Hip replacement & dive training

[Noboundaries]

MY GOD I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!!!!!

Hoomi, that quote is blown up and tacked to my office wall at work. It says it all. Your wife's dream of diving since she was a kid is an announcement of your golden opportunity to make her dream come true. She's been waiting her whole life for the moment when you can make it happen for her. Her orthopod just gave you permission. Come back here and share a picture of both your smiles when your instructor signs your temporary c-cards. That will be a picture you'll cherish forever.

DepthCharge, thanks for confirming what both my orthopod and hip replacement dive buddies have said about returning to diving after my pending hip replacement.

TSandM, you're always the voice of physician reason. I've never met a doc who gave such balanced advice. Thank you for such thoughtful, informative postings.

fisherdvm, this morning I bit my lip when I read your response ruling out diving. Doc, I'm happy to see your position has softened somewhat.

I'm a tadpole in the diving community, but this thread is proof that we all can help someone's dreams come true, especially for those closest to us.

 

[fisherdvm]

Hey, my position hasn't soften. As a fellow scuba diver, I'll probably be the one to admit I'll continue to dive with a hip replacement, blown aortic valve, herpes, and a brain aneurysm - irregardless of what my doctors say.

I am simply saying, if I am the doc clearing you to dive with a prosthetic hip. Heck no, no way, no how.... I live in the USA where docs are sued for every penny lawyers can get. But.... if a doc cleared you for it... great. Just take care of that hip, cause you should milk at least 10 if not 20 years from it before the second hip replacement.

I would just hate to see a ruined hip because someone think it could handle more than it should. I still remember how angry a guy was, after his second knee replacement (same knee) within one year. His physical therapist at the Mayo clinic, MN thought that he could handle a little more stretch... and a crack was heard... Needless to say, he returned to Detroit to have the second surgery. Sometime we might just push our body a little to far, and sometime we might just push our wives a little too much.

So here is the scenario:

Plaintiff's attorney: " So doc, as an active scuba diver, do you know how much this little woman's diving gear weight?"
Doc: "60 to 80 lbs?"
Atty: "And you do know, that your professional associaton, do not recommend that hip replacement patients do more than LOW impact exercises?"
Doc, mumbling, barely audibly, "Yes".
Atty: "And you had no idea that there was 3 ft waves, and no one was helping this poor woman back on to the dive boat?"
Doc: "mmm".
Atty: "Would you say, when she slipped and fell on the step... That perhaps you should have thought twice about clearing her for scuba diving? Wouldn't you think, that if it wasn't for that dive accidents, and the second hip surgery... That she wouldn't have had the stroke, that now she is permanently debilitated?

The jury sat silent, and stared at the doctor with raised eyebrows and incredulous stares.

 

[fisherdvm]

This is on Dan's website:

Diving Medicine FAQs
Diving After Joint Replacement


Q: I am 59 years old and had hip replacement surgery two months ago after an automobile accident. I have completely recovered and started a muscle-strengthening program prescribed by my doctor.
I have been certified for a number of years and do not want to give up scuba diving. When would it be safe to go back to diving, and are there any problems with diving following hip replacement surgery?


A: The greatest concern for any type of exercise after hip or knee replacement surgery is for the surgical site and bone to be completely healed. When your doctor releases you for full activity, and you are able to perform your exercise and daily living activities with full weight bearing and no difficulties, such as pain, swelling or stiffness, diving would probably be allowed.
There isn't much difference between the physical demand placed on your hip or knee during a workout in the gym and during scuba diving. As long as the area has an adequate blood flow to help with the off-gassing of nitrogen, a problem is unlikely.

As with any type of injury and returning to diving, there is no guarantee that you will not have an injury to your hip or knee. However, the greatest risk divers run is the amount of exposure (depth and time) they have to nitrogen. It might be wise to dive conservatively by not diving as deep, as long or as often when you return to diving.

 

[fisherdvm]

And then you'll find quotes that supported the sport of scuba diving after hip replacement:

What Activities Are Safe?

