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View Full Version : Anyone here with broken hip/leg -question re: pad



CynJ
09-21-2005, 00:44
I've almost got my hubby convinced to come on the AT with me but here is the holdup - he is gonna be 35 in Feb and he shattered his hip 8 years ago in a mountain biking accident. He's got a ton of pins & plates in his leg holding the femur together and has some special "Compression" screw holding his hip ball together and has more plates on the socket. Its a very impressive x-ray!

Needless to say sleeping on the ground isn't high on his list. Can anyone recommend a good way to do a sleepin pad system for him?

My thought would be to get a really good closed cell foam bad and double it up with one of the self-inflatables for double the cushion and insulation.

What do you all think?

SteveJ
09-21-2005, 01:00
I've almost got my hubby convinced to come on the AT with me but here is the holdup - he is gonna be 35 in Feb and he shattered his hip 8 years ago in a mountain biking accident. He's got a ton of pins & plates in his leg holding the femur together and has some special "Compression" screw holding his hip ball together and has more plates on the socket. Its a very impressive x-ray!

Needless to say sleeping on the ground isn't high on his list. Can anyone recommend a good way to do a sleepin pad system for him?

My thought would be to get a really good closed cell foam bad and double it up with one of the self-inflatables for double the cushion and insulation.

What do you all think?how about not sleeping on the ground?! try a hammock and see how he does... while you prolly won't be able to sleep together (unless you are both very sound sleepers), he should be able to get a good night's sleep without hurting his hip, etc....

i wish my wife was willing to do something like this with me! your husband is a lucky man!

Steve

alalskaman
09-21-2005, 02:59
Lots of people say hammocks are good for back/joint problems. For me, (back surgery, blown knees, hip bursitis) I have had good results with air mats. My Thermarest LE still left me hurting in the morning...I have an Exped Foam Air mat, it is 26 oz which of course is not featherweight compared to a Walmart blue mat at 7 oz or so....but the difference is I can get up without pain. Lots of people like the POE insulmats too. For winter I have an Exped down mat...I think the weight is comparable to a collection of open/closed cell mats for the same temperature. I think it comes down to, with injuries like ours, save weight wherever you can, but not on the mat. And I'm the guy who once spent a summer sleeping all over Alaska on a 3/16" ensolite mat...but that was a loong time ago.

ffstenger
09-21-2005, 05:26
There are a lot of hammock hikers here at White Blaze that LOVE their hammocks. And in the case of your husband, it is an ideal choice.
At the hospital where I work we use a hammock type lift device that all the
"hip" patients like, they also go outside and recline on hammocks on campus.
They say it's the most comfotrable for them because there is no pressure
on the bone/joint that is affected. Hope you can give it a try.
Showme

Frolicking Dinosaurs
09-21-2005, 06:50
The female Dinosaur here. I suffered a shattered femur and a broken hip in an auto accident last year. My X-rays look more like a hardware store than a human and I suspect your husband is somewhat the same.

A hammock would be one good alternative if you both are comfortable with not sleeping together. After nearly losing me last year, my hubby isn’t comfortable with the idea of me sleeping anywhere but next to him in the woods now. He is also worried that I can’t get up quickly or run should an aggressive bear decide to visit (rare I know, but he still worries J ). A second consideration about using a hammock -can he get in and out of it.

I tried several hammocks at Trail Days – both at the vendor booths and in the tent city. I could not get out of any of them without at least three big guys helping me.

The problem is once you’ve broken a hip and have hardware in there, you can’t effectively cross one foot in front of the other and bear weight on the injured leg. This motion is one the ortho docs and physical torturers… er… I mean therapists caution people with this sort of injury to avoid. The joint just won’t take that without considerable pain and possible injury. It is also very difficult to use the abdominal muscles to move your upper body’s weight when the pelvis is in an uneven position – it feels like the hardware is preventing the joint from moving to me, but your hubby may be able to do this. I know this will come as a terrible shock, but boys are built a wee bit differently than girls :D

The bottom line: I wasn’t able to find a way to get out of a hammock that did not require the crossing leg motion and / or the pushing of weight with an uneven pelvis so it wasn’t an option for me.

