Not sure about running but cycling and swimming shouldn't be a problem. The real issue you will face is the possibility is necrosis of the femoral head....the ball of the femur. Having a screw or plate on the neck of the femur can cause a lack of blood supply to the head which means the ball dies and you get a total hip replacement. That problem can happen over time (maybe years) and is not uncommon.

Hey,
Just saw your post and wondered how you're getting on. I had my dhs fitted 2 months ago and am going to see my first post op x-rays tomorrow. I'm hoping to run too but haven't broached that with the surgeon. It'd be good to see what advice we are given. Good luck!

Missed this post as well.
There is hope, trust me, but some dark days in terms of recovery.
I am now about 5 years post DHS for femoral neck stress fracture managed with a DHS. I was able to be back swimming and riding pretty quickly, as soon as I was mobile enough to be able to actually get into a pool. Biking was a little tricky as initially I could not get a leg over a normal bike but the WattBike was great for that.
Running started after about 5-6 months but, even with my coaches guidance, I managed to get a stress fracture in my tibia so needed some more time off running for that.
However, since all of that settled, managed to get to the Worlds for sprint distance, a 4:43 Half IM and first full coming up. Running was never a strength and still is that way, I get pain a fair bit in the hip but nothing to worry about.
Surgeons say that young people will often want the metalware out after about 18 months, I resisted as I was training and had races coming up and so far am happy with that.
My main advice would be:
Write off the first 6-9 months from a racing perspective.
Be careful getting back into running....mainly as bone density suffers when you are not doing weight bearing/bone stress exercises, so start slow and give yourself 2-3 months at least before adding any real intensity into your running (ie hard intervals etc).
Have some decent optimism that you will be able to be back and training and racing but also use the downtime to work on any weaknesses, I ended up swimming a lot and my swimming is now a strength after being my key weakness.
DM if you want any more advice etc.

Hi Claire! Really sorry to hear you are going through the same injury and surgery..it’s a tough journey!
How’s your pain levels? Im nearly 6 months post and am still getting daily pain and discomfort. I’ve tried a few runs but they are very painful. I can swim and bike relatively well now but there are still days where I overdo it and am limping around! I mainly get pain in the groin and back area.
My recent scan has shown the fracture to be fully healed so my consultant thinks the pain will ease over time with rehab..it’s hard to see a light at the end of the tunnel where I could ever run again but I stay hopeful! My consultant has said there would be no reason why I wouldn’t be able to run without restriction when it’s not painful
I have low bone density so that may be contributing to the slow recovery. (The actual pain being the bone remodelling around the screw?)

I hope it goes well tomorrow! Let me know what they say :)
Was it a stress fracture or accident etc? X

Thanks so much! It's hard finding support for this in terms of info if you're not in your 70s or 80s! Mine was a stress fracture that I left for a month and it became almost complete. I didn't fall and wasn't exercising when I felt the first twinge. I do have low bone density.. except in the broken hip which is worrying. No trauma I can recall.

I'm getting pain with some of my physio exercises which I didn't get before...groin and back/butt. The ones involving just my operated leg I.e. standing on one leg, squatting on one leg. I'm not sure these are wise? Any comment? Other than that I'm generally pain free but I do have a slight limp and no idea how to correct it. I don't feel it but apparently it shows.
I'll report back after my surgeons appt. Keep strong guys! I definitely get down days but will have to just bike for now. Day after op he aid forget running for at least 6 months :( any idea if we can row? So much appreciate the replies. X

Sounds similar to me! Low bone density but not in the hips either..strange

Single leg stuff hurts me too but has improved the more I’ve been doing them. I think muscle wastage has a big role to play with pain etc..

I think the limp will correct itself over time, especially if you are doing the physio exercises and strengthening the operated leg. Are you cycling/swimming now? I should think rowing would be fine as long as it doesn’t hurt?

How did the follow up scan look? Did your fracture show on an X-ray as mine was only visible on an MRI.. x

Hey! Had good news...apparently it's healed and in 4 weeks I can ease very slowly into running. I'm concentrating on building my glutes so they take the strain too.
Mine showed on x-ray too ..even I could spot it. It was almost complete. Yikes I was soon lucky! You're right about the rowing he said I could row if I didn't use resistance or bend my knees too far.
How long did you use crutches for even when you went down to one? Physio says I need it for the limp but surgeon said ditch it.
I'm also seeing an endocrinologist to assess my hormones etc. I have been on hrt due to osteoporosis I had at 24! I've worked hard and reversed a lot of the damage but since my broken hip I don't need the hrt as my hormone levels are up!!! I think I really needed a rest. I think this happened to just tell me to stop so please please look after yourself. I'm 42 how old are you? X

That’s great news! I bet you are looking forward to getting back to running!

I think I made a mistake and ditched the crutches too early, I only lasted a couple weeks on them before the docs said I could ditch them but I ended up compensating a lot and may have contributed to the muscle wastage and pain..maybe?

