Author: Carolyn

I'm 51 and finally decided to have THR (anterior) in August 2016 after 4 years of progressively increasing pain and stiffness and gimpiness, and decreasing speed and enjoyment of most everything. I kept running and hiking hills as long as I could to make sure I was in the best shape possible when I went under the knife. Surgery went well and PT is going great too. I have to remain patient and heal ... but it's encouraging to see so many stories of folks who've been able to keep running! I am not into racing but enjoy running more as a cool way of traveling in the desert and mountains where I live, and as an easy way to get exercise most anywhere. I also rock climb, backpack and do all types of skiing (when there's enough snow!) Cheers all!

First 50K: hip and hot

Carolyn

Howdy! Quick race report from my biggest distance to date: the Harding Hustle, near Irvine CA.

Course was on rocky roads, with ~10K’ elevation change. Hip was just fine – strong and stable as always, both on the up and the down. Full range of motion. Smooth downhill technique was good to focus on, to minimize pounding over the 15-mile return. The real challenge was the heat – at least mid 90s by the time I finished.

Takeaways: I don’t think too much about the new hip now when I run, but I do continue to think about form: are things moving evenly and smoothly? I think one thing that led to the one hip needing replacement was uneven and unbalanced motion somewhere in the system that accumulated over time, unnoticed until it started to cause pain that won’t go away.

Weight training since recovery has been huge for me, for regaining strength and protecting joints—and I highly recommend it. I’m not the fastest runner out there, but I’m grateful to be able to travel various distances over rough terrain at any speed, pain-free (except for sore feet!). Cheers, everyone!

—THR (anterior), 2016, age 50 :: re-started running at 6 mos post surgery… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

A small race report

Carolyn

A brief tale to illustrate how much one can come back from hip replacement better than ever.

In 2013 I ran the 20-mile “fun run” division of the Bishop High Sierra Ultras with a hip that was falling apart from OA. It took me 5-1/2 slow, painful hours, but I finished. Still in denial, I would wait until 2016 to finally get the joint replaced.

It’s now 2018 and I did the same race again last Saturday — in 4 hours. Stunningly (most of all to me) I came in first overall in my age group. Replacement, recovery, and training added up to a great day out there. As we’ve said before on this site, THR can turn your life around — not just in running but in other aspects of life too.

Feeling pretty grand today and wanted to share the story! –Carolyn… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

Update from August 2016 THR: back in the game!

Carolyn

Hi all, quick update to say that I am finally fully recovered after 18 months of careful progress. I trained for and completed my first trail marathon ever, in December 2017. I do everything I used to do and more, making the most of my second chance. Weight training has been invaluable for rehab and it’s now a habit. Had a few overuse injuries along the way but the new hip never gave me any trouble. In short, a home run. R hip still fine and hopefully will remain so. Happy to have found this site and share experiences with folks. We are so glad to have our lives back. Cheers everyone!… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

Back in the Game!

Carolyn

Howdyall, kwik update to share that I did my first run (!!!) last week — a 2 mile, flat out-and-back from the house — at 6 months post-op. Prior to this I’d been doing a combination of PT-type exercises, weightlifting, yoga, walking, and skiing (resort and backcountry), but running hadn’t seemed appealing until now. So far, so good. I’m glad I waited. Everything feels just fine, and I plan to slowly up the mileage as appropriate. So VERY excited to be running again, there’s just nothing like it. Hope everyone is well. Best all!… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

Carolyn – Healing and patience

Carolyn

Hi all! This is my first post after joining this group in August 2016, when I finally got an anterior THR after 4 years of progressive pain. Healing is going well and I am walking streets and easier trails up to 20 miles a week. Still doing 1x/week PT to re-learn how to balance and walk properly. I’ve gingerly re-started my Iyengar yoga practice (quite modified and conservative for now). I plan to get back to running in 6-8 months; for now the joint capsule really needs to fully heal from its incision and there is plenty I can do in the meantime. Glad to have found this group! I think the hardest part — having patience — is ahead, as I start to feel like I can do things … but shouldn’t … until fully healed. My biggest nightmare is re-starting everything too soon, having the pain come back, and winding up needing revision surgery. Cheers all!… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)