i did about 3 months after my surgery. I did use my cane all the time. If your using the disney buses, make sure your DH donest stand on them. Step aside and wait for the next bus to come if it looks like this might happen. He might get tired easier, just get him to take more breaks on the benches. Also he might be fine for a few days but it might be a good idea to rent a wheel chair a few times just to give him a break. I wouldnt suggest riding tower of terror, or doing the indy cars since they are really hard to get in and out of (I still cant get into them).

 

[RooRach0906]

We are in the same stituation with FIL. He had his surgery March 23 and we are going to FL May 7. We will be going to MK on May 10th just for the day. We will be renting a wheelchair for him. My question is what rides will he be able to do?
P.S. He asked his PT and Doc about FL we are driving 13 hour car ride and they said it was fine as long as we stop every couple hours to get out and stretch.

 

[momw/2princesses]

We met with our doctor last week to go over all the surgery details. He said that DH would be fine to handle the actual vacation (Park days, pool, etc) but that his only concern was the traveling to FL. As long as we stop every couple of hours to walk, he should be fine.

He will not have to have any ongoing PT and can go back to work as long as he's off of his pain meds and feels up to it. Doc said probably 2-3 weeks.

Someone had asked before if he was having a total hip replacement. Yes, he is, but only on one side, not both hips.

I'm hoping it will really be as smooth as people have told us. We saw a friend of DH's parents in the waiting room at the doctor's office and he said that the hip was a piece of cake, especially compared to the knees. And he's in his 80s! I guess we'll see. Either way, it's our vacation and we'll take it as slow as we have to! That's what vacation is for!! I'll just be happy to be spending time with my family!

 

[MedicGoofy]

I would talk to your husbands physiotherapist. (I am assuming that he is seeing one??) They can give you a better idea of how the HIP can handle all that walking. That's really soon after a hip replacement. Some people might be able to handle it, some people won't. I would hate to see him do damage to the hip. If he's seeing physio, they are the people to talk to.

Enjoy the trip. Either way, it will be great!!!

 

[Danibelle]

My friend just had a hip replacement and was not walking unassisted out of the home for weeks. Everyone is different, but I would speak to the doctor, because over-doing it too early can result in long-term problems.

I doubt his stamina will be up to what you need, even if you don't do "commando." A slow day at disney still results in about 6 miles of walking. I would look into an off-site ECV rental, so that he can keep up with you (and your girls) without being in pain.

My DH has had both hips replaced. I hope you can really take slow days because I doubt he can keep up with a regular pace at WDW. I would recommend talking to his surgeon as he will probably (most likely) be under the doctor's care and also seeing a physical therapist. We actually waited nearly a year to go back so DH and I could do a week long trip.

I just realized that I had already responded.

 

[NancyDVC]

I am a physical therapist and treat patients with total hips all the time. Based on your original post it sounds like your DH is young and healthy except for his hip. What he can and can not do depends on the type of surgery (surgical approach), type of implant and what restrictions the surgeon might place on him. The surgical approach will determine what precautioons he must observe after surgery. The type of implant and cemented vs. non cemented will determine how much weight he can bear and how soon.

My biggest concern would be blood clots (DVT) especially if you are flying. Blood clots in the legs can occur after surgery especially orthopedic surgery and can be common when people fly (even if they haven't had surgery).
If you are driving then stopping every 2 hours is essential to allow him to walk around. Sitting in a car with the seat pushed all the way back is better than being cramped. Doing ankle pumps (pulling your toes up and down at the ankle) is something that can help avoid this. As for the walking take it easy. I have had patients back to work in less than 2 weeks, commuting byt ttrain and subway! Of course they are younger patients in good physical shape except for the hip.

Ask the surgeon and the physical therapist and see how he does after the surgery. If you decide to rent an ECV then make certain that he can extend the surgical leg forward as he rides and get off it and walk around, sit a in a chair etc.
Again depending on his type of surgery if the doctor says avoid hip flexion (bending over 90 degrees) avoid things like Space Mtn, Rockin' Roller Coaster becasue fo the extreme sitting position and Tower of Terror because of the jolting.

Good luck with the surgery and have a great trip!!!

