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Hello all.  It’s been 5 months since my THR.  I’ve gone from counting weeks to counting months.  How time flies!  I’m looking forward to that point when I won’t be thinking about my new hip at all.  In month 5 I started biking in addition to running.  I got out my old mountain bike that I hadn’t used in years because my hip hurt too much to bike.  Aired up the tires and went for a short 6 mile ride on a multi-use asphalt path that I also run and walk on.  It felt great!  Zero pain in the hip.  I followed that up with a couple of 9 mile bike rides the over the next few days.

Unfortunately, my knee on my non-THR side started giving me problems.  I’ve got a history of knee pain from a bad soccer sprain 30 years ago that keeps coming back to haunt me.  It started aching really badly on Feb. 9, which is unfortunate because I wanted to run the Cupids Chase 5K on the 14th.  I took the rest of the week very easy and by the 13th, the knee felt much better so I went ahead and registered for the Cupid’s Chase.  I figured if my knee gave me problems, I would just run slow or even walk.  Well, it turns out both my knee and hip felt pretty good.  I was able to run as fast as my heart and lungs would allow….which after a year and a half of slow running turned out to be an 8 minute average pace.  I was hoping to finish in under 25 minutes and made it in 24:38.  Whoo hoo!

My last good 5K race was almost 5 years ago, just before my hip started giving me problems, and I did that in 2o minutes.  I know I’m older now, but if I can get down to 21 or 22, I’ll be happy.  Heck, I’m already happy to just be able to run without pain!

Next month, I’m going to start increasing the distance and intensity.  I’ve been  running about 3 to … (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

Well, everything seemed to go great with my THR on Thursday with one exception — It appears that the spinal block didn’t totally work.  I woke up in pain (which my doc assured me would NOT happen) and apparently I ‘flinched’ at the incision — oh great!  Luckily I didn’t feel/don’t remember that but my doc seemed very unhappy that the block didn’t work like it should have.  He apologized several times.

The biggest downfall was I was in a lot of pain the first 12 hours and they were giving me lots of oral meds which made me too dizzy to do anything beyond sit up and take a few steps with a walker.

Day 2 was so much better; dizziness subsiding and getting good rest. By that afternoon I was on crutches walking the corridor.  Morning of day 3 I did laps around the floor and did stairs/curb fine with crutches, so I got to go home that afternoon!

First evening home was fine and even slept pretty well with the adductor wedge.  Pain is very manageable and have my first home PT appointment tomorrow, so here we go!!!!

Thanks to everyone for their words of encouragement and support — I appreciate it!!!

Aimee.… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

Three years and 2 months post hip surgery I am fighting a knee issue on the side of my non-THR hip.  In a past post, I explained that it was injured playing in Hoopfest in late June of last year.  It has basically sidelined me from competing.  I am getting progressively slower and slower and keeping up with the SDP boys has become a painful chore.  Oddly enough, my last best race, was when I first reported that I  injured my knee during Hoopfest.  Next to running, basketball is one of those things that I just love to do.  In the 25 years that Hoopfest has existed,  I have never missed a single one – even in the year that I got my hip replacement.  In a past post I reported that  my knee ortho doc said that the knee pain was not related to the collision I had in Hoopfest, but instead was related to my right hip.  It was hard to believe because all-of-the-knee-pain-started-after-the-collision.  So in January, I went to see my superstar Hip Doctor (his PA Actually – Scott Wood), and received confirmation that yes indeed, the hip was causing problems which would be the reason for the knee pain.  The X-Ray showed that I had a Femoroacetabular Impingement (FAI) on the neck of my right femur.  Basically, I have a bone spur on the neck of  my femur which is affecting the range of motion for my hip, which in turn is causing me to run with an irregular gait, which in turn is giving me the knee pain.   OK! Now that I have received a double confirmation from the Hip Doctor AND the Knee Doctor, I’ll stop fighting the notion that the knee pain is being caused by damage to the knee which started after my collision in Hoopfest.    A full THR is not needed to fix this, the hip just needs to be scoped and the impingement needs to be removed.  Still, the recovery time is 4 to 6 months.  I am ok with that if it will get me back out on … (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

Hi all!  I found this site a few weeks ago as I was researching opinions/stories, etc. about running after a THR.  I was diagnosed with bilateral hip dysplasia about 10 years ago and have been effectively ‘ignoring’ it since then — By that point, I wasn’t a candidate for corrective surgery — too much damage already done.  Was told by my doc each year to stop running.  Of course I didn’t!

