Customer Reviews

A Patient's Guide to Knee and Hip Replacement: Everything You Need to Know

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Though I am only half way through this book, it is wonderfullywritten from the patient's point of view. The author had the samequestions, and the same fears that I did going into my own hip surgeries. He also gives a very detailed account of the entire process from deciding when to have the surgery through the recovery.

I recommend this book HIGHLY to anyone who needs or has already had joint replacement surgery!

Linda May-Bowser Founder, Totally Hip Support Group

I am a 72-year-old man who lives in Upstate New York. My daughter who resides in Dallas sent me this book in May, 1999.

Prior to reading the book, I was walking around limping with severe pain in my right hip for 13 months. I took pain killers, most recently, Celebrex.

Frankly, I was afriad to have the operation, even though I hated taking pills for pain. I glanced through the book after I received it and put it aside. Our summer was very warm and I felt better.

Early in September, 1999, the weather turned damp and cool and the hip pain returned with a vengeance. Finally, I picked up the book and read it cover to cover. I was amazed.

Every aspect of the hip operation is covered, including preparing yourself for it. The book covers the pre-op requirements, the risks, the final decision, what will be needed at home after the operation and finally a blow-by-blow account of the author's feelings up to the day of the operation.

After reading the book a second time, I was prepared to go ahead with the operation with confidence.

The operation was scheduled for Oct. 7. Today is Oct. 23.

Following the operation, I had no hip pain at all. The incision pain was quite severe but gradually subsided after a week or so. On Oct. 18, my dressing was removed and Oct. 20, the staples were removed.

Four days after my operation, I started what I considered to be a cruel physical therapy workout, including 45 minutes of hip exercises, climbing stairs and weak feeling moments, nothing that is mentioned in the book. I cannot stress how important daily physical therapy is to the success of this operation.

I have completed 45 minutes of exercizing in the morning and 45 minutes in the afternoon, seven days a week, since Day 6 after the operation. I'm presently in Day 16.

Finally, my thanks go out to the author Irwin Silber for writing this book and to my daughter Linda for sending it to me. I must admit that if I had not read this book, I would probably be still limping around in pain.

I am 43 and am having a hip replacement next week. After reading this book, I still have questions. I would have liked to see more about what takes place during a hip operation, as I have found better descriptions on the web than in this book. I would have liked more info on anesthesia choices. Also, I found myself having to sift through information on the knee (which I cared nothing about) to get to the information on the hip, often treated as an afterthought and dismissed with words like "the hip replacement follows the same general pattern as a knee replacement." I would have also liked some comments about cemented hips versus uncemented (he does talk about the knee) and the new ceramic hip, and in general, more specific information about the hip throughout the book. This book might have worked better if it had two sections, one for the hip and one for the knee. That would reduce the frustration of having to read through pages of knee information before finding out if the author thinks it is applicable to hips also (and mentally trying to separate the info). To sum up, I guess the book is worth it, but it is not everything you need to know.

In my quest to educate myself before my hip replacement, this was the first book I selected. The fact that the book addresses knee replacement as well is a plus, as I suspect that many who need hip replacement will at some time also need knee replacement. I enjoyed the detail of what to expect, the enthusiasm of the writer and the resulting feeling of "I can DO this!" Since I'll be recovering at my mom's, I sent a copy to her so she'll know what's going on.

The very notion of hip replacement surgery can be frightening to the patient who is not emotionally and mentally prepared for the event. Having had both of my hips replaced within a five-month period, I was lucky to have found Silber's helpful guide ahead of time. It answered many of my questions, educated me on issues I had not considered, and also made me feel less alone and frightened. I have recommended it to other hip replacement patients as one of the best books out on this topic. Arming yourself with knowledge helps ease the fear and paves the way for quicker recovery.

This book would have been very helpful for me to read prior to my own two knee replacements and one hip replacement. As a long-time member of the online support group that Irwin Silber references in the book, I get lots of the questions this book addresses on a daily basis. It makes me happy to see the information now available to people who do not know about the resources for support and information available on the Internet. And I must admit, it was flattering to find a couple of quotations from me included (with permission). I recommend this book to anyone considering a knee or hip replacement.

The book had little information on hip replacement, particularly little about post operative concerns. There was more relevant information on the internet and from hospital brochures.

I wish that I would have had a book like this to read before I had my first TRK. It answers any questions that I can think of. I have learned so many things about hip replacement and who knows I may need this some day. I have already shown the book to my doctor and also my physical therapist. They both agreed with me about it. I am one of the real life patient experiences in this book and was quite please when I read the book. Everything that I experienced during my Total Knee Replacement is just as Mr. Silber wrote. This book will answer all of your questions.

This higly informative and easy-to-read book provides a wealth of accurate information to those facing these orthopedic procedures. It gives a step-by-step summary of what the patient will experience, from initial diagnosis to long-term recovery, and is filled with the real-life experiences of actual patients. As a hip replacement patient myself, I did a lot of research before my operation - yet Mr. Silber has captured everything really useful in his book. If a knee or hip replacement is in your future, get this book.

The author, having had both knees & a hip replaced, does a remarkable job of covering just about every conceivable aspect of knee & hip replacement. I believe I am in a good position to judge since I have had the same joint surgery.

In very easy to understand language, information is provided based, not only on personal experience, but on the combined experience of many others.

From the time when pain requires one to seriously consider joint replacement, the reader is taken through selecting a surgeon, a discusson of the prosthesis, through the operation itself, rehabilation, and finally for most, a pain free return to normal living using wonderful new joints.

The author has managed to be very concise and yet provide a tremendous amount of helpful data. I only wish that I had been able to go to a single source like this prior to my own replacements.