 

[chaoslobster]

A hip replacement is really not that big a deal if the person is in somewhat good shape otherwise. I've had both hips done, about a year and a half apart. Both times PT had me up on my feet and walking the morning after the surgery. I went home the second day. The first few weeks post-surgery you're limited more by the healing incision than you are by the hip joint. Especially if your joint was really deteriorated before surgery - you're actually able to do MORE in terms of flexibility and weight-bearing even 24 hours after surgery than you could before. I never needed a walker or cane after my surgeries; I just walked carefully and slowly (usually with my mother trailing behind with her arms out because she was utterly convinced I'd fall and she'd have to catch me - never happened) at first. The more you walk the faster you recover. Honestly the worst aspect of my surgeries was that I'm a side sleeper and both times it was over a month post-surgery before I could sleep comfortably on that side, so I was tired and (w)itchy a lot due to not sleeping well.

Edit to add: For what it's worth, I was 19 when I had my first hip replaced, 21 for the second. I'm a month shy of 30 now. Although my age may be misleading because, much like your husband's 80 yr old hip, my body is much older than I am, lol. I have DEXA bone density scans done and the tech tells me I'm living with a skeleton that's 90 years old. I've also had a total shoulder replacement and it's not going to be long before I give in and admit that I need new knees - I've been ignoring the crunching for years but the last few months the pain level is getting past the morphine and I'm going to have to just suck it up and enjoy my last summer of wearing shorts before I acquire a pair of matching purple keloids on my knees. (You know you've got medical issues when you worry more about the scars than about the surgery because surgeries are common and quickly over with, whereas scars are permanent and disfiguring. Who cares about my pain level, I'm more likely to cry because I can't wear a bikini than because my bones are grinding against each other due to deteriorated or nonexistant cartilage.)

 

[momw/2princesses]

I am a physical therapist and treat patients with total hips all the time. Based on your original post it sounds like your DH is young and healthy except for his hip. What he can and can not do depends on the type of surgery (surgical approach), type of implant and what restrictions the surgeon might place on him. The surgical approach will determine what precautioons he must observe after surgery. The type of implant and cemented vs. non cemented will determine how much weight he can bear and how soon.

My biggest concern would be blood clots (DVT) especially if you are flying. Blood clots in the legs can occur after surgery especially orthopedic surgery and can be common when people fly (even if they haven't had surgery).
If you are driving then stopping every 2 hours is essential to allow him to walk around. Sitting in a car with the seat pushed all the way back is better than being cramped. Doing ankle pumps (pulling your toes up and down at the ankle) is something that can help avoid this. As for the walking take it easy. I have had patients back to work in less than 2 weeks, commuting byt ttrain and subway! Of course they are younger patients in good physical shape except for the hip.

Ask the surgeon and the physical therapist and see how he does after the surgery. If you decide to rent an ECV then make certain that he can extend the surgical leg forward as he rides and get off it and walk around, sit a in a chair etc.
Again depending on his type of surgery if the doctor says avoid hip flexion (bending over 90 degrees) avoid things like Space Mtn, Rockin' Roller Coaster becasue fo the extreme sitting position and Tower of Terror because of the jolting.

Good luck with the surgery and have a great trip!!!

Thanks for the input from the PT point of view. Yes, he is very healthy otherwise, just this hip! We are driving. It's usually an 8 hour trip. I've already made a hotel reservation for the half way point just in case. We do plan to stop every hour/hour and a half for walking. We're going to see how he does post op, and of course we'll do what's best for him.

I laughed when you mentioned those rides. He wouldn't ride those anyway!! He takes our youngest on the Tomorrowland Transportation while I take the oldest on all the fun stuff! I think the only thing he'll miss will be driving the race cars. He had a hard time getting into those when he's feeling good!!

Thanks again! I appreciate it!

 

[momw/2princesses]

A hip replacement is really not that big a deal if the person is in somewhat good shape otherwise. I've had both hips done, about a year and a half apart. Both times PT had me up on my feet and walking the morning after the surgery. I went home the second day. The first few weeks post-surgery you're limited more by the healing incision than you are by the hip joint. Especially if your joint was really deteriorated before surgery - you're actually able to do MORE in terms of flexibility and weight-bearing even 24 hours after surgery than you could before. I never needed a walker or cane after my surgeries; I just walked carefully and slowly (usually with my mother trailing behind with her arms out because she was utterly convinced I'd fall and she'd have to catch me - never happened) at first. The more you walk the faster you recover. Honestly the worst aspect of my surgeries was that I'm a side sleeper and both times it was over a month post-surgery before I could sleep comfortably on that side, so I was tired and (w)itchy a lot due to not sleeping well.