I’m 24 myself and just started HRT..sounds similar to you, but it’s really encouraging and inspiring to hear you were able to reverse a lot of the damage and hopefully this injury was just very unlucky and you won’t get any more nasty ones in the future!

I completely understand about needing the rest, I think I pushed my body too hard and it gave me a really tough wake up call before I ended up doing a lot more damage :( we live and learn though and hopefully we will both be fit and healthy in no time!

Keep me updated on your progress! It sounds like you are doing a lot better than me even at this early stage so keep positive :) x

Hey, yes hang in there, you are so young and you can use this experience to learn. I totally cleaned up my diet and all I had to do was put on a kg or two (which was actually quite hard for me) so together with eating the right food (which need not be fattening or carb-heavy) my body responded. I was on crutches for 6 weeks and then they said I could go down to one. So 8 weeks and not fully unassisted when out and about. I've got myself a PT/physio who follows the teaching methods of Guy Voyer and we are working on strengthening all the supporting muscles of the back and hip as these are our weakest bones if we have osteoporosis. You might find someone who does this technique. It's early days but I really liked the whole approach - first session today.

Carry on with the HRT if you have been told to. I stopped for a year and my DEXA scan showed the negative effect, back on it and with weights I made a huge improvement. I'm seeing a bone specialist (not a surgeon, more the endocrinologist route) on 30th so will report back on what he says I should do regarding meds now. Are you taking calcium and Vitamin D?

Definitely keep me posted and we can send each other any links. You can reverse your damage and be stronger than ever! Good luck :) xx

I am 3 months post dhs operation. Also had fractured clavicle. I find running in the pool ok and can do a few minutes on a mini trampoline (the 2 inches off the ground sort). I get on my indoor bike trainer for 30 minutes. Surgeon said hips like bike riding. I use theraband for half a dozen exercises physio gave me everyday. Physio 2x a week, pool rehab. 2x and gym 3x a week plus walking. My walking is not perfect but getting better each week. My injured leg was 48% weaker than my other leg couple of weeks ago and I have tight TFL and quads as well as painful glutes especially glute medius. ROM and strength are key and eating plenty of protein. I take a supplement. I stopped doing one legged squats and leg press as my knees became painful. 1 legged RDL works.
I think your walking will come back it's just time and some good rehab.
I hope you are doing well since you last posted.

You sound like you are making great progress! I could not fathom doing any single leg weight lifting exercises that soon but was (without my surgeon knowing) back on the WattBike very early on (within 2-3 weeks from memory). But running took a lot longer!
Good luck with the progress, there is light at the end of the tunnel (just did my first IM last weekend...DHS and all....and went sub 11 so was happy).

Fantastic effort. The harder we fall the better the comeback. So nice to read the positive stories.

I had my accident September this year. Fractured neck of femur and clavicle. I have a dynamic hip screw.
Hard to find decent information out there. I read an article on rehab. by Joy Anderson may be worth looking up. I find doing my exercisez everday with a theraband helpful.
Week 8 Sat on my trainer. Wish I had done it earlier. Surgeon said hips love bikes. Wish I'd heard that earlier. I walked with stick then unaided even though I still had a limp. I now walk pretty well but still not perfect. I go to gym and can run in the pool or on a mini tramopline (low to the ground) for a couple of minutes. Now trying deadlifts and single leg RDL also get on rower but modified. Go to physio 2x a week. All our injuries a bit different so how we recover will be different also. Positivity, gatitude and consistent effort are the most important things to help our journey.

Hey! Sorry to hear you’re going through the same surgery and rehab..it’s a long process
I had my surgery end of April and it’s been a tough journey!
I can walk without pain, cycle and swim pretty well now. Although even now I have days where I still get pain which makes walking a bit limpish!!
Running is causing a problem..I am getting groin pain which makes it really uncomfortable. My consultants think it may be down to having weak glutes, muscle wastage and general imbalances so I’m hoping it’s just a matter of strengthening, time and patience!

Sounds like you’re doing well. Has your doctors said anything about removing the metal in the future?

What is that article called?

Wishing you all the best in your recovery!

Congrats on the Ironman!! Great to hear some success stories..any advice with getting back to running pain free?!

I have to say it felt like it took a couple of years for most running to be really pain free. I would have quite a bit of groin pain at various times and an ache in that hip. I would just use simple anti-inflammatories and paracetamol as part of my pre run combo and then often need another dose during the day. Expectations are important, I did not expect running to be pain free as such so was expecting to have some degree of low level discomfort. I think I read some research whereby temperature changes were not shown to affect pain etc with the implanted metalware but I have to say I really did notice things more in winter!

Running is now pretty much pain free on that affected side. I have had some other injuries in my other leg (shin splints) which have probably meant I have not focused much on what pain I might get in that hip.

I have not seen my surgeon these last few years and currently have no motivation to get the metalware out, mainly as I know it will be a tough operation (metalware removal is not always that straight forward) and I would not be able to get back into much load bearing activities that quickly (ie running and decent riding). I don't like the thought of being out of action for 3 months so will just leave it for now.....

