Adjustable Hip Joint

30MM is a difference. Did this occur after the hip replacement?

Hi Phoenix,@30mm is how much shorter the L is from the R ,the L was cut and Rotated years ago to get more Wear out of it and needs doing soon so it would be nice to take it up in the Metal as it were.Call it Vanity but i don't want or like being Shorter,i've tried it

Each leg is typical not the same length, where one would be is shorter than the other. I don't know if you require any orthopedic lifts to compensate. Just because the difference can/will affect your skeletal frame. Such as with lower back problems, shoulder and neck pain even headaches.

Plus, allot depends on the individual, In my family my dad, brother and cousin had hip replacements. And I'm sure myself and another brother is in line for one in the future. thanks to dairy farming in our early careers..

My dad had a hip replacement and two knees replacements, the hip replacement was easier, but one of the things they look for is age. where my dad had a lower grade hip replacement just due to the fact that he was in his 70's.

My brother had a hip replacement when he was about 45.

And my cousin had his hip replaced when he was in his 30's, he had complications with infection.

Like Del mentioned, easiest is best, sometimes that options isn't available,.... yet.

And for something like this, I would not like to be the one to first try the proto-type.

As far as being shorter. it does have it's advantages....... such as dancing with your girlfriend or wife that is tall......

Seriously it's better than dealing with the pain 24 hours a day.

Thanks Phoenix,The Pain isn't Good,the most annoying part is the difference is in Femur length so to Exercise using a Bicycle would be an idea but i keep Wearing Crank sets/Cotter Pins as the Two Leg Strokes are different (knee Height)

There would be problems with any adjustment mechansim. Simple is best.
The reliability of replacement joints is problematic enough with adding adjusters.
I appreciate your problem and idea, but I think it's impractical when you consider the usual procedures for adjustable bone stretching (external metal frameworks attached through the skin into the bone).
Anyhow, if you other joints have become acustomed to the missmatch then correcting it could maybe make matters worse and stress the other joints.
Not my field of expertise of course, so I'm happy to be wrong on this.

Del

Well I think rather than shorten a limb, I would lengthen one....A femur in this case..

http://www.limblengtheningdoc.org/

That makes more sense to me personally....

Think it through a bit....lederhosen, one knee 30mm below the other.

Still a good idea ? What about gait in the event of knees not level ?

I don't believe it would improve matters much to lengthen the femur. I am but 5'8" so I can't with good concience, suggest shortening the long side

Shucks, I thought I could contribute positively here, but obviously not.

Cheers .

Of course it depends upon where in the leg the difference is, above or below the knee......to put it FAR too simply....

But if above, lengthening is probably a good way to go unless the person is already over 6'6" tall!!! Below the knee is another problem as I see it.......but I am fairly sure that having the pelvis parallel to the ground offsets any optical differences between "knee" heights.....but I am not a surgeon......maybe someone here is?

For an accurate answer about lengthening or shortening, ask a guy who is 6' 6" who had the uneven leg problem. I'm sure his answer is going to be "I really don't care, just fix the thing any way that you can!" Whether: his knees are level; a shin longer/shorter; knees at the same level; a femur long/short; or any other abnormality is probably not the big problem. With any of these his gait and movement are probably restricted and painful. I'm sure if Pixie dust could solve the problem he would use that. The pain overrules the aesthetics.

Good Luck, Old Salt

My uncle had one leg 75mm shorter than the other after a tractor accident. Medical coverage provided him with shoe adjustments for the difference.

(Super lightweight heel and soles added to one shoe to make up difference.)

He did have trouble running, but then he was already 60plus when the accident happened so his running days were mostly over.

He still worked on the dairy for years after that. There was a bit of a joke when we had visitors. We'd give them a set of his rubber boots to wear and see how long it took for them to catch on. He would then show them the pair he had on and explain that they are specially made for dairy farmers always walking around the side of hills and such.

Just as well he couldn't run. He'd just go round in circles.................................

tonyu-

Had a discussion with an orthopedic surgeon about a similar thing concerning a friend of mine about 15 years ago. The surgeon had just replaced my knee and I asked him if something could be done with a specially machined replacement knee joint or something else for a friend with one leg shorter than the other. Dr said yes but it wouldn't be a stock knee and would have to be specially machined for him and mucho $$$$. Dr. said they usually do the break and stretch with electrical application but he had heard of this type of joint being used. He said it is usually done when people mangle the knee and the bone adjacent to it. Put friend in contact with the Dr. Unfortunately his wife borrowed a .45 and put him out of the problem. They were going through a messy divorce and she obviously had some mental issues. He had more than knee problems then.

There should be no reason why this can't be done with the hip.

