I am considering having Hip Surgery done this fall. I have my concerns about recovery and being able to run again.
I will of course speak with my doctor, but would love to hear from anyone who has experienced either hip replacement or resurfacing.
I want to remain in the IM game. I was railed by a pickup truck in my prime and during recovery it was discovered that my hip was arthritic.
In the meantime, I have completed 7 more IM since, but I have never had the same speed or power. Also, I am much less aerodynamic, as my hip impinges and points out like a sail catching the wind.
Basically happy to complete instead of compete.
But as I will be 55 this year, I think it might be time. ( Also, my wife specifically took a job where the specialists are world class orthopedics, so we would get a great surgeon at a great price since she works there. So now is looking like as good a time as any.)
Go to the website sufacehippy.com and do some research. I have had my right hip resurfaced due to a few crashes over the years and now my bionic hip will allow me to participate in Ironman Arizona this November. If you’re in Arizona I can recommend an amazing Dr. but the website will tell you of the people in your area or close by that do resurfacing!
I had a full replacement of my right hip in 2009 at age 39. I broke it when I was 14 and over the years the arthritis ruined the joint.
Took over a year after surgery before I could run and it was slow coming back but I’ve since done a full IM, 4 HIMs and a number of half marathons. I’ve done quite well in a number of local running races and tris, entirely due to the bike and run as I suck at swimming.
I won’t say it’s been pain-free and there have been a few setbacks along the way that required a few weeks of little to no running but all in all it was a great decision for me. I’m in much less pain than I was prior to the surgery.
As long is you manage it properly you can definitely have an active and even aggressive lifestyle. My surgeon’s advice has worked well - use pain as your guide.
If you are a good candidate for resurfacing, I highly recommend it over the full replacement. It’s much less invasive and you could be up and around much faster.
One caution for the years post-surgery. Continue to maintain hip strengthening routines - i.e., flexors, glutes. I didn’t and it caused a bad IT band issue over this past winter.
Pain is being my guide now. I have done 7 IM’s since the accident when I was hit by a truck. But as I grow older, so does the pain and most troublesome is my lack of flexibility in that hip. For years, I had ART done which helps a lot. By I no longer live by my ART Guru, Doctor John Asthalter, who gave me back as much flexibility as I could as for. But those sessions were far from pain free. They were worth the results though.
But I have found even now, that weight training helps somewhat. It helps to keep me lose. Especially either squats or leg presses and dead lifts.
Even if my right knee points out 45 degrees because of my hip.
As an orthopedic surgeon, if I ever need a hip or knee replacement, I plan for my running days to be done and to concentrate on low-impact activites (e.g. biking, hiking, cross country skiing, swimming, etc). The concern about a joint replacement and running is premature wear on the prosthesis. Revisions are more complicated, high risks on complications, bone loss and frequently have a lower life span than the primary. I know there are a lot of people on this forum who run with their total hip replacements, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Some may be fine for years, others may pay for it sooner than they would like.
Resurfacing has been shown to have a higher risk of complications compared to a conventional replacement, but is appealing given the less amount of bone loss which can help for future revisions. As a result of the high complications, a excitement about resurfacing has definitely leveled off in the last 3-5 years. The complication rate with resurfacing (as with many other surgeries) is directly related to the amount of resurfacing a surgeons does. Basically, you need to do your research and NEED to find a surgeon who does a high volume of these, not someone who does it occasionally.
At the point I had the replacement my cartilage was gone. The bone on bone grinding was horribly painful and my flexibility was extremely limited. Even if I can never run again the flexibility I’ve gained makes it all worthwhile.
I doubt you will find a surgeon who will recommend running after the surgery. Mine doesn’t like it but he’s okay as long as I stop when something is off. Having had this problem for nearly 30 years, I know when something is wrong or going to be wrong if I don’t stop or slow down. That said, everyone is different. Just giving my experience.
I don’t do heavy squats or leg presses. I do some un-weighted squats and low-weight leg presses at times. Also take Pilates and yoga classes one day a week. I don’t play basketball, tennis, racquetball, etc. With running I can really control the impact. My stride is short and I try to land softly and with feet under my hips. Those other sports, especially lateral movements, are difficult to control how you land.
CrossFit and any other program with plyometric activities are also out for me. Also Tough Mudder and the like. Not worth the risk.
I realize I will probably need a revision at some point and that’s a risk I’m willing to take. I had larger hardware installed, which my surgeon felt was a better fit given my desire to be active. I hope it lasts a long time yet.
I will have to remember to mention other activitied to the surgeon as well. Last winter I skied and snow boarded for two months everyday. Down big steep slopes in the Alps, so I will have to factor that in as well.
You want to find the best doctor for this type of surgery. Not just a doc who does these- but a doc who is the “go to guy” for this type of surgery.
Be as fit as you can be pre-surgery. Follow his recovery protocol post surgery.
I know a guy who has been multi time masters world champ in road, tt, and mtb. He had a re-surfacing done at age 57. He is riding better than ever.
Before his surgery his left leg stuck out like you mentioned- he was essentially riding on one leg.
