The need for knee or hip replacement often occurs at a young age, in people who are accustomed to leading an active lifestyle. It is important for them to know whether they will be able to play sports after surgery. But few of them realize that it was their lifestyle that most likely caused severe joint damage. And if it weren’t for intense physical activity, then most likely there would have been no need for surgery.
After unicondylar knee replacement.
Can I return to sports after a joint replacement? Yes - this is the answer in most clinics. But you need to think about something else. Is it worth doing this when it is fraught with premature wear of the endoprosthesis and revision surgery in just a few years? When making such decisions, common sense must prevail; the increased load on the implant will not pass without a trace.
Accelerated wear of the polyethylene platform.
Classification of sports by intensity
Each person has a different meaning for the concept of “playing sports.” For some people, sport is ten minutes of jogging a couple of times a month. For others, it's a weekly swim in the pool. And for others - one and a half hour games of hockey at least 2-3 times a week. In each of the three cases, the question will be the same: “Will I be able to play sports after endoprosthetics?” But the answer will be completely different.
Various sports are divided into three groups:
- professional;
- amateur;
- light physical activity (swimming, jogging, gymnastics).
Professional sports involve heavy stress on joints. While doing it, many professional athletes already at a young age are faced with deforming osteoarthritis of the knee or hip joint, which is why they actually have to undergo surgery. While in ordinary people who lead a moderately active lifestyle, arthrosis develops only after 60-65 years. Thus, playing sports is one of the main factors causing joint damage. They have no less detrimental effect on the endoprosthesis.
As for light physical activity, it is practically safe. Running, swimming and light exercise usually do not harm the joints or the installed implant. If only a person behaves carefully, does not make sudden movements, does not slip or fall.
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Therapeutic recommendations
Coxarthrosis is treated with courses of hyaluronic acid injections. Benefits of the procedure:
- Hyaluronic acid is a safe substance, since it is produced by one’s own body and is an integral part of synovial fluid, which is becoming less and less in the joint space, the processes of friction and cartilage breakdown are intensifying. Several injections restore the amount of fluid and reduce friction.
- It takes 1 – 2 courses per year to relieve constant pain.
Plasmaphoresis is a safe treatment method in which the patient’s plasma is injected into the joint, which triggers tissue regeneration processes. At the same time, you can not abuse painkillers, which negatively affect other organs and systems.
Patients are advised to periodically visit sanatoriums. Treatment at resorts is comprehensive. The climate, which helps reduce pain, is important. Salty sea water can open pores on the skin and replenish mineral deficiencies in the body. In addition, physical activity during swimming helps improve overall well-being. Sunlight stimulates the formation of vitamin D, which is necessary for the absorption of calcium.
What are the dangers of sports with an endoprosthesis?
Any endoprosthesis is a “weak link” in the body, no matter how high quality it is and no matter how well it is installed. This must be understood, realized and always remembered.
Destruction of the acetabular component.
During active sports, the load on large joints increases. And if a person has an endoprosthesis installed, he inevitably suffers. And this is fraught with loosening of the implant at its border with the bone and the early development of instability. As a result, within a few years a revision, that is, repeat, operation may be necessary. But it is more complex and has worse prognosis than the primary installation of an endoprosthesis.
Destruction of a polyethylene cup.
Even after a severe injury to a healthy joint, a person can have surgery and return to their normal lifestyle. But after repeated joint replacement surgery, the chances of a full recovery are much lower. And there is a high probability of developing complications. Therefore, you should not take another risk by recklessly overloading the installed endoprosthesis.
Is it possible to go to the bathhouse with coxarthrosis: steam and warm the joints
Another question that worries patients is whether it is possible to go to the bathhouse with coxarthrosis and at the same time visit the steam room and actively warm the joints. The answer to this question is not clear-cut. It all depends on the stage of the pathological process and the current condition of the patient.
Let's just say that at stages 3 and 4 of coxarthrosis, you can heat your joints without much risk. Everything that could collapse has already undergone this process. And warming up often brings, albeit temporary, relief from severe pain. Therefore, in the later stages you don’t have to worry anymore. Nothing worse than what has already happened will happen.
But those patients who have just embarked on the path of a patient with coxarthrosis should be concerned about these questions. So, is it possible to heat joints with coxarthrosis at an early stage? Yes, it is possible, but only if there are no signs of an inflammatory process. Systematic heating of tissues with dry heat during the period of remission improves tissue trophism and accelerates the process of their recovery.
During an exacerbation (signs of an inflammatory process in the joint), when severe pain actually appears, this should not be done. Heating during inflammation increases tissue breakdown and can cause accelerated joint destruction.
In a similar way, we can answer the question of whether it is possible to steam with coxarthrosis: in remission (no signs of inflammation) it is not prohibited. Visiting a steam room during remission can have a certain therapeutic effect. Under the influence of hot air, metabolic processes are activated and the regeneration process can begin. But you should not abuse this procedure.
We recommend that you consult with your doctor about whether you can visit a bathhouse, steam room, or warm your joints during this period.
What sports are prohibited?