Edit to add: For what it's worth, I was 19 when I had my first hip replaced, 21 for the second. I'm a month shy of 30 now. Although my age may be misleading because, much like your husband's 80 yr old hip, my body is much older than I am, lol. I have DEXA bone density scans done and the tech tells me I'm living with a skeleton that's 90 years old. I've also had a total shoulder replacement and it's not going to be long before I give in and admit that I need new knees - I've been ignoring the crunching for years but the last few months the pain level is getting past the morphine and I'm going to have to just suck it up and enjoy my last summer of wearing shorts before I acquire a pair of matching purple keloids on my knees. (You know you've got medical issues when you worry more about the scars than about the surgery because surgeries are common and quickly over with, whereas scars are permanent and disfiguring. Who cares about my pain level, I'm more likely to cry because I can't wear a bikini than because my bones are grinding against each other due to deteriorated or nonexistant cartilage.)

Thanks for sharing your experience! You've been through alot in your life.

I'm glad to hear multiple perspectives. We talked to lots of people who say it was a piece of cake and then those that have a much harder time. I know everyone is different. We'll just see how he does.

Thanks so much!!

 

[SueM in MN]

We are in the same stituation with FIL. He had his surgery March 23 and we are going to FL May 7. We will be going to MK on May 10th just for the day. We will be renting a wheelchair for him. My question is what rides will he be able to do?
P.S. He asked his PT and Doc about FL we are driving 13 hour car ride and they said it was fine as long as we stop every couple hours to get out and stretch.

You may want to look at posts 18, 19, 20 and 21 on page 2 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread. It has some information about attractions with a step down into the ride car for each park (one post for each park).

WDW does have a list of attractions with health warnings - these are basically the more bumpy rides and roller coasters or thrill rides.
You can look at the park maps for the attractions with warnings - they are marked with a red triangle on the map and also on a sign at the entrance to the queue.
The wording for the general warning is:
WARNING! For safety, you should be in good health and free from high blood pressure, heart, back or neck problems, motion sickness, or other conditions that could be aggravated by this adventure. Expectant mothers should not ride.

For Epcot here are the attractions with warnings:

• Mission Space - both the more tame (green side) and the more wild (orange side)
• Test Track

For Magic Kingdom:

• Splash Mountain
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Tomorrowland Indy Speedway
• Space Mountain

For Disney Studio

• Star Tours
• Rock N Roller Coaster
• Tower of Terror

For Animal Kingdom:

• Kilimanjaro Safari
• Kali River Rapids
• Expedition Everest
• Primeval Whirl
• Dinosaur

 

[RooRach0906]

You may want to look at posts 18, 19, 20 and 21 on page 2 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread. It has some information about attractions with a step down into the ride car for each park (one post for each park).

WDW does have a list of attractions with health warnings - these are basically the more bumpy rides and roller coasters or thrill rides.
You can look at the park maps for the attractions with warnings - they are marked with a red triangle on the map and also on a sign at the entrance to the queue.
The wording for the general warning is:
WARNING! For safety, you should be in good health and free from high blood pressure, heart, back or neck problems, motion sickness, or other conditions that could be aggravated by this adventure. Expectant mothers should not ride.

For Epcot here are the attractions with warnings:

• Mission Space - both the more tame (green side) and the more wild (orange side)
• Test Track

For Magic Kingdom:

• Splash Mountain
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Tomorrowland Indy Speedway
• Space Mountain

For Disney Studio

• Star Tours
• Rock N Roller Coaster
• Tower of Terror

For Animal Kingdom:

• Kilimanjaro Safari
• Kali River Rapids
• Expedition Everest
• Primeval Whirl
• Dinosaur

Thank you! I will send them the link to that page so he can decide for himself, but I would guess that he could basically ride what my DD can.