Contemplating a Hip Replacement - Exercise bike recommendation?
 

I've been told that arthritis in one hip (other hip is fine) is now pretty bad and I will probably end up with a hip replacement.

While I currently have problems with a limp and restricted flexibility and agility, I fortunately have no problems with casual biking and mild exercise on both stationary and recumbent exercise bikes that I use at the gym.

I am contemplating buying something for home. I want to put it in the living room near the TV so I can watch DVDs. Also want to be able to use a laptop or ipad device. So the requirements as I see it are:

- quiet so that I don't have to turn the volume of the movies up
- a decent position for reading laptop, ipad or book
- optimum position for hip replacement post surgery therapy. I can't see to find any hip replacement info that differentiates which position might be best.

Do you guys have any suggestions toward upright or recumbent? I use both at the gym and they both seem okay to me for the 20 minute light workouts I do, but I'd imagine someone here at the bike forum has already thought about this.

Having been there and done that, I would suggest an upright bike with as low a step through height as you can get. It's the mounting and dismounting that is the hard part for either exercise bike design. The Recumbent design is just too low when you first start out post-op, and will require you to lift your leg in a most uncomfortable way.

Right after your surgery dislocation is your biggest concern until your muscles that have been cut and stretched get toned back up (they are the only thing that holds anyones hips together). Your Doctor will most likely give you a list of exercises to do both pre-op and post-op. I would consult your doctor before you add an exercise bicycle to your recovery. Good luck with your surgery... it will seem like hell for a few weeks, but then the pain relief is worth it.

Thanks for the tip about low step through height. With my current limited mobility in the right hip I already find that the step through height is a little awkward on some exercise bikes that I have tried - and this is pre-surgery. So I will factor this in in my choice.

Yesterday I went to an exercise bike store and asked for a recommendation. I learned what you guys probably already know but I will point it out here in case someone doing a search engine search about this topic of hip arthritis surgery is looking some day:

- recumbent exercise bikes are useful for people that get numb from upright bikes when seated for long work outs. I know that when I go out for an hour ride on my regular upright bike I get some numbness in my butt and groin. This quickly goes away when I stop to take a break so it is no big deal for the type of casual riding that I do. So if I needed to sit on an exercise bike for an hour at a time I might want to choose the recumbent style. But I don't see myself doing that. Twenty minutes sessions on an upright would more likely be my pattern.

- recumbent exercise bikes are easier for people with bad backs. Fortunately my back is fine, so I don't need a recumbent.

- The bigger seat on a recumbent and the position slightly restrict the bend of the hip and leg more than upright exercise bike and I probably don't want to do that.

I am tending toward an upright.

You will find that most rehab facilities prefer ,and use, the Schwinn Airdyne stationary bike to rehab hip and knee replacement patients. You will find no quieter nor easier bike on the market for rehab.

http://www.schwinnfitness.com/schwin...rcise+Bike.jsp

This bike is easy to find used in good condition so look around rather than buy new.

I had both hips replaced in 2008. TOTAL agreement with bionicycle about the upright bike and Schwinn Air would be a solid choice. Don't put it off, if you need it get it ASAP. Your body will adjust to the pain of the bad hip and start doing damage to the other hip and lower back. I have the ceramic on ceramic (Encore Hip) replacements. They are better than original parts! :lol:

I primarily ride single track and the hips have taken some serious falls and have had no problems at all.

In my experience with a recumbent position, it is all wrong for bad hips. I talked to sales people at a Sports Store, 20 somethings. They sold me on the recumbent position. It totally aggravated the bad hips and caused a ton of grief.

Good luck on the surgery. 3 months post surgery you will be riding like a maniac and disco dancing all night long. :thumb::thumb::thumb:

I am having both hips replaced in a couple months. Any words of wisdom?

Yes, First listen to your doctor then do your rehab like your life depended on 'cause it does.

I'm 8 weeks out and convinced that staying as active as possible pre-surgery helped. I swam, cycled, did Pilates and weight training. My surgeon recommended I wait till 8 weeks post surgery before riding outside, but I spent plenty of time on the Schwinn Air Dyne in physical therapy beforehand.

My wife is getting hers replaced soon as well. Any tips on how I can still get in a little riding**********

My wife has had one hip reconstruction and one hip replacement. She rides a recumbent tadpole trike and has no problems with her hips during or after a ride. She is currently doing 15-17 miles a day. She is going to need surgery, shortly, on one of the hips to replace the discs. Her surgeon said it would be fine for her to use her trike (on a trainer with slight resistance) for her rehab. This makes it nice because she won't have to get a gym membership for rehab.

Now since, hip replacement is considered a major surgery, here are some helpful tips what to do after the operation and after leaving your hospital bed. Make sure that you prepared your home to be comfortable as possible after you have your hip replacement, if not you'll have a difficult time to recover.

I had a break across the trochanter and in the neck of my femur-the hip ball was intact so this may not apply to what you're looking at. My doc gave clearance on a stationary recumbent first, at about 3 weeks post surgery, so I bought a low end Schwinn on the thought that I'd use it until other options arose and sell it. No step over at all. I transferred straight from the wheelchair to the bike. Switched to my road bike on a trainer at about 6 weeks, but kept the Schwinn around and still use it on occasion. It's really good for structured, low cadence power rides.

I had a hip replaced in Sept of '11. I fractured it in a cycling accident and because of where the break was there was a risk of necrosis in the ball of the hip so it couldn't be repaired. In any event it was replaced and I was back on the trainer in two about two weeks. I did spend a week in rehab and worked the bejesus out of it in PT three times a week and on my own every day. IIRC I was back on the road in about two months.
I never considered a recumbent but at first I was on a Giant Tempo (spin bike) and that had an easy step through from there it was the road bike on the trainer then back on the road.
My surgeon felt cycling was a great activity for rehab since it's not weightbearing and good for increasing circulation. He told me the most important thing to extend the life of the replacement was to keep my weight down to limit the load on the joint. If you want a good result you have to really be diligent about the rehab. The way I see it is the surgeon does his part in the OR after that it's your responsibility to take over and manage the second part of the process.

A buddy of mine was weeks away from hip replacement. We are "hockey players" and the thought of hanging up his skates was killing him. He canceled the surgery and later went with stem cell therapy. Today his hips feel like new. His back and knees not so much. Those thinking of surgery might want to look into alternatives.