After endoprosthetics, it is prohibited to engage in those sports that create a heavy dynamic load on the joints or require sudden multidirectional movements. They provoke loosening of the implant, its premature wear, and in some cases even destruction or displacement.
Broken implant stem.
Prohibited and undesirable sports include:
- tennis and table tennis;
- various martial arts;
- acrobatics;
- Weightlifting;
- horseback riding;
- skiing;
- figure skating;
- jumping, including with a parachute;
- football, basketball, handball, hockey, etc.
In all team sports there is a high risk of colliding with someone or falling. Other players may unintentionally push or knock down the person being operated on. They will do it by accident, but that doesn't make it any easier. After all, such collisions can have serious consequences, including dislocation of the endoprosthesis and periprosthetic fracture.
Is it possible to do massage with coxarthrosis?
The most common question concerns whether it is possible to do massage with coxarthrosis and why for some this procedure worsens pain.
Massage is one of the most important procedures used in the complex treatment of this degenerative joint disease. Properly performed massage allows you to normalize blood supply processes, regulate muscle fiber tone, and compensate for the lack of performance of ligament and tendon fibers. Competent actions of a massage therapist improve the condition of all tissues surrounding the joint, which provokes increased trophism of the synovial layer and triggers the regeneration of damaged areas.
Please note that massage for coxarthrosis can only be done if the following principles are observed:
- the procedures should be carried out by a massage therapist with a medical education and sufficient practical experience;
- the course of procedures is developed by the doctor;
- sessions must be systematic, otherwise the entire therapeutic effect is lost;
- preparation for the session and certain actions after it are required (the algorithm for this is known to massage therapists and doctors who monitor the procedures).
It is unacceptable to massage yourself during coxarthrosis or entrust this procedure to a person without medical education and work experience. Remember that with coxarthrosis, the trophism of all articular tissues is disrupted. In old age, the risk of hip fracture increases significantly. Any incorrect action by an unprofessional “massage therapist” can provoke displacement of the head of the femur, destruction of its neck or subluxation of the hip joint. These are very dangerous pathologies that can lead to disability.
Run
Jogging after surgery is fairly harmless and is generally okay to do. However, it is important not to overdo it. When running, it is better to take small steps, minimizing the “flight phase”. In this way, the operated joint will be less injured when the leg collides with the ground.
If possible, it is better to replace running with walking, in which there is no “flight phase” and sudden jolts. It will be much safer.
Is it possible to work in the country with coxarthrosis?
On the eve of the gardening season, the question will increasingly arise about whether it is possible to work in the country with coxarthrosis. Here it is important to correctly assess your strengths and current condition. You should not dig the ground with a shovel, carry heavy objects, or remain in a static position for a long time. But in general, work on the land, if it does not cause any catastrophic physical stress, will be beneficial for health and general well-being.
At a summer cottage, a patient with coxarthrosis can perform any operations related to planting, weeding, hilling, and loosening. But it is important to observe the principle of alternating work and rest. Work 30 minutes and rest for the same amount.
Exercise bike/bicycle
Cycling is an optimal form of physical activity, which is even recommended after endoprosthetics. It does not require sudden movements and does not create stress on the joints, so you can “ride” an exercise bike after surgery even until you break a sweat.
Instead of an exercise bike, you can use a more compact and cheaper stepper.
Selecting a device and setting it up
There is a large selection of exercise bikes that are structurally different from each other. It is advisable to purchase a bicycle simulator, the design of which involves adjusting the applied load. When choosing a bike station, take into account the following nuances:
- the device must be stable and safe so that obese people can train on it without any problems;
- the weight of the flywheel of the mechanism must be at least 7 kg, it ensures smooth rotation and a gradual increase in load;
- electromagnetic and magnetic devices are characterized by silent operation;
- You should not purchase devices with too many additional functions, since half of them are not used;
- Among people with coxarthrosis, horizontal devices are popular, which are equipped with an adjustable seat with a backrest.
Doctors often recommend purchasing a bicycle ergometer - a special medical device with precise load adjustment, heart rate measurement and other data. Its mechanism is designed so that all settings occur automatically depending on the patient’s well-being. In an exercise bike, the resistance should be set so that when force is applied, the pedals rotate smoothly and without sudden jerks.
It is recommended to conduct the first lessons in test mode. After them, you should evaluate the device and your sensations. Increased loads are allowed only after consultation with a doctor. If pain occurs, it is better to stop exercising on an exercise bike.
Pool
Swimming in the pool is not only allowed, but even recommended after knee/hip replacement. And special water gymnastics are even included in the rehabilitation program. Therefore, people who love swimming can be completely calm. After endoprosthetics, they definitely won’t have to give up their favorite physical activity.
You can use the pool as soon as the stitch heals.
Let's sum it up
After joint replacement, you can play sports, and you are allowed to do this within three to four months after the operation. And here it is useless to prohibit anything. If a person wants, he will engage in weightlifting, lifting hundred-kilogram barbells. This is his right and his choice.
But is it worth doing?
If you can give up dangerous sports and live happily for 20-25 years, without pain and restrictions. Or you can continue to play football on a weekly basis in a team and after 5 years you will again end up on the operating table, after which any sport, at the level of medical advice, will be strictly prohibited.
