Guess I’m a little different than most of the people here, but hip failure is something we have in common. I ran in high school, cross country and track, but was an also-ran. Couldn’t sprint and too stocky to make a good distance runner. That’s OK, I was out of the house and having fun. It also did great things for my real sport, wrestling. I kept running for fun after I ended my college career, thought about a marathon (I’d go out the door and end up doing 12-15 miles at times) but never got around to it. I returned to wrestling in my early 40’s competing against college kids and a few more mature guys, went to veterans nationals twice, and kept running because it felt good and kept my weight down. Not a lot, and not fast – especially compared to this crew, I’m a clydesdale at 223 but running is still a joy.
3 years ago a minor accident led to some hip pain that got better, worse, better, worse. Finally got in to see my physical therapist last summer, and after a few weeks she asked me to see an orthopedic surgeon. I was shocked when he said I needed a replacement, but even I could see the damage. He starts talking about the surgery and recovery, and how quickly I could return to normal activity. Naturally I asked what he meant by ‘normal activity’ and how long before I could get back to running because I’d like to go back to wrestling, do nationals at least one more time and maybe hit the world championships just to say I had been. His expression would have been funny if it wasn’t my life we were talking about. No contact sports, no running. Why? He cited wear and possible breakage, and the more I pressed the more I got the feeling that he was protecting himself from a lawsuit. I got no further information from him, and when I tried another surgeon I got pretty much the same lack of information.
Your site has given me hope that I will at least be able to return to running, even if it takes a while. Wrestling will be a bit harder, but the hard part is getting the right appliance. I want to get it done soon. Running doesn’t hurt, but sitting does – and I have a desk job. Driving for an hour feels fine until I get out of the car, and riding a motorcycle is pretty much out of the question. I will be going in for surgery in the next 2 months, unless disaster happens.
Thanks!