HIi All, I’m a 68 year old and have had a total left hip replacement. I have just completed my 6th Week of Physio and now have bike setup with kickr and climb.I want to continue for another 12 week on static cycling. Could anyone give advice on where I should start.
I’m still tender all over my replacement hip.
Thanks in advance, Billy
Physio should be able to make a recommendstion. However, I have discovered that physios think the definition of “as much cycling for rehab as you like” actually means no more than 10 min 3x per week of zone 1. My knee doc made the same mistake. My cycling coach rang him to ask if he was serious 
Anyway, cannot give medical advice apart from chat to your surgeon and physio. HOWEVER a friend who had to have a full hip replacement after a total femur break did a ton of rehab on the indoor bike. He started with 10 min a day of zone 1 and worked his way up to an hour of zone 2 for 5 days a week and then started pushing a bit more before we rode outside again. From memory it was 4 months from surgery to riding outside.
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Recovery is so dependent on the individual, and their ability to heal. Age may or may not be a good guide.
One thing that I have found is useful is that pain can be a guide to how much progress you can make.
I would, as @DameLisa mentions, make sure the medical people giving you advice understand both your medical situation, and cycling.
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Gosh yes on the pain thing. For my knee rehab, I was not allowed to reach pain level 3 of 10. It took me a long time to understand what level 3 was. I had a few relapses until I figured it out
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How did they calibrate the pain scale?
Standard pain scales seem not to work for me, I have done root canal without novocaine.
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From what the doctor’s office has taught me, they keep applying pain to someone and then an amateur sketchy artist drew this up and therefore level three is half way between smiling face and serious face……
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Thanks Heretic for the info, I will speak with the physio team to see what they recommend.
Kindest Regards
Billy
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You should probably edit out your contact info, this is a public forum and you do not who will see it (or find it through a search engine).
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So it is normalized to the person. Individuals with high pain tolerance might be able to tolerate more than a physio would want them to experience.
Possibly. I never saw a physio when I had my collar bone patched up, the surgeon assistant made me show her my range of motion and I know she concentrated on my face to watch my pain level and gave me the all good. She asked me to push it a little in the office and could tell it hurt because of my facial expression and had me stop. At least I can only assume it was my facial expression because I didn’t say anything and her comment was “that hurts so stop there”. So there’s something to it, it’s just not super scientific.
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I agree. Thus forum is available to the general public without any sort of log in.
Years (decades) ago, I remember an article about labor and childbirth that recommended you leave for the hospital when your pain hits a 6 or 7 during a contraction. How would you recognize a 6? That’s when your spouse asks you to smile for a commemorative photo, and you can’t even fake a smile. That stuck in my memory as the most helpful pain scale explanation.
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When I broke my collar bone and lost the use of my left rotator cuff, the doctor asked me rotate my arm to see the range of motion. I did so without feeling any real discomfort, but the doctor’s face was one of horror.
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Thanks will do.
Thanks for the info Lisa, I will give physio a call and see what they recommend. I’m just eager to get back on my bike again.
Had same hip done twice in 18months. Speak to physio. Make sure you both understand exactly what you think each other has said. Physio also needs to understand what you used to be capable of. It can be frustrating at times - do not over do things. Oh and good luck getting on and off the bike! Assuming it’s not a step thru!
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Thanks daggers, will be talked by with physio in the morning. Hopefully I’ll get some static cycling in. I’m feeling good after 7 weeks after hip replacement.
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