"Hip replacement nearly always provides dramatic pain relief and major improvements in walking speed, stride and the ability to climb stairs. But with a growing number of people receiving implant before age 60, and the increased emphasis on the benefits of exercise throughout life, improved function has become an important goal.

Today, only a few high-risk activities are forbidden, and implant recipients can participate in many low- and non-impact activities. Most surgeons urge their patients to remain active because of the healthful benefits of exercise. According to a study in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings, more than three-quarters of the surgeons who performed 1,015 15 hip replacements at the Mayo Clinic in 1993 recommended sailing, swimming, scuba diving, cycling, golfing, and bowling for their patients.
Other activities the surgeons sometimes recommend include speed walking, tennis volleyball, ice skating, hiking, backpacking, cross-country skiing, and ballet. More than three-quarters of the surgeons said they advised against running, football, baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer, handball, racquetball, water skiing, and karate.

The specific activities recommended for an individual patient depend on general health, fitness, motivation and familiarity with the activity. Exercise must be undertaken sensibly because the implant doesn't contain nerve fibers and can't produce injury-warning sensations (i.e. pain) the way a normal hip can. As a result, some recipients may be inclined to work out too hard for too long, which can accelerate wear and premature failure of the implant. Physical therapy and exercise can help condition patents for the activities they wish to pursue, and special footwear can provide extra cushioning and support. Ms. Minnelli has been able to include some dance routines in her performances, while Mr. Jackson has permanently retired from playing baseball and football. "

 

[fisherdvm]

Then you really wonder, did these orthopods who recommended scuba diving actually have done REAL scuba diving. I mean more than blowing bubbles in a pool, or snooba in a resort?

 

[Noboundaries]

So I guess this response wouldn't result in lower premiums or win jury judgments:

Doc: "Hey, sometimes $*it happens."

That's why I'm not a doc.

 

[Hoomi]

Fisher, I do appreciate your perspective, and I'd actually be disappointed if you weren't honest in your reservations. Our lawsuit-happy culture has created far more problems than it has solved, and has driven many doctors either out of practice, or to areas with less lawsuit-friendly laws (I recall Texas having a problem a while back with OB-GYN's leaving in droves because Texas law allowed parents to sue a doctor years later, claiming little Johnny's lackluster performance in school must be due to some mistake the doctor made in the delivery).

I guess it would make a rather ironic story for a lawyer who got filthy rich on malpractice lawsuits, dying in the ER because there are no doctors left to treat his otherwise survivable injuries.

I'm a writer; I think of things like that.

We're now signed up for class, beginning on Sept. 9th. We could have started sooner, but figured this gives us plenty of time to get the prescription inserts in her mask so she can see what she's doing, and to get our class equipment with enough time for some research and spread over several paydays, so we don't have to default to the cheapest option or else charge up the credit card.

We're also signed up for the 2010 Fiji trip. We both think that looks like an incredible 30th Wedding Anniversary get-away.

 

[fisherdvm]

I guess it would make a rather ironic story for a lawyer who got filthy rich on malpractice lawsuits, dying in the ER because there are no doctors left to treat his otherwise survivable injuries.

From a story I heard, it actually did happen. In the early days of cardiac catherization, a lawyer made a specialty out of suing docs who did them. Claiming that they caused his patient's death and injuries. When he finally had an MI himself, he had to go to 3 different ER's before he could find a doc who would perform the catherization on him.

 

[DebbyDiver]

Rick, welcome to ScubaBoard and I'm so happy to see all of these great posts!!! I just knew you would get up-to-date info here that I couldn't give you. I can't wait until you and Nancy are certified!!!

 

[Hoomi]

Hi Debby!

You know me; I'm not much at being shy. I figured if I'm going to haunt these boards and suck up as much information as I can, I'll toss some cash in the kitty. I should be going red any time.

Are you sure you don't want to try and get a spot on the Beqa trip? You've got 19 months to scrape together the cash...