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Hi Kelly, I had my THR (right side) done in Nov of 2014. It was ceramic/poly at my request. I was 62 at the time. The surgeon used a robot assist and I have been very pleased. The day before the surgery I had an MRI and he used that with an application to identify exactly where to cut and the angles. When they opened my up they put specific markers on my bones that allowed them to pinpoint the cut. The surgeon did the work, but the robot and application did all the calculations. In the typical manual version the surgeon is like a woodworker who trims and adjusts to get the right fit. In the robotic case, there is still some work, but it is much more accurate from the start. I think my quick recovery had a lot to do with that.
I am back to running on a regular basis. May not do a marathon again, but I do several half marathons a year and run with a group on weekends. We typically do 7-12 mile runs in the hilly Connecticut country. I also changed my running style to a more natural style (check out: http://naturalrunningcenter.com/ ) and that has been a big change.
I will say that I still have pain from the scar tissue when I push longer distance. I have found that doing a set of mobility exercises is critical. It is more about making sure your whole body is ready to run. I am certain if I had found this mobility regimine earlier in my running career along with a natural running form I would have avoided the osteoarthritis that led to my THR. I don’t do any meds and no painkillers. I am enjoying running again and don’t worry about time, just having a nice run
Cheryl, a lot has changed in basic understanding of biomechanics and human evolution since 1985. I’ll point to Dan Lieberman who runs the human evolution lab at Harvard and is well published with peer reviewed research. His work, along with many others, points to many evolutionary adaptations that humans have for distance running. Yes, a 4-legged tiger can out sprint a human. Cheetahs run in excess of 60 mph while the fastest humans are lucky to hit 25mph. That is short distance. For 2-3 million years humans survived by running large game to death through a practice called persistence hunting. Quadrupeds don’t sweat like we do. If you keep them running at speed consistently, they will overheat and either not be able to run or fall over dead from heat prostration. This practice was still in use in Africa until the late 60s and there is documentation of it.
When I went to several osteopaths during my early diagnosis the Dr. from Yale Medical School told me that the data for long term function of hip replacements was just coming in and is was very good. Most of the 20 year old mechanical hips were wearing well and, especially with people who were active, indicators were that you can continue a pretty normal life. His advise to me, I was 61 at the time, was to go ceramic, take time for recovery and then live my life doing what I like to do.
That got me interested in understanding biomechanics and physiology. The bottom line is that we are born with all the right equipment to be runners, but our clothing and life styles, which are not anything like the hunter-gatherers we were for millions of years, make our bodies unstable. If you read a lot about running your get caught up in minimal style and forefoot placement. That is an outcome. The real key is to get our body balance and stability back. To do that doesn’t require a lot of hard work, but it does take weeks of consistent effort to let your biomechanics regain elasticity in the right areas and strength in the soft tissues (muscles) that help you keep your form. Since we don’t spend our lives in bare feet and constant movement, we have lost strength in areas of our bodies that are critical for stability. Go ahead, text on your iPhone and try to run. Most of this revelation about the human body has been in the last 10-15 years and is a result of the new kinds of equipment available for motion study. The first running shoes, Onitsuka Tigers, were developed in Japan by a coach who road a bike along side his best runners and watched how they ran. Nike shoes evolved form those and created a particular raised heel style that had no biomechanical testing. It is interesting that a study sponsored by Nike a few years ago discovered that today’s running shoes have no impact on injury prevention. Indeed, several targeted styles (cushioned) actually have a higher than average impact on injury.
I’m glad you have had a great experience. I am a life long runner so it isn’t an option for me not to run. One year after my THR I show great recovery and flexibility. I attribute my recovery speed to the fact that I have been a runner for a long time. I attribute my arthritis to cycling with bad form.I used to race and developed a bad habit of having my knees too far inward. This puts a lot of strain on the hip. Had I ridden those thousands of miles with my knees above my ankle I would have solid hips.
What I am saying is that the human body needs activity and constant, limited stress. That is what makes us healthy. Since we have adopted a lifestyle that circumvents naturally good stability, it is important to do those things that bring that back to us by tuning the right muscles and exercising correctly .
Thanks for letting me have a long rant.
