crossfit and total hip replacement

[Jim Moorhouse]

I had a total hip replacement a year ago and have recently started crossfit at my local gym and was wondering if any of you guys knew of anyone doing crossfit with the same problem as I.

Is there any concerns that i should be aware of? Things i can do or should maybe stay away from?

any help is good help... thx

[Marie-Paul Willett]

Hi Jim,
Funny you should ask...I have had 2 total hip replacements left and right side plus 1 partial revision due to infection in the last 15 months.
I also wanted to find out if someone else was doing this. I have a blog http://lifeat61.wordpress.com showing some modified versions of Crossfit WOD's. I started June 1st and have had noticable improvements and I see my surgeon every 2 weeks Let me know how you are doing by commenting on my blog

[Veronica Carpenter]

Jim, the owner of Crossfit Upcountry Maui has had a double hip replacement and CF's with her members.

[Steven Low]

Talk to your orthopedic surgeon about the type of hip replacement you got and the recommended activities he/she recommends.

There are different types and some are more durable for exercise than others.

[Brian Ipock]

Jim, I had my hip resurfaced a year ago, I scale my weights and some movements. I use a box jump to check my depth on all squating exercises, if I'm feeling tight on ground movements, I may set the weights on 45# plates to bring the bar a little more off the ground so I don't round my back and lose my form going to low.

Know your limitations perscribed by your doctor and work within those, crossfit is infinately scalable and adaptable. It took me a solid year before I felt like I could really get back into it. Set realistic goals and weights for yourself, as your longterm health with the implant is most important. Doing work is doing work, regardless

Brian Ipock

Team Again Faster, Adaptive Athlete

[Danny Halverson]

Jim,
I had a total hip replacement 8/16/10 at the age of 41. It took me about 3-6 months to get back to about 75% range of motion, did a lot of body weight squats and lunges to build the quad/ham/glute strength.

I do step ups instead of box jumps, no burpees due to landing on the hip-so I sub push-ups and jump squats, lunges and squats pose no problems with the hip, running (more like jogging) is done on a treadmill so I can control the terrain and footing, and jumping rope isn't an issue. I do feel a difference when I deadlift, but I've worked my way back to 275# for 5 reps just last week. I don't squat clean, but there haven't been any problems with power cleans, 185# for 5 reps last week too.
I've also had 6 knee operations, so a lot of the movements aggravate previous conditions, but the hip feels great. There really isn't anything to be painful since it is all titanium.
Use your best judgement and scale as needed. You'll see that you will be able to do more than you expect, just take it easy and be smart. Reach out if you have any questions or want to share stories
Halvy

[Frank Zedar]

I'm 67 years old and a 20 year Army and Viet Nam Vet. In younger days I ran marathons, powerlifted, played many sports, etc. I've always "gone to the gym," but as I got older, my gym sessions were getting pretty lame... Some moderate weights and then a TV watching session on a bike... My excuses were "multiple knee surgeries, shoulder rotator cuff surgery, triple bypass open heart surgery... and a total hip replacement about 18 months ago."
Then I saw the CrossFit Games on TV last year and got all fired up! I started at Flagler Beach (FL) CrossFit 6 months ago and could not believe how out of shape I was. Thanks to a great owner/trainer/coach, I have made slow, but steady progress. She modifies some WOD's for me, but I do a lot of the real deals too... even Rx'd a couple recently.
I could not do an air squat when I got here... Now I did a set of 3X5 with 155 (using West Coast Barbell power knee wraps) and am deadlifting #285.
I'm not sure if it's all "good for my hip," etc., but it sure is good for my soul!

[Megs Wallace]

I am 38yr old and had a total hip replacement 9 months ago and am still working towards getting better mobility in that hip. My squat is off center and the replaced hip does not go as low as the other. I do not do anything high impact - such as box jumps, run or double unders. Dead lifts feel awkward but I think that is mobility and back squats and front squats, although have no pain, are a weird feeling as the implant has no 'give' like bones do. Bones naturally have a little give in them,, steel rods do not....I can also 'feel' where the implant ends in my thigh bone.
If anyone has any advice on mobility I would be very keen to hear them!

[Michael R Castro]

Wow, this is an old thread, but hopefully it still gets to you guys. I'm new to the forum, though I've been doing CrossFit since June of 13. Today is Jan 29, of 2014. I had both of my hips replaced in 2008 at the age of 33. The left one had to be revised in Feb of 2011 due to it not setting properly. At the time, neither the doctors nor I had any idea it hadn't healed due to a low level staph infection. They had to remove the revision in March and I walked around with a temporary antibiotic impregnated cement hip for three months. They finally removed that and installed the final hip in June of 2011.

Anyway, to make a short story as long as possible... I ended up getting introduced to and joining a gym (CrossFit Upgrade) in Costa Mesa, CA back in June of 2013. It's hard to know limitations when there's so little info out there about working out with implants. Every search I did in Google for "CrossFit with implants" brought me to women asking about breast implants.

I just called the person mentioned above at CrossFit Upcountry Maui only to find out she passed away in 2012. I wish there was more info and those of us that do have implants should really gather here to discuss what we find.

Being that It's been more than two years since my last implant, I've been doing most exercises. I don't run, EVER. I sub with rowing. I don't do box jumps, I do box steps at 20". (I'm a short guy, only 5'-6"). I've had a 1 RM back squat at 315#, my deadlift 1 RM is 370#, my front squat is 255#. Recently I hurt myself somehow and yesterday, my hip gave out on me, giving me super sharp pain. I think I've discovered it's actually my hip flexors and not the hip. But I have a doctor appointment today where I'll hopefully get Xrays to find out.

When I squat, I've been told my hips look stationary. Meaning, there's not a lot of movement in them and I have quite a butt wink. However, I've also been told I'm very consistent, which is probably good. I've called my surgeon and they recommend I not do anything heavier than I could rep 30 times. But, I have repped 175# in a back squat in 2x20, so what does that mean? I need to know what kind of weight my implants can support. The doctor said they're more worried about the hips popping out. I don't fear this too much because I have a lot of support and being that I have both hips replaced, I am very focused on form.

I apologize if this is a long winded, non-sensical post. I just wanted to find others who have the same issues as I have.