Of note- one of the instruments the Dr. used on me included a vise-grip!

Good Luck, Old Salt

Partner just had her right hip replaced (and a 10mm increase in length) 7 weeks ago.
Her hip replacement was from the front, instead of the side or from the back.
Much shorter cut. Put the crutches to one side 2 weeks ago.
Apparently less pain and faster recovery with the front replacement option.

I feel that 3D printing and a range of other options means that new ways of doing stuff,
(pre, in and post procedures), needs to be 'on the table' for better outcomes for all ...
including the public and private entities that pick up the tab.

New hip joints are fitted into the existing bone with a tapered peg fixed by 'glue'. It is only during the operation that the surgeon finds out how far the peg slides into the bone cavity and this is why the leg length is sometimes wrong. 30mm does seem to be a large discrepancy. I fail to see why the surgeon did not have a selection of joint parts different size tapers to overcome or at least minimize this problem. Unfortunately the small print in the waver you signed will have a clause preventing him being sued.

I fail to see why the surgeon did not have a selection of joint parts different size tapers to overcome or at least minimize this problem.

It's just my opinion. but there may have been issues that become more apparent in the surgery such as bone degradation due to arthritis????

Nice Jim,Thank you.I presume i would need to know the maximum that can be compensated for in one hit as it were.I suppose it could be staged between the new fitment and the replacement for that in due time in terms of correction.

Yup, my back is fused in one place with a combination of artificial bone and cadaver bone. Works quite well!

Nice post Jimrat.
I remember sliding into a tackle playing football (soccer) as a kid and feeling my leg flex, it flet just like bflexing a longbow to string it

Del

I would think any joint that is adjustable would require surgery to access it for adjustment and you would also have the pain of stretching the tissue and tendons.

Internal adjustments by external influences (and external recharging via coils under the skin) are already with us starting with pacemakers, back pain blockers, cochlear implants and the like. So why can't there be titanium-clad, highly geared micro motors that could slowly with time extend a hip joint with respect to a leg bone.

Take for example the artificial heart. The AbioCor™ Implantable Replacement Heart is an advanced medical system being developed by ABIOMED Inc., in order to extend and improve the lives of patients who would otherwise die of heart failure. The AbioCor, designed to fully sustain the body's circulatory system, is intended to serve as an alternative to heart transplantation -- the current method of saving patients with failing natural hearts.

Nice one,Probably a tad expensive but i had thought (Time on my hands ) of 3D Printing such a thing assuming they are doing Titanium as i've read,then it could be locked off at height,Now all i need is the Numbers for the Eurolottery Draw !

Instead of making it adjustable, I think better pre-operative technics such as in imaging and measurements be used to determine the correct height.

tonyu-

There have been many fine answers and questions presented here. Everyone of them hopefully is factual. There certainly are thoughts and experiences of others that need to be investigated, judged and evaluated in your situation. Some of the "great" results must be tempered somewhat to remove someone's enthusiasm with what they think is complete success. Others must be cleared of negative personal perceptions to get a clear view of what really happened. The thing I would suggest, as a recipient of an artificial knee and the husband of someone who is going to have one done this summer, is to find yourself the absolutely best orthopedic hip surgeon that numerous former patients, medical boards and surveys could recommend! Ask their peers about them, "Would they let a close family member be treated or operated on by this DR.?" Ask this of what you consider the best physicians you currently have. You should be clear with them what your current problem(s) are, what you expect the results to be and discuss what you feel is possible to achieve and what you want. Ask other patients what they think of the doctors you are investigating. If you think the dr. isn't the best ask him for a recommendation of someone with more knowledge in the area of expertise. YOU ARE THE ONE WHO HAS TO LIVE WITH THE DOCTOR'S RESULTS!

Go for consultations with at least two other doctors. Do this at the best hospital in the region for this type of treatment. War story- I did this prior to getting my replacement knee. The dr. was the orthopedic physician for the US Olympic Women's Soccer Team. I didn't tell him it was a second opinion I wanted but a diagnosis. He evaluated it, told me what was wrong, what needed to be done, how it was done and finally he doesn't do that operation. He recommended I see a specific dr. That dr was the one I had been seeing for the problem. He got the job for the new knee.

Why does one person have no problems or side effects and another have numerous one? No problems with my knee but I know a woman younger than me that is on her 4th knee one the same leg due to problems with her and her knees.

Good Luck, Old Salt

There is a funny smutty answer to her problem about wear and tear on knees with some ladies, but it is not the place for my sense of humour.....

But I did see a reaction in a girlfriend of my wife's when I mentioned it after a glass too many of beer!!! It apparently hit home!!!!