Sounds exactly like me...I guess I have to wait it out and lower my expectations (but still hope!)
Thanks for the info and advice, and good to hear that you’re planning on keeping the metal in (I hear people are so desperate to remove it but I’m not keen on any more surgery!)

Good luck with any future Ironmans :-)

I had a similar accident skiing. 16 weeks on crutches and slowly got back to running. This past summer, ran a half marathon and two spring tri's. Hip still gets still and aches, but I am able to run.

Hey, thanks for the info! How many months was it before you started running again? Was it painful to begin with?

Full running, probably 6-8 months. Not painful, but uncomfortable. It has the sensation like a joint that needs to pop but just doesn't pop. Will still get sore and tight some 3 years later, but generally speaking feels pretty good.

Hi there. This is my first time on a forum and hoping for some reassurance. I am 49 and three weeks post DHS operation. I actually fell from a height and fractured my hip. I have read through all the posts here as I have really struggled to find anything out there in relation to getting back to previous strength/fitness. I seem to have good flexibility just need to keep moving as my thigh muscles are very tight. I am non weight bearing and just had hospital appointment advising me another two weeks non WB then two weeks working towards 50% WB. The pain is still quite bad and on Oral Morphine and I am not a wimp I have reduced over last week but without it I just cannot sleep. Any advise/hope would be very much appreciated. Struggling to imagine not running again.

Hello and welcome to the club!! We are a very exclusive but welcoming collection of people.
Sorry to hear about the fall. Can I ask you a few things before getting into advice? Are you sure that you had a DHS as your repair? Did you have any other injuries? Do you know what sort of fracture you sustained? The reason I ask is that on its own, a DHS is generally the type of repair that can lead to partial or weight bearing as tolerated immediately after your injury. If you are non WB at the moment it makes me think you either had some other form of repair or you sustained some other pelvic injuries that might mean you cannot put weight through things at the moment. Full disclosure.....I am a medical practitioner myself and was originally an orthopaedic "resident" to use the USA vernacular.

Suffice to say, there is hope so don't be too disheartened just yet. Orthopaedic major bone injuries are painful no matter how you look at them. For me, it was a six month period really of pretty significant pain. I would be a bit worried that at the three week mark you are on oral morphine presently. That is not ideal from a pain relief perspective as it is the type of drug that you quickly develop a tolerance to (ie need more drug to have the same analgesic effect) and hence you really want to minimise your time on it. Also, the longer you are on it, the more likely you are to need to wean down properly so as to avoid nasty withdrawal effects from it. It may be worthwhile linking in with your primary care doctor to get some analgesic optimisation done.

I was able to get back into some riding on the Watt Bike pretty early after my injury. Running came much later, although being WB as tolerated early on I was back at work 2 weeks after surgery hobbling around without crutches. My surgery was in the middle of the year and by the end of the first quarter of the next year I was back running again, albeit with intermittent flare ups in pain. You do need to be careful as the non WB status has quite a detrimental effect on bone density so when you start running again you need to take it nice and slowly (ie very slow) to allow for your bone density to improve, otherwise you will increase your risk of other stress related fractures.

As much as it sucks to think about not running etc for ages, the most important advice I can give you is to keep some perspective, do the rehab etc and do the time. You will get there, but it will take time and is not something you can naturally rush. I have been lucky enough to do multiple 70.3's, one 140.6, rep'd my country at ITU Worlds and many other things after the injury, but not within the first 18 months after the surgery.

Depending on your other injuries there may come a time when you will want to get the metalware out. I have not, but younger people (I am a tad younger than you) generally do want it out around 12-18 months down the track.

Keep us updated, I think we need to form our own little support network!

Reading this topic today makes me wish we hired someone yesterday to clean the gutters. But nooo I had to climb a 22 foot ladder.

Hi Amnesia. Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to me. The surgeon advised me that I had sustained a fairly decent fracture the hip ball joint from the femur. Prior to surgery there was discussions ref a new hip etc but afterwards he said I had good bone density and due to my age they had been able to fit a DHS. Only other injury I sustained was a dislocated finger.
At my three week follow up I was shown my X-ray and whilst I have had various other injuries over the years I am however a bit squeamish ref the metal work as all other injuries where not so serious. I did manage a glance at the X-ray and could clearly see the DHS in situ and it is as per paperwork I have been given on discharge.

In the last few days I have reduced the Oral Morp to only at night time in order to get some sleep. My only other issues are I am a type 1 Diabetic. I must say I have read only a couple blogs ref DHS but like you said it appears no one has been told to non WB for as long as I have.

Do you mind me asking how old you were when you had your DHS? I think my main fear is the ongoing pain and the thought of the metal work and it’s possible removal and the fact that no one can really give me any sort of definitive answer or even close to one. The only milestone I am praying to pass is the avascular necrosis of the femoral head. It’s all rather doom and gloom my end!

So amazing to hear you have gone on and got back competition fitness successfully as well is really encouraging. Again thank you for your reply and look forward to hearing from you soon.