►To send a question or comment, visit The Hip Replacement Podcast website here.

Water Slides After a Hip Replacement

►► Download my Top 12 Tips for Hip Replacement Patients here

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►For more information, or to send a question or comment, visit The Hip Replacement Podcast website

Water Slides After Hip Replacement: Can You Still Have Summer Fun Safely?

Can You Ride Water Slides After Hip Replacement Surgery?

Can hip replacement patients still enjoy waterparks, resorts, cruise ship water slides, pools, lazy rivers, and active summer vacations? In this episode of The Hip Replacement Podcast, Chris talks about one of the more fun — and surprisingly practical — questions many active hip replacement patients may wonder about: Are water slides safe after hip replacement surgery?

Summer, warm weather, family vacations, waterparks, resorts, and cruise ships can bring great opportunities to move, play, cool off, make memories, and enjoy life after hip replacement. But water slides also bring real things to consider, including twisting, bending, awkward body positions, slippery surfaces, stairs, shallow splashdowns, fatigue, strength, balance, and how long it has been since surgery.

Chris shares his own love of water slides, why he believes fun still matters after hip replacement, and the one time a water slide created an unexpected wardrobe emergency. More importantly, he walks through 10 things hip replacement patients should consider before going on water slides, including getting cleared by your surgeon, knowing your stage of recovery, avoiding risky positions, paying attention to the landing area, starting with easier slides, checking ride rules, watching out for wet stairs and slippery walkways, and having an exit plan at the bottom.

This episode is not about scaring people away from waterparks. It is about helping hip replacement patients think clearly, make better decisions, and stay active in a way that fits their current recovery, strength, mobility, and confidence.

Whether you are recovering from hip replacement surgery, years removed from total hip replacement, planning a summer vacation after hip surgery, wondering about water activities after hip replacement, or trying to return to a more active lifestyle with a new hip, this episode offers practical tips, encouragement, and a bigger reminder: life after hip replacement can still include adventure, movement, laughter, family memories, and yes, maybe even water slides.

After a hip replacement, the question is not just whether you can go on water slides. The better question is whether that specific slide, on that specific day, with your current strength and recovery, feels like the right choice for you.

New hips. New you. Let’s go.

Thanks for joining THE HIP REPLACEMENT PODCAST.

-Chris

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Ice Skating After Hip Replacement

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For more information, or to send a question or comment, visit The Hip Replacement Podcast website

Can You Ice Skate After Hip Replacement Surgery?

Hip replacement recovery, ice skating after hip replacement, and why your old activities may not be as “over” as you think.

In this episode of The Hip Replacement Podcast, Chris shares a personal story about getting back on the ice years after hip replacement surgery. After his daughters started taking ice skating lessons in Central Florida, Chris agreed to take them skating — even though, as every hip replacement patient knows, ice is slippery, falls are scary, and confidence after hip surgery does not always come rushing back immediately.

This episode is not a recommendation that every hip replacement patient should go ice skating. Instead, it is a real-life reminder that hip replacement recovery is not only about walking, rehab exercises, physical therapy, or getting through the early weeks after surgery. It is also about asking a bigger question: What parts of your active life do you still want to return to when your body is ready?

Chris talks about his long history with ice skating and hockey, from growing up playing hockey in the Chicago area to working as a rink guard and playing late-night hockey at outdoor and indoor rinks in Houston. That background mattered. He was not learning to skate for the first time after hip replacement. He had years of skating experience, which helped him manage the risk, take it slow, avoid crowds, stay aware of his balance, and enjoy time with his daughters.

The bigger lesson is for anyone preparing for hip replacement surgery or living years after hip replacement: do not be too quick to throw away the equipment, identity, or activities you think you may never need again. You may return to golf, tennis, hiking, cycling, skating, dancing, fitness classes, or another activity you once loved — maybe at a different pace, a gentler level, or for a completely new reason.

Hip replacement surgery can feel like the end of certain activities, but for many people, it may become the beginning of a smarter, more intentional active life. Your recovery timeline is personal. Your risks are personal. Your return to activity should be discussed with your doctor or physical therapist. But your future may be bigger than you think.

If you are a hip replacement patient, preparing for hip surgery, recovering from total hip replacement, or wondering what life after hip replacement can look like, this episode offers encouragement, perspective, and a little ice-rink reality check.

New hips. New you. Let’s go.

Thanks for joining THE HIP REPLACEMENT PODCAST.

-Chris

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If you liked this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review! Your support helps us reach more hip replacement patients who need these insights and inspiration. Thanks for tuning into THE HIP REPLACEMENT PODCAST! See you next time.

Hip Replacement Costs, HSA Benefits, FSA Rules, and Medical Expense Tax Tips

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Get my book, NEW STEEL here - available in hardcover, paperback, eBook and audio versions

For more information, or to send a question or comment, visit The Hip Replacement Podcast website

Tax Accounts that Can Benefit Hip Replacement Patients

How Health Savings Accounts and Flexible Spending Accounts Can Help Hip Replacement Patients

Tax Benefits of a Health Savings Account (HSA) After Hip Replacement

Hip replacement surgery can come with more than physical recovery. It can also bring medical bills, recovery equipment, physical therapy costs, prescriptions, mobility tools, and other expenses that add up quickly. In this episode of The Hip Replacement Podcast, Chris talks about how hip replacement patients in the United States may be able to use tax-advantaged accounts like a Health Savings Account, also known as an HSA, or a Flexible Spending Account, also known as an FSA, to help pay for qualifying medical expenses connected to hip replacement surgery and recovery.

If you are preparing for hip replacement surgery, recovering from hip surgery, or years removed from surgery and still managing recovery-related expenses, this episode explains why your situation may qualify you for certain tax benefits. Chris shares how an HSA or FSA may help pay for medical expenses such as crutches, walkers, canes, prescriptions, pain medication, physical therapy, raised toilet seats, shower chairs, ice machines, compression boots, compression stockings, orthotics, shoe inserts, and other recovery tools.

This episode also explains the important differences between an HSA and an FSA. A flexible spending account is usually set up through an employer and generally follows a “use it or lose it” rule during the plan year. A health savings account is different because it can roll over from year to year, may be used long after the original medical expense was incurred, and can even become a powerful long-term planning tool for future healthcare costs.

Chris also discusses why hip replacement surgery may change the definition of what counts as a medical expense for you. Something that might not qualify for one person could potentially qualify for someone recovering from major hip surgery if it is medically necessary and supported by proper documentation. That is why keeping receipts, asking your doctor or surgeon about a letter of medical necessity, and speaking with a tax advisor can be so important.

This is not tax advice, but it is a practical reminder: if you qualify for tax benefits, use them. Hip replacement recovery is already challenging enough. If an HSA, FSA, or other tax-advantaged account can help reduce the financial pressure of hip replacement surgery, recovery equipment, physical therapy, or long-term medical care, it is worth understanding your options.

New hips. New you. Let’s go.

Thanks for joining THE HIP REPLACEMENT PODCAST.

-Chris

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If you liked this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review! Your support helps us reach more hip replacement patients who need these insights and inspiration. Thanks for tuning into THE HIP REPLACEMENT PODCAST! See you next time.

Big Goals After Hip Replacement

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For more information, or to send a question or comment, visit The Hip Replacement Podcast website

Can your hip hold up to your big life goals?

Hip Replacement, Bigger Goals

Can Your Hip Replacement Support Bigger Fitness and Life Goals?

Are hip replacements strong?

Hip replacement recovery can lead to bigger goals, stronger movement, and a new version of what’s possible.

In this episode of The Hip Replacement Podcast, Chris shares a personal story about returning to competitive golf years after hip replacement surgery and asking an important question: Can your hip hold up to your big goals?

After two hip replacements and years of rebuilding strength, mobility, confidence, and endurance, Chris recently traveled to Tennessee to compete in a qualifier for the Senior U.S. Open. He did not advance, but that was not the real victory. The bigger win was discovering that his hips were not the limiting factor. After walking more than eight miles on a hilly golf course, playing three rounds of golf in four days, and competing around high-level golfers, his hips held up.

For anyone preparing for hip replacement surgery, recovering from hip replacement surgery, or wondering what life after hip replacement can look like, this episode is about hope, patience, and possibility. Hip replacement recovery is not just about walking again. It can be about returning to activities you love, setting bigger goals, building strength, improving mobility, and getting back to a more active life.

Chris talks about how hip pain, hip surgery, and recovery can interrupt your life, your identity, and your goals. But he also reminds listeners that the interruption does not have to become the end of the story.

Whether your goal is golf, hiking, cycling, swimming, pickleball, traveling, fitness, endurance sports, or simply living with more confidence, your hip replacement does not have to define your limits forever.

This episode also explores why competitive goals can reveal what you need to work on. Without pressure, it can be hard to see where your strength, flexibility, endurance, mindset, and preparation need improvement.

For Chris, the golf tournament showed him that his hips were ready, but the rest of his body needed better conditioning, stretching, and golf endurance.

If you are a hip replacement patient, future hip replacement patient, or someone supporting a loved one through hip surgery recovery, this episode will encourage you to think beyond the early recovery phase. The first weeks and months matter, but they are not the whole journey.

With time, physical therapy, smart exercise, strength training, patience, and consistency, you may be able to put hip surgery behind you and pursue goals that once felt out of reach.

Your hip replacement may be part of your story, but it does not have to be the ceiling on your life.

New hips. New you. Let’s go.

Thanks for joining THE HIP REPLACEMENT PODCAST.

-Chris

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If you liked this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review! Your support helps us reach more hip replacement patients who need these insights and inspiration. Thanks for tuning into THE HIP REPLACEMENT PODCAST! See you next time.

Hip Replacement Recovery and Life 11 Years Later

►► Download my Top 12 Tips for Hip Replacement Patients here

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For more information, or to send a question or comment, visit The Hip Replacement Podcast website

11 Years After Hip Replacement: Recovery, Hope, Perspective, and a Bigger Life

Hip replacement recovery, life after hip replacement, long-term hip replacement success, hip replacement surgery, active life after hip replacement, hip pain recovery, physical therapy, walking after hip replacement, and confidence after surgery — this episode of The Hip Replacement Podcast is all about what happens not just weeks or months after surgery, but 11 years later.

In this episode, Chris reflects on the 11-year anniversary of one of his hip replacements and shares why that milestone matters so much for anyone facing hip replacement surgery, going through early recovery, or wondering what life after hip replacement can really look like.

Most people focus on the short term: getting through surgery, using a walker, reducing pain, returning to driving, finishing physical therapy, and hoping they will feel normal again. But this episode zooms out and asks a more powerful question: What can your life look like 10 or 11 years after hip replacement?

Chris talks honestly about the uncertainty, fear, patience, and hope that come with hip replacement recovery. He shares how difficult it can be when you are stuck in the early days and weeks after surgery, when everything feels slow, uncomfortable, and uncertain. He also explains why long-term perspective matters so much, especially for people who are wondering whether they will ever fully trust their new hip, move well again, or enjoy an active life.

This episode is also about something bigger than surgery. It is about getting your life back. Chris explains why recovery is only the beginning, why a replaced hip should not make you timid, and why movement, exercise, stretching, physical therapy habits, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle still matter years later. He also discusses the reality of occasional aches, tightness, soreness, and questions that can still come up over time — and why those moments do not automatically mean something is wrong.

Most importantly, this episode offers hope. If you are only days, weeks, or months into your recovery, or if you are nervous about surgery, this conversation is a reminder that hip replacement is not the end of an active life. It can be the beginning of a stronger, more confident, more active chapter. Eleven years later, the message is clear: be patient, do the work, keep moving, and build a bigger life on the other side of surgery.

New hips. New you. Let’s go.

Thanks for joining THE HIP REPLACEMENT PODCAST.

-Chris

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If you liked this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review! Your support helps us reach more hip replacement patients who need these insights and inspiration. Thanks for tuning into THE HIP REPLACEMENT PODCAST! See you next time.

Walk Farther After Hip Replacement

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For more information, or to send a question or comment, visit The Hip Replacement Podcast website

Get More Distance Comfortably

Hip Replacement Recovery: Walk Farther With Less Pain and More Confidence

Hip replacement recovery, walking after hip replacement, pain after walking, running after hip replacement, golf after hip replacement — in this episode of The Hip Replacement Podcast, Chris shares a simple but powerful lesson that can help you get more distance more comfortably.