I only got into running as an adult at age 26, doing my first marathon and was hooked!  After the diagnosis still did a few more marathons and several half marathons.  In 2011 I did my last half (hopefully not!) as hip pain was getting more severe, stiffness was overwhelming, etc.

Finally went to officially see an orthopedist last year after using massage therapy, stretching, pain meds, etc. to keep it at bay as long as possible.  He looked at my films and said “wow.”  He was amazed I was even walking.  I was still running 4-5 miles 2-3X a week at that point.

So, I bit the bullet and scheduled myself for a THR.  The x-rays don’t lie — my hip joint is a wreck.  For a few weeks I kept saying ‘maybe I don’t need it, maybe it will get better.”  Hah.  Now, on the eve of the procedure I’m ready — pain has limited even basic walking and I know it’s time.

This site has gotten me excited about all the activities and lifestyle I will be able to enjoy after the procedure — maybe even running again!  Not sure since I will be destroying what’s left of my left hip with each run, but everyone’s story gives me a lot of encouragement and hope — and most importantly, to know I’m not alone and it’s OK to be bummed when your doctor says “your running days are over.”

Here’s to the bionic me!… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

I feel pretty good considering it is exactly 1 week after my THR. Since I work at home, I am now fully functional, albeit on a limited schedule. I take 2 or 3 naps to break up my day. That allows me to elevate my leg and apply ice. I find ice to be more effective than the opium pills. Surprisingly, I have grown accustomed to the cold, and I even find it to be very soothing.

One of my problems is sitting behind the computer for too long. The pain in my groin while sitting is only about 2 on a scale of 10. I’m kind of used to this since I had similar pain prior to surgery. The simple cure for this silly problem has been setting a kitchen timer so that I don’t sit for more than an hour.

A real problem is sleeping. The pain at night is not severe, but it is more than enough to keep me awake. I spent a couple of sleepless nights without medication. However, it is more important for me to get rest, so I have decided to go back on the opium pills at night.

There are many reasons to avoid this synthetic opium. I believe the pills impede your recovery. One of the things I hate the most about them is they make me grind my teeth. I chipped an incisor the other night and I have no desire to schlepp up to my beloved dentist’s office. Dental care will have to be deferred.

I’ve been walking about a quarter mile per day with my cane. The Blizzard of 2015 was not as bad as we anticipated. I was even able to get down to the corner store for groceries on ice free sidewalks before the storm.

The first few steps are very painful. But after that I get into a groove – just like back in my running days. I would rate the pain while walking at 6 or 7 on a scale of 10. At first, the pain in my wrist was at the same level. … (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

I been a runner for close to 10 years and played various sports, including a mens flag football league, for 20+ years. I had hip pain starting about 5 years prior, at first only when I ran, then throughout every day, although once I got 1-2 miles into my run the pain went away. I kept running even though my PCP took x-rays and said I had to stop. Finally the pain wouldn’t go away at any point of running and I was regularly waking up at night in terrible pain.

I had my replacement in May 2014 and started off very strong, getting released from the hospital the day after my operation (and winning a bet from my PCP that it wasn’t possible!). Then recovery went slow, even though I ditched the cane after 2 weeks I felt like I’d never be able to run again. Certain simple movements still bothered me, such as standing up from a sitting position – I’d have to pause a moment to let my hip seemingly “settle” into position. But I’ve been doing 7 mile workouts on the elliptical and today did 1.5 miles jogging on the treadmill.

