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I am a 60 year old male. I had a new hip joint installed (hip resurfacing) on July 2. My surgeon said I could try running 6 months after surgery but said I shouldn't run "a lot". Anybody out there have any experience with this situation? Thanks!

I am curious as well. I am 36 and was told by 4 different doctors during the summer of 2009 that I needed a hip replacement. Currently, I am doing some research and trying to see how long I can hold off from a surgery. My main concern is the same as Herb's, what does it mean to not do "a lot"?

I am a 52-year old and am also facing hip surgery, having been given the news I have no cartilage left in my hip. I am intrigued by hip resurfacing.

Herb, have you attempted sprinting? Perhaps you can be the trailblazer. People have run marathons and done triathlons after this; seems to me sprinting is a lot less pounding. The stories here are inspirational:

http://www.surfacehippy.info/athletes.php

Doctors are a conservative bunch - don't do this, don't do that. Someone has to try sprinting (easy for me to say - I know the road back will be difficult).

My wife had a hip replacement at age 33 due to degenerated cartilage. She had lost range of motion and it hurt on a walk of any distance over a block. For a long time we believed it was a muscular issue, but once we saw the X-ray and a few doctors, a replacement was the only choice.

Now it has been 5+ years since the surgery and there is no sign of issues and her full range of motion has been restored. She was able to walk up to 2miles within a month of surgery, but it took a about 6mo to feel "normal" again. She occasionally ran before the surgery, but the surgeon told her that running would wear the hip out faster. She decided it was not worth the risk of going through this again anytime soon, so gave up running. We have done many hikes and long distance backpacking trips, she rides a mountain bike and has no pain or other indicators of the previous hip pain.

If it were me, I'd be running on it. To her running is not that important. So it is difficult for me to say what a replacement hip is like for a runner, but the improvement for her was dramatic and allowed nearly any physical activity she wants.

My advice: Think hard and try every possible rehab before surgery. This ain't a little surgery and recovery may take you a year (remember the age listed above). Once you have no other options, find a very good surgeon. We interviewed 5 and went with a pretty conservative guy. Find out how often their patients have dislocated hips. The way the surgery is done matters and you can't run if your hip pops out of socket (and it will hurt like hell). Make sure leg length will be even. It can go badly, like any surgery. Good luck

We are talking about hip resurfacing, not hip replacement. These are two different surgeries. with a total hip replacement, the top of your femur is removed. A very large implant is then put into the bone. Running is strongly discouraged because, as your wife was told, the whole thing could wear out from the pounding.

However, with a hip resurfacing, most of the bone is preserved. a much smaller implant is put into the hip socket and the top of your leg. Hip resurfacing is recommended for active people less than 60 who have good bones. for active people like us, it is a viable alternative to total hip replacement.

I had my surgery with the world famous Dr. Su. in April. It is not a common surgery like total hip replacement, so you need to be sure to go to someone with a lot of experience.
My recovery is going well so far, knock wood, I hope to be sprinting again in 2013.

BLL asked a more generic question and I mainly was addressing my answer to him. I am aware that they are different implants, however the two surgeries are not substantially different in terms of process and recovery. It goes like this:
open up your backside near the hip joint with a 6" (+ or -) incision.
cut through muscle and synovial sac to get to the joint
dislocate the joint and pull the top of the femur out of the incision.
ream the socket part of the joint until it is suitable for the socket implant
(difference here) For resurface, shave femur bone to create the proper shape for ball surface implant
For replacement, cut off head, shave bone to create proper shape for implant
Put your new joint back together and sew it up.

The advice I offer is that you understand your surgery before doing it (as BLL asked about). Research and interview your doctor and get a realistic understanding of your recovery and what your doctor believes you will be capable of doing. In both cases, the incision, muscle, damaged ligaments, etc all have to heal and this takes many months. Knowing your doctor's process is critical to the healing and later capabilities. A doctor who removes the synovial sac completely and severs things to gain access to the joint may put you in a situation where you can never really run for fear of dislocation. Also, if you have a resurface, it is usually a metal on metal interface. This means the byproduct of wear (chromium) is toxic in your blood. Something to seriously consider also.