I had total hip replacement three years ago and did a huge amount of research and consulted with a number of surgeons before undertaking the procedure. The consensus is the running in general is NOT recommended - simply because running causes the prosthesis to wear our much more quickly and the a revision is much more complicated and never as successful.
I know a number of posters have talked about resurfacing - also known as The Birmingham Hip, my only advice on this is to be very careful about undergoing this procedure. Their is much documented evidence about the side effects - such as cobaltism- and now many surgeons will not do this procedure. For example, I met with one of the most respected surgeons for the Illinois Bone and Joint Institute and he refuses to do the procedure any more, and as of when I spoke to him, only one surgeon in the practice was still doing resurfacing.
Finally, for conventional hip replacement, it can either be done - either posterior (back) or anterior (front). Mine was posterior, and whilst very successful this procedure is normally conducted by more mature surgeons!! The newer approach is anterior and is less uncomfortable post op and does not come with some of the movement restrictions that the posterior method does - such as no bending more that 90 degrees etc.
So I consider my IM days long over, but am racing bikes and my biking has never been stronger. So as a case study of one - my endurance running days are over. Hope this help and good luck.
X2 what feman said. I had a hip replaced 18 months ago. Everything went very well for me. No pain at all post operation, good range of movement and no issue whatsoever… I had to give up running and playing goal on ice hockey. Small price to pay to be pain free! I did inquired about the resurfacing but opted for replacement as there is a better and longer track record. The way I look at it is not what I can’t do anymore but what I can still do instead… JC
On Nov 15, 2011 I had bilateral hip resurfacings with Dr Scott Marwin at NYU Hospital for Joint Disease. Please go to SurfaceHippy and the sister sight for total Hip replacement. Post your questions and do your research. Although it sounds like is should be, hip resurfacing is not a less invasive surgery. They can do Minimally Invasive Total Hip Replacements with just two little cuts and they slip the old bone out and the new unit in through the cuts. My friend was out tramping through the woods, hunting, less than a week later. For a hip resurfacing, they will give you an 8 to 11 inch cut, most likely on your but and if they use a posterior approach, they will detach your glute muscles. Then, here’s the best part; they yank the femur out of the socket and flap your leg up over your back while they work on your hip. This is a hard surgery on the patient and a difficult surgery for the doctor. As has been said above, you need a very experienced surgeon. This is a steel ball bearing. I don’t know if you know anything about bearings but alignment is everything. In a power plant there is a bearing between the motor and the turbine. If it’s not lined up properly it will blow the balls out of the bearing. It’s the same with a metal on metal hip. The very experienced hip resurfacing surgeons know what they are doing and don’t have problems. Most of the non specialists have turned away from HR because it was too technically challenging for them. Recovery from HR is a serious rehab. I was bilateral so I stayed in the hospital three days then got moved to the rehab wing for 6 more days with PT three times a day. I was an all-star; on the stationary bike at 6 days, kicking the soccer ball in the hallway with both legs and no holding on at 8 days. And I walked out of there using just one cane on the 9th day.
For my 6 month check up, I had my running clothes on, Dr Marwin sent me across the street for my first 3 mile run in years. First I walked and ran but then I found my stride and I felt like my old self, just not as fast. I’m at 2 years, 8 months and I don’t even know I have HR’s. I race sprints and Olympics and 5 and 10 k running races. I did do American Zofingen short course last year and I’m going back for middle distance next year. HR’s were designed for athletes. If it is installed by the right doc, you can go out and do anything you could do before the original hip went bad.
Some doctors don’t believe in PT for hip resurfacing. I don’t know how you can recover without good PT.
Also, I run 3 or 4 times a week, running 3 to 8 miles. By spring I’ll have my long run up to 10 to 12 miles. Dr Marwin and Dr Su at Hosp for Special Surgery are both top HR surgeons and they both support and encourage their patients returning to running.
I’ve been fortunate enough to go through the three biggest joint replacement “factories” in the world - I call them factories but they are enormously high volume and their core business is elective ortho procedures - looking at the process flows and procedure times and outcomes compared to general ortho undertaken in more general facilities. There was enormous commonality between the super specialised centres in terms of patient flows, rapid mobilisation, intensive PT etc
Irrespective of what you choose - there’s no question at all you want to look at the surgeons volume and the surgeons outcomes as well as the facilities as you want post operative support for your specific procedure and generalists MAY not offer the level of support you would want
I would, as a preference, look for a surgeon and a facility that has a specific interest in the procedure you’re looking at.
BionicMan, what kind of prosthesis did you get? Was in ceramic on ceramic, or ceramic on plastic? And how many miles a week do you run? I had a total hip replacement 2 months ago for pretty much the same reason as you. Arthritis, no cartilage, bones grinding, bone spurs. After 2 months, I’m walking 4 miles at 15 minutes per mile. I’d like to be able to run at least twice a week, but I’m afraid the prosthetic will wear out much quicker and I’ll have to go back for a revision (is that where they just replace the plastic cup lining?) in just a few years. I’m looking for real life info from runners who have had a total hip replacement. Please tell me as much as you can about running with a THR.
The newer approach is anterior and is less uncomfortable post op and does not come with some of the movement restrictions that the posterior method does - such as no bending more that 90 degrees etc.