I tried several types of pads and air mattresses – alone and in combination. I advise you to use a cold-weather insulated air mattress for all weather if you use one. Letting all the hardware get chilled overnight is a pretty sure way to insure the following day isn’t going to be pleasant. My hip joint gets inflamed and aches al the next day in response to such treatment. Again, your hubby may be different as he is somewhat younger than I am. A tip for dealing with chilled, aching joints – a naglene bottle filled with boiling water and then slid into a hiking sock makes a dandy heating pad.

Not plugging this vendor, but this link gives an excellent overview of the sleeping mattresses available and includes the R-values when known http://www.backcountry-equipment.com/sleeping_pads/sleeppads_overview.php

None of the closed-cell foam options I could find came close to providing enough cushioning for comfort when used alone so I started investigating the air mattresses.

The most comfortable air mat I found was the Big Agnes insulated mat http://www.backcountry-equipment.com/bigagnes-insulatedaircorepads.php The one I tried was mummy shaped and 2.5” thick. I ended up not going with the Big Agnes because of the mummy shape (I’m a side sleeper and kept getting my bad hip off of it – ouch). However, it comes in rectangular model.

The Exped Foam Air mat (http://www.backcountry-equipment.com/sleeping_pads/exped_foamairmattress.php) mentioned by Alaskaman is a similar air mattress to the Big Agnes and is not mummy-shaped. I wasn’t able to find a loaner of this mattress to try out. My concern re: this mattress was the insulation (R-value is 2.2). As I said earlier, keeping a joint with hardware warm overnight is important. My personal comfort level demands insulation R-values of 3+, but your hubby may be different.

I’ve got a Thermarest Prolite 4 regular (http://www.backcountry-equipment.com/thermarest-prolite4-reg.php) – a compromise between weight and comfort. It is a modified mummy shape, but wide enough that I can stay on it. It is 1.5” thick and weighs 1 lb, 8 ozs. It works as long as I don’t try to sleep on the wooden platform at shelters (I’m not a fan of sleeping with mice and snoring hikers other than my familiar male dino anyway :D) or on ground that has been compressed by having been used as a campsite by many others. We do what Ray Jardine calls ‘stealth’ camping in his book Beyond Backpacking – meaning we camp off the trail in the woods - away from water, shelters or established campsites. The normal leaf litter on the forest floor offers considerable cushioning and is naturally insulating.

I also advise you to find campsites with a slight slope and sleep with your heads toward the downward side. This helps keep the leg / hip from swelling overnight.

peter_pan
09-21-2005, 08:10
CynJ,

If he can get in and out of a recliner he can probably get in and out of a Hennessy without any problems...Recommend that you give serious thought to your insulation plan as this is a significant issue for hammockers and probably even more so for your husband....If you are planning a trip to Williamsburg or Jamestown PM and come by, you can try out several types of hammocks and insulation systems. Good luck in your quest to solve this issue.

Pan

titanium_hiker
09-21-2005, 08:41
also, with a non-hennesy, you can roll out of the hammock. Now, yeah, I am a bit younger, but I have a fused back (scoliosis) and as a result screwed up knees and joints that go "CRA-AK" - hips included. In my hammock- oh boy! my back likes me again! my knees and hips feel great! I reccomend that you try it, it's one of those "wish I'd got one earlier" type things.

Check out www.imrisk.com (great site) and the test hammock (for testing) and double hammocking (two hammocks side by side)

good luck!

titanium

CynJ
09-21-2005, 14:03
Wow - thanks for the great replies gang!

That comparison chart is awesome Frolicking!

