Coming Back to Hiprunner

Good question, Brett. I don’t have any answers for you, but I’m hoping that some other members will. I am 10 weeks post-op, and I was told emphatically, several times, by my surgeon that I could never run again. My PT told me that I could probably run, but that I should be prepared to have revision surgery in 10 years. I am heartbroken.

Hi Brett – I am 5 months post op from might Right THR. I am running easy about 3 to 4 miles per day on all sorts of pavement and hills. I am a triathlete so also swim 3 x per week and bike train indoors 3 x week. After 5 months I don’t have any pain and forget my hip was replaced…..except getting off the floor after playing with my grandkids:-)

My surgeon told me, since I am now 65 years old and with a ceramic ball and titanium socket that is much larger in recent years that I will not wear it out. He said he advises against training for and running races marathon in length or further. I mentioned the half marathon at the end of a triathlon and he was good with that.

I started slow with just increasing my walking distance up to 6 miles and then started adding back in parking lot jogs for 10 steps. I worked my way up to 3 miles of slow running and plan to stay there until I get past the 6 month mark with no pain….other than being out of shape.

I will go back at the 12 month mark to make sure I am not doing any damage, but with no pain I am pretty sure everything is fine.

I would make sure you get really well cushioned shoes. I run in Hokas and Nikes. I also try to land mid foot to reduce impact.

My surgeon is a sports doc…..Vikings, Twins, college, etc…..and understands return to sports. Best to find and stick with those kind of guys if you want to also return to sports.

Good luck,

Tim

Hi Brett.

I had my hip replacement in 2012 and started this site as a result of it. The doctor told me back then, that he did not know how long my new hip would last if I took up running. He said there was just not enough data collected to know what the effects from running would be on the new hip technology. This site is one big experiment and at 8 years later, my hip is still running strong. While it is true, some people may drop off the site if they start having problems with their hip……I won’t. I will report both the good and the bad that comes with running on a hip replacement.
There is something to running that I cannot get from anything else. Running serves as a great mental release for me. Without it, I become a different person. I need it. On top of that, it is a great way to maintain fitness without having to watch every calorie that I consume. The reward is simply health…….both physical and mental. I will gladly risk a hip revision in order to have those 2 things.

Hip Brother Tom

Hello Brett.
Anterior right replacement done May 2018. Took me more than a year to start walking and then running a few k’s.
As Tom mentions, data on failures is very sparse ,and one has to be aware that the hip is now mechanical and will probably only last for x number of k,s. What i mean by that is to be sensible about one’s running. I used to be a 140 k week runner, and having the op was extremely traumatic for me as i have been running for most of my adult life… about 50 years. I have now progressed to about 30 to 40 k’s per week and that, given Covid and the scarcity of races for the foreseeable future is fine for me.
I still plan to run my 20th Comrades marathon at some stage and will reassess my running after that. My hip is sometimes painful, but i then back off for a few days.
When i decided to run again, i dropped quite a few k’s and eased into it.
Best wishes

• This reply was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by Silver. Reason: spelling error

Would be good to know what sort of THR you have before encouraging youbyo try running again. I went for a metal on metal resurfacing on my left hip 6 years ago because (like Andy Murray) I wanted to stay active in running, climbing and mountaineering. Metal does wear out, slowly, but I was 64 and it did not have to last 40 years… Was jogging at 6 weeks, carefully, and built up over the next year to decent pace up to 10k plus long days in the hills. Right hip is 3.5 years old, bone not good enough for a resurfacing, and is ceramic on ceramic. Surgeon assured me I would not break it, carry on doing what I do. Running again at 6 weeks, have run up to 13 miles and walked 42 in the hills, joint is perfect. Rest of me is aging rapidly but I can run every day if I go steadily enough.
If you have a plastic lined bearing then wear might be a problem eventually, although the latest cross-linked polyethylene liners may be even better than ceramic as they cannot shatter like old ceramic did occasionally (just had an acquaintance undergo replacement for broken ceramic bearing) but if you are light and efficient then running should not be risky in my opinion.

Hi Brett, I think it’s a pretty easy decision, I had my hip replacement 10 years ago and this year ran over 3,000 miles, having ran 2,000 mile for several of the previous years. I don’t have any issues at all with my hardware. As Tom said, I’ll gladly take a revision and enjoy my life to the fullest, none of us know what the limits are and it’s different for everyone, but until you try you’ll never know and always wish you did. You have to listen to your body on your journey and do what you can to strengthen your muscles, but you can run. Find out what works for you, start slow and take it from there. Good luck. Dave

Hello Brett. I started running in the 70’s and usually ran all out all the time. This was fine for a time but then I started to get some nagging injuries. After my THR 3 years ago, I started with lots of walking, hiking, and biking making sure there was no pain. I’m 68 now and promised myself that if I started running again I would also do a dedicated regimen of strength and mobility training AND really work on my form for the most efficient stride possible…and just be much more intelligent on my overall approach to running. My absolute belief is that if this helps everyday (and elite) runners avoid injury with less stress to the joints and soft tissues, this can only benefit someone like me with a bionic hip and perhaps save on any unneeded wear and tear. So far, I am running pain and injury free and have VERY slowly started to build up my miles. I also cross train by hill walking and riding an Elliptigo cycle. I’m looking forward to my first 5k and then my very favorite 10k runs in 2021. Build a solid foundation and the rest will follow. Best wishes!