Customer Reviews

Heal Your Hips: How to Prevent Hip Surgery -- and What to Do If You Need It

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm 38 and very active. After fracturing the posterior lip of my right acetabulum in a mountain bike crash, i thought my hip was healed and 6 months later I was back in the gym working out and getting strong. That is until one day I suffered an anterior post traumatic injury of the same hip, which instantly turned me into a limpin gimp.

After going through the motions of x-rays/bone scans/MRIs, and dealing with the prospects of AVN, early hip replacement, and a young conventionally trained orthopedic surgeon, that worked for a large California HMO (the mane starts with a K) I decided to research alternatives to an open procedure, that the K-suregeon was more than ready to perform, which may or may not have helped me, but would've guaranteed me a long recovery and allot of pain.

That's when I found Dr. Klapper. He evaluated my condition, felt I had a good case of arthritis setting in, among other things, and that I'd be a candidate for arthroscopic surgery to clean up the hip joint, and relieve the pain further. But before he'd agree to that he insisted that I go to PT, and purchase his very inexpensive book to see how much it would help heal the hip in a non-invasive manner.

With no exaggeration, by the 3rd time I'd gone through what I thought were the most benign, SIMPLE land exercises I started to regain stability in my hip which had been killing me with every step, kept me close to home, stopped me from venturing too far from the car, and worrying me for months on end.

It's been 5 months of work outs now and I'm getting more, and more back to normal after every workout. Though I will still have the scope surgery performed, I can't praise this book enough on how it helped me regain mobility, strength, and brought back my confidence. If you have a hip problem, BUY THIS BOOK, it gave me back a HUGE chunk of my normal active life style.

An excellent resource from a fitness educator. This is an excellent handbook for any person who is serious about postponing hip implants. It can be read and followed by any person who is serious about maintaining mobility. It can used by any therapist, or motivated individual. Guaranteed results. If you are facing implants, this book will help you through the healing process. It just means you should do your homework! Thank you, healers, for a treasure! Do not give up hope. The pain will go away if you are not afraid of it. Guaranteed to avoid post-surgery depression!

I have had 1 hip replaced and discovered the great value of water therapy during my rehab. Since my other hip will eventually have to be done also, I liked the emphasis on using the exercises to also strengthen the "good" hip. The book is well written and the illustrations are excellent.

This is the book that I wanted to write, but just didn't have all of the answers. I recommend it as the FIRST book to read if you are having hip problems. From what to expect when you get to the hospital to a very detailed water and land exercise program with photos. My favorite line in the book is: "Hip surgery is one of the reasons I'm so passionate about orthopedics, because I'm taking one of the most debilitating, life-interrupting problems that can happen to people, and giving them their lives back." Robert Klapper, MD

Linda May-Bowser founder, Totally Hip Support Group

I have on and off hip pain (I am 41). I was really beginning to worry about it, but after reading this book, I now know that there are things I can do about my hip pain. As they say, knowledge is power. I like the fact that this book concentrates on exercises we can do (with good pictures). It also contains a lot of really good advice, like using ice to dampen pain. The author also suggests using hot alternated with cold treatment, which evidently "shocks" the tissue around the joint (through making the blood vessels and veins contract and then expand, thus bringning in needed blood to the joint area). This is the only book I know that just concentrates on hip pain. I like the fact that the author doesn't assume that osteoarthritis is an "old person's disease" necessarily. The books seems focused on anyone with hip pain, including younger athletes. This is an optimistic book that can give us hope for improvement. The discussion of the negative cycles that can result (pain, resulting in less movement, which brings more joint problems, resulting in a downward spiral), and the positive cycles (more exercise of the right kind, which helps the joint, which then reduces pain, and makes us more mobile) was for me extremely helpful.

I highly recommend this book! When I started having hip joint pain and could no longer do my regular aerobic workouts, I asked my doctor, physical therapist, and aquatic director if there were any exercises I could do in the water. I received very little response from any of them. I searched the internet and found this book and it became my bible. I cannot tell you how often I have quoted from this book. The pool exercises were exactly what I needed.

The explanation of the different types of hip diseases was very informative and it gave me a full appreciation of what I was dealing with in my physical reality. I had not been diagnosed with avascular necrosis as of yet so I did not know that the non-weight bearing exercises would actually keep the blood flowing to my hip and helped slow down the deterioration of my joint.

After about a year of religiously doing these pool exercises three times a week (I could no longer do any of the land exercises), I had other problems arise and I was unable to get in the pool more than once a week and my hip deteriorated to the point where I finally needed hip surgery.

I had put off reading the last chapter of the book but it was inevitable. It prepared me for surgery and it is all history now. I am so glad that I had the information and knew exactly what to expect prior to surgery. At last I am back into the water and doing the exercises for post-surgery and the results are amazing.

My husband and I are both starting to experience pain in the morning with our hips. A friend recommended this book and it has been very helpful for the exercises it offered. We have been doing them and feeling much better. Better than surgery!!

October 6, 2007

My nephew who is an MD/PhD and specializes in joints and their movement recommended this book to me. It is fantastic and I am very glad that I read it before my upcoming total hip replacement. The information is medically solid, clearly written, and easy to follow. The book will be just as valuable after my surgery as before and should help in my recovery. One of the most important, common-sense pieces of information in the book concerns excess weight and the impact on joints. Whether you are having hip problems or you wish to avoid future problems this is an excellent book and I highly recommend it.

This book has a lot of good information about hips. The excercises are helpful and are explained well.

The surgical information is good, though outdated. There are procedures and devices that are not listed so the reader should get additional information from other sources to supplement the information in the book.

In this book you will find both information regarding the anatomy of the hip and its disorders, and important guidelines
for following the core hip exercises which will help keep your hip muscles healthy and strong.