I’m not sure I’ll ever get to where I was before with running, but I’d like to work in some 5k’s this year. I do worry about wearing it out – at my age (45) I don’t want to kill this thing in 20 years and have to face a 2nd operation.… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

So glad to have found this site a month or so before my Dec 11 2014 surgery! I am a runner, rollerblader, cyclist, and soccer player.  Went through the typical cycle (I must have bursitis. I must have a groin pull. I must have a torn labrum. Aaaackkkk– I have severe arthritis!) over 2 years, then another year of chiropractic/accupuncture/supplements/physical therapy/steroid shots, everything but voodoo to try to improve on pain and mobility. Took a long time to face the thought of hip replacement surgery at 54 but when I could no longer walk 10 yards without pain, and couldn’t stop thinking about it even on the soccer field, my usual place of utter escape, I scheduled it.  I had posterior “minimally invasive” surgery with one 5 inch and one one inch incision, titanium parts, high tech plastic liner.   The first two weeks were much rougher than I expected in terms of muscle pain, and during them I couldn’t bear to go on this site!  But cane was gone as of day 8 or so, and on day 14, I turned a corner: post-surgery pain was gone, limp all but gone.  No problem returning to teaching at the end of the winter break.  Now I am aggressively doing the PT exercises and stretches, walking tons including a one hour “hike” (flat ground) recently, riding a recumbent exercise bike most days for 20 minutes on low tension, and champing at the bit to start really biking and get a timetable for running.  My doc says I can eventually return to everything, even including soccer (in my older women’s league, not exactly the World Cup). I haven’t seen anything anywhere about anyone playing soccer after THR– has anybody?  Any how soon do people return to riding real bikes? I don’t have a clear idea about whether the real danger is dislocation or tearing something from falling, or what.  Thanks, all!… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

Good morning all,

I am a little over 1 week post surgery.  PT has started and I’m looking forward to a new day/new goals!… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

Yesterday my THR (left side) went better than I could ever have imagined. I must compliment Dr. David Mayman and every single staff member at The Hospital for Special Surgery for their top notch professional service. They were all pleasant, courteous, and compassionate.

I think I may have set some kind of record for the fastest THR in history. I arrived at the hospital at 11:40 yesterday morning. I was 10 minutes late while Dr. Mayman was 3 hours early because of a morning cancellation. Thus, I did not spend a minute in any waiting room. I was processed immediately, then stripped, shaved, scrubbed and sedated. I’m a little fuzzy on the timing, but I don’t think the operation took much longer than an hour. I remember waking up in the recovery room a little after 2:00 P.M.

They gave me a couple of doses of opium intravenously. But I felt good enough to decline all the pain pills that were offered. As a result, I was able to avoid the pill they give for constipation and the other pill they give to prevent your stomach from getting upset. I had less medication yesterday than I used to take in high school. And this allowed me to excel at this morning’s early PT  session & test.

I carried the walker in front of me for the first few steps before suggesting to the physical therapist that my cane would be more appropriate. I walked with and without my cane for a short while and then I was able to negotiate 5 stairs with relative ease. I learned a new word when the occupational therapist exclaimed something about how well I was ambulating. She then asked, “What time do you want to go home today?” “Noon will be fine with me.” I was elated!

I was an obedient and cooperative patient up until that point. Then I became inpatient. I couldn’t wait for the nurse to help me get dressed. I got in trouble for that. I got into a lot more trouble after they told me I could bear … (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

This image says it all.  My nagging knee injury coupled with the cold and icy weather, has limited my ability to get some quality outside runs in.  Because of that and because of my new year’s resolution to do more core work (I set my resolutions for 2015 in this post), I have been adding core work to my daily workout routine.   When my alarm goes off each morning, I head straight to the workout room for 20 minutes of core work.  I thought the earlier wake up time would kill me but I was surprised to find that I – REALLY – LIKE – MORNING – CORE – WORK!   The best part about it is that I break a good sweat and my knees don’t hurt.  With that extra 20 minutes of core work each morning, I am getting 2 hours and 20 minutes of core work each week.  If I maintain that pace, I will have put in 120 hours by the end of the year.    Its still early in the year, but I am already looking ahead at how this is going to improve my overall strength and tone as the year progresses.  That’s optimism.  Like the picture above, I am finding ways to make lemonade out of lemons.  My knee may be slowing me down, but I am adapting.

Gosh darn it!  I keep forgetting to report on how the hip is doing. That is a good sign!  My hip is doing great.  I ran with the SDP boys last night.  Another 10 mile workout with lots of quality.  They are training for a marathon in February so the workouts have gotten longer.  Still, I kept up.  The knee hurt and when the workout was done, my new hip hurt a bit too.  I know it is because I am overcompensating on my new hip side to protect the knee on the right side.   Today I gave the hip  a rest and worked out in the pool.  Feeling good now.