I only offer what I believe to be helpful having been through this with my wife. Again, good luck to all of you.

Couple of corrections. NO muscles or ligaments are cut in a resurfacing. Muscles are moved in order for the surgeon to get at the bone.

As for the metal on metal hysteria, the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing System is the only device approved by the FDA for resurfacing. The horror stories and anti metal on metal propaganda is all for other devices recalled and total hip. The BHR has not had those issues. Annual metal ion testing is required to ensure that you are below the recommended levels. Proper placement of the implant by an experienced surgeon is as safe as one can get. Dr. Su has performed thousands of these with NO complications.

Life is full of risks. You do your research find a great surgeon, and live your life to the fullest. Living a sedentary life as a victim of a bad hip is not a solution for me.

Peace.

Awesome! One month and you're back out there. Keep rehabbing, slowly increase intensity and we'll see you at the Hayward Classic on July 14th!

FYI...the Hayward Classic is on 6/29, not 7/14.

http://www.runnerspace.com/eprofile.php?event_id=228

Thanks, although I actually live in New England, so am hopeful to be targeting some track meets around here in the spring, not the Hayward meet in Oregon. So far so good on my rehab. The hip feels fine. I havent done any sprinting yet, just some jogging and strides, maybe about 3/4 speed. Doing a lot of core and strength work though - I am in the middle of P90X, which is killing me (in a good way).

I wanted to give an update. Today, 13 months after my hip resurfacing surgery with the world renown Dr. Su in New York City, I successfully competed ay my first track meet, finishing 2nd in the 50 meter dash in 50-54 age group at the Connecticut Masters Games. I had entered the 50, the 100, and the 200, only ran the 50. My goal was to just take each race as it came and see how my body was holding up.

My recovery from surgery had gone famously well. I eased into jogging last summer, and then over the winter, I did the P90X program while continue to do some jogging. I continually used Active Release Technique (A.R.T.) to break up all the scar tissue from the surgery and get my range of motion back. Everything was great until about a month ago after I'd had a couple of really good track workouts, I strained my back lifting weights. Like many of us idiots, I just
kept training through it and overdid it and really hurt myself. So, I took 10 days off, got a lot of A.R.T and just as I was turning the corner over the back strain, I sneezed. It was catastrophic. I actually could barely walk and my wife took me to the Dr. on crutches. This was two weeks ago!

Anyway, my back actually cleared up quickly (more ART) but even so, it was 50/50 whether I'd be able to compete today. I had a quality workout on Wednesday and got some work in with the blocks, so I figured what the heck, I'll give it a shot.

As we're lining up before my heat, my contact lens got all blurry. Fine, I thought, I only need one eye to run 50 meters for a straight line anyway. Then after a practice start, my back hurt! I knew I could run through it, but it pissed me off. About halfway through the race, I became aware of some tightness in the operated hip, which did not surprise me. Finally, about 5 meters before the finish, my left hammy seized up. Thankfully it was only a 50 meter race and I gave it all I had for those final 5 meters. I wasn't sure how many in my age group had run the 50, so I was really really happy to hear my name over the PA as winning the Silver. Overjoyed actually. 7.51. Ironically (coincidentally, ominously?), it was my left (non-operated side) hammy that I pulled at the National Indoors in '10.

My hip is great. It's just the rest of my body that is falling apart. But P90X gave me a lot of confidence and if I can just get this hammy better I hope to race again soon.

From a big picture standpoint, I hope that this will shed a bright light on the benefits of hip resurfacing and how it can help older athletes with hip arthritis return to do the things that they love. A lot of doctors don't like it and will tell you that your only option is a total hip replacement and that you will never be able to run again. I call BS. Do your own research. If you love to run and you have hip arthritis, a hip resurfacing is a viable option; you do not need to get a total hip replacement. Just make sure you get an experienced surgeon. I had to travel to NYC. There are a few doctors in Boston who will perform this surgery but I was not comfortable with them, especially after other orthopedists in their hospitals warned me against hip resurfacing and told me I would never run again. Anyone can email me directly if you want more information about that.