I think the key is going to be keeping him away from the damp as much as possible. I sort of like the looks of that Exped Downmat 9 DLX - looks soft and has an R value of 8!! I think that with a good sleeping bag should work.

Will have to take him to a couple of outfitters to investigate.

I did think the hammock thing through - I see a couple of problems with it: 1) him getting in and out. 2) he can't sit for very long at time without his leg locking up and he sleeps on his stomach with it bent slightly. I don't see this working well for him.

The funny thing is to watch the two of us hike together - me with my 23" inseam and him with a 32" inseam - I take 2-3 steps to his one! lol I gave up trying to keep up with him years ago!

Patrick
09-21-2005, 14:26
CynJ,

Another hammock pusher here. Your husband shouldn't have trouble getting in and out of a Hennessy. You enter from a slit on the bottom, so there's no twisting around. You can pull the hammock up over your head then sit down straight back and just pull your legs up.

As far as sleeping, he'll have to try for himself of course, but I usually sleep with one leg pulled way up, too. Bad lower back. I have no problem doing this while sleeping better in my Hennessy than I ever have before outdoors. I sleep on my side almost exclusively.

If his knees lock up, you might consider using a second "pillow" for under them. Lots of people do this. Someone on here suggested the other day stuffing a fleece or jacket into its sleeve to make a long knee-pillow. Sounds like a great idea to me.

Something else to consider is that the hammock set-up is likely a good bit lighter than how you're sleeping on the ground now. Carrying less weight and getting a better night's sleep go a long way to keeping a body feeling good.

Just my opinions, of course. Let us know what you and he decide. Good luck.

Tha Wookie
09-21-2005, 17:09
I have have two major hip surgeries, one to put in 5 titanium screws, the other to take them out. I still have some hip problems, but have hiked over 7000 miles on it so far.

I like to sleep on the ground -shelters really hurt my hip because I like to alternate sides at night. So I usually do Leave No Trace style stealth camping, and find a real nice soft pad. Almost every time, i can find something better than a human-made bed. There is a lot of soft stuff -but not in the compacted soil campsites.

I still suffer from chronic stiffness. Stretching regularly will be imperative!!! I did not stretch enough on the AT, and only recently have I gotten back to sitting with crossed legs (after 4 years). The muscles change so much on a hike that if don't stretch them out, then the hurt leg will suffer dearly.

Find soft spot -stretch!

neo
09-21-2005, 21:06
hammock camping is the way to go,i refuse to sleep on the ground,my wife has neck and back problems,she loves her hammock to:cool: neo

Frolicking Dinosaurs
09-21-2005, 21:37
Guys, curling your legs into and out of the entry / exit slit of a Hennessy involves some movements that many people with hip hardware aren't going to be able to make easily - if at all. I'd love to be able to use one, but it just isn't possible. Are any of the fellows that helped pull me out of any of the 8 or 9 hammocks I tried at Trail Days this year in this forum?

titanium_hiker
09-21-2005, 22:01
hmmm... what about a top entry hammock? so, lie on your back. legs- stick straight up (like you are sitting) roll out, legs catch you, stand up, TADDA! I dunno about hips, but I know what it is like to feel imobile (hilarious trying to clean my teeth after surgury (back fused) "can't... bend...") then again, I have unhardwared hips.

titanium (name cause of surgury- one golf club in my back!)

Patrick
09-22-2005, 00:04
Hmm, that's what I get for speaking with healthy hips. Sounds like there are plenty of people with embedded hardware who are comfortable with hammocks and love them and some who can't use them. Have him give them a try. Maybe they'll be too awkward or painful, or maybe they'll be the cat's ass. Only one way to find out.

middle to middle
09-27-2005, 09:15
I had a rod in my thigh and a few pins lower in leg which I finally had removed and have walked a few miles on AT and slept on ground a lot. not a factor. I love the connection to the earth and feel it is healing. my right leg came out a little short after healing and I use orthotics and a built up sole on boot. All works fine after strengthing muscels.