Advice to all of you hip running newbies.  You are all warriors!  … (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

I am so excited to have found this group.  I had an anterior THR at the end of August 2014 and was told by MD not to run or jump.  I am doing Pilates and Fluid running (pool) but want to transition back to running.  Because of weather and snow, I can’t walk outside so I am working on the treadmill.  I welcome any suggestions.  I am 53.… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

Today was my pre-surgery imaging, testing, and screening. All systems go for THR on the 22nd. Naturally, I’m a bit nervous now that the date is so quickly approaching. But I am also excited and very much looking forward to getting out of this painful rut. My New Year’s resolution is to be one of those guys who says, “I wish I had this done years ago.”
My day of tests and x-rays did not go without incident. First I got stuck in the elevator on my way out of my apartment. Fortunately, a porter came to my rescue – he kicked the door a couple of times and the door magically opened. For a few moments I thought my surgery would have to be postponed because of something crazy like this. I learned a person can become very anxious while stuck in an elevator.
Then I had the scariest cab driver ever. The guy stopped on the corner of 14th and 4th Avenue, opened the door and got out of the cab. I looked around but he was nowhere to be found. I freaked! With all the horrible headlines of terrorism reverberating through my brain I figured the weirdo planted a car bomb. I had my good leg out the door when the driver returned. He had been behind a kiosk buying a newspaper. He didn’t say a word – no explanation, no apology – nothing.
I was already having palpations because I was now late for my appointment. Unlike normal NYC cabbies, this guy stopped at yellow lights. I think it was so he could read his newspaper. We stopped at almost every red light all the way up to 70th Street. This set my heart racing even faster.
All of a sudden another car cut in front of us and almost caused an accident. My driver went ballistic. He used every variation of the “F” word that you can imagine. He actually pulled the cab over so he could get out and fight the other driver. When I tried to calm him down he turned around and … (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

[Dec. 13, 11.5 weeks, 5K race on a challenging hilly course, 30:34, 3rd in age group, 8th overall out of 70]  I forgot to post this pic in my previous post, so here it is.

Week 15:  I ran 3 times and walked 3 times, each 4 miles.  For my runs, I usually do a half-mile warm-up followed by 3 miles faster, and a half-mile cool-down.  Sometimes I follow this with some dynamic stretching, but probably not often enough.  I’m continuing to improve on my 3 miler and have it down to 26:02.

My hip is getting good enough that it isn’t slowing me down as much as my cardio fitness.  Before I started having hip problems, a 3 mile run was like a sprint.  It’s been about a year and a half since I’ve been able to run a solid 3 miles without any hip pain.  Due to the pain, most of my running had been at a really slow pace.  In that 1.5 year, my fitness level has really dropped.  I’m glad my hip is now feeling so good, but getting back to where I was before is going to take a lot of work!  I’m looking forward to it…… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

I was born with hip dysplasia and led a very active lifestyle that included running, triathlons and 3 amazing kids.  In 2001 after the birth of my third child, I had to have the labrum removed from my left hip.  I continued to run but my hip quickly deteriorated.  In 2009, at age 39,  I had to start walking with a cane and was losing mobility quickly.  In January 2010 I had my left THR.  I had a quick recovery but did not pick running back up on strict advice from my Dr. and fear of a displacement or catastrophic failure.  I have had no complications and with much research and education I am now back to running.  I competed in 2 triathlons in 2014 and walked a half marathon!  For 2015 I am running consistently with no pain or issues.  I am currently training for the Lake Stevens Half Ironman in Aug 2015.

I was so excited to find this site and see how many people are successfully running with a THR.  I also got a lot of out the Running with a Hip Replacement book.  I have changed my stride to a mid-foot strike instead of a heal strike and I think it is really helping me. I can’t tell you the relief at finding this site and seeing some many folks successfully running with a THR.  What a great resource and community!… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

As I have done for each of the previous 2 years, (2012 Recap, 2013 Recap) it is time to provide a recap of the year.  My new hip continues to do well.  I have been hampered by a knee injury on my non-thr leg, which is curtailing my running a bit, but I continue to maintan a modest 25-35 miles per week.