As Chris trains for an ambitious golf goal — attempting to qualify for the US Open and US Senior Open — he is forced to build more endurance, walk longer distances, and recover smarter. Along the way, he discovers something that many hip replacement patients, joint replacement patients, and active adults need to hear: the surface you choose matters.

If you’ve ever wondered why your hips feel stiff, your legs ache, or your body feels beaten up after a long walk, this episode may explain why. Chris compares walking on grass vs pavement, concrete vs softer surfaces, and why choosing the right environment may help you walk farther, recover faster, and stay more active with less pain and discomfort.

This episode is especially helpful for people focused on hip replacement recovery, walking endurance, returning to activity after hip replacement, golf after hip replacement, or even running after hip replacement. Chris talks about gradually increasing distance, avoiding unnecessary pounding on hard surfaces, and finding smarter ways to stay active without feeling wrecked afterward.

If you are trying to improve your mobility, build endurance, return to exercise, or simply enjoy longer walks with greater comfort after hip surgery, this episode offers practical insight you can use right away. Sometimes it is not your body failing you — sometimes it is your environment.

Tune in to The Hip Replacement Podcast for recovery tips, real-life experience, and encouragement to help you live a bigger, more active life after hip replacement surgery.

New hips. New you. Let’s go.

Thanks for joining THE HIP REPLACEMENT PODCAST.

-Chris

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If you liked this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review! Your support helps us reach more hip replacement patients who need these insights and inspiration. Thanks for tuning into THE HIP REPLACEMENT PODCAST! See you next time.

Biking After Hip Replacement

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Get my book, NEW STEEL here - available in hardcover, paperback, eBook and audio versions

For more information, or to send a question or comment, visit The Hip Replacement Podcast website

Cycling After a Hip Replacement

When Can You Ride a Bike After Hip Replacement Surgery?

Cycling after hip replacement: when can you ride a bike, what risks matter, and how do you return safely and confidently?

Cycling after hip replacement, bike riding after hip replacement surgery, hip replacement recovery, stationary bike after hip replacement, outdoor biking after hip replacement, and returning to exercise after hip surgery are questions many patients ask as they start feeling better and want their life back. In this episode of The Hip Replacement Podcast, Chris tackles one of the most common recovery questions: Can hip replacement patients ride a bike after surgery? The answer for many people is yes—but only if they think beyond whether the new hip can pedal in a circle and focus on whether they can ride safely, confidently, and without creating a setback.

Chris shares his own connection to cycling, including how it was one of the few activities he could still do before surgery without as much hip pain, and why biking can feel like freedom during recovery. This episode breaks down the real-world factors that matter when getting back on a bike after a total hip replacement: mounting and dismounting, hip mobility, fear of falling, balance, timing, strength, pain, swelling, bike setup, seat height, saddle comfort, and whether you are riding a stationary bike or heading outside on the road or trail. He also explains why a stationary bike is often the safer place to start and why outdoor cycling requires a completely different level of control, awareness, and confidence.

This episode also covers the difference between short, easy rides and longer or more demanding efforts, including hills, gravel, clip-in pedals, crowded paths, group rides, and unpredictable riders around you. Chris talks about why even if you feel good during a ride, you still need to think about how your body may respond later that day and over the next few days. For hip replacement patients eager to return to cycling, this is a practical conversation about patience, judgment, progression, and respecting the recovery process instead of rushing it.

If you are wondering when you can ride a bike after hip replacement surgery, whether a stationary bike is safe after hip replacement, how to return to cycling after hip surgery, or what precautions matter most, this episode gives you a smart framework. It is not just about getting back on the bike. It is about getting back on the bike in a way that supports hip replacement recovery, rebuilds confidence, and helps you move forward.

New hips. New you. Let’s go.

Thanks for joining THE HIP REPLACEMENT PODCAST.

-Chris

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If you liked this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review! Your support helps us reach more hip replacement patients who need these insights and inspiration. Thanks for tuning into THE HIP REPLACEMENT PODCAST! See you next time.