Episode 26 - What If You Never Needed a Hip Replacement?

November 07, 2025

What If Your Hip Replacement Wasn’t the End—but the Beginning of a Bigger, More Active Life?

Life After Hip Replacement: Stop Letting Surgery Define You and Start Living Fully Again

Hip Replacement Recovery Mindset: Why Your Surgery Shouldn’t Define Your Life

Hip replacement recovery, life after hip replacement, and staying active after hip replacement are at the heart of this powerful episode of The Hip Replacement Podcast.

In Episode 26, host Chris Bystriansky, a double hip replacement patient and endurance athlete, challenges you with a simple but life-changing question:

What if you never needed a hip replacement—would your life actually look any different?

This episode goes far beyond surgery timelines, pain levels, and physical therapy checklists. It’s about identity, mindset, and what life after hip replacement surgery can truly become if you refuse to let the procedure define you. Too many people unknowingly step into the role of “hip replacement patient” and stay there far longer than necessary.

Chris explains why your hip replacement is something that happened to you—not who you are.

Listeners recovering from hip replacement surgery—or living years beyond it—will learn how easily recovery can turn into stagnation if you stay stuck in forums, comparisons, and constant symptom-checking.

True hip replacement recovery happens through action, movement, mindset, and living fully again, not scrolling or over-analyzing every ache.

Chris shares why the best long-term outcomes come from people who dive into recovery, stay active after hip replacement, and treat surgery as a launch point—not a limitation. This episode encourages you to look past fear, pain, and uncertainty and start building an active, complete, and meaningful life after hip replacement surgery.

If you’re wondering how to stay active after hip replacement, regain confidence after surgery, or stop letting your hip replacement control your decisions, this episode delivers clarity and motivation. You’ll learn how to reframe recovery, reconnect with your goals, and make your hip replacement a small footnote in a much bigger life story.

Whether you’re pre-surgery, newly recovering, or years removed from your hip replacement, Episode 26 will help you shift your mindset, reclaim your identity, and move forward with purpose.

New hips. New you. Let’s go.

Thanks for joining THE HIP REPLACEMENT PODCAST.

-Chris

LINKS & RESOURCES

Download my Top 12 Tips for Hip Replacement Patients here

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

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Episode Transcript

Episode 26 – What If You Never Needed a Hip Replacement? - Transcript

Welcome to The Hip Replacement Podcast, where recovery meets motivation and healing leads to a whole new lifestyle.

I'm Chris Bystriansky, your host. I'm an author, athlete, and double hip replacement patient. I've been through the surgeries, the setbacks, and the comebacks, and I'm here to help you do the same.

Each week, I'll bring you tips, tools, expert advice, and inspiring stories to help you take back your life one step at a time. Thanks for joining The Hip Replacement Podcast. New hips, new you. Let's go.
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Welcome back to The Hip Replacement Podcast. I'm Chris Bystriansky, your host. I'm also a two-time hip replacement patient—one more than 10 years ago and one more than 12 years ago—and I'm here to share my experiences with you.

All right. In this episode, I'm going to ask you a question, and I want you to really think about the answer.

What if you never needed a hip replacement? Would your life be any different?
Let me ask that again. What if you never needed a hip replacement? Would your life be any different?

Think about that. Maybe it's great to think about. Maybe it's discouraging. But think about the answer. How would your life be different right now?

Would you be more adventurous? Would you take better care of your body and your health? Would you be more active or maybe less active? Would you spend your time differently—time with friends, time taking care of your health, time doing bucket list things?

It’s a fascinating question because it forces us to step outside of where we are right now. Maybe you’re recovering from surgery or living with a new hip. It makes us look at our lives from a bigger perspective.

Right now, we’re in the trenches recovering, doing physical therapy, or focusing on something related to that hip. But what if we stepped back and zoomed out?
Remember this: you are so much more than a hip replacement patient.
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Number One: Your Hip Replacement Is Not Your Identity
Your hip replacement is something that happened to you. It’s not who you are.
You went to high school. You graduated. But you don’t live your life as a “high school graduate.” It was something you did, not who you are.
It’s easy to let this surgery take over your thoughts—forums, posts, videos, podcasts—looking for reassurance. That’s fine early on. But at some point, you have to stop reading and start living.

You cannot let a hip replacement consume your life.
I’m not living the life of a hip replacement patient. I’m living Chris’s life. When I die, my headstone won’t say, “Here lies Chris. He had a hip replacement.”
The hip replacement is just a footnote in your story. Maybe not even a chapter—maybe just a paragraph in a much bigger book.

You’re the author. You decide what the next pages look like.
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Number Two: Don’t Get Stuck in the Patient Mindset
It’s easy to become the “hip replacement person”—always reading, comparing, analyzing every ache.

Recovery doesn’t happen through scrolling. It happens through action.
Get the wind on your face for a better recovery.
Reading and listening can be a foundation, but you have to get out there and do something. Ask yourself:

Are you acting to improve your hips as much as you’re typing about them?
If you want your strength, mobility, and life back, you’ve got to dive in.

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Number Three: Dive Into Recovery
The people who get the best results are the ones who act more.
They show up. They walk. They fuel their bodies. They surround themselves with positive people. They don’t make recovery their identity—they make it their launchpad.

Don’t just dip your toe in recovery. Swim out and grab your new life.
This is a short period of your life. Things can get better.
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Number Four: Live Beyond Recovery
Life shouldn’t end when surgery begins. It should be a rebirth.
Your hip replacement is a detour, not a dead end.
I notice the small things more now—the sunrise, the smell of grass. There’s a silver lining if you handle it right.

Don’t go back to normal. Go forward to better.
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Number Five: Make It a Footnote
The goal is simple: make your hip replacement a footnote in your life story.
When people look at your life, they should see your adventures, relationships, passions, and impact—not your surgery.

Challenges will come. But maybe this surgery helped you take better care of yourself. Maybe it helped you avoid something worse.
Ask yourself again:

What if you never needed that hip replacement? Would you be living differently?
If the answer is yes—start doing those things now.
You already have a new foundation. Build something amazing on it.
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Thanks so much for tuning into The Hip Replacement Podcast.

Until next time, I wish you the best recovery possible. Take care.

Episode 26 - What If You Never Needed a Hip Replacement?

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