Here is a recap of some of my most notable blog posts from the year:

1. When you think you can’t ….. think Dixon.  A true testament to running with a hip replacement, even at the ripe young age of 90.  Dixon is an inspiration to me.
2. Seattle Rock-n-Roll….. Summer Spoils….  Running in the Rock-n-Roll Half Marathon and achieving my goal of sub 1:25 for the half marathon.
3.  Missoula Half Marathon …. Repeating my sub 1:25 with a sore knee…
4. Blooomsday. Ran it in under my age for the second time.
5.  St. Paddy’s 5 Miler – 29:55.  Ran sub 6’s.  Liked that!

All in all it was a good year.  But what made it really REALLY good was seeing how many new hip runners  joined the group this year.  AMAZING.  We are now over 200 strong and I suspect I will laugh at this number down the road.  As more people find us, this site will continue to grow at an exponential rate.  Welcome back to Dave W, who was one of the first Hip Runners on this site.  Many of you can learn A LOT from him as he actually took some time off after reporting some fantastic early successes.  When he responds to your posts, listen.  Experience is the best teacher and he has lots of it!  Welcome back Dave!  I have hinted at getting some sort of shirt to sell on this site.  You will now see it as a goal for 2015 in the list below.  I hope to direct any/all profits (miniscule as they will be) towards helping with miscellaneous expenses for the XC/Track teams at the school that my boys go to.  I have been … (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

This is my first post after recently finding this site. I had my hip surgery  on 12/13 and the one thing my doctor told me to stay away from was high impact exercising like running. His reasoning was increased wear on the plastic socket.

Can’t believe all of you are running which is awesome and wondering if you can share your feelings and findings after running at least a few years with your new hip. I’m 54 and holding out for hope.

Thanks,

Steve… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

24 weeks, been running again for 3 weeks and have managed 2 5k park runs.… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

My progress has tapered off, but still getting better every week.

In weeks 9 and 10, I gradually increased my walks to 5 miles.  I also have been doing more elliptical and stationary biking.

In week 11, I started running.  My first run was 3 miles in 33 minutes.  There is still some pain when I use a long stride, so I was running using a very short and low to the ground stride.  I did a second 3-miler a few days later in 32 minutes.

In week 12, my first 3-miler was 29:20, and feeling much better.  Good enough that I decided to do a 5-K race.  The race was on a very hilly course and I was a bit worried about the impact on the downhills, so I was planning to run the uphills, and walk the downhills if there was any pain.  The weather was warmer than I had dressed for, so I was in the parking lot changing from a long sleeve to a short sleeve when the gun went off.  I ran through the parking lot without even thinking about my hip, crossed the start line a minute behind the crowd (thank God for chip timing).  Caught most of the crowd on the first long uphill.  I started the descent at an easy shuffle, but there was zero pain in my hip.  Yay!  I still ran very conservatively though and ended up finishing 8th overall in a field of 70, and a time of 30:37 (the distance was actually 3.2 miles, according to my garmin).

In week 13, I only ran once because my upper thigh was a bit achy and I got worried that I might have pushed it too much in week 12.  The rest of the week was mostly walking.

I’m now in the middle of week 14.  On Christmas morning, I ran hill intervals in my neighborhood.  Running up a steep hill for a minute-30 secs, and walking back down, for one hour.  My leg muscles were a bit achy the next day, and I had some pain in the rear … (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

I turned to running in my late twenties in order to lose and maintain my weight. From the age of 29-33 I completed 5 marathons and many shorter races. At 33, I got married, started a family and got very lazy and heavy again. In late 2008 I started running again to lose weight and started to compete in races again including the 2009 and 2010 Chicago Marathon. In May 2011 I joined a running club, (Tinley,Track and Trail) which was the best thing to happened to my running. Since May 2011 I have completed another 3 marathons and 4 ultra marathons, while improving my 5k time each year. In the spring on this year the pain in my left hip was preventing me from getting a good nights sleep. I went to the Doctor and found out I had minimal cartilage in my left hip, caused by two bone spurs. The decision was made in August to have the replacement surgery on 12/22 during my two week break from school where I teach. On Monday December 22,2014 I had a left total hip arthroplasty